Quote from: Marrow Machines on September 07, 2016, 10:30:26 pm

that could be dependent on the software at hand.

I've experienced similar effects when using reason, and it emulates analogue circuitry.

That being said, and with a little bit of digging into the analogue world, oscillators weren't always in pitch 100 percent of the time. they get out of tune over time.

I don't know if serum has certain wavetables that emulate that or if it's the synthesizer itself.


I don't think you should be to concerned with it, and if you do, bounce to audio because that's a surefire way to keep the sound exactly like it is.


or there's something wrong with your synth....not sure, it could go either way.

I figured it out!

On the phase area under the both OSC I had the random set to max. Put those to zero and the sound stays constant. Derp.

nice, remember what you did. it could be a cool effect if you're looking for something experimental.

I typically tend to keep my rhtymic and stereo effects separated into one bus.

But, i also have busing going on inside my of my channels before i hit the main buss effects.


in all honesty, it depends on the sound you're working with. If you've managed to get a good mix on the sound and you're ok with making it more concrete, then go ahead and bounce it with what ever effects you have on it.


But you have to understand that those effects will be there, at the mix that you placed them for ever and until you decide to rebounce or change.



I use fade ins and outs to make sure my audio clip doesn't clip and pop.

When you bounce audio, you have to consider the sound tails and allow for the render to capture that audio, unless you're dealing with ableton. Ableton handles the tails a little differently.



Just see what works man, you can always go back and change things if you keep multiple files and are unsure of what to do.

the thing about mixing EDM(and other more computer based genres) is that you have absolutely complete control over the sound that you want.

that being said, you can run into several avenues in regards to philosophy on the process.

There's still applicable knowledge to live recording when it comes to getting certain sounds in EDM.


to me, i feel it's important to understand past procedure in order to apply movement towards the future.

There's honestly no "mindset" when it comes to mixing EDM, as many artist and people will probably just say to do what you want to get the sound to be good.

And the "having no way" way, is exactly what EDM came from. obviously there's some considerations to the hearing threshold and taste, but for the most part if you have an understanding of how to balance a live recording/perspective, then you have more than enough tools for the job in the studio.

the main differences is that you can spend more time in the moment with the material, as you've captured it in some fashion, and spend an infinite amount of time processing it.

Another difference in the EDM style, is that you have consider the commercial accessibility of your music.

If you're interested in competing with the top dogs, then you have to reference yourself in that perspective.

What you should be asking yourself in terms of the mixing philosophy process, is if you want to compete on the level of the industry leaders.

if your answer is a no to that question, then you have more enough tools, resources, and research power to find your own answer as an artist.


PS; i also think that the whole EDM genre is more so driven by consumption of sample packs and presets on specific synths and vst. The homogenization of EDM, is easily marketed as that. So if you want to consider things in that way, then your answer might lie in the sample packs more so than how to mix things. Certain components of the mixdown require you to have that sound as a source. the rest feels like a slight augment, as you're not really "creating" from a blank canvas as the frame work is already there.

Thanks for taking the time guys, it really is very kind of you
 I´m not quitting music, but it seems necessary to realize that the career plan won´t go forward as I´ve hoped.  It stings a bit right now, but it will be OK in the end.

just keep making music man, man's gotta eat.

Depends on if I'm going for a realistic drumkit or something more synthetic.

For realistic drumkits, I stick to the "traditional" mixing mindset where you pan the drums like a physical drumkit - kick is center, snare is slightly to the left of that, hi hats are slightly to the left of that, hi tom is between the snare and the kick drum, low tom is to the right of the kick drum, the floor tom is even further to the right, and then you have your ride cymbal on the right and a crash cymbal somewhere (traditionally on the left, above or next to the hi hat and hi tom). Then I'll decide if I want the listener's perspective to be up on stage with the band (so the drums would be panned the way I just mentioned) or in the crowd looking up at the band on stage (so the drums would be panned inverted to the way I just mentioned).

If I'm making some synthetic drum machine beat or something very unnatural in composition, the kick and snare tend to remain centered and mono, though elements of the snare might be processed to be wider. I play with the panning on hi hats a lot either manually through automation or with an autopanning effect - same with shakers, tambourines, and other percussion; otherwise they get pushed super wide (i tend to make liberal use of the haas effect, which might not be a good thing  ). Rides get panned and crash cymbals tend to get spread super wide, so they're kind of out of the way of everything and just tingling the edges of your ears.

As long as you don't have everything sitting on top of each other (no matter where they are in the stereo field) and your decisions follow a consistent pattern, you can pan things however you want. I've been listening to a lot of early 00's hardcore and post-hardcore lately and the way they mix their drums can get really crazy. On one record I was hearing  every element of the drumkit except for the kick and the snare hard panned left or right! In the context of the mix as a whole, however, it made sense.

Tradition and experimentation.


My electronic drums typically have kick and snare mono, and my hi hats (open and closed)panned in the same sense of direction and area.

I rarely use toms, but but i tend to spread them out wider than what is suggested in the traditional way noted in the quote.

crash and rides are typically panned hard left and right respectively.

I layer up my drums, but it typically revolves around 3 layers kick, 3-4 for snare, 2 for cymbals

Quote from: Mussar on August 23, 2016, 03:24:08 pm

Another way to improve stereo width (and I think you were trying to get to) would be the concept of double tracking - recording the same performance twice and hard panning the signals left and right. If you're doing this with a singer or a person playing guitar, the minor inconsistencies between the performances will change the overall signal enough so that when you play them back at the same time with one in each speaker, you get this very wide signal that tickles your eardrums.

If you're using a synthesizer (especially a VST plugin), you can simulate that effect by removing certain oscillator retriggers or otherwise enabling a free-flowing oscillator, then recording the signal's output twice and panning them like normal.

HEY! This is kinda what I'm doing!! Thanks Mussar. Appreciated.

But pay attention to the details. You can't just take the same signal and pan things willy nilly. You'll end up with a mono signal.


You gotta change the sound character some in order to actually achieve that stereo image as Attila, Mussar, and I have said.


EDIT: my school response isn't as clear as when i am not in school.

Awesome thank you, cleared up a lot of questions for me

Continue to question and get feedback from all angles possible.


That's from the experience i know.

You're welcome.

This is cool, the idea is great.

You need to subtract certain elements when the drop happens, most notably that delayed bit crushed lead. it'd be better if you let it drop out during the wub part and reintroduced during the build up part 1 and 2.


Your introduction needs to be shorter. Don't make the bass line go all out with the wubs, save the entire phrase for the drop. (1 wub on the down beat, every 2 bars)

total removal of the wub on the second build up.

between the 13 and 14 second mark is where i'd bring the drop in.


There's not enough musicality in this tune to warrant it to be 4min longs, at most it should be like 3min.  With some clever musical design and better arrangement, it could be about as long as you wanted it, but you need to use silence and space (especially during intros/buildups) as a tool in your creation.