Audiotuts+

Audiotuts+ Quiz: Know Your Soft Synths

Adrian Try — Mon, 21 May 2012 07:35:54 +0000

How well do you know your soft synths? Test your knowledge with this quiz that focuses on synths that come with popular DAWs.

Workshop #234: Manic for Mixdown by Atash

Adrian Try — Sat, 19 May 2012 05:07:01 +0000

This track has been submitted for your friendly, constructive criticism. What useful feedback can you give the artist? The floor is yours to talk about the track and how they can fix problems in and improve upon the mix and the song.

Download audio file (ManicForMixdown.mp3)

Description of the track:

I’m trying to merge two of my loves: melodic trance and distorted choppy electro à la Porter Robinson / Wolfgang Gartner. I feel okay with my arrangement, but need a lot of help on the mixdown. It doesn’t have that defined clarity and space. Please help in any way you can.

Have a listen to the track and offer your constructive criticism for this Workshop in the comments section. Feel free to offer any type of advice – arrangement, mix, lyrics, performance. And remember to play nice – be constructive!

Need constructive criticism on your own tracks? Submit them for a workshop using this form. Most but not all submissions are published. There may be a wait of up to two months.

Which Computer Should a Beginner Use for Audio Production

Adrian Try — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:39:46 +0000

If you want to get into audio production, then you’ll almost definitely want to use a computer-based digital audio workstation. What does a beginner need to know when purchasing a computer for audio? There’s no one answer, and this article will help you think the issue through.

This post has been put together with a lot of help. At the beginning of the year I asked the Audiotuts+ readers in an Open Mic post, “What advice would you give a beginner about computers?” This article is based largely on the answers given to that post.

But it doesn’t have to end there. Please feel free to add your own advice and experiences in the comments. Or if you are a beginner with a question that we don’t give an answer for, please ask!

The choice of a computer and computer software are among the first important questions a new audio producer will need to answer. We’ve already answered the software part. If you haven’t read it yet, make sure you check out our article, What Is the Best DAW for Beginners?

And now to the task of choosing your computer hardware…

Start With What You Have

It’s extremely likely that the computer you already own is good enough to get started with. That’s good to know. It will give you some time to decide whether music production is really what you want to spend your time and money on. It will also give you time to save some money, and do some thinking about the hardware and software you want to spend your money on.

If you own a Mac, it’s extremely likely that it came with GarageBand, which is arguably the best software to get started on. If you are running Windows, there are some free or cheap audio programs that you can get started on.

Here are some articles you should check out when deciding which app to install on your computer:

Are you strongly considering starting with the computer you already own? Here are some reader comments that may help you decide:

Remember that it’s not the computer that makes music! It’s you! (Pedro)
While it’s great to max out the spec of your machine as far as your budget will allow, it’s worth remembering that it’s perfectly possible to get started on a machine which, by current standards, is relatively low spec. I’m running Logic 9 on a 2.16 GHz Dual Core iMac, with 3 GB of RAM, and it’s served me very well. (Glynn)

Check the System Requirements of Your DAW Software

When you get down to it, your computer is there to run your audio software. What type of computer does that software need in order to run effectively?

Does it run on a Mac, or Windows? Or either? How much hard drive space will it use? And make sure you have plenty of space left over. Does it run best with a faster processor? How much RAM does it need to run without lag? Don’t forget to allow for extra RAM for any plugins you install. And if you’re planning on using more than 4 GB of RAM, make sure you’re running a 64-bit operating system, and that your DAW is also 64-bit.

In short you’ll want to buy the best machine you can afford. As a minimum, get something with at least 4 GB of RAM, a few hundred gigs of hard drive space, and 2-3 GHz of processor speed.

Here are some system requirement tips left by our readers:

Depending on the DAW, check what the computer system requirements are. This is a no brainer!
…but beginners tend to forget. (dan)
For beginners, 4 GB of RAM should be good enough when starting out. (dan)
Choose a fast processor! Software Instruments are getting more and more demanding in terms of CPU power. (Phil)
Max out the memory of your machine. RAM prices have hit rock bottom, so go for at least 8GB, better yet 16GB! (Phil)
Minimum system for today I would say: 2 GHz CPU Dual Core, 4 GB RAM, 512 MB Graphics Memory
I try to afford myself the latest and best system. Maybe I don’t need the power everyday, but when I need it I am happy to have it.

4 GB RAM is minimum/fine
8 GB RAM is very good – my current and quad core cpu with 2 GHz
16 GB RAM is great – could be my next (kenibu)
Once you have your PC, make sure it has enough RAM to do what you want it to do. If you’re recording, you’re going to want 2 harddrives (this is a good idea regardless), but a huge amount of RAM isn’t necessarily a top priority. If you’re doing sample or effects heavy work, then more RAM is going to be vital.
A good processor is needed for effects processing, multicore is pretty much standard these days, and for good reason. (Fleb)
I would say that the more CPU Hz you can get, the better. The RAM isn’t as much of a concern to me. If you’re recording a lot I could see RAM being an issue but if you’re using mostly synths then CPU is what’s going to be important. (Sean Duncan)
Hi there, I would suggest there is merit in getting a machine built for the job if you are a using a PC. It can be rewarding to build your own PC but it can also be a complete headache as well. The people who build them professionally know about details, often obscure, annoying details that can put a kink in your day if you do not know what you are doing. I also recommend physically cloning system (C) drives with the Integral SATA copy station, a low costs bullet proof way of getting your system running very quickly if (read : when) your system hard drive breaks. (online mastering)

Desktop or Laptop?

Desktop or laptop? Big or small? Portable or not? Important questions. When you get down to it, desktops tend to be more upgradable, and laptops more portable. And it’s no longer the case that a laptop need cost you a lot more.

One important consideration is the size of your screen. A big monitor is a very good thing to have when dealing with lots of audio tracks. Two big monitors is even better.

If you need a mobile setup, then choose a laptop. If you’ll mainly be recording in your studio, then either is fine. But if you choose a laptop, I strongly recommend a big external monitor.

Would an iPad or other tablet make a reasonable alternative? That’s not a question for this article, but if you have any thoughts, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Here’s one reader’s take on the desktop/laptop question:

Also worth pointing out that you get a lot more bang for your buck with a desktop than a laptop, and they’re easier to upgrade…I use a laptop for non-studio based stuff and keep my desktop exclusively for studio use. (Nick)

Windows or Mac?

This is a big question with strong feelings on both sides. And if you have strong feelings, you’ve already answered the question!

In short, either is acceptable. There are two things to consider: Are you more comfortable with one operating system or the other? Does the DAW you’re planning to use only work on one or the other.

In a recent Open Mic we asked our readers whether they use Mac or Windows. Here are the results (505 people voted):

Apple’s OS X – 57.43%
Microsoft Windows – 40.00%
Linux – 2.18%
Other – 0.4%

So we have more Mac readers than Windows readers, but not by a huge margin.

We had more responses on this issue than any other. Here are the comments left by those who prefer Macs:

While cost of entry for those who want to go the Mac route may look high, usability and reliability are much better in my experience. Also, check out the used market, and Apple’s own refurbished products store: there’s no need for a beginner to buy the very latest, top spec machines, and you can save a lot of money by avoiding that temptation. Ideally, though, buy something with a little room to upgrade when you’re ready. (Glynn)
I thought myself that mac’s are too expensive, but I saw that it comes with many software programs which windows doesn’t. For example garage band and the word like program. (kenibu)
I used a Mac mini for years but found as soon as I started pushing Logic to any extent it just ran out of CPU and fell over.
Go for an Imac if you can and at least 4GB of RAM – Towers don’t give you as much value for you $ as the Imac currently. I also bought non-apple RAM fairly cheaply and installed it myself for about 1/3 the cost.

My upgrade was to a Core I7 with 16GB RAM and Logic hasn’t batted an eyelid! (Niggles)
In general I would recommend a Mac, but that is really a personal preference. But in going that route I would suggest going to eBay for a used option. You don’t necessarily need a powerhouse. My son and I spend a lot time running Reason on a 2006 model Mac mini with 2GB of RAM that ran about $300. It’s easy for him to learn, and the machine handles well enough. (Ken)
Personally I’d also recommend Macs. They are expensive but worth of price if you are thinking of making music professionally. Mac’s tend to get the reputation of being more stable than PC’s. Why? Because they are built on the same components. If you decide to buy a PC, I suggest checking out this link. These units are specially designed for making music and what’s very important they’re super quiet. My loud PC completely ruined many of my recordings. (TTR2)
get a mac! (yon)
Here is the advice I would give to beginners:
Putting everything aside, after more than eleven years of being involved with audio (and graphics) if you hear nothing else, hear this:

Get. A. Mac.

Mac “Fanboys”, the whole “PC vs. Mac” thing, all that aside, I can not tell you how much easier life is since I went to Mac computers. I used to use PCs, I used to build them, I can still build them, I can still tech them, but your musical experience is going to be so much easier, headache free, and just plain more fun with a Mac. Why? Because the stupid things work. I don’t care how good your PC is, how spec’ed out it is; it is going to slow down.

Yes they cost more for the “same specs” compared to PCs. I wonder why that is? Fact of life, you get what you pay for. They work. Period.

The last thing you want is for your computer to be butting heads with you when your trying to become a music based musician or producer. You have enough as is trying to learn about the music and software, the last thing you need to have happen is it be a coin toss every time you start you computer if it is going to even turn on.

Macs get the computer out of the way so you can focus on making music.

I’m not talking out of arrogance or ignorance, I’m talking out of experience. Nine years of teeth grinding, hair pulling experience. (Robert Anthony)

Here are the comments left by someone who prefers Windows:

For PCs try to get yourself one that is the most recent and most powerful you can afford. I say that because I saw that a 2.2 GHz Intel core i3 was faster than a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 processor. Then your ram: 4 GB or higher would be good. And also recent computers have faster hard disk drives most now come with a 7200 rpm drive. The faster your hard disk spins the faster it exchanges with ram and better your PC will perform. (Arsene)

And many commenters have found that either option is an acceptable solution:

If you can afford a Mac, get one. If not, that’s fine! PC’s are just as good…and most of the time cheaper! (dan)
Mac or PC makes no difference any more. Both systems are stable, and many DAWs are running on both systems (recently, MOTU published its Digital Performer 8 DAW for Windows too). (Phil)
There is actually no difference between getting a Mac, Sony, HP, Dell or any other kind of PC, other than the fact that Mac is supremely more expensive and has OSX.
If you like windows, get any brand of PC other than Mac, if you like OSX, get any brand of PC and either hackintosh or get an authentic Mac. There is literally no difference as far as music production is concerned other than the minor differences between the operating systems. Personal preference and all that. (Fleb)

Get a Dedicated Production Machine if Possible

If you’re serious about music production, then you’ll want to consider having a separate machine dedicated to just music production. You’ll have more system resources available for audio, and your hard drive won’t get bogged down by all the other rubbish that finds its way onto computers.

We asked this question on an Open Mic almost three years ago, and received some brilliant and detailed answers. If you’re considering going down this track, you really should check out the comments left there as part of your decision-making process.

In the meantime, here’s one comment left by an Audiotuts+ reader:

If you can afford it, keep one machine exclusively for music production. Don’t use your everyday system. (Phil)

Well, that’s my advice about buying an audio computer. Feel free to use yours in the comments!

3D Mixing Part 7: Mastering, The Final Chapter (Part 2)

Will Walker — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:53:37 +0000

This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series 3D Mixing

In the final installment of the series, we are going to look at the final effects on the signal chain (Master EQ, Master Reverb, Master Limiter), and discuss the various final print options.

Master EQ

For EQ on the master bus, ‘gentle’ is the word of the day. By the time you are ready to even begin thinking about mastering, your frequency control should be almost, if not completely solid (one of the reasons I went back and did a bit of remixing in the previous chapter). The master bus EQ is meant to be a gentle and wide band EQ which balances overall frequency bands as opposed to individual sounds and instruments. It is a bit of a mental shift from mixing, but a necessary one all the same and a good one to practice.

In chronological order of how I came upon these settings (obviously do what works best for you), I first used a low shelving band to boost the bass a bit, then went and boosted the highs with a shelving band as well. I then boosted the main area of the melody (400-ish). I then realized the highs were too high (embracing trial and error, if you hadn’t noticed, is essential) and switched the high shelving boost to a high shelving cut and moved it to effect just the very top of the spectrum. I then added a steep low cut to knock out the flabby sub-bass the low shelving boost had accentuated.

Download audio file (EQ Before.mp3)

The loop before EQ-ing.

Download audio file (EQ After.mp3)

You can definitely hear how these minor changes have livened up the sound.

Reverb

One of my favorite tricks in mixing as well as mastering is slapping a reverb on a bus to give subtle and wide depth information to either the group or, in this case, the entire track. This helps to place all sounds in a similar virtual space and widens the overall stereo field to produce a more robust and full sound. The thing to remember about reverb, again, is subtlety. Unless you are going for a special effect, reverb should be used sparingly so as to not overshadow the original sound.

Here I have simply put on Logic’s Space Designer IR reverb with 100% dry and about 5% wet and set to a 1/4 note decay (500 ms in this case-good idea is to set your reverb to musical settings and so it decays before the next hit).

The amplitude envelope of the reverb.

I then went into the EQ section and rolled off both the top and bottom end. I have rolled off the bottom end substantially to keep the bass clear and not introduce too much level. I rolled off the top end moderately to increase the sense of depth (remember from the Reverb Tutorial that far away sounds lose high frequency content the further from the listener), and I also notched out some mid lows to keep things a bit more clear in that area.

The EQ section of the reverb.

Download audio file (Reverb Before.mp3)

The loop prior to bus reverb.

Download audio file (Reverb After.mp3)

The track after bus reverb; thicker and deeper.

LOUD!

The final effect to put on the channel is the limiter. The limiter captures all transient information and allows you to compress the signal for absolute loudness. The limiter can also be used on various mix elements (the kick is often treated with limiting to help it punch through the mix), but it is always (in this day and age, anyway) placed on the master bus to maximize loudness and keep peaks at a consistent level. This is the stage where we can begin to think about peak vs. RMS levels within the overall track.

Logic’s Adaptive Limiter has three main sections to be aware of. The input meter on the left tells us the amplitude of the incoming signal in real time. The middle section allows us to scale the input signal (used to greatly increase or decrease the input), increase gain and set the output ceiling. Finally, the output meter to the right shows us the output amplitude in real time.

Here we can see our input is peaking with 1.5 dB of headroom, therefore I do not need to use the scaling knob at all. I then set the output ceiling to -0.1 dB as that is the absolute loudest I want the track to reach (0 dB is theoretically the loudest I want it to go, but some room for error is usually a good idea). I then increase the gain by over the 1.5 input ceiling to get the limiter working and increase it slowly. Once things begin to sound obnoxious, I decrease slowly and only slightly to find a happy medium between loudness and musicality. Here I have settled on a moderate 4.6 dB.

The AdLimiter with the extended parameters showing. I increased the lookahead slightly from the default setting to get a more accurate response.

Download audio file (ADB.mp3)

Before.

Download audio file (ADA.mp3)

After.

Multimeter Part 2

Finally, we want to put on another multimeter in order to look at our output to make sure we are not somehow missing something crucial. We can see from the second multimeter that we have a wide frequency range, have a good ovular stereo/phase image and have a difference of about 12 dB between the peak and RMS levels (anywhere from 6-15 dBs of difference is usually pretty good).

The frequency response curve and peak/RMS detector (on the right).

The goniometer showing stereo/phase information.

Final Print

So, if you can remember way back, you’ll no doubt recall that we are working with a 48K sample rate @ 24 bits. As such, we have to convert our final print to 44.1K and 16 bits which is CD standard and in doing so we are going to have to apply dither.

Dither is a complex algorithm which is applied to the audio file during bounce/print to minimize the quantization artifacts that sample and bit rate conversions impart. Without going too in depth (I may do so in a future article) what that means is that dither will add subtle amounts of noise to the file to hide the imperfections that the conversion process creates.

A good basic analogy to make sense of this process is to think about it in terms of the resolution of a photograph. If you convert a 300 dpi image to a 100 dpi image, it is going to look grainy due to the decreased resolution. If we were to subtly blur (add noise to) the 100 dpi image to hide the sharp corners of the grain this would decrease our ability to see the grain pattern and give a better final result than otherwise.

Logic comes with four different dither options, POWr #1, POWr #2, POWr #3 and UV22HR. They each come with a rather vague description in the manual and are summed up by this statement:

‘The dithering mode that sounds best to you is primarily dependent on the audio material, and your personal taste. Audition the audio material with each of the dithering modes to determine the right setting. In some cases, you may find that the best results are achieved by using no dithering at all.’

So, all said and done, we are going to have to try all of them.

You can see the different dither options Logic offers on the right.

Download audio file (none.mp3)

No Dither

Download audio file (1.mp3)

Option 1

Download audio file (2.mp3)

Option 2

Download audio file (3.mp3)

Oprion 3

Download audio file (UV.mp3)

The UV option

They all sound about the same (and are made even more uniform during the necessary conversion to MP3 for internet publication) so picking a ‘best’ one in this instance is a fairly arbitrary decision. For some reason I am somewhat drawn to the UV dither option. From where I’m sitting it just sounds a bit more defined than the others, but obviously it is really up to personal taste and has even more to do with your personal listening environment.

Download audio file (Start.mp3)

Where we started

Download audio file (UV.mp3)

The final product

So there you have it, our final product. Although this final step is fairly subjective, there are a few rather sceintific guidelines to follow throughout your project in terms of bit depth and sample rate to ensure a better final product:

Record in the highest bit depth and sample rate as possible.
Mix in the same bit depth and sample rate as you recorded in.
Convert your project to standard only once, and at only the final step. If you are sending to a mastering studio, let them do it.
If you are doing it yourself, audition each option available, if you are sending it out, make sure they give you different dither options to choose from.

That is about it for now, I may go back and get into more of the nuts and bolts of some of the topics I touched on earlier…Until then, thanks for sticking with me through this series and happy mixing!

The Essentials to Pro Tools 10 Part 1: Interface and Setup – Tuts+ Premium

Jonah Guelzo — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:14:28 +0000

In this week’s Audio Premium content, Jonah Guelzo begins a new series teaching you the essentials of Pro Tools 10. In this first installment you meet the interface and learn how to do an initial setup.

To learn more about what you get as part of Tuts+ Premium, read this. To take a peek inside this tutorial, hit the jump!

Get the Full Tutorial!

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Tuts+ Premium gives you access to your very own library of courses, tutorials and eBooks, available whenever you need them. Join a community of over 15,000 members and start getting better at the skills you care about.

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Workshop #233: Mr Feathers by kmoto

Adrian Try — Sun, 13 May 2012 06:55:42 +0000

Download audio file (MrFeathers.mp3)

Description of the track:

Indie/folk/alternative country. Raw, atmospheric acoustic guitar and vocals.

Need constructive criticism on your own tracks? Submit them for a workshop using this form. Most but not all submissions are published. There may be a wait of up to two months.

Quick Song Editing in Logic Pro

David Bergman — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:54:19 +0000

In this screencast David Bergman shows you how to do some quick song editing in Logic Pro, including fades.

Introduction to Modal Interchange

Pär Svensson — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:23:23 +0000

Are you getting tired of using the same old chord progressions in your compositions? An excellent way to spice up your creations would be to familiarize yourself with the concept of modal interchange, also known as modal mixture.

To put it simple, modal interchange is the practice of temporarily borrowing chords from a parallel tonality/modality without abandoning the established key. This technique has been around for centuries and is well established in most genres, including rock, pop, jazz and classical music.

Chances are pretty good that you’ve already been using some form of modal interchange, without even realizing it. The Natural Minor key for example, inherently relies on modal interchange to create a strong dominant cadence.

A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

Before we dive into the topic of modal interchange, I would like to bring up a few points about the age old fear among some musicians that too much theory will somehow make them less creative. Having written this article, I disagree with such an attitude.

In the best of worlds all music would simply write itself. The composer would be able to hear a complete composition with melody, harmonies and chord progression in his head and his only job would be to write it down on paper or record it. Although this might be true for some lucky individuals, such as Mozart, most of us rarely get to experience this.

More often than not, we tend to get stuck or run into problems when composing. This is when having a solid foundation in music theory really comes in handy. It will take much of the guesswork out of the equation and allow you to keep on composing, even when you don’t have that cosmic connection and things are just “pouring out of you”. More theoretical knowledge will equal more possible solutions and ways to be creative. Being able to keep on writing no matter what is an invaluable skill for the professional composer.

Parallel and Relative Tonality

First things first. As stated before, modal interchange means borrowing chords from a parallel tonality, so let’s start by sorting out what constitutes a parallel tonality.

I especially want to make this clear, because the terms relative and parallel tonality have contrasting meanings in different parts of the world. When referring to parallel, I mean tonalities/modalities of any given quality that share the same root. Relative tonalities would share the same set of notes, but with each tonality gravitating towards a different root.

An example of parallel tonalities would be C Major and C Natural Minor. Relative tonalities would be something like C Major and A Natural Minor, that share the exact set of notes. Assuming that all music either is in a major or minor tonality/modality will give us four possible scenarios for modal interchange:

Major to Minor
Major to Major
Minor to Major
Minor to Minor

Major to Minor

The most common way to embellish a major key is to borrow chords from some kind of parallel minor. Listen to the two similar chord progressions in G Major written out below.

Download audio file (ex1.mp3)
The first progression uses only diatonic chords, meaning that all chords are derived from one scale. In this case it happens to be the G Major(Ionian) scale. There is nothing wrong with these chords. A good melody, chord inversions and orchestration could make it part of a great tune. At a harmonic level however, it is fairly boring and will tend to sound a little too predictable.

Download audio file (ex2.mp3)
The second example is identical to the first, with the exception of a C-7(IV-7) replacing Cmaj7(IVmaj7) in bar three. This chord does not change the overall key of the chord progression, but it does bring a change of character and added interest to the third bar. I believe that this type of change, as subtle as it may seem, will get noticed at some level even by the most casual non-musician listener.

Chord Scale Choices

So where in the world did that IV-7 chord in bar three come from? Given that we don’t have a melody to take into consideration, we only need to worry about the chord tones of C-7 that are foreign to the key we are in.

Bb and Eb of C-7 are not part of G Major and this reveals that the modal interchange chord must have been borrowed from some kind of parallel G scale with a b3 and a b6 scale degree. Below is a diagram of the parallel functions of all 7 modes of the major scale.

This is an excellent place to start looking for a source to our IV-7 chord. From this list we can find three different theoretical sources that contain a IV-7 chord. Parallel Phrygian, Aeolian and Lokrian all end up with a IV-7 chord when harmonized in thirds.

So how do you chose your source scale and why does it matter? Ultimately this is a personal creative choice, but common practice is to chose the parallel scale that has the greatest number of common tones with the established key. Let’s write out the three choices and examine how many notes they have in common with G Major (Ionian).

Natural Minor (Aeolian) has four notes in common, Phrygian has three, and Lokrian only has two. Our first choice would therefore be Natural Minor, but all three are theoretically possible and would affect the chord scale and available tensions for the IV-7 chord. If we stick to G Natural Minor as our source this will equal a C Dorian chord scale with tensions 9, 11 and 13 available over the IV-7.

Some General Guidelines When Exploring Modal Interchange On Your Own

This wraps up part one of my series on modal interchange. Until next time, try experimenting with the chords from the diagram of the 7 harmonized modes. This is an extensive list that will give you plenty of options for creating new and interesting colors when composing.

Keep in mind that modal interchange chords can be used in different ways. They can replace their diatonic counterpart, harmonize non-diatonic melodies, act as pivot chords for modulation, or serve as a link between two diatonic chords.

Finally, here are several general guidelines to keep in mind when using modal interchange:

Make sure that there is no conflict between the melody and the chords.
Make sure that the original key is clearly established.
Modal interchange chords should be preceded- and followed by diatonic chords.
Do not overuse. This could lead to an unwanted modulation or create an ambiguous key center.
If using two or more modal interchange chords in row, be careful not to create a cadence to the I chord of the relative Ionian.

Which Tuts+ Site Should We Launch Next?

David Appleyard — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:35 +0000

We’re planning our next few Tuts+ sites, and would love your opinion and advice on which topics you think we should cover next! We’d be really grateful if you could take a minute to answer our quick poll and share your thoughts…

Have Your Say

We’ve been considering lots of different ideas for our next Tuts+ sites over the past few weeks, and wanted to also ask the opinion of our awesome community!

A selection of different concepts are included in the poll to the right, along with the option for you to submit your own ideas as well.

The important thing to note is that these are just ideas. Some of these are close to making our final cut, and others aren’t… We’d love to hear what you think, to help guide our decision.

Thanks for taking the time to offer your suggestion — I can’t wait to see what you have to say!

Win a 6-Month Tuts+ Premium Membership

Our poll will be running for the next couple of weeks, and we’ll be choosing one respondent at random to receive a six-month Tuts+ Premium membership!

To be entered into the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post to go into a bit more detail about your site suggestion. We’ll choose one comment at random to win the Tuts+ Premium membership when the poll ends.

Best of luck!

How to Create a Freeform Dubstep Template – Tuts+ Premium

Mike Elliott — Wed, 09 May 2012 07:30:08 +0000

In this week’s Audio Premium content, Mike Elliott teaches you how to create a freeform Dubstep template in FL Studio.

To learn more about what you get as part of Tuts+ Premium, read this. To take a peek inside this tutorial, hit the jump!

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While known for its iconic “wub wub” or “wow wow” bass sounds, Dubstep has developed beyond these two vocalizations. You now hear “eee”, “eugh”, “yah” and a host of other speech like formants that really start to sound like speech; just through a devilishly deep bass sound.

However the amount of trickery that is sometimes required to get beyond “wub” and “wow” can be daunting and simply not worth it. But what if I told you there was a way you could musically freeform these vocalizations yourself and edit them later? Better still you could perform your music live and improvise these vocalizations in real time? Interested? I thought so!

In this tutorial we will create a template that could be used in any project or easily created in an existing one. We will examine the template from a larger perspective and how it operates logically, and we will also get right down to the nitty gritty parameters of sound design. So if you are looking to make your producing life easier while arguably becoming more musical in the process, take the jump!

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How to Create a Freeform Dubstep Template – Tuts+ Premium

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View the tutorial on the Tuts+ Premium site.
Non-members see a generous preview.