on 2/18/03 10:39 AM, Andy Abang at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Question 1: in what format should I render breaks - mono or stereo? >
In general I would say in mono. But it's all depends on your production choices. Some people like to have one break mono, dead center while another break is going on with stereo separation (left or right channel slightly delayed.) There are different tricks according to how you want your tune to sound. > Now... I'm taking these separate parts and creating master source files in > Logic. First I convert the files (the ones I've exported from Reason) to > mono format, then open them in Logic. I have one Logic arrange file for all > drums / percussion (so one wave file with all kick/bass drums, a separate > one for all snares, a separate for all hats, etc. - you get the idea). I > removed all the effects applied in Reason, and am using those inherent to > Logic or my VST library. As I do this, for any one audio track that needs to > be rendered in stero, I've applied mono -> stereo effects. When I'm > satisfied with levels, I bounce the master mix for that section to a single > .wav file. I repeat this will all elements, so I've ended up with something > like 5 master .wav files - one for all drums, one for synths, one for subs, > one for basslines, one for vocals. If you have the CPU power I would arrange all of the elements in one file giving you the ease and flexibility to change effects closer to the final mixdown. > After opening all of these master .wav files up in sound forge to check the > peaks, I've applied normalization subjectively, depending on the overall > loudness of any given track. For some tracks, I noticed that there are > irregular peaks, where some parts of the track are much louder than others > (I see this happening on some snares or rolls). I usually would add compression and adjust dynamics/eq with Logic's mixer + VSTs. Then if CPU use is a problem I would bounce down to another track and mute the previous one. I guess my method of working is to stay within the sequencer as much as possible to avoid permanent changes. > Question 2: How can I lower the volume of these peaks without losing > dynamics? Can this be achieved using Dithering? I know next to nothing about > dithering. My extremely basic understanding is that it adds some kind of > 'complimentary noise' that prevents dynamics from getting ruined. A little > help? When is it best to apply dithering if it is necessary to apply it at > all? It's all about compression. Use it wisely though. I'm pretty amateur at it but it all comes down to getting the right sound and not necessarily the standard settings. > Question 3: Once I have all my master .wav files laid out and ready to mix, > would I need to apply any Equalization *during* the mix? The only parts of > the track I've applied any EQing to are drums and vocals. I've heard that > for soft synths you don't need to apply any EQing per se, but I am > skeptical. I'd just like to make sure that I don't do something unnecessary > if it can be avoided. > > Question 4 (possibly a subset of question 3): Do I need to separate the > different components into discrete frequency ranges using EQing / filtering? > My friend Adam told me that this is how he builds his tracks - he basically > sets aside parts for each discrete frequency range so that it is balanced > throughout (roughly) the entirety of the tune. > hmmm.... I wouldn't necessarily assign certain parts to specific frequency ranges. I'm more general with my sounds. I set the wide ranges for bass, mids, and highs and then fine tune them to get the sound I desire. Then before the final mixdown I'll go back and cut frequencies to clean up muddy areas. I know there are > Any and all help would be very much appreciated. Thank you. :) > Once again, if you have the CPU power and Logic 5.2 (i think) then I would go about working more integrated with Logic. I would rewire Logic to Reason, export the midi file from Reason and import into Logic. Then go about mixing it down. That way you'll be using Logic's audio engine which will give you a better sound than Reason's exported wavs will. It also lets you further edit the midi programming before giving you a lot of flexibility to change the track. Another idea involving the method you are using now is to export only 4 bar patterns from Reason. Then arrange those in Logic to build your tune. This will save you a lot of hard drive space. --Kevin/entitee http://mp3.com/entiteednb --- Drum&Bass Arena Producers Discussion List http://www.breakbeat.co.uk You are currently subscribed to dnb-prod as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
