He also demonstrates compressing a clap sample to help it cut through the mix and round out the sound. Ill be showing you how to sidechain your kick to your bass using abletons glue compressor. With this plugin, its easy to beef up and round out your drum sounds during the second stage of this twostage parallel compression process. Because were bussing the kick to a drum track, however, we wont be able to.
This will provide your kick with more space in your mix, and result in a kick that is clean and punchy. Make a perfect kick drum tutorial from lenny kiser ableton. Sidechain compression is most often triggered by the kick, as we can hear very clearly in make you feel. We are production music live, doing ableton live sound design videos of great.
How to use sidechain compression in ableton live 8. Start by loading up 3 separate kick drums into ableton. Now drag one of each of your drum selections on each of the drum pads. Drum compression settings for your kick and drum bus. One handy use for this is if you want to be able to mute the drum rack or drum buss and have the side chain compression stop reacting. Drop a compressor into your kick drum channel, or group if you are using more than one kick sample to make your drum. Out of thousands of samples, ive ended up with about 10 kick drums that ive created in this way, and using only the sampler envelope and light eq can make them fit into just about every. Make sure the drums sound good together and then the bass with the drums, then add the rhythm guitars and so on. Learn the best way to set up this essential effect in ableton live. Hello there and welcome to the snare eq, compression and effects mixing a snare drum guide. Parallel processing or new york compression as its sometimes known is. As a producer your kick drum defines your sound and can make or break your track. How to eq a snappy kick ableton live quick trick for punchy.
You can hear the effect of the sidechain compression in isolation by soloing the bass track remember this wont work if the kick track hasnt been put into solo safe mode, as the sidechain signal itself will be muted. Alternatively, use glue compressor in front of drum buss, for more detailed compression settings. One example in a drum rack you could pull the signal from the kick drum or kick drum group enabling you to leave the drum rack alone and tap just the signal from the kick. Another technique that i often resort to both on the drum buss as a whole, and on the kickdrum and bassguitar tracks themselves is parallel compression, which is very easy to set up in a daw, providing that it has full plug. The myth around compression is simplified and nurve demonstrates you an easy way to bring some nice depth to any drum loop. From here, change the filter type and anything else you need to change. This ableton live buss compression trick gives your drums instant punch.
How to mix a kick drum full signal chain, including kick drum eq, compression and kick drum effects. You may have heard about sidechain compression as a tool used to get your kick drums pumping through the mix, especially in edm. Truthfully, this is often easier to manage working with software instruments. Add the drum buss effect to that track, and click the comp switch, applying compression to the incoming audio before it hits the distortion. How to use sidechain compression in ableton black ghost. More than just the shock of a beat drop, theres that moment when your ears and body just lock in with the pattern of the kick drum. So we have a pretty good balance going on right here. Compression and limiting demystified in ableton live tutorial. Mixing engineer hannes beiger teaches a basic rule to drum compression, how to use it to create very punchy and clear drum grooves. In this short tutorial nurve explains and shows you about parallel compression by using a drum and bass loop from a working progress. The best techniques we can use to make our kick drum sound better in the mix, make it more. Josh of statik link how to eq a kick drum in ableton watch and. Here we recorded a simple drum setupwith no eq or compression while tracking.
Open up the compressor and select the sidechain so you can decide how the impulse will sound on the different tracks. Ableton sidechain compression ableton sidechain compression. Imagine you have a drum loop with kick, snare and shaker, and you want to use compression to turn down the kick. Every time the kick drum hits the side chain compressor reacts and creates a pumping effect on the other elements of the song. Theyre vital musicproduction tools, but exactly what are compression and limiting, and how do they work in ableton live 10. In this video i give you insight on how i process tune, eq, and limit my kick drum using some tools from ableton live 10 fades, spectrum. This times quick tip features me interviewing my friend and heavyweight engineer gennaro schiano about drum compression. Understanding compression and limiting in ableton live. In this first example i will use the standard compressor that comes with cubase to compress a kick drum. Lower the threshold as far as it will go, and increase the ratio all the way. Beginning with simple leveling of vocalor bass guitar performances is a good start. If youre serious about making techno, then youll need a good understanding of how to make a serious kick drum.
The smack of the kick and snare cuts through, without sacrificing the overwhelming, claustrophobic feel that i want from the synth and reverb cloud. A compressor set up for a track to duck a 909 kick drum in live 10. Multiband compression is also really good for acoustic or recorded instruments where the frequency response is really variable. You dont need dedicated drum replacement software to fix the odd weak kick drum all the tools required are already at your disposal in your daw. Meet your new best friend the sidechain compressor. Kick drums are a sensitive, personal thing to any producer out there. All of the following steps apply in exactly the same way. This allowed us to boost the low end, as well as the midlow frequency, while filtering out some of the higher frequencies. How to use sidechain compression to make your kick drums pop. Even if you dont think you know it, youve heard it. Ableton live 10 for beginners how to create a drum beat duration. Understanding compression and limiting in ableton live musictech. Set threshold to 16 of the maximum peak kick drum level. Use the ableton compressor on sidechain mode to compress your sounds to your kick and snare.
Were going to create a parallel drum compression buss. Hope youve enjoy the how to mix a kick drum eq guide, have fun mixing. Learn how to mix and master your own production from start to finish. In this video i give you insight on how i process tune, eq, and limit my kick drum using some tools from ableton live 10 fades, spectrum, warp modes, fabfilter proq and prol, and native. Compression on a kick drum gearslutz pro audio community. Kick and sub bass sidechain with fabfilter proc2 mixing and mastering tutorial duration. Sep 22, 20 as a producer your kick drum defines your sound and can make or break your track.
Heres how to use sidechain compression in ableton live. How to make your drum tracks snap with twostage reverb news. You should hear that the drum sample s are being horribly over compressed. Perhaps its a heavy hiphop loop you want to fit into more of a pop production. How to add more lower thump to kick drums in ableton. Weve also created an exclusive ableton live project for you to practice our theories. While this tutorial is done in ableton live using stock plugins, the principles can just as easily be. I think i understand the basics of compression but no matter what settings i apply the kick never sounds better than when left untouched. If i have a very consistent drummer with great dynamics then i often will skip compressing the kick drum at all. All sounds were made with ableton devices including operator, drum buss, saturator, redux, dynamic tube, eq eight, delay, and utility. Contrarily to what most people think, the bass drum is.
Easily sculpt, shape, create, manipulate, mangle your way to the perfect kick drum. How to make kick drum sound better ableton tutorial youtube. How do i use compression on a kick drum effectively. Learn some common and uncommon uses of sidechaining with compression and other devices in part 2 of abletons guide to this important production technique. Enable sidechain on the compressor, then select the track that you want to. In this post ill show you how to eq, compress a snare and use effects. Snare eq, compression and effects mixing a snare drum. Ill be using ableton live 10 to show you how to set everything up, but the same principles translate to your software of choice, as every daw has a compressor thats capable of sidechaining.
A thin, weak kick drum can singlehandedly undermine the impact of a decent mix. To hear an example of heavy sidechain compression, listen to one more time by daft punk. See more ideas about drums, kicks and ableton live. Download the perfect kick drum ableton project here. How to use sidechain compression in ableton live 8 wonderhowto. The reason im using ableton s glue compressor instead of ableton s compressor is that i like the sound of the glue compressor more. Master your compressor with the complete guide to compression. First, find a track that you think could use some sidechain compression. Load ableton s glue compressor onto the track you want to compress.
After battling kick drums for years, ableton certified trainer lenny kiser has found some simple and effective techniques for getting kicks to sound punchy and. We break it down to the practicalities there are times when music production, especially when it comes to mixing, seems like some weird kind of medieval black art, left. If you prefer to use abletons compressor instead, go for it. How to use sidechain compression to make kicks cut through the mix. You might not know his name but you definitely know his work mary j blige, timbaland, pharrell williams, stephen marley and many more. One of the more common routes is drum bus compression. In this tutorial, well show you how to beef up a subpar kick in a dance track. Flux, they felt too transparent for drum compression. Weve all heard that perfect kick drum sound the one with just the. Learn the best way to set up this essential effect in ableton. In this video, we learn how to use sidechain compression in ableton live 8. Aug, 2018 in this video i give you insight on how i process tune, eq, and limit my kick drum using some tools from ableton live 10 fades, spectrum, warp modes, fabfilter proq and prol, and native.
Redirecting sustain pedal to a midi note kick drum. No longer do you need to rely on sampled and resampled low quality kick drums in sample packs. Using ableton live, we did some equalization and compression work on the volca beat kick drum. But utilizing compression to changedrum sounds is the next step. How to compress drums with ableton glue compressor masterclass with guido. Now i understand why they eq different kicks as far as getting a kick with high end and another with low end then put it through an aux channel to glue them together but my question is after eq why do you use compression on your kick. How to compress drums with ableton glue compressor. Because were bussing the kick to a drum track, however, we wont be able to hear the kick anyway.
Thats why compressor, glue, drum buss, and multiband dynamics can all blend the original. Reduction level is the amount your kick drum is being. A good way around this is to route the output of the synth track to another output and. How to sidechain bass with kick in ableton live youtube. This ableton live buss compression trick gives your drums instant. After this, go and mute your kick drum from the track so you can better hear with the. This is a video explaining how i make punchy drum sounds for my. It is is easily one of the most important elements in any dance track.
Master your compressor with the complete guide to compression, with ableton live. Drag and drop ableton s glue compressor, found under the audio effects tab, onto the track you want to apply compression too. Assuming the kick is louder than anything else, in theory all you need do is adjust your compressors threshold so that it only flexes its gain. Gw childs ditches his diet in a bid to fatten up his kick drum using ableton s compressor and reverb plugins.
I will be using the following types of drum sounds. Create one track for your kick drum and one for the bass. Its great for taming a loud kick drum that made it past the mixing phase. This is the same drum part that i was using over in logic a video or so ago. That can mean bass guitar, kick drum, or bass synthesizer. In this case, ive used the entire drum kit as a source for the sidechain on the other parts. I can use the drywet parameter to dial in more compression if i want a heavier processed.
How do i use compression on a kick drum effectively ive read stuff on creating good solid kicks and its always suggested to try compressing the kick. The reason im using abletons glue compressor instead of abletons compressor is that i like the sound of the glue compressor more. With bass guitar tracks, i often use waves bass rider plugin, which will effectively. Oct 22, 2019 that can mean bass guitar, kick drum, or bass synthesizer. Sometimes you need to bring up the sustain or level out an uneven performance or you might be looking for the ultra compressed modern sound. Nov 15, 2011 a thin, weak kick drum can singlehandedly undermine the impact of a decent mix. After battling kick drums for years, ableton certified trainer lenny kiser has found some simple and effective techniques for getting kicks to. Sidechain compression will save your bass beat production. What is your preferred way of compressing your drums. Setting up multiband compression with hardware is usually a bit of work but its so easy in software that you can just throw them on everything and enjoy their forgiving nature. So if the maximum peak of your kick drum is 6db set the threshold to 30db in your compressor. Basslines sidechained to the kick drum are a ubiquitous sound in contemporary dance music. Eqing a snappy punchy kick ableton live quick trick mixing mastering. How to compress drums with ableton glue compressor the.
Bus compression in general is the concept of compressing several sounds, or even the whole mix, with one compressor. Is there any way, in ableton or otherwise, to redirect the sustain pedal to a midi note for a bass drum. How to use sidechain compression in ableton live mmmmaven. How to get a punchy kick in ableton live 9 with new glue compressor. Layering drum sounds with drum racks in ableton live. Note that theres a second selection box for choosing prepostfx or postmixer useful if, say, youve slapped a heavy distortion on the kick but you want the more transient original signal to be the sidechain source. Dec 16, 2015 how to enhance a kick drum in ableton live by future music future music 16 december 2015 if only the biggest and baddest beats will do for your reedits, youll need to do a little drum replacement. The kick, as said, provides the throb and the heartbeat of your music. Once you have your kick drum created by layering 2,3,4. Ill show you some of the exact vsts i use but any plugin will do. I have heard good things about the uad stuff but not sure if its worth jumping on that path just yet. Compressing the drum busthe drum kit as a wholeis a tried and tested method to glue the drum samples together. If you listen to electronic music especially danceoriented genres then youve felt that moment of being one with the kick otherwise known as the bass drum.
How to use sidechain compression in ableton black ghost audio. How to enhance a kick drum in ableton live musicradar. The fact is that any instrument and any frequency can be boosted by sidechain compression, but the effect has become almost synonymous with bass frequencies in club music. Using hardware synths with live tutorial from mad zach and dj tech tools. How to mix drums ableton tutorial no vst plugin needed.
Gw childs ditches his diet in a bid to fatten up his kick drum using abletons compressor and reverb plugins. A good starting point is using a preset called parallel compression. For inspiration, grab a free set of 30 kick sounds in two drum racks. Notice how the sounds in one more time, seem to pump to the beat of the kick drum. Im doing it in pro tools now because its audio and i feel like the routing is a little bit easier to wrap your head around.
Again, just keep all the bands set the same at first. Or to say it better, heres my way of mixing a snare drum. After the attack, we get the bassy weight of the kick drum. How do i sidechain my kick in ableton to activate the compression on my bass for example.
New tip and trick to adding a bit more thump to them kick drums in ableton. Many novice recordists seem to find compressionthe hardest concept to understand when recording music. It has drum pads on it which are surprisingly responsive. I want to be able to pound out a drum beat but, as a former drummer, my fingers are getting tangled and my foot wants to play the kick drum. How to get the perfect kick drum point blank music school. Jul 02, 2019 ill be showing you how to sidechain your kick to your bass using ableton s glue compressor. If youre serious about making techno, then youll need a good. Kick 2 is finally here the multi award winning kick gets an extensive upgrade for 2016. The latest kick drum plugin on the block, punchbox takes a similar approach to that of its closest rival, sonic academys kick 2, mixing a synthesized layer with three sample layers, then processing the result with effects, to create sonically rich bass drums of all kinds although in this case, the synth can be switched out for yet another sampler, too. Here are 7 great tips on how to make your kick drum sound better. A compressor set up for a track to duck a 909 kick drum in live 10 enable sidechain on the compressor, then select the track that you want to use as a source signal. Although a great kick drum may mean different things for different musical styles, its always hard to get a bass drum to sound as big and powerful as the commercial releases out there.
In just a few steps, we show you how to create a booming techno kick with plenty of sidechain reverb. How to compress drums with ableton glue compressor youtube. How to mix a kick drum full signal chain, including kick. Applying the skills youve learnt so far, rob now demonstrates the best way to apply compression to a kick drum, adding punch and power without losing the attack. How to get a punchy kick in ableton live 9 with new glue. Kick drum eq, compression and effects mixing a kick drum. If you enjoyed this tutorial you might find our book the secrets of dance music production a helpful resource for similar tutorials.
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