processing beats

djjd · Post by **djjd** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:45 pm

Hello - sampled some nice beats (quite loose, jazzy drum kit) which are already compressed & have reverb on. Any tips for fx to lay on the beats (to disguise where I sampled from) or to make them fatter?

Love you x

BLista · Post by **BLista** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:47 pm

clips?

Ali Baba · Post by **Ali Baba** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:56 pm

Metallurgy

djjd · Post by **djjd** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:03 pm

I can't put clips up I'm afraid deano fandango.

Silas_Greenback · Post by **Silas_Greenback** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:09 pm

A unison or phaser to detune them/fatten them slightly? Or maybe a light distortion and then some gated reverb?

Depends on how you want them to sound really?

You could whack a vocodered copy underneath to make it less obvious.

foxington · Post by **foxington** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:14 pm

make a copy of the loop, compress it hard with short attack and zero decay, try a ratio of about 6:1 and threshold to taste. maybe gate it as well

layer it up with the original and tuck the gated + comped one underneath it.

bus the two together and hi pass them, then layer a meaty kick and snare underneath with a bit of LP on them.

some ideas to try

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:15 pm

depends what you want the end result to be really.

for instance if you don't like the reverb thats on em you might want to gate them, them put your own reverb on.

my first port of call would be eq, get rid of any mud on he bottom end, cut out any nasty resonances and boost the nic ones.

then i would normaly add a smidgen of saturtion (fattens breaks up nicely), as its been compressed all ready i would avoid adding my own.

baobinga · Post by **baobinga** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:18 pm

compress the fuck out of em to bring the reverb up! crazy pumping reverb FTW!

djjd · Post by **djjd** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:19 pm

nice nice nice & nice 1

Spin1441 · Post by **Spin1441** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 2:52 pm

I find that using a para EQ with a sharp Q helps as you can find chop out large bits of offending instruments pretty easily.

Gme · Post by **Gme** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:51 pm

What i usually do is:

1)Take a nice loop drum sample

2)Create a drum rack in Ableton where i use my won kick n snare and play the same exact loop in midi

3)Light Side-Chain - Ratio around 2 to 1 or 3 to 1

4)Same groove with a phatter kick and snare yet a full sound

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 5:56 pm

forgot to say camelphat is a bag of win. makes your beats reet propper

imm-tron · Post by **imm-tron** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 11:27 pm

loop em up so to same tempo as your programmed hits (if thats what ur doing) , and having cut out the low end experiment with different start points in the loop, for triggering.

boonos · Post by **boonos** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:17 am

for kicks n snares, transient shapers can do wonders if used subtely

BLista · Post by **BLista** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:09 am

For me, getting the beats right is also about the mix as well as compression etc. If your beats are not too punchy, don't use as much stereo spread on the rest of your mix elements as they will sound "bigger" and make your drums sound weedy. push the drum buss up a bit to compensate

If they are massive you can go crazier with your panning and stereo FX as they will still hold their own.

To make a drum patch sound fatter without comp etc, simple distortion or overdrive can make them really smack. Adding hats to snares and single shot tambs to the attack of kiks can lift them through a mix. As Boonos said, transient shapers can help make them really snap, and you can achieve similar, but different, results with compression.

But on dry samples i generally use the UAD limiting amps to bring them up. and then edit them in soundforge.

Also a tiny bit of stereo spread (maybe L/R of about 4-8%) on a snare can work wonders providing you use a plug which sums nicely to mono.

Sam Hell's massive snare in one of his recent tunes (possibly Gun club but maybe not - can't remember) i noticed was wider than the whole rest of the arrangement which gives added oomph to the listener. Centring everything else gives the illusion that the snare is massive. (although his snares are massive anyway, but this adds to the illusion in this particular track)

very tricky to get right though without swamping the mix, and his mixdowns are obscenely good

Gated Reverb is pretty essential to get space and reverb patch is key. somethign i struggle with a lot.

[/blah&tings&stuff]

findog · Post by **findog** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:17 am

BLista. wrote:For me, getting the beats right is also about the mix as well as compression etc. If your beats are not too punchy, don't use as much stereo spread on the rest of your mix elements as they will sound "bigger" and make your drums sound weedy. push the drum buss up a bit to compensate

If they are massive you can go crazier with your panning and stereo FX as they will still hold their own.

To make a drum patch sound fatter without comp etc, simple distortion or overdrive can make them really smack. Adding hats to snares and single shot tambs to the attack of kiks can lift them through a mix. As Boonos said, transient shapers can help make them really snap, althoguh you can achieve similarly different results with compression.

But on dry samples i generally use the UAD limiting amps to bring them up. and then edit them in soundforge.

Also a tiny bit of stereo spread (maybe L/R of about 4-8%) on a snare can work wonders providing you use a plug which sums nicely to mono.

Sam Hell's massive snare in one of his recent tunes (possibly Gun club but maybe not - can't remember) i noticed was wider than the whole rest of the arrangement which gives added oomph to the listener. Centring everything else gives the illusion that the snare is massive. (although his snares are massive anyway, but this adds to the illusion in this particular track)

very tricky to get right though without swamping the mix.

Gated Reverb is pretty essential to get space and reverb patch is key. somethign i struggle with a lot.

[/blah&tings&stuff]

i like you man, you know this shit and you share it, you're a cool dude, respect :fist breast x2:
i should take notes btw eheh

findog · Post by **findog** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:23 am

im pretty basic, i have no method i just work what i feel i want.. whatever.. i just remembered that, whenever you pick a loop to exract a a part, a kick snare etc whatever, first i like to play it through compressors etc, extreme pumping settings may bring sounds out of the loop we weren't even aware of if you see what i mean..
cool

findog · Post by **findog** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:24 am

etc x3

plazadefunk · Post by **plazadefunk** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:31 am

BLista. wrote: Also a tiny bit of stereo spread (maybe L/R of about 4-8%) on a snare can work wonders providing you use a plug which sums nicely to mono.

What do you use Deano? I've noticed the built-in Logic stereo widener creates lots of phasing problems

BLista · Post by **BLista** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:32 am

fin wrote:
BLista. wrote:For me, getting the beats right is also about the mix as well as compression etc. If your beats are not too punchy, don't use as much stereo spread on the rest of your mix elements as they will sound "bigger" and make your drums sound weedy. push the drum buss up a bit to compensate

If they are massive you can go crazier with your panning and stereo FX as they will still hold their own.

To make a drum patch sound fatter without comp etc, simple distortion or overdrive can make them really smack. Adding hats to snares and single shot tambs to the attack of kiks can lift them through a mix. As Boonos said, transient shapers can help make them really snap, althoguh you can achieve similarly different results with compression.

But on dry samples i generally use the UAD limiting amps to bring them up. and then edit them in soundforge.

Also a tiny bit of stereo spread (maybe L/R of about 4-8%) on a snare can work wonders providing you use a plug which sums nicely to mono.

Sam Hell's massive snare in one of his recent tunes (possibly Gun club but maybe not - can't remember) i noticed was wider than the whole rest of the arrangement which gives added oomph to the listener. Centring everything else gives the illusion that the snare is massive. (although his snares are massive anyway, but this adds to the illusion in this particular track)

very tricky to get right though without swamping the mix.

Gated Reverb is pretty essential to get space and reverb patch is key. somethign i struggle with a lot.

[/blah&tings&stuff]
i like you man, you know this shit and you share it, you're a cool dude, respect :fist breast x2:
i should take notes btw eheh

cheers, but take it with a pinch of salt, my production is not exactly world beating.