Hey guys, so i've been playing around with the panning and stereo separation on one of my tracks for about two hours now and I'm still a little confused. Or maybe I just can't discern the sounds at a higher production level..

Four channels, two mixer slots

Layer One - fruity stereo enhancer 10% (basically all the way left), fruity side reverb w/ large hall & high diffusion and 50% separation on the reverb

1. Pluck Chord octaves 6th octave - pan 30% left, 60% channel volume
2. Pluck Chord octaves 5th octave - pan 40% right, 77% channel volume

same synth, same mixer track, different octaves

Lead Synth - fruity stereo enhancer 30% (left), fruity side reverb w/ small hall & small diffusion
1. Synth 5th octave - pan 100% left
1. Synth 5th octave - pan 100% right

same synth, same mixer track, same octave, only panned opposite.

What I was trying to accomplish was to increase the stereo field such that the the pluck synths would be far out on the side with a large reverb hall to increase stereo field usage, and then take my main saw/horn synth and have that blast somewhat more toward the middle.

Would I be offsetting/masking the hard panning of the lead synth by having the pluck chord play w/ a large reverb hall? I have tried to reverse the panning and stereo separation of both layers but it seems to sound worse. There's quite a few combinations of panning and stereo enhancer and reverb settings to try.. sometimes I don't trust my ears.

Working toward a Showtek Cannonball/Slow Down/ How We Do type of composition... not even close yet their processing is unreal

Thoughts, comments, tips, experiences with working on the stereo field usign pan/sep/reverb?

Would you like to hear the track?

Decided I wanted to mess around with some melbourne bounce production.. so I go to watch this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er8OOXHGZkA

Skipped to the :35 second mark where they are picking a kick sample. Immediately was like what the fuck, I've seen that kick drum sample before.

Turns out that exact kick drum (VDE2 Progressive kick) is the same kick sample I've found in my KillerZ and Ollie James sample packs.

Previously I noticed that my KillerZ and Ollie James packs contain a lot of the same samples, but one artist took the time to at least process them. Also one of the above artists also just blatantly re-named a Vengeance kick sample and stuck it in their pack (found by right clicking the sample -> get properties).

Both artist packs were obviously free.

Out of curiosity, how many of you have noticed this with some of your packs?

Figured I'd share. Thoughts? Who cares? Annoying? Shitty?

Hey guys, I'm looking for some opinions, reviews and advice regarding two of Black Octopus' sample packs that I'm looking to get

Leviathan
Ultimate Bangers & Anthems

Have you purchased either of these sample packs yourself? What do you think of them? Prefer one over the other?

Have you heard about or read reviews from friends who have used these packs?

Thanks

I was EQing a melody I wrote and noticed a specific frequency I wanted to cut out within the synth. When I make the EQ cut it sounds better, however as my melody is played the specific frequency I want to remove changes with each different note.

I'm fine with leaving the cut where it is because it does improve the quality, but if being extra picky helps my music then so be it

Anyone have suggestions or a solution to fixing this?

FYI: The frequency I'm removing on the root note is 724hZ as done below (except not as drastic of a dB cut)

EDIT: problem is fixed when laptop charger is plugged in. problem persists when it is not charging

Hey guys,

So I've been exclusively using ASIO4ALL v2 since my primary sound driver always gives me latency issues.. and Asio4all was able to solve that, for a while.

I'm now experiencing the same exact issues with Asio as I was with my primary driver. The buffering and latency is so horrible that I can't even play a single synth sometimes.. but this is a new issue as Asio never had latency problems for me before.

Comp Specs


Edit: I changed the buffer size to 2048 samples, and it helped a little, but did not fix the issue of crackling/latency.

Edit 2: I closed a lot of open synths and plugins, and it did help, however I still experience some crackling.

Edit 3: My CPU load is just hanging around 90.. but only when this one specific project folder is open, when my laptop charger is not plugged in

Does anyone else have this happening? Suggestions?

Thanks guys

ADSR Bigger Drops Tips and Tricks

Before I get into the actual topic's guide here's a little introduction -

In generally I take notes on every tutorial I watch, and have compiled a pretty lengthy Word document containing all my notes. Over time, I will try and make threads with these notes.

Broad list of contents included:

Sylenth Masterclass
Massive Masterclass
Sound Design (Sylenth & Massive)
Sound Engineering
Mixing
Mastering
Compression (all forms)
Music Theory
Relevant Information, Tips, Tricks ...
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Now on to ADSR Tips to 'Bigger Drops'

This ADSR course is actually available for free on YouTube rather than via their website monthly subscription. I highly suggest watching the video, and only use my notes as a supplement. The video is extremely informative and shows you how everything is done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlX5zt1aGms&index=3&list=PLlsEknwQnAoTBNMJ2SUJAocUpXa05bE9d

PRE-DROP

1. If you do not have a good transition into your drop, the drop will not sound big
      a.   The ear is pretty stupid, it does not have a memory
      b.   Using wisps and white noise risers will get the ear ready for change and forget

2. Cut out the last 2-4 bars of bass frequency right before the drop, but still play the melody
      a.   Add drum loop in the 1-2 bars right before the drop

3. The average listener can discern between a decibel change (4dB is a lot of change)
      a.   The use of space is extremely important

BIGGER DROPS

1. Layering (*)
        a. You do not want to choose a layer sound that sounds very similar to your main lead
                  i. A layer is not a double, it is supposed to be an orchestra (bass, viola, cello)
                 ii. Do not choose a sound that is too dissimilar
2. Mid-Side EQing (*)
        a. One EQ -> mid only
                  i. This allows you to take out the low frequencies of the mid-range, as well as some highs
        b. One EQ -> side only
                  i. Boost 3,250 Hz range (human ear can hear this mid-range)
                 ii. Boost 6,700 to 30% less than “annoying” level
3. LFO Tool (*)
       a. Use it on an “Aux Send”
                  i. Bus 1 -> send to each layer
                 ii. Use sidechain compression
4. Tempo-Synced Reverb w/ Sidechain Compression (*)
        a. Vengeance V-Verb
                  i. Sync pre-delay to 1/8th note (or pick whichever you’d like)
                 ii. Mix -> 100%
        b. LFO Tool
                  i. Sidechain-compress tempo-synced reverb (low rate of Sidechain-compression)
5. Stereo Delay
        a. Helps fill out your mix

Compression is a difficult topic to cover, and often many producers struggle to grasp the capability and an effective use of compression.

What is compression?
When should you compress?
How do you even compress?
What is Dynamic Range?
What is Uplift Compression?
Why Do Attack & Release Matter?
Why Use Gain-Compensation?

These are only a few questions and topics that are covered below. I highly suggest reading these articles, as they are imperative to having a concrete understanding of compression in its entirety.

Two articles which were essential to my knowledge, understanding, and application of compression in my mixes were written by Mike Senior and Hugh Robjohns from SoundOnSound. Below is a link to these articles.

If you have your own articles or any relevant information, feel free to pass it along and I will modify the table of contents for quick and easy access to all those who are interested.

** I was debating to make an entire table of contents and compression guide, however I feel as if this information is so readily available via Google searches, so it may be redundant.

I have a Word document of nearly every compression article I have ever read.. If you think it is a good idea, let me know and I will gladly put in the work to collect and organization all relevant compression information, and will even make a concise organized list of all relevant compression tips, tricks, and threads on TPF.

Parallel Compression
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb13/articles/latest-squeeze.htm

1. Downward Compression
2. Dynamic Range Reduction
3. Uplift Compression
4. Upward Mobility
5. Parallel Compression


Compression Made Easy
https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep09/articles/compressionmadeeasy.htm

1. Dynamic Range
2. Compression, Peak Reduction, Threshold & Input Gain
3. Gain-Compensation Controls
4. Balancing, Multing & Compressor Choice
5. Starting to Mix with Compression
6. When Compression is Not the Answer
7. All Other Controls
8. Ratio
9. Why Attack & Release Matter
10. Snare Compression: Three Different Settings
11. Side-Effects
12. Summing Up
13. Compressor or Limiter
14. Which Parts Do I Need to Compress?
15. EQ or Compressor First?

Andivax's Compression Tutorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-EQzY8hzCw