Coagulated Producer Blog: January 2007

Part 1: Mix Methods used by Top Producers

Part 2: Secrets to obtaining a Hotter Mix
Part 3: Secret Techniques for EQ'n Drumz
Part 4: Secrets to EQ'n Bass for Hip Hop
Part 5: Get Your Beats Bouncin' with Mutes, Drops, & Automation
Part 6: How loud do the Top Producers Mix?
Part 7: How the Heavy-Weights make Hitz
Part 8: Pro Speaker Positioning Methodz
Part 9: Top Compression Methodz Revealed
Part 10: How much Compression is too much?
Part 11: Secrets to a Platinum Vocal Sound
Part 12: Prized Background Vocal Techniques
Part 13: Sub-Bass Secrets for Hip-Hop Pro's
Part 14: Sub-Bass Secret #2 Revealed
Part 15: Sub-Bass Secret #3 Revealed
Part 16: Monitoring Mixes like the Pro's
Part 17:Techniques to Widen Kicks & Snares
Part 18:Add Xtra Heat to Drum Rhythmz
Part 19:Make Mixes Wider than Ever Before
Part 20:Tune to the Tonic & Maximize Mixes (part 1)
Part 21:Tune to the Tonic & Maximize Mixes (part 2)
Part 22: Opitimize Beats by Eliminating Beats
Part 23: Find tha Kick's Tonal Resonance
Part 24: Calibrate Low End by Observing Woofer Cone Movement
Part 25: Heat up Bass with Pitch Bends

Part 1:Quik Tipz: Mix Methods used by Top Producers

Building a great mix starts with organizing how you approach it. To achieve the best mix for hip hop, break down your mix into a specific order of steps as the Pro's do. The following mix methods will help you avoid rushing or losing focus on achieving the best sound:

1) Place priority on mixing the drums & bass first. Achieving a soild drum & bass foundation gives your mix a strong backbone. If you focus on the drums and bass first, the rest of your mix will naturally fall into place.

2) Even though many producers mix the entire instrumental song before adding in the lead and background vocals - it's a big mistake! After you've built the drum and bass mix, move straight into placing your lead vocal tracks into the heart of it. Build a solid mix with these 3 components before adding in your other tracks.

3) After the drums, bass, and vocals are solid, add in your other melodic tracks such as guitar, piano, strings, etc. Leave out any percussion or sound effects at this point. Pan these melodic tracks around the lead vocal, finding a pocket for each addition. Make sure not to compete for the lead vocals attention, but instead support the vocals as complimentary.

4) Save the percussion and sound effects tracks for last. Typically it's wise to pan these last tracks outside your drums, bass, vocal, and melodic tracks. Use your percussion and effects tracks to fill in spaces in the mix that seem unbalanced. By this step your mix should be well shaped and balanced

Part 2:
Quik Tipz: Secrets to obtaining a Hotter Mix

If you are sincere about getting the best possible mix out of your productions, then you'll be certain to read the following unknown EQ mixing secrets below:

1) Know what to boost & where to boost - Too many amateur mixers think just because they've discovered a low frequency EQ knob, and know how to turn it up, that they've suddenly become an expert on Equalization. The truth is there isn't a quicker way to ruin a mix than EQing your tracks using the same global EQ boosts. A professional mixer quickly understands that while boosting the same low frequency on a bass guitar as that on a kick drum may sound great when listened separate from each other, when combined the cumulative EQ creates an overall loss of output volume for the entire mix due to lows controlling the mix level.

2) Give each track it's own timbre - A professional mixer understands to avoid using the same frequencies when EQing each track in a mix. In fact, by making sure each track has it's own proper & unique EQ settings, you're overall mix will sound more professional, balanced, and louder. To take it a step further, clearing out frequency ranges with low pass and high pass filters on tracks that don't fill the entire frequency spectrum grants you more control over boosting & cutting EQ where it is needed. For example, opening up the low end of the spectrum with high pass filtering so kick drums and bass can fill in with more definition, as well as, opening up the highs with low pass filtering where cymbals and hi-hats can be heard more clearly.

3) Compensate: Where you boost, you must cut - A professional mixer understands that where he/she boosts, he/she must cut. For example, if your kick drum needs more lows, then give it a 4db boost around 60hz. But...be certain to compensate this boost with a corresponding cut by subtracting the same 60hz from your bass guitar track. Furthermore, before creating unwanted cumulative EQ effects by boosting lower mids on your congas or toms, clear out the EQ path by high passing tracks that don't use natural low mids such as strings, hi hats, and background vocals. By boosting where you cut & cutting where you boost, you keep the overall EQ spectrum balanced. The results will astonish you. Your overall mix will be more balanced, smoother, and best of all - Hotter!

Part 3:
Quik Tipz: Secret Techniques for EQ'n Drumz

When it comes to equalizing your drums, don't mess around. The drums represent the heart of your mix & should be treated with respect. Below are some invaluable secrets from MPCsounds for EQ'n drums for Hip Hop:

Frequency Selection - If your serious about obtaining a clean and punchy sound for your drums, then you'll quickly learn you must be selective in the frequencies you should to boost and cut for each drum track. Most important to remember - Avoid accumulation of the same frequencies. Particularly, avoid over boosting low end frequencies. This will only muddy up your drums, as well as, mask other important tracks in the mix. Ensure your drum frequencies are even across the board!

Clean it Up - To achieve an overall punchier & cleaner mix, try cutting low end frequencies between 250 - 500hz on drum tracks such as kicks & toms. Cutting frequencies in this range will actually sharpen up drum tracks that sound too bold, harsh, & up-front. For punch, try adding 250 - 350hz into your snare & clap tracks. This will give more snap & body to the rhythm, as well as, balance out where your cut previously on your kick & tom tracks.

Adding Clarity - Cutting out the low frequencies from 100-200hz on cymbal & hi-hat tracks will add clarity while also allowing the other drum tracks that contain natural lows in those same ranges to come through in the mix. Also, boosting highs from 9khz - 12khz will add brilliance to cymbal tracks & boosting around 8khz will add crackle to your snare & clap tracks. If your not satisfied with the depth & feel on your kick tracks, then add a 4db boost at 40hz using a narrow Q of around 20. This will give the kick tracks the punch you're looking for. But...don't forget...high pass your sub kick tracks from 34hz & below, canceling out unwanted low end rumble.

Part 4:
Quik Tipz: Secrets to EQ'n Bass for Hip Hop

As a Hip Hop Producer, one thing you must learn to respect is the power of bass and how it can control your entire mix for better or worse. So, for the benefit of your mixes, take note of these important tricks of the trade we reveal below:

1) Bass frequencies are omnidirectional. This means the lows within bass instruments contain alot of power and energy, so powerful they can control the overall output of the master mix level. Plus, your bass track should almost always be panned in the center. Panning your bass other than to the center is senseless as it will only generate a mix that is lopsided and artificially hot on one side.

2) Don't EQ your bass with the same frequencies as you used on your kicks. For example, if you boosted 40-80hz in your kick tracks, then boost around 120hz for your bass, or vice versa. It's very important to avoid accumulation of the same frequencies when dealing with lows as these tracks control the overall output level of your mix. By assigning different frequency settings to each low end track, your overall mix level can become louder.

3) Boosting a particular frequency on a kick track, calls for cutting the same frequency by the same amount on your bass track. Specifically, when boosting 80hz on a kick track, be certain to cut 80hz by the same amount on your bass track. Likewise, if you boosted 130hz on your bass track, cut by the same amount and frequency on your kick track. This secret technique will give your song a far more low end sculpted sound, allowing for a hotter overall mix.

Part 5:
Quik Tipz: Get Your Beats Bouncin'
with Mutes, Drops, & Automation

So you've finished with the bulk of your mix - you've EQ 'd, compressed, gated, panned, & added effects to your complete satisfaction. So you're ready to lay down your final mix, right?

Wrong!

Now it's time to take your mix to the next level. Adding in mutes, drops, & other types of automation will help shape and give a new energy to your mix that you hadn't imagined before:

Try muting out bass & drums tracks near the end of 4 bar phrases throughout your song and you'll see what we mean. Listeners love dynamics - adding in automated mutes & drops on bass & drum tracks throughout your song adds the dynamic energy hits require. Also, experiment with different combinations of drum drops. Don't use the same exact drum drops over & over - Mix it up!

So what other types of automation will bring the final mix to higher grounds? Well, depending on your console/computer setup, all of the following can be automated: Mutes, Pans, Effects sends, EQ, Compression, Gates, and more. Don't fall short during the mix process, your beat deserves more. Imagine the energetic & dynamic possibilities with all that you could automate!

Part 6:
Quik Tipz: How loud do the Top Producers Mix?

If you're asking yourself "How loud do the top producers mix?", then you're asking the wrong question. Try asking "How soft do they mix?". That's right, that's what we said. Below we reveal the reasons Top Producers mix at lower versus higher levels:

1) Mixing at high volumes for long periods of time can cause permanent ear damage. Yes, it's true...long term exposure to high levels can ruin your ears. If your ears are your assets, best treat them right.

2) High mixing volumes for long periods cause your ears to over-compensate for both high end frequencies and low end frequencies. If you only mix at high levels, your ears will run out of gas within a couple hours as opposed to mixing at softer levels which allow you to hear accurately for longer periods of time.

3) Mixing loud may sound great in the beginning, but re-listening to the same mix a day later at soft levels will reveal a myriad of imbalances. However, the opposite is not true! Achieving proper balances at soft levels tends to maintain the same achieved balances when heard later at loud levels.

Are we saying to mix only at soft levels? No, of course not. In fact, it's necessary to mix loud for a minute or two to ensure proper balance on the low end spectrum of your mix. Also, in order to ensure effects and EQ's aren't saturated, it's necessary to mix for periods of time at moderate levels. But overall...the best balances are achieved at lower mixing levels.

Part 7:
Quik Tipz: How the Heavy-Weights make Hitz

So...you produced a mad beat. The artist and record company love it. They buy it. They take it into the studio to record vocals to it. Now they're ready to mix. But...is the beat truly as hot as it could be?!? Heavy weight producers would say no! Here's why...

Too often in Hip Hop, producers make killer beats only to have artists record vocals over them that simply don't agree with the arrangement of the original beat. The problem is the lyrical ideas of the artist and the production ideas of the producer don't match on first try. So..when a producer sells a beat that isn't then re-arranged to better fit the lyrical performance that is recorded over it, the overall song will lose it's power due to the vocals & beat clashing.

The lesson to be learned is 90% of the time production should not end when the beat is sold. Heavy weight producers take pride & joy in re-arranging their productions to fit around vocal performances by opening up spaces for certain lyrical lines while adding in new fills & riffs in between other vocal lines. In short, professional producers sculpt their beats around vocal performances!

In fact, with the perfect combination of catchy hook vocals answered by catchy hook fills & riffs, hits can truly be born! Nothing makes a better formula for a hit than catchy "question and answer" phrasing. The problem with alot of amateur hip hop productions is that the artist's vocals (the questions) simply run over the producer's riffs (the answers). Real producers re-pave the road and come out with hits!

Part 8:
Quik Tipz: Pro Speaker Positioning Methodz

Before spending too much time producing and mixing the beats you work so hard on everyday, make sure the near-field speakers you use to create your hits are properly positioned and angled!

Your near-field speakers should be placed the same distance from each other as they are from your ears. In other words, a 1 meter distance should exist between both speakers while you sit 1 meter away in front of the speakers.

Additionally, your speakers should be at level with your head and ears. If they aren't, you won't be hearing the sound accurately. Avoid artificial coloring and reflections that can destroy how your productions may sound on different systems by making sure you monitor your music at proper near-field distances and at straight angles to the ears.

Sure...your productions may sound great in your own studio. But... unless you've positioned your speakers at accurate monitoring distances and angles, you might be disappointed once you hear your musical works on other systems!

Part 9:
Quik Tipz: Top Compression Methodz Revealed

Ready to achieve optimum, punchy, in-your-face, hip hop compression settings for a kick? a snare? bass? percussion? Learn what compressor settings platinum hip hop producers use below...

Ratio & Threshold settings dictate amount: Heavy weight producers use Ratio settings 4:1 to 7:1 for most hip hop applications. Ratios 8:1 & above are more effective for limiting, not compression. For Threshold settings, the Pro's use anywhere from 10db to 15db of gain reduction on kicks, snares, percussion, bass, or guitar. After you set the ratio and threshold, the real power comes in with your attack and release settings...

Attack times dictate snap: To ensure the most punch per track in your mix, you need to assign each track it's own compressor attack settings one at a time. Starting with the kick, set your attack to its slowest possible setting. Next, increase the time of the attack until the kicks timbre dulls slightly. Once you've reached this point, decrease the attack time slightly to un-dull the kick timbre and leave it at that setting. Repeat this method for all other tracks you wish to add optimum punch to!

3) Release times dictate recovery: Now that you've optimized the attack for each individual track needing punch, now you must assign each track its own release setting too. Again, starting with the kick, set your release to its fastest possible setting. Next, decrease the time of the release until you hear the compression fully recovers the kick's volume before the next kick pulse begins. Repeat this method for all other tracks needing optimum volume recovery!

Part 10:
Quik Tipz: How much Compression is too much?

While compression can work wonders to add punch and presence to your mix, it can also ruin it faster than you can say "it's destroyed". Below are some guidelines to help you avoid destroying your mixes with too much compression...

Compression typically performs best when gain reduction occurs only where peaks in audio signal are present, even if those peaks occur several times throughout a mix. The idea is to control the peaks in signal all the while having most of the signal remain underneath the threshold and hence, uncompressed. Optimum gain reduction occurs once you have achieved this type of balance.

If the compressor is always attenuating (gain reducing) the signal you feed it, you are not achieving optimum gain reduction. This is where compressors start to ruin mixes with what is called pumping and/or breathing.

Pumping and breathing occur when so much of the signal is crossing the threshold that the overall volume of the signal is reduced entirely! Once the dynamics and/or peaks in the original signal soften & go back underneath the threshold, the volume actually becomes louder again due to the original signal recovering from excessive compression!

Compression is a powerful tool: Abuse it, and compression will ruin your mix. Treat it with respect, and compression will enchance your mix!

Part 11:
Quik Tipz: Secrets to a Platinum Vocal Sound

Nothing is more important in a song than the lead vocal. Simply put...the lead vocal is the primary focal point of your entire mix. Because of its importance and need for constant placement within a mix, proper microphone, EQ, and compression techniques are essential. Learn the same techniques as used in platinum hits...

1) Microphone Techniques: In order to achieve a professional high fidelity vocal recording, using a condenser mic along with a good pop-screen is the only way to go. Condensers capture vocal resonance and vocal frequency spectrums far better than dynamic microphones. Also, before recording, be certain to switch the mic's settings to the cardioid pickup pattern with the high pass filter enabled to remove low end rumble from the source recording signal.

2) Vocal EQ Techniques: If proper microphone techniques have been implemented, a minimal amount of EQ should be needed. However, if you find the vocals could still use added clarity, try boosting 1-3 decibels between 5khz - 7khz. If you're needing an extra airy texture added to the vocals, try boosting 1-3 decibels between 10khz-12khz. Also, any low frequencies 100hz and below should be rolled off and/or high-passed to add further low end control to your overall mix.

3) Vocal Compression Techniques: With compression, you are seeking to even out inconsistencies in volume levels while at the same time trying not to destroy the natural dynamics inherent in the vocal performance. The trick is to set your compressor with a high ratio of 5:1 to 8:1 with a semi-fast attack and a medium release time. Most important is your setting of the compressor's threshold: Set your threshold level where gain reduction occurs only for the loudest volume peaks in the vocal recording. This will even out level inconsistencies all the while retaining natural vocal dynamics.

Part 12
Quik Tipz: Prized Background Vocal Techniques

You've put in some hard work to achieve the perfect lead vocal mix. Now, it's time to bring the song to a new level by adding the background vocals to the mix! Below are some great unknown tips on how to attain some prized background vocal textures...

1) Add Silk: Unlike the up front full-bodied texture of your lead vocal track, take a different complimentary approach with your backing vocals. Add some silk by applying an overall high-pass filter as high as 900hz to the background vocals. The higher the high-pass the more sheen and silky the texture becomes. Also, for even more sheen, boost 11-12khz 1-4 decibels using high-shelf EQ.

2) Add Depth: To ensure a large impressive sound, you need to record several tracks of background vocals: double takes, triple takes, as well as, stacking harmonies. Take advantage of this multi-tracking by assigning each track its own panning placement. For example, pan low vocal/harmony tracks hard left & right. Next, pan medium vocal/harmony tracks 75% left & 75% right. Lastly, pan high vocal/harmony tracks 40% left & 40% right. Now your backing vocals will hug around your lead vocal perfectly!

3) Add Distance: To further add contrast apart from your lead vocal, apply different effects settings to your background vocal tracks. Typically, heavier effects should be applied to background vocals when compared to lead tracks. This helps add distance & a unique character apart from your lead mix. Some good background effects to apply are subtle ping pong stereo delays, hall reverbs, plate reverbs, and choruses!

Part 13
Quik Tipz: Sub-Bass Secrets for Hip-Hop Pro's

There's nothing more powerful to add to a hip hop mix than smooth "feel it more than hear it" sub-bass! Read below to learn some of the most coveted sub-bass secrets in tha industry...

Hip-Hop Sub-Bass Secret #1: Learning the Low Pass

Many amateur mixers think the way to create powerful sub-bass is by boosting low-shelf EQ. Well, we have news for you...it's not! The most direct route to creating sub-bass textures is through the powerful use of a low pass filter. By applying a low pass filter to a source signal such as a bass guitar track, high timbres can be filtered out completely letting only low-sub frequencies pass through to be heard.

Easily control how high or low of timbres to let pass through the filter by assigning the filter's settings to a specific frequency number such as 80hz or 70hz, etc. The lower you toggle your low pass filter setting (70hz, 60hz, 50hz), the more sub-only signal you are creating in your mix. Try it on your kicks & bass instrument tracks and experience the control!

Note: Before testing out the techniques described above, please keep in mind the following...To monitor sub-bass frequencies accurately, you will need a sub-woofer. While you can still hear some sub frequencies without a sub-woofer and apply the techniques described, the accurate amount of sub-bass being produced will go somewhat unnoticed when using only near-field monitors/speakers.

Part 14
Quik Tipz: Sub-Bass Secret #2 Revealed

Low pass filtering can work wonders for creating some serious sub-bass textures. But...it doesn't stop there! To further sculpt the perfect sounding sub-bass, proper sub-frequency EQ methods need to be implemented. Read below to learn in depth what EQ methods the Pro's sculpt sub-basses to perfection...

Hip-Hop Sub-Bass Secret #2 - Sub EQ Methodz

1) Low Bell-Curve EQs are the first step to sculpting sub frequencies from bass tracks. Applying a low bell-curve EQ to a bass track allows you to boost only a small specific range of low end frequencies, say 40hz-80hz. Boosting the EQ 4db-6db forms a bell shaped curve above the selected frequency range where the peak tops off in the middle of the range. Ideally, you want to place the peak of the bell curve exactly over the most desirable sounding sub-bass frequency. For most Hip Hop applications, this frequency is from 40hz-60hz depending on the desired sub feel.

2) Once the peak of the bell-curve EQ is positioned directly above the desired sub frequency to boost, further sculpt the size of the bell by assigning a narrow Q value to the bell-curve. To really focus and pinpoint only desirable sub frequencies, a narrow Q value from 10 to 23 is typically best.

3) With the narrow Q value set, you are now ready to concentrate whole-heartedly on boosting only the targeted sub frequencies captured within the tight Q width. Depending on your source signal, them amount of sub frequency boost needed will vary widely. Use your ear and boost anywhere from 2db to 20db to sculpt your sub-bass EQ level to perfection. After finding the perfect amount of boost, be sure to apply a high pass filter below the bell curve range to remove any unwanted rumble 35hz and below for an overall smoother sound.

Note: Before testing out the techniques described above, please keep in mind the following...To monitor sub-bass frequencies accurately, you will need a sub-woofer. While you can still hear some sub frequencies without a sub-woofer and apply the techniques described, the accurate amount of sub-bass being produced will go somewhat unnoticed when using only near-field monitors/speakers.
Part 15: Sub-Bass Secret #3 Revealed
By MPCsounds.com

Low pass filtering & targeted EQ methods can work wonders for creating some serious sub-bass textures. But...it still doesn't stop there! Read below to learn how compression is a crucial component to sculpting the overall sub-bass sound...

Hip-Hop Sub-Bass Secret #3: Tailoring the Compressor

Knowing how to set a compressor to best control bass means ending up with a mix that has solid foundation and sounds consistently warm & welcoming to the ear. The trick is to even out differences in low/high signal peaks within the track to deliver an overall vibrant bass presence.

Ratio & Threshold Settings for Sub-Bass:
For most Hip-Hop applications, a Ratio setting of 4:1-6:1 is favored by most Pro engineers for leveling out any inconsistency in bass levels. For Threshold settings, try not to exceed 15db. A Threshold of 10db is typically a good amount so to avoid excess gain reduction.

Attack & Release Settings for Sub-Bass:
Be careful to avoid having too slow of Attack settings as this will cause the compress to not be quick enough to compress signals that cross the threshold. Good Attack settings that allow for a smoother sound lie between 20ms-40ms. For Release settings, it's important to set the compressor to recover from a compressed signal rather quickly. For sub-bass, a release time between 120ms-300ms usually creates the smoothest feel.

Apply the above bass compression techniques along with ModernBeats' low pass filtering & sub-frequency EQ methods all together, and you are on your way to becoming a sub-bass mixing master!

Part: 16
Quik Tipz: Monitoring Mixes like the Pro's
By MPCsounds.com

Before spending too much time getting attached to a song you
have only mixed using near field monitors, realize that the following information could very well save you days (if not weeks) of trouble from having to remix most of your future productions...

Many amateur stereo mixes contain too much bass presence within them due to not using a sub-woofer during mixing. The reason so many amateur mixes become too bass heavy is because audio engineers over compensate and over boost bass levels in effort to better hear sub-bass frequencies that normal near field monitors simply can not accurately re-produce. Only sub-woofer monitors can accurately re-produce and let you fully monitor all the bass frequencies existing within a particular mix.

If you don't currently have a sub woofer, no worries. Simply either take your mixes to a studio that uses a professional grade sub-woofer when it's time to mix or use extra caution when mixing bass without a sub woofer and be sure to compare your mix across several speaker systems before becoming satisfied with your final mix. Don't over do it on bass levels and end up with a mix that is overbearingly boomy when finally listened to on accurate monitoring systems

Part 17
Quik Tipz: Techniques to Widen Kicks & Snares
By MPCsounds.com

A good drum mix requires an evenly balanced stereo field & soundstage. Many amateur productions have narrow, almost mono, drum mixes. These narrow drum mixes further throw off a song's overall balance where instrument tracks sound too wide in comparison. An effective way to remedy the problem is to apply a few widening tricks to the kick & snare mix:

1) Starting with the kick, create a stereo field by layering the main kick with an secondary background kick. The aim here is to create ambience with the newly added background kick. The quickest way to achieve ambience is to route the background kick through a short room reverb (stereo).

Also, you can route the background kick through a low pass filter which can remove unwanted high end created from the reverb. By triggering the ambient background kick in time with the main kick, you're able to maintain the original timbre & feel while also widening the kicks field & depth.

2) Snare tracks can be widened by layering stereo claps & snaps (see ModernBeat's Klub Klapz) on top of main snare hits. To avoid monotony, experiment with alternating 2 or more clap/snap combinations throughout the song.

Additionally, more stereo width can be obtained by layering two different groups of claps/snaps in time together while panning each group separately, hard left & hard right.

Securing a solid kick & snare foundation from the start allows for more creative flexibility when mixing in hats, shakers, & cymbals later on. Effectively widening your kicks & snares can inspire a better mix entirely!

Part 18:
Quik Tipz: Add Xtra Heat to Drum Rhythmz
By MPCsounds.com

It's true, Most hip hop hits have extremely simple drum rhythms. Although they may be simple, don't be fooled. There's more to it than meets "the ear".

What do we mean?

While listening to various hits on the charts, you might at one time or another asked yourself "Why does this beat move so well even though the rhythm is so basic? When I try sequencing the same drum pattern, it simply does NOT have the same professional feel as the hit! What could I possibly be doing differently?"

Differences between the Pro & Amateur Producer are many -
One fact that sticks out more than the rest is how quickly amateurs stop short when sequencing a drum pattern by only applying basic quantization. Pro's always take it a step further by applying what is called "the groove". By "groove", we aren't simply discussing a rhythmic swing. While applying a rhythmic swing to a sequence is definitely an essential part of creating a groove, there's more to groove than swing.

Beyond swing is something called "humanizing" - "Humanizing" involves altering a straight quantized rhythm so it more closely resembles a live drummer's performance. The end result is a transformation from a generic quantized pattern into a realistic, natural groove with a live feel and depth.

Offsetting the rhythm, starting with the snare -
The most overlooked element in hip hop rhythm today is the timing of the snare. Instead of having snares land directly over quantized pulses, select all the snares & slide them over a fraction after the tempo's quantized pulse. This little trick will greatly enhance the humanized feel of any beat as the snare acts as a guide throughout the song. If your beat utilizes both snares & claps, experiment with different results by sliding the claps as a group, separate from the snares & vice versa.

Offsetting ghost kicks while keeping main kicks on pulse -
Also, while keeping your main kicks quantized over the pulse of each bar's downbeat, still experiment with sliding the smaller ghost kicks so that they deliberately land offset from the tempo's quantized pulses. You'll be surprised as you hear that once simple rhythm now changing into a humanized groove with feeling!

Part 19:
Make Mixes Wider than Ever Before!

Ever come across instruments that sound narrow, bland, or just plain uninspiring? More often than not, the rhythm or performance of the instrument isn't the problem. Instead, it's most likely due to the recording being mono. There's no simple, quicker way to widen your mix than by enhancing mono instrument tracks using simple, yet powerful delay techniques:

1) Using the effects section of your mixing hardware or software, choose & load a mono delay effect. Make sure the return of the delay effect is routed to a new mono channel on your mixer.

2) Within the delay effects parameters, turn down all feedback and/or regeneration under the delay's feedback control section.
Turn the delay's mix signal to 100% wet. Pan the mono delay return either hard left or hard right in your mix.

3) Take the mono instrument track that needs enhancement and hard pan it opposite of your delay's pan. Next, send some of the instrument track's signal into the delay unit via a send/auxiliary bus that is assigned to the delay's input.

4) Within the delay's parameters, slowly adjust the delay time starting from 8ms through 35ms. Depending on the nature of the instrument's signal & tempo of the song, you'll start to notice the image of the instrument widening from it's original mono signal into a nice warm stereo spread! Adjust the millisecond amount (8ms-35ms) to achieve the most desirable amount of spread!

5) Lastly, experiment with the newly created stereo image by balancing volume levels between the dry signal's channel and the wet signal's channel until you achieve the spread & balance you desire most!

Part 20:
Quik Tipz: Tune to the Tonic & Maximize Mixes
By MPCsounds.com

When producing Hip Hop, the single most important aspect of the drum mix is the kick. When mixed correctly, the kick serves as a solid foundation behind the whole production. However, what most engineers & producers do NOT know is that there is more to mixing kicks than mere choice of samples, compression settings, & EQ.

Hardly discussed at all, is the secret technique used by Pro's where the kicks in a mix are finely tuned to the first musical note (tonic) of a song's key. "What's the big deal about tuning a kick to the key of my song?" you might ask. Well, it's a very big deal! In fact, applying this technique correctly can set a producer apart from the sea of amateurs for evermore...

The fact is kicks DO have pitch, low frequency pitch. Therefore, in terms of a kick's pitch embedded within a song's own key signature, a kick can either work against or with the resonance of your entire mix. And perhaps even more important, without tuning a kick to the song's tonic, the entire output level of your mix will forever remain un-optimized!

What do we mean? We mean "out of tune" kicks equal a forced lower output due to low end pitch & frequency conflicts. In other words, you'll never be able to truly maximize the output of any mix until your kick resonates with the key of the song at hand. Once the kicks in a mix resonate where their pitched oscillations match the song's natural key & primary frequency, the song's dynamic range & output level potential expand greatly!

Having just introduced this powerful yet highly guarded technique, there are several crucial aspects you must learn one-by-one. Get prepared to dive into all the nitty gritty details of "Tune to the Tonic" - Part 2 is on its way!

Part 21:
Quik Tipz: Tune to the Tonic & Maximize Mixes
Part Two By MPCsounds.com

Before diving into further details on "Tune to the Tonic", let's quickly mention how building & constructing kicks may actually involve layering 2 or more kick samples together. For example, you may find that using one kick sample only can't meet all your needs. You may need to layer 2 or more kicks to achieve an overall desired "kick sound". One kick may be chosen for it's low end while another kick is layered over the first kick for its upper range attack or high end ambience. Layering kicks like this is fine. However, the more kicks you use, the more attention you must give to tuning each kick's pitch to the first musical note (tonic) of the song's key.

First, starting with a main kick, choose one that has an identifiable low end pitch. Kicks primarily consist of low frequency sound waves in which there is a main, underlying root pitch which can be heard as the loudest (and usually the lowest) frequency above all other combined tones. This loudest frequency is called the "tonal resonance". Once you find and identify the kick's tonal resonance, you'll need to make the kick "resonate".

You can make a kick resonate by fine tuning the kick until its loudest and lowest tonal pitch matches and blends with the tonic (first musical note) of your song's key signature. When adjusting the kick's pitch, it's highly suggested that a "cent" adjustment be used. If the software/hardware sampler does not allow such fine tuning, it's possible that you may only get very close and not an exact match with the tonic. This can cause an adverse, and unwanted, secondary wave to modulate called a "beat".

By exactly tuning your kick to the tonic of your song's key, you can be confident that the kick will "sing" and resonate in harmony with your entire song. This greatly emphasizes the chord structure of the song and prevents build up of low frequency conflicts that other instruments such as bass guitar and synth bass can introduce.

Sometimes it may be difficult to identify which note/key the kick is resonating on and thus, hard to tune to your song's key. Stay tuned for more Quik Tipz that reveal the specific techniques required to identify ANY kick's pitch, regardless of how difficult it may seem!

Part 22:
Quik Tipz: Opitimize Beats by Eliminating Beats
By MPCsounds.com

Note: The techniques below should only be applied when monitoring with a quality subwoofer, preferably no smaller than 10". While you may attempt to apply the same techniques using 8" nearfield monitors, we cannot guarantee the same results nor can nearfield monitors compare to the accurate low frequency monitoring a subwoofer provides.

When monitoring mixes through a full professional setup including quality 8"-10" nearfield monitors coupled with a 10"-12" subwoofer, we may be surprised just how much low frequency clutter really exists that simply cannot be heard on smaller setups. But once you are able to hear the overbearing and conflicting low end war going on in your mix, you can finally start correcting those errors resulting in a much cleaner and level-optimized mix!

First and foremost, is learning what a "beat" is. And NO...we are not talking about a "beat" as in a "drum beat", we're talking of something entirely different...

When the frequency of 2 similar instruments within a song are very close in pitch, but not in exact tune with one another, an undesired artifact is born causing an adverse, secondary low frequency wave to modulate called a "beat". In acoustics, a "beat" is an interference between two sounds of slightly different frequencies. Avoiding "beats" are particularly important when dealing with kicks, sub-bass, and bass guitar instruments over other high-end instruments in any given song. This is because lower frequency tracks make pitch conflicts stick out like sore thumbs compared to less-problematic higher frequency tracks.

To elimintate "beats", the most favorable pitch to tune all low-end, non-melodic tracks (drums and percussion) to is clearly the first musical note in the key of your song, known as the root "tonic". Correcting all these subtle pitch conflicts will deliver the most harmonious interaction between all the low-end non-melodic & melodic instruments in your mix!

Part 23
Quik Tipz: Find tha Kick's Tonal Resonance

Sometimes it may be difficult to identify which musical note or key the kick is resonating at. For an easier method in figuring which note/key the kick is resonating, temporarily transpose or pitch shift the kick sample to exactly one octave above it's root pitch. This will allow you to more easily identify the kick's key because mid to high frequency pitches are easier to discern when compared to low frequency pitches.

For further clarification of the kick's true key, you can transpose the kick's pitch up 1 additional octave and then sweep its pitch back down in octave-by-octave increments, confirming that each octave reveals the same resonating note/key as the other 2 octaves. With this greater span of referenced pitches across 3 whole octaves, you can be confident you are accurately identifying the kick's tonal resonance and key.

Lastly, upon identifying a kick's pitch, you may find the kick does not resonate exactly 100% over it's closest note or key. We highly recommend adjusting the pitch using "cent" values until the kick's peak resonance lands over the nearest musical note exactly. Repeat the above procedure for all the kicks in your production until you have identified the resonating note of each kick used.

After going through the motions a couple of times, you will no doubt have become a pro at pinpointing ANY kick's tonal resonance! Stay tuned for exciting additional tips on becoming an expert at matching a kick's tonal resonance EXACTLY with a song's key while eliminating hard to find bass conflicts!

Part 24
Quik Tipz: Calibrate Low End by
Observing Woofer Cone Movement
By MPCsounds.com

Note: The techniques below should only be applied when monitoring with a quality subwoofer, preferably no smaller than 10". While you may attempt to apply the same techniques using 8" nearfield monitors, we cannot guarantee the same results nor can nearfield monitors compare to the accurate low frequency monitoring a subwoofer provides.

Sometimes low frequency pitch conflicts are actually easier to see and correct visually rather than audibly! For example, first solo the main kick in your mix along with the other bass instruments in your track. Listen to this grouping at a moderately loud volume through the subwoofer only. You may hear conflicting, overlapping frequencies between the kick and the bass guitar, for instance.

While you could perform some EQ carving to help improve the conflicts, don't touch the EQ knobs just yet! Instead, using a "cent" pitch adjustment, fine-tune the kick sample until the movement of the subwoofer cone lessens while maintaining a strong and solid level. This will indicate the centering of pitch between overlapping or conflicting bass tones. Now each low-end track and mix can playback at a higher level than before!

Further avoidance of frequency conflicts can be obtained by filtering out overlapping frequencies while measuring a subwoofer's cone movement. For example, any sub-bass below 60hz-70hz on your bass guitar channels is most likely conflicting with the kicks. Therefore, begin cutting out the range leading up to 70hz by using a highpass (lowcut) filter on the bass guitar. As you adjust the highpass filter's parameters, watch for the point at which the subwoofer cone movement lessens becomes smoothest. This is the point where the highpass filter has filtered out enough of the overlapping frequencies to resolve the underlying low frequency conflicts.

Remember: If you want your mixes to HIT HARD,
you must first CALIBRATE YOUR LOW END!!

Part 25
Quik Tipz: Heat up Bass with Pitch Bends
By MPCsounds.com

Let's face it, there's no shortage of amateur hip hop productions out there. More often than not, producers don't implement the extra steps required to morph a generic, amateur beat into a professional production. But by tweaking a few aspects within any given production, one can easily mold a beat into a hit. One aspect that can make a world of difference to any production is adding lively pitch bends to bass instrument melodies...

Since forever, jazz and blues musicians have understood the power of pitch bends to create more soulful, expressive melodies that grab listeners' attention. And... since most hip hop productions today do not use live musician performances, it is even more important for producers to add back the lost expression and pitch bends to sequenced melodies as exists in live music.

Specifically, to sequence professional pitch bends, there are three main aspects in which to control:

1) Bending up/down to a targeted semitone - When sequencing pitch bends, set the pitch bend range to a value that allows you to hit the desired pitch when sliding the pitch bend wheel 100% up or down. If your song uses a minor key, set your semitone value to 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, or 12. This way, when you bend your pitch controller 100% to create a bending bass line, the ending pitch of that bend will land exactly on a desired note within the song's key. However, with no rules set in stone, it's best to experiment with a variety of pitchbend ranges to find what suits your production best.

2) Bending on main pulses or endings of phrases - As with bending ranges, there are no hard fast rules on where to place pitch bends within a melody. However, the most common spots bass pitch bends occur are on main pulses (downbeats) such as bar 1 beat 1 of a 4 bar phrase or bar 3 beat 1 of a 4 bar phrase etc. Also, pitch bends are common at ends of 4 or 8 bar phrases, which bring closure to the phrases or act as uprises into preceding phrases.

3) Bending length or duration - Most pitch bends are 1 bar or less in length/duration. But again, there are no set rules. Usually, a slower bass melody is coupled with slower, longer pitch bends to match phrasing. The same is true with faster bass melodies being coupled with shorter length bends. However, creating contrast by coupling a fast bass melody with long, slow pitch bends can emphasize a song's feel in a desirable way. The best advice is to experiment which a variety of durations with some matching, some contrasting.

Enough already with static sequenced bass lines,
Heat up Bass with Soul, Heat up Bass with Pitch Bends!
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COAGULATEDS MIXING CHECKLIST:

You “build” a mix over time by making a variety of adjustments. There are (at least!) twelve major steps involved in creating a mix, but what makes mixing so difficult is that these steps interact. Change a track’s equalization (tone quality), and you also change the level because you’re boosting or cutting some element of the sound. Alter a sound’s stereo location, and you may need to shift the ambience or equalization. Think of a mix as an “audio combination lock” — when all the elements hit the right combination, you end up with a good mix. Let’s look at these 12 steps, and remember, though they represent just one person’s way of mixing, having a process like this is the best way to battle option anxiety and to keep from being overwhelmed.

Step 1
Mental Preparation and Organization

Mixing requires concentration and can be extremely tedious, so set up your workspace as efficiently as possible. Many programs and recorders let you save “layouts” of particular window combinations or programmable encoder assignments. When you find a setup that works for you, save it for future mixes. If possible, assign any layouts to a function key so you’re one keypress away from the ideal mixing environment.

This is also a good time to set up any hardware controller (e.g., fader box) you use for mixing. What?!? You don’t have a fader box? Get one — you’ll never go back to mixing solely with a mouse again. See the “Gear Envy Buster” at left.

Step 2
Review the Tracks

Listen at low volume and familiarize yourself with the tracks. Make sure all tracks are named, note which tracks have active plug-ins that may need to be adjusted, mute or archive takes that aren’t being used, etc. Group sounds logically, such as having all the drum sounds on consecutive channels (Figure 1).

Step 3
Put On Headphones and Listen for Glitches

Fixing glitches is a “left brain” activity, unlike the “right brain” creativity involved in doing a mix. Switching between these two modes can hamper creativity, so clean up tracks as much as possible before you get involved in the mix.

Use the Solo button to solo each track and listen to it from beginning to end. With MIDI tracks, check for duplicate notes that “flam” or create chorusing-type effects, and avoid overlapping notes on single-note lines (such as horn parts). With audio tracks, listen for any spurious noises just before or after audio appears (such as mic handling sounds). These low-level glitches may not seem that audible, but multiply them by a couple dozen tracks and they can muddy things up.

Step 4
Render Soft Synths as Audio

If you’re sequencing soft synths devices via MIDI, consider converting them to hard disk tracks as this frees up DSP processing power for any effects you want to use during mixdown. Also, these audio tracks make the project more “transportable” because if you do a remix in the future, or someone else mixes the track, it won’t be necessary to have the soft synth itself resident within the DAW.

Step 5
Set Up a Relative Level Balance Among the Tracks

With the preparations done, it’s time to set levels. It’s not time to add any processing yet. Concentrate on the overall effect of hearing the tracks by themselves and work on the overall sound; don’t get distracted by detail work. With a good mix, the tracks sound good by themselves — but sound even better when interacting with the other tracks.

Set levels with everything panned to the center at first, because if the instruments sound distinct and separate with a mono-like placement, they’ll only open up more in stereo. Also, you may not notice parts “fighting” with each other if you start off with a wide stereo field.

Step 6
Adjust Equalization (EQ)

This can help dramatize differences between instruments and create a more balanced overall sound. Work on the most important song elements first (vocals, rhythm section) and once these all “lock” together, deal with the more supportive parts.

The audio spectrum has only so much space, and you need to make sure that each sound occupies its own turf without fighting with other parts. Processing added to one track may affect other tracks; for example, if you boost a piano part’s midrange, it may interfere with vocals, guitar, or other midrange instruments. Sometimes boosting a frequency for one instrument implies cutting the same region in another instrument to make room. Try to think of the song as a spectrum. Decide where you want the various parts to sit and rank their prominence (Figure 2).

Step 7
Add Essential Signal Processing

This isn’t about “sweetening,” but processing that is an integral part of the sound (such as a rhythmic echo, vocoding, etc.). As this sound will presumably be a part of the mix, you want to take it into account when mixing the other instruments.

Step 8
Create a Stereo Soundstage

Now use the pan controls to place your instruments within the stereo field. Your approach might be traditional (i.e., the goal is to re-create the feel of a live performance) or imaginary. Pan mono instruments to a particular location, but avoid panning signals to the extreme left or right; they just don’t sound quite as substantial as signals that are a little bit in from the extremes.

Remember that you can automate panning moves in virtually all DAWs and in most hardware recorders. An instrument needn’t have a static location throughout a song; for example, you might want to spread background vocal parts wider in some portions of the song, and narrower in others.

Because bass frequencies are less directional than highs, most engineers place the kick drum and bass toward the center. Also consider timbral balance. If you’ve panned the hi-hat (which has a lot of high frequencies) to the right, pan a tambourine, shaker, or other high-frequency sound somewhat to the left.

Step 9
Make Final Changes to the Arrangement

Less is more — minimize the number of competing parts to keep the listener focused on the tune, and avoid “clutter.” Get rid of anything that doesn’t serve the song. Conversely, if you find that a song needs some extra element, this is your final opportunity to add an overdub or two.

You can also use mixing creatively by selectively dropping out and soloing tracks. This type of mixing is the foundation for a lot of dance music, where looped tracks play continuously, and the mixer sculpts the arrangement by muting parts and doing radical level changes.

Step 10
The Audio Architect

Start building the acoustic space in which your song lives by adding reverberation and delay to give the normally flat soundstage some acoustic depth. Generally, you’ll want an overall reverb to create a particular type of space (club, concert hall, etc.) but you may also want to use a second reverb to add effects, such as a particular “splash” or gated reverb on a snare drum hit. For your main reverb’s starting point, try about 15% wet, decay of around 1.5 – 2 seconds, short early reflections (longer than 25 ms, shorter than 70 ms) at a low enough level to blend with the reverb, moderate room size, high diffusion (around 80%) if there’s a lot of percussive material, and lower diffusion (around 40%) if the music is more sustained, like a country vocalist against a fairly simple background.

Step 11
Tweak, Tweak, And Retweak

Now that the mix is on its way, it’s time to make your mixing moves. The minute you start tweaking, turn on the automation and “save as” often, under different names. Sometimes your gut instinct about a mix is the right one, and you’ll want to return to it. Also remember that all of the above steps interact, so go back and forth between EQ, levels, stereo placement, and effects until you get the sound you want. It’s also important to take an occasional break; returning to a mix with a fresh outlook will improve the final results.

I can’t emphasize enough that you should mix until you’re satisfied. There’s nothing worse than hearing one of your tunes six months later and kicking yourself because of some flaw you didn’t take the time to correct, or didn’t notice because you were in too much of a hurry to complete the mix.

However, the flip side is don’t beat a mix to death. Quincy Jones once offered the opinion that recording with synthesizers and sequencing was like “painting a 747 with Q-Tips.” A mix is a performance; overdo it, and you may lose the spontaneity that can add excitement. A mix that isn’t perfect but conveys passion will always be more fun to listen to than one that’s perfect to the point of sterility. Be careful not to waste time making changes that no one, not even you, will care about a couple days later.

Step 12
Check Your Mix Over Different Systems

Before you sign off on a mix, check it over a variety of systems. If the mix sounds good under all these situations, your job is done.

With a home studio, you have the luxury of leaving a mix and coming back to it the next day when you’re fresh, and after you’ve had a chance to listen over several different systems and decide what tweaks you want to make. This is one reason why automation is so wonderful — if everything was perfect about a mix except one little thing that bothers you, you can edit the automation to fix the one problem.

Finally, once you’ve captured your ultimate mix, run off a couple extra mixes, such as an instrumental-only mix or a mix without the solo instrument. These additional mixes can really come in handy at a later time, if you have a chance to re-use your music for a film or video score, or need to create extended dance mixes. Be prepared!

Now it’s time to have your mix mastered . . . but we’ll tackle that in a later issue.

Keyboards Still Won’t Play With Others?
You’ve taken all 12 steps and you’ve still got keyboard parts that won’t sit in the mix? Here are some specific tips that just might do the trick.
“When you have two keyboard tracks,” says Bay Area producer Tom Rigney, “there is usually some question-and-answer phrasing between them, and some timbral difference as well. One is usually darker than the other, if not played in a lower register altogether. I pan the one that speaks first or sounds lowest to the left, and the one that answers or sounds higher or brighter to the right. It makes more musical sense, and it allows you to give each part its own space.”
“Unless there’s something about a keyboard part that absolutely must be in stereo,” recommends John Songdahl of Professional Audio Design in Boston, “record your ’boards mono. They’ll sound better when you spread them out across the stereo spectrum. If you still have mud, don’t be afraid to use EQ to cut frequencies; thinning out a keyboard sound often makes it sound great in the mix. Start by notching out one track at 1.2kHz, then boost the clashing track in the same range by a similar amount.”
“With an electronic-oriented soft synth mix,” says contributing editor Francis Preve, “I’ll start out with all my tracks at maximum volume. I turn off velocity sensitivity on the soft synths I’m using. Then I use the sequencer’s velocity scaling function like a ‘MIDI compressor’ to impart dynamic differences, in addition to using the faders and sequencer’s volume automation. This type of working backwards from maximum volume helps me develop a space for each instrument.
“As you read on page 26,” continues Francis, “a synth recorded through a miked amp can impart a ‘natural’ quality to a passage. However, these tracks can be problematic to fit into a mix that also includes virtual tracks, due to their acoustic fingerprint. You get the best of both worlds by recording the same part both ways. Begin by sequencing the part, if at all possible. If you’re committed to a live nuance, set your sequencer’s internal timing resolution to its maximum value and turn off any quantization. Then let your recorder drive the amplified synth and record the track. Once you’ve got your synth recorded acoustically, arm another track and record the synth part direct to an additional track. Even better; split the signal and record both tracks at the same time; this minimizes potential timing errors cause by MIDI slop. Now, when you mix, you can switch between tracks for different passages, choosing the one that works best in the context of the song.”

(By Craig Anderton | June 2006)

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