Dubstep Drums Effects Processing Tutorial.

This is a pretty good dubstep drums effects processing tutorial from Audio Tuts. This is for Ableton but the basics apply to other environments and EDM genres.



To sum up what he does in this video:

1. Layer 3 different snares.

2. Layer a clicky, short bass with a subby bass (longer sine wave), then shortens the audio overall length.

3. Add a variety of real hi-hat sounds (stereo) in between the main rhythm. You could use toms, shakers, or any sound.

4. Add a high pass filter on the hi-hats bus / group.

5. Low Pass filter the kick drums very low for headroom. Add a "smiley" EQ curve for less midrange.

6. Add a Compressor with slow attack & release (200-300ms) to kicks, which preserves the attack. 3:1 or 1:5 ratio? -2db Gain Reduction? Adds a notch for the snare, and a slightly smiley eq.

7. Add a parametric EQs to the snares, sweep to where it sounds the best and boost. Add a low pass filter & mid dip. Add a compressor again.

8. Remember to save.

9. Variates the rhythm again. Adjust fader levels.

10. Puts reverb on the snares with a hi-pass.

11. Optional: Use gates to adjust the tail end of the sounds

12. Add any types of effects you like. There are no rules.

 

 

(8) Best Plugins For 2013

1. Korg Monopoly  Korg Monopoly is a great option for subtractive synthesis. I like it much better than Diva. It has better presets, more presets, better CPU economy, and doesn't give you that paranoid feeling you get when you've been synthesizing too long. Something about the filter & overall character is much more agreeable.) Go with Korg. With the Monopoly software you can crank the resonance all the way and not feel "disturbed." Korg has better effects too.



2. Cyclop This is the best bass synthesizer. It has the modern tone most people are looking for. There is a somewhat steep learning curve, with odd control labeling, but its worth using. There is not another plugin on the Mac thats quite like it. It is much better than NI Massive.



3. Heel Audio Mix Ref

This is a free Mac OS X plugin that is basically a speaker emulator. If you need to tame a sound or check an entire mix this gives you a virtual reference.



4. Amplitube 3

This classic plugin suite has so many good effects and amp simulations. Its a must have for any producer. The stomp boxes are useable, even with the rest of the chain bypassed.



5. Addictive Drums XLN

A very good interface for creating your own customized drumset. If you have no room to record drums this is your best option. The samples are very responsive. The level of control is very good.



6. Toontrack EZ Mix

If you have no idea what you are doing, and don't want to screw around with FX, this is an easy and fast solution. Its also a decent deal. Everything is labeled and it can make you more creative in record time. The level of FX control is not deep, but its not supposed to be. All the presets generally sound good. You don't need to learn a mixing tutorial with this plug.



6. Oxford Sonnox & Inflator

Great compression and mixing plugins. They make everything you run through them sound "better."



7. Izotop Ozone

I still use this for mastering when time is tight. The presets provided get you 80% of the way there, and with a little tweaking, make your mixes sound more commercial.



8. SoundToys & Filterfreak

A fun set of filters & effects that provide a wild character. Sounds Great.

9. Channel 3

This is mixer / channel emulator designed to replicate expensive consoles. Its kind of an audio exciter or EQ? It puts a nice touch on your sound. It is Free.

10. Elysia MPressor.

This is an excellent plugin for drum compression & pre-master effects. It can do the Daft Punk Homework fast attack and bring up the detail in your sounds.

11. Waves L3 Ultramaximizer. By far the best audio limiter for an extreme sound.

12. PSP Vintage Warmer Plugins Another must have for the end-chain in your mastering arsenal. This plugin inflates the stereo field and bumps bass.

What Type Of Plugins Do I use to Compress Drums For EDM?

While I think compression is mostly pointless on some sounds, there really are some great plugins that are worth using on percussion and on the overall master bus. I have all these plugins activated simultaneously to save time. You don't have  to produce in stages!



Insert FX: Tape Simulators, Tape Saturators, Compressors, EQs etc.

Saturators, compressors and other simulators are great on the main drum channel. The Crystal Method has been known to use "Fatso Jr" to get their beefy drum sound. It is a tape simulator with many options. It works on any type of drum or percussive sound. There are also tube amp simulations and others that slightly disort or compress the sound into warmth and fatness. A regular compressor won't cut it. We need some sort of saturation and an intelligent use of these plugins can get you some really beefed up drums. The people designing these hope you to keep feeding it more signal and that it never sounds bad. While these insert FX can be really energizing, for some genres and songs it might be a pass.

Tip: Before you insert a compressor or saturator make sure you place the reverb plugin. Pre-reverb makes a compressor "breathe."

Mastering Compressors & FX:

Dynamics compressor will work on the master bus and balance sounds together. Make sure its a good plugin specifically designed for this use. Generic plugins don't always work so well. Generic multi-band compressors, ones that come with the program or system can leave me completely lost. I try out presets and then start tweaking. Also going back to your individual channels and re-tweaking everything is a good idea. Just make sure you save the best setups to A/B them or you will get lost.

With a couple plugins and little bit of Mastering dynamics you can get a louder sounding recording that doesn't sound "overcompressed." Don't be afraid to use multipe plugins on the same channel or multiple plugins for mastering. There isn't an end-all, be-all plugin! But some of them are like magic for their specific use!

Thats all I have to say right now on compressors. Mostly you just find a good product and tweak the knobs till it sounds just right. If you have a "magic bullet" processor its a lot harder to end up with a bad recording.

 

Check out Sonnox Oxford, UAD Plugins, EZ Mix, Elysian, and McDsp to get yourself started.

Why Do Old School Breakbeats Sound So Good?

When listening critically to the Amen Break or the Apache break, you start to realize that these sounds are just not possible in real life. You tuned your drum set, you got your best mics and set everything just like they told you in every tutorial. You set everything up and realize the sound is clean and vanilla. Its not bad, but you will never achieve the breakbeat sound this way. Its not about vinyl, the analog days, or tape effects, or sampling.

The biggest reason why old school breakbeats sound awesome compared to real life drums is because of their preamp. Overdrive your tube preamp and you are halfway to the breakbeat sound. Drums sound ridiculously good with an overdriven preamp. Cymbals sizzle and snares start to scream. All sounds start to take on a new timbre. The room reverb compresses and you hear every detail. The truth of the matter is that many old school breaks were horribly recorded compared to today.

GreenDay recorded drums with a tube preamp and used reverb. Their early albums have a coveted drum sound. The truth is that there was a reasonable amount of distortion in every part of the signal chain starting with the preamp. It was inevitable that distorted breakbeats would become very famous in the same way an as overdriven TR-909 would be used on every recording out there. Distorted drums scream!