2 replies to this topic

[Isturite]

I created my own drum kit from a variety of synthesizers and samplers, mainly Absynth 5, Massive, Kontakt (a little), and some layering of those sounds in drum rack in Ableton.

These drums hit pretty well when I compress and EQ them, but don't seem to match up to some of the samples I've downloaded, I have only been doing this since december so I would expect my samples to sound less professional than most, but I would really like to get headed in the direction to make them a little better.

I asked a producer that I know about why I can't get Ableton to sound good, it just sounds choppy and ultra-digital... he told me, eq your tracks, and samples outside of ableton and turn off warp when performing.... What program might be better than Ableton for sound quality editing, Logic or something? And then, what should i use to EQ my samples, will the EQ's given in a DAW work? Or do I have to get some mastering tools??

[Spectrum]

Yeah, warp audio is a killer for sound quality for the audiophile, so best left off if one can avoid it.

When you're comparing your DIY samples to pro/commercial versions, are you comparing single hits, or complete loops?

Personally, I'd suggest sticking within the DAW you know for now. VST = VST = VST (or AU = AU = AU or RTAS = RTAS = RTAS) regardless of the DAW you're working with, so switching DAWs won't necessarily yield better results, assuming the plug-ins are cross-DAW compatible or equivalents.

I'm trying to picture choppy/digital, so I'm probably off the mark here, but when many people think 'mastering' they're thinking LOUD, which makes me think Waves L1 Ultramaximiser, or its freebie clone W1:
http://www.yohng.com/w1limit.html

Might be worth sussing out, as limiting drum loops really aids the slam factor, especially when running all drums on a separate bus (including the limiter), with the bus or limiter output pulled down a but so as to allow the rest of the arrangement to float gently around the drum mix.

[Isturite]

i will definately check that out, I appreciate the reply and the link.

they are single hits, they just seem to clip a lot but don't seem very loud, like there's frequencies in there that I'm not hearing, So I throw a spectrum analyzer on there and try to cut some of the unneeded frequencies with EQ and/or filters, then my sound is either hollow or shows no changes on the spectrum.... will a maximizer help me with this?

When I say that I was thinking on using a different DAW, I mention that because I'm am not sure if parallel recording in Ableton is the best way to do it (recording directly from a midi track to audio track).... I notice a significant difference in sound quality when a kick is played straight out of the synth I made it with than when it's recorded as audio, as soon as I record it as audio... it loses all the warmness and presence... and gets that sound of something recorded with a cheap microphone.