Getting beats to smack and slap.............

[Dj_Fozzybear]

Hey all...............
Here's a question for you all.........
What techniques do you guys use to get ya beats to smack in the mix? i.e. sound more "flat" and less "natural"
(the best (and most extreme) example are Dillinja's beats, they sound hard as fuck but with no real natural ring or tone.)
At the moment i do it like this...........(i am talking all beats btw to clarify, loops and single hit tracks)
1) Subtractive EQ on the beats to remove all frequencies but the frequencies you want to hear.
2) I whack Steinberg Da Tube and/or Quadrafuzz to give it some edge and punch
3) I compress at a ratio of about 2:1, threshold taking no more than -6db and attack between 0.20 and 0.70 (on the Waves C1 Comp)

I will sometimes add a bitcrusher with its mix on under 50% and sometimes a bit of reverb (not regularly).

Then i will group all the similar frequency stuff together an compress together (i.e hi hats and cymbals together, snares an shuffles together and kicks and low beats like Timpani together)

Oh yeah all this is in mono as well.

Any additional shit i can add to this process? How do you guys do it?

[Radius]

If u think mixing desks...when I had one I'd use sends, and try all sorts of fx on my beats ...in fact a good trick is to use a ncie reverb, only 1% wet mix...adds a sparkle, very subtle....exiters also nice on some stuff...for a dul;l sound...certain speaker emulators ?? never tried yet...also try sucking teh reverb off with teh compression..

overcompress ...say -20 threshold, attack 0 release say 95 on a kik ? u'll loose lots of top making it sound flatter...not my favourite sound...usualy go for threshold of 0.5-5

Hope I am not talking pants...

[Indi]

Add frequency layers, one for high frequencies and one for low frequencies, as well as your standard snare. Use compression to mash them together and resample. Then use subtractive EQing to remove particular frequences. This way you add more of the frequencies that you want and remove the ones you don't want.
I also like to get together a couple of snares or other hits (like hats or claps) to use behind a nice sounding main snare, EQ them, maybe add some effects like delay or phaser to them, and then use compression to mash them together, to create new sounding snares with unusual properties

[Dj_Fozzybear]

If u think mixing desks...when I had one I'd use sends, and try all sorts of fx on my beats ...in fact a good trick is to use a ncie reverb, only 1% wet mix...adds a sparkle, very subtle....exiters also nice on some stuff...for a dul;l sound...certain speaker emulators ?? never tried yet...also try sucking teh reverb off with teh compression..

overcompress ...say -20 threshold, attack 0 release say 95 on a kik ? u'll loose lots of top making it sound flatter...not my favourite sound...usualy go for threshold of 0.5-5

Hope I am not talking pants...

I NEED A DESK!!!
I use Cubase man, can you recommend an Exciter as there is not one as standard like in Logic (i don't think anyway!!) I have heard it mentioned a few times and need one.
I use the overcompress thing on the kick but i kinda lost the punch and it pumps which sounds a bit off.
The kinda effect i am going for is Chase an Status "The Grudge" on the Ten Tonne EP rather than Dillinja.
Basically i am trying to get a pressure beat that is clean but hard as fuck!!!!
I know its the holy grail an all that!!

[Dj_Fozzybear]

Add frequency layers, one for high frequencies and one for low frequencies, as well as your standard snare. Use compression to mash them together and resample. Then use subtractive EQing to remove particular frequences. This way you add more of the frequencies that you want and remove the ones you don't want.
I also like to get together a couple of snares or other hits (like hats or claps) to use behind a nice sounding main snare, EQ them, maybe add some effects like delay or phaser to them, and then use compression to mash them together, to create new sounding snares with unusual properties

That is kinda what i do (i layer hits in different frquency ranges to give a depth of sound) and i mash them together with a compressor its just i can never really get a full depth mixdown on my beats, they always sound a bit fluffy or undefined?

[sook]

parrallel compression......

and

sidechaing your layered kick and snares
to slightly compress your mix as the hit...

[Dj_Fozzybear]

parrallel compression......

and

sidechaing your layered kick and snares
to slightly compress your mix as the hit...

Ok i get the sidechain the kick an snare against the whole mix thing but..................
WHAT THE HELL IS PARALLEL COMPRESSION IN MERE MORTAL SPEAK?!!!!
I might already do it without calling it that!!!!
Nice one sook

[Radius]

I don't have a mixing desk ne more either, but in cubase, use teh sends..so you get a mix of clean and 'wet' signal...
half the battle is teh breaks u choose too...make it easy on urself and choose ones taht already sound close to what u want
Oh yea and waves exiter is rather nice, also the DSP audio fx one I like...bet there is a nice free one too ...

[Dj_Fozzybear]

I don't have a mixing desk ne more either, but in cubase, use teh sends..so you get a mix of clean and 'wet' signal...
half the battle is teh breaks u choose too...make it easy on urself and choose ones taht already sound close to what u want
Oh yea and waves exiter is rather nice, also the DSP audio fx one I like...bet there is a nice free one too ...

Nice one Super Sted!!!
I don't ever really use sends except for delays to save CPU.
what is the difference between sends and inserts anyways?
Is the waves exiter in the Diamond Bundle? Cos if so i have it i just did not know!!!!
I have the sounds and the tone of the beats how i want them in general but it is the mixdown i always struggle with, you know getting that clean punchy sound you feel as well as hear (as i said i know it is the holy grail of D+B!!!)

[sook]

sends send a signal either post or pre fader
to another bus.
as opposed to an insert which places an effect
directly in the signal path in the channel

compression in parrallel as oppossed to in series
is just sending the signal to a compressor rather
than insert it directly into the channel
this is a good technique because you can mix in the
desired amounts of multiple versions of compressed signals without totaly losing the original feel of the break.

and i dont see how using sends is going to save you
processing power as you to set up another bus to use sends.


here is the lengthy post i made on here a little while ago
regarding drums.............

http://www.dnbforum.com/showthread.php?t=24636

[Dj_Fozzybear]

sends send a signal either post or pre fader
to another bus.
as opposed to an insert which places an effect
directly in the signal path in the channel

compression in parrallel as oppossed to in series
is just sending the signal to a compressor rather
than insert it directly into the channel
this is a good technique because you can mix in the
desired amounts of multiple versions of compressed signals without totaly losing the original feel of the break.

and i dont see how using sends is going to save you
processing power as you to set up another bus to use sends.


here is the lengthy post i made on here a little while ago
regarding drums.............

http://www.dnbforum.com/showthread.php?t=24636

Nice one Sook!!!
thats cleared that one up then!!!
I am on that parallel comp thing fo sho.
I meant about the processor thing, if i set up an FX channel with a delay on or a reverb i can send all the tracks i need dealy on to the one rather than having multiple delays on multiple tracks.

[Bad Ace]

I get sumbody else to do it

[Dj_Fozzybear]

I get sumbody else to do it

And sample the best bits from other tunes and put them together in Acid Pro

[The Nitrous]

Layer a couple of snares together. Compress and EQ.

Simple as 1, 2, 3

[Serum]

A lot of the smack comes from an eq spike in the right place.
250hz gives you snares a big meaty thump. Also driving a big eq spike into a compressor can work nicely, as can learning multiband comp to make the bottom end thump but the tops nice and gentle (slow attack for bottom and fast for tops)