Quote from: Xan on January 15, 2016, 07:40:32 pm

I think you did well with the sidechain. It sounds very crisp and rhythmic.

What were your settings on the compressor? (threshold, ratio, attack, release)

Overall I enjoyed the sense of space and sound quality.

Thanks! I used Gross Beat for the Sidechaining. Not sure how to attach an image, but it's fairly basic.

Do you think I should continue with it? I can't tell if it sounds good.

Well, my own taste in music requires a lot of flow and dynamics. So for me, this was a little static. But it wasn't bad. As long as you like it, keep going. That's what's important. I'll only comment on style when something sticks out like a sore thumb, but nothing did here.

Quote from: Xan on January 15, 2016, 06:28:25 pm

Maybe it's just me but I think the drums are too verbed and really clutter the mix.

Other than that, you have a great melody and soundscape. I think getting the drums punchier in the mix and less verbed, will give this better depth.

Yeah I used a reverebed kick for it but I see what you mean! Do you think the crashes are also too loud? Something in that mix can be deleted but I'm not sure which one allows the right amount of clarity and fullness.

Reverb the kick in a space where you already have a lot of reverb can be tricky. Right now it feels like it clutters.
Question: what feeling were you trying to give with a reverbed kick?
Also, the crashes sounded fine. Maybe you can turn down a few db but nothing major needed. Typically long verbed crashes are fine.

I think you did well with the sidechain. It sounds very crisp and rhythmic.

What were your settings on the compressor? (threshold, ratio, attack, release)

Overall I enjoyed the sense of space and sound quality.

Quote from: Droptopus on January 15, 2016, 04:25:35 pm

I'm saving the obvious shit that I assume you know already because I'm taking you seriously (how to EQ, use compressors, meticulous sound selection etc)

This maybe isn't as obvious as it seems. When you don't know a lot about production, but you do know that there are stages to making music, you can easily fall into the trap of settling for something that sucks because you assume it will suck less once you're done layering, EQing, compressing and mixing it. There's also a temptation when you're new that inclines you to move onto another part of the track before you should, because that way you feel like you're making progress. I guess I'm projecting from personal experience here, but I expect other people have come up against the same thing.

I almost feel like the root sounds you start with are more important than any process or technique that follows. And yeah, it may seem obvious once you state it like that, but doing it otherwise isn't always a conscious decision.

The other thing I was going to say is, awesome tips. Props. Number 3 particularly is interesting, kinda confirms a hunch I had about auxiliary stuff in a mix..

As I noted in another thread:

This is important for the whole soundscape. Typically you'll have a few melodies that make up the bulk but need other things i.e white noise, foley sounds, fx vocals to fill the background and entire soundscape. This is essential to giving your track depth and filling out all frequencies.

Quote from: Xan on January 14, 2016, 08:33:30 pm

I think this is helpful if you're starting out.
It's also helpful when testing out sounds. I'll slap a pre-made melody to see how the sound responds to note changes, etc. To see if I like it.

I just use melodies from other songs for that. Cheaper, works just as well.

If you can figure out a melody from another song, sure.
There's also less reputable ways to get midi/sample packs without paying....

I didn't fully comprehend everything you wrote but adding 7th and 9th voicings to chords is a great idea. Also, inverting your chord voicings can help mask your chords.

Anyone sidechain different ranges of frequencies?  Is it a common method?  I just picked it up recently and I feel like I just jumped a "level".  Great way to control your sidechain relationships.

What settings do you guys use/recommend?

For those not familiar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUyLopKxGZs

Hey bud, seems we have the same name. Let's fight.

Anyway, I could do this type of compression but why would I want only the low end compressed and not the other frequency bands if I'm doing like a big layered super saw, for example. I'd think I'd want all the layers sidechained the same.

Any particular examples of this in use?

Pads don't need much low frequency content. You can cut out lots of it probably. Mix everything, bring the pad in as last part.

I actually quite like my pads low end frequency and will typically leave it untouched above 45hz. But as others said: subtractive eqing works best.