please if anyone can offer some feedback on this mix I’m working on my mixing and just interested what others think of it appreciate it Leave the pain
Leave the pain *new beat *
- Thread starter Wesbeats
- Start date
Digging the sample choice. The processing and chops are great and I do like how the vocal chop blends nicely with it.
The transition around 0:30 is a great. Maybe could serve to be a bit longer as it'll give you an opportunity to really explore more dynamic range and allow you to drop into that second theme better. Ultimately, it'd give that second theme a bit more weight/importance and serve as a distinct transitionary point.
With respect to that second theme, particularly the mix, the vocal chop stands out a bit too proudly. It doesn't blend as well as earlier in the track.
The only other point of critique would be the drums. Sound selection is good, and all the drum/percussion elements serve the track well. It could however use a bit of swing and velocity variation. Velocity mostly on the hi-hats and swing more on the kick. As they are right now, they sound a bit too stiff. Maybe even layer the kick with a punchier analog sound just to get that wave of bass under the whole track. Doesn't need to be to loud in the mix, but just enough to add some punch.
Here are few things I do to try and add more groove to my drums..
Hi-Hats:
Vary between different velocities. This can be done with "16 levels" feature on most pad controllers. Alternatively, you can go in and manually adjust them. Not every strike needs to be different, but at least different from the one before and after. Usually once I have 1-2 bars of hi hat velocity variations I'll just copy and paste across the track. It doesn't need to be too meticulous as it'll be masked by other elements in your song.
ADSR. By using the ADSR amp envelope on your hi-hats your can play around with note lengths to get get different timbres/sounds. You can even cheat a CHH from an OHH with this technique. Especially if you're playing them in, you can get some subtle and natural variations by making a few tweaks with your Amp envelope.
Filters. Start with a HP filter and set it to the point where you're just cutting out a bit of weight from the low end. Then with an LFO (usually I set it to 1-2 bars) have it modulate the cutoff frequency just a bit. Again, no need to get too crazy with this, just enough that each hit is a tad different than the one before or after. Most samplers can also have velocity modulate the filter too. It's kinda cool to stack the different techniques and see what you can come up with!
Kicks:
Most people have spoken about Layered kicks (as mentioned above), but one thing I like to do is strip back the layers. Say for example you have two kicks (one boomy and one punchy) I like to layer them on beats to create emphasis in a phrase. Conversely, I'll strip away a layer (mostly the punchy one) so that other elements in the track can shine. Again, it's a subtle difference but can add a dynamic feel to the listener without too much change sonically.
Similar to layered kicks, I sometimes like to have a variation of my main kick. This can be one that is slightly pitched down, or run through a low-pass filter. I'll usually use these for ghost notes or for "weak beats." Which leads me to my next tip....
...Be aware of the strong/weak beats in your measures/bars. Not all genres of music need to do this, but I always think about how a human drummer would play - especially in a live setting. In the example below, The down beats (1,2,3,4) are Bolded and Underlined to denote the strongest pulse in each beat. The "AND" (+) of a beat is typically the second strongest pulse (and I have it bolded) to represent that. The remaining sixteenth divisions are the weakest (italicized). Just by keeping this in mind, you can Layer kicks, use softer kicks, or adjust velocities to accomplish the effect of strong and weak pulses. Coupled with some swing, and you've got a wicked groove!
1 e + a | 2 e + a | 3 e + a | 4 e + a
The transition around 0:30 is a great. Maybe could serve to be a bit longer as it'll give you an opportunity to really explore more dynamic range and allow you to drop into that second theme better. Ultimately, it'd give that second theme a bit more weight/importance and serve as a distinct transitionary point.
With respect to that second theme, particularly the mix, the vocal chop stands out a bit too proudly. It doesn't blend as well as earlier in the track.
The only other point of critique would be the drums. Sound selection is good, and all the drum/percussion elements serve the track well. It could however use a bit of swing and velocity variation. Velocity mostly on the hi-hats and swing more on the kick. As they are right now, they sound a bit too stiff. Maybe even layer the kick with a punchier analog sound just to get that wave of bass under the whole track. Doesn't need to be to loud in the mix, but just enough to add some punch.
Here are few things I do to try and add more groove to my drums..
Hi-Hats:
Vary between different velocities. This can be done with "16 levels" feature on most pad controllers. Alternatively, you can go in and manually adjust them. Not every strike needs to be different, but at least different from the one before and after. Usually once I have 1-2 bars of hi hat velocity variations I'll just copy and paste across the track. It doesn't need to be too meticulous as it'll be masked by other elements in your song.
ADSR. By using the ADSR amp envelope on your hi-hats your can play around with note lengths to get get different timbres/sounds. You can even cheat a CHH from an OHH with this technique. Especially if you're playing them in, you can get some subtle and natural variations by making a few tweaks with your Amp envelope.
Filters. Start with a HP filter and set it to the point where you're just cutting out a bit of weight from the low end. Then with an LFO (usually I set it to 1-2 bars) have it modulate the cutoff frequency just a bit. Again, no need to get too crazy with this, just enough that each hit is a tad different than the one before or after. Most samplers can also have velocity modulate the filter too. It's kinda cool to stack the different techniques and see what you can come up with!
Kicks:
Most people have spoken about Layered kicks (as mentioned above), but one thing I like to do is strip back the layers. Say for example you have two kicks (one boomy and one punchy) I like to layer them on beats to create emphasis in a phrase. Conversely, I'll strip away a layer (mostly the punchy one) so that other elements in the track can shine. Again, it's a subtle difference but can add a dynamic feel to the listener without too much change sonically.
Similar to layered kicks, I sometimes like to have a variation of my main kick. This can be one that is slightly pitched down, or run through a low-pass filter. I'll usually use these for ghost notes or for "weak beats." Which leads me to my next tip....
...Be aware of the strong/weak beats in your measures/bars. Not all genres of music need to do this, but I always think about how a human drummer would play - especially in a live setting. In the example below, The down beats (1,2,3,4) are Bolded and Underlined to denote the strongest pulse in each beat. The "AND" (+) of a beat is typically the second strongest pulse (and I have it bolded) to represent that. The remaining sixteenth divisions are the weakest (italicized). Just by keeping this in mind, you can Layer kicks, use softer kicks, or adjust velocities to accomplish the effect of strong and weak pulses. Coupled with some swing, and you've got a wicked groove!
1 e + a | 2 e + a | 3 e + a | 4 e + a
Thank you for listening. I’ve been thinking of how a drummer would play and been trying to get my drum sequence as close to that real feel. I did have a swing on it maybe I should increase it just a little?
Maybe a bit more, or even the value of the swing (16ths vs 8ths etc.) Coupled with velocity variations can make a world of difference
