presenting...LimpyLoo's TIP DU JOUR!

presenting: LimpyLoo's

TIP DE JOUR #1: High-Pass Filters!

Sometimes our mixes are cluttered and muddy, and the elements are indistinct, and the low-end is a hearty broth of human shit.

There's an easy fix: high-pass filters (HPF).

Most instruments don't need much low-end information. Some don't need any (e.g. hi-hats). I usually HPF every instrument in a mix except bass and kick (and actually come to think of it I often HPF even those at ~20-30hz as there usually isn't useful information down there for the kinda stuff I make). But anyway I often hear mixes that could greatly benefit from some HPF-ing.

So now where do you put the HPF (i.e. the cutoff frequency)? Sometimes it's shocking how much you can cut from an instrument before it starts to have a negative impact. This is kind-of another discussion for another time but almost all of you mixing decisions should be made with the entire mix playing (as opposed to solo-ing the instrument and making decisions about how it sounds alone). Unless a box set of all your multitracks are released in 20 years a la Pet Sounds, no-one is ever going to hear any of the instruments soloed. So aside from the occasional surgical task that require you to hear an instrument in great detail (e.g. comping a vocal or removing a shitty resonant tone from a live snare drum), your decision should be made while listen to the mix in whole.

But as for the cutoff frequency, mine usually land somewhere in the ballpark of 100-200hz. With something like a hi-hat, I tend to be a ruthless. I think that--depending on the context, of course--you could often get away with cutting at around 250-300hz (fortune favors the bold, they say). Now, you might need to hit it with compression to thicken it up, but it can definitely be done.

Some elements you could push the cutoff frequency higher than that (and if you are interested in texture-intensive music then drastic filtering should be in your tool-belt). I am a huge believer in the idea that each element should have its own space in the mix*, frequency-wise, and HPF is a big piece of that puzzle.

So anyway, just some thoughts. Hope they're somehow helpful.

Cheers,

LimpyLoo

*Not always, of course: sometimes getting the vibe you want entails making the mix a fuzzed-out semi-indistinct mush that sounds like it was recorded with a single condenser mic in the middle of an untreated practice space and slammed through a $50 compressor (e.g. Flaming Lips' Embryonic).

More, please.

thanks LimpyLoo

presenting: LimpyLoo's

TIP DE JOUR #2: Option Paralysis!

Often, when we are faced with a decision, we have a near-infinite amount of options. And then often we fear that we might make the wrong decision. And then often we simply don't commit to any decision as a result of that fear.

The cure for Option Paralysis is to realize that 1) the stakes are (probably) very low, and 2) any decision is better than no decision.

The fact is, the worst possible thing that could happen is that we give up as a result of a difficult decision. So just take a deep breath, flip a fucking coin and get on with with it.

Cheers,

LimpyLoo

  On 10/8/2012 at 5:11 AM, LimpyLoo said:

presenting: LimpyLoo's

 

TIP DE JOUR #2: Option Paralysis!

 

 

 

Often, when we are faced with a decision, we have a near-infinite amount of options. And then often we fear that we might make the wrong decision. And then often we simply don't commit to any decision as a result of that fear.

 

The cure for Option Paralysis is to realize that 1) the stakes are (probably) very low, and 2) any decision is better than no decision.

 

The fact is, the worst possible thing that could happen is that we give up as a result of a difficult decision. So just take a deep breath, flip a fucking coin and get on with with it.

 

Cheers,

LimpyLoo

great shit. I also find that by creating limitations, you can greatly increase your productivity as an artist. Time, resources, structures, etc all can benefit from a restriction. For instance, make a rule that every track must be complete in a form that can be bounced, in the first sitting. Skip the fills, the automation (unless it's vital to song structure) and sound noodling. Reduce your kit to like 2 or 3 synths, a sampler, and a drum machine. Leave off effects. Only the skeleton. Throw it on your mp3 player for a week and decide if it's worth pushing further, and how.

Thanks LimpyLoo! I enjoy your posts alot, the EKT needs more stuff like this and your other thread in here

great thread. we need more tips!!!

presenting: LimpyLoo's

TIP DE JOUR #3: Pedal Tones!

Fuckin' pedal tones, innit?

I made a tune for the "30 Minute Acid" thread today that was based (partially) on the concept of pedal tones:

(The top "octave" in the bass part remains "D" through the entire song)

In short, a pedal tone is a bass note that remains static while the harmony changes on top of it. Here is an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpR8vfnrEeY

(The bass plays A throughout the entire song while the keys and guitars play:

Abmaj - Bbmaj - Amin - Dmaj - Amin - Bbmaj )

So what is the point of using a pedal tone, instead of just having the bass outline the chords?

Because shit is epic, that's why. Fuck you.

Think of all the RDJ tunes where the bass is doin' its own thing and then he floats a sequence of chords over it. How 'tarded would it be if he had the bass playing the root note of the chords? Mucho 'tarded, that's how 'tarded.

[motifs and pedal tones are spiritually akin since they both "do their own thing," asshole]

So next time you're thinking of having the bass follow the chords...fuck that shit. And fuck you. Use a pedal tone, you stupid motherfucker.

Fuck you,

LimpyLoo

P.S. Next time we'll take a look at Metric Modulation, a very Autechre-y concept.

I'm not mad, it's just a gag.

Every "LL's TDJ" is gonna have it's own "flavor," if you will.

haha good stuff. :D

Thanks for the good read.

ahh yes pedal point... as a guitar player it comes up a lot with open strings, nice to see someone doing it in electronic

would you be mad if i added a tip, Limpy? i wanna do a writeup on counterpoint later.

  On 10/9/2012 at 5:47 PM, sergeantk said:

ahh yes pedal point... as a guitar player it comes up a lot with open strings, nice to see someone doing it in electronic

 

would you be mad if i added a tip, Limpy? i wanna do a writeup on counterpoint later.

You can do it, but you gotta make a sexy header with sexy colors.

  On 10/9/2012 at 5:47 PM, sergeantk said:

ahh yes pedal point... as a guitar player it comes up a lot with open strings, nice to see someone doing it in electronic

Some examples...

Common in flashy heavy metal intros:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o018byLnMFM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFDRaXe7Wb8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbgv587ooNM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmxbKmiOJlU

Thrash metal riffing is practically founded on pedalling the palm muted E string:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUL8dEroAY4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEL6_SuQCu8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlLn0UicWrM

Pedal notes utilized to great effect by King Crimson in the early 80s (along with polymeters):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGPyvDvK5_8

tip du jour is feeding my brain, good work

Yes, highpass everything ever. Shit, now everyone knows

  On 10/10/2012 at 1:29 AM, Ascdi said:

Yes, highpass everything ever. Shit, now everyone knows

Yeah, it's a shame. Now everyone's beat will sound less congested.

The horror!

Oop, guess I'll have to do two tomorrow.

They're gonna be good, too.

I have no idea what any of the stuff in here means, but it's probably hella useful. Thanks!

Ah yes!! I've been doing a lot of low frequency removal but I've been doing a probably crap job with eqs, this makes loads more sense!

Awesome thread. Keep it up, and don't be afraid to continue to get nasty. I like it nasty

yeah. btw. this thread was the first time I ever listened to king crimson. musical orgasm.

  On 10/10/2012 at 11:45 PM, Salvatorin said:

yeah. btw. this thread was the first time I ever listened to king crimson. musical orgasm.

Personally I much much much prefer pre-Belew KC.

Haha, and I prefer Belew era stuff. Much more adventurous and breaking away from the prog rock sound. I'm a bit of a Belew fanboy though!

re:high pass

i also high pass everything that isn't a bass-focused instrument, but something to maybe keep in mind, this may depend on your workflow, is that you can go back to your synth patch to tweak your frequencies at the source. turn down that oscillator that's creating the low frequency content you're wanting to cut (is there a sub osc?), or tweak your filter envelopes and/or filter saturation to let more high frequencies through, and then adjust the channel volume to place it back into the mix. this is usually the route i take if i find myself making really drastic cuts. ...and then i high pass it anyway

high passing delays and reverb is probably a good idea too