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ADR3-N's Music Producer Freebie Magazine - June 2024

Posted by ADR3-N - 6 days ago


Hey guys! It's that time again! No, not Pride Month -- though it IS that time, when every corporation and its mother temporarily becomes rainbow logos and everyone is gay, including you.

 

iu_1222380_1726297.png

 

Yes, it's THAT time of the month, the season to be jolly -- because several gigantic blocks of words about free music production stuff are now here.

 

PS: Don't miss this year's upcoming NGADM (Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch), organized by @AED-4, auditions opening July 1st!

 

The NGADM is going on its 15th anniversary and WILL BE A BLAST. I've judged several of 'em, and this year I'll be seeing you on the panel again! If you want a thicc track review from me, come audition!

 

Now, jolly gay period jokes and cool music comps aside, I'm PROUD to present another installment of ADR3-N's Music Producer Freebie Mag - June List 2024!

 

The last several mags have covered maybe a terabyte of content in a TINY amount of time. I'm still digesting it tbh, but I promise I'll make it up to you with buckets more lol. If you find you still need more snacks by the end, you can check out previous editions here!

 

May List 2024Aprillist 2024Marchlist 2024Februarylist 2024Januarylist 2024Decemberlist 2023Septemberlist 2023Novemberlist 2021, and finally Octoberlist 2021!

 

This month's narrative focus is, *exaggerated drumroll* *BadumTiss*, UNSOLICITED BUT TOTALLY HELPFUL ADVICE AND COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF MUSIC PRODUCTION IN POOR FORMATTING!!

 

But before that, let's drop into the plugins!

 

Vinyl Guitar (video) - This baddie is a quick dirty vinyl guitar, plus a time saver if you ask me. Good for lo-fi "chillhop" and modern laid back hip-hop beats. If you're looking for instant vibe, a synthy feel without being corny, it's a good choice.

 

Would Cymatics Origin on Ample Sounds' Acoustic Taylor get a similar feel? Probably, but beatmaking is 110% workflow. Whatever gets you the fastest, cleanest result is the best choice! And you can't knock free.

 

Grammy Nominated Producer KXVI's "Essential" Free Plugins

 

I guess you can call this a producer reaction. But before your eyes glaze over, I promise you it's worth it.

 

I saw this video by a guy styling himself as Grammy Nominated Producer KXVI and thought to myself, SURELY this is an excuse to name drop a load of sponsored, expensive, unnecessary azz plugins none of us can afford, but I was pleasantly surprised! He not only hypes up several FREE plugins; he understands the struggle of making trials go to work!

 

He does talk fast and doesn't link the plugs, so I'll be doing that below with explanations of what they do and how to use them. You can watch the video and/or scroll down for the list!

 

The ONLY VST’s You Need in 2024

 

Cymatics Free Downloads


Cymatics have released boat loads of free samples and plugins: delays, tape emulators, percussion processors. I totally agree with KXVI when I say they are swiss-army lifehacks for producing music.

 

The first must have on the list is Cymatics - Deja Vu

Deja Vu is a quick, easy, "better version of halftime," with extra bells and whistles. You can drop the speed to half, make it smooth or choppy, change the speed and pitch, and completely flip the vibe.

 

The last halftime plugin I recommended btw was VYBE. In comparison, Deja Vu has never crashed my DAW, but if halftime is something you need, take your pick! The perfect result is just a bounce away!

 

Cymatics Origin


Origin is a bit-crush, vinyl tape emu, detuner, saturation, and chorus FX bundled into a sleek, simple interface.

 

If I haven't recommended it enough times, I'll do it again. It's super easy to use and so intuitive, to the point I use it almost everywhere, sometimes on the master like I did here (No Propeller).

 

 

KXVI admits Origin replaces and maybe even exceeds the utility of his longtime BFFs Decimort 2 and RC20, both sizable investments at ~150 euros plus tax. He's not alone.

 

Reason being, unlike with other vintage-y downsamplers and multi-FX, in Origin sample rates are easy to approximate, sound good out the box, and the pitch wobble is more natural than RC20.

 

It's true there are other plugs that have these functionalities separately. They might even sound better, but for workflow, nothing beats Origin. Absolutely SOLID pick for your arsenal.

 

Moving right along, next Cymatics freebie is Memory

Memory is a chorus and detuner to get some extra warble going behind Origin. Instead of having a fixed rate, you can really modulate these parameters around for a wobbling record, tape on its last legs type effect.

 

Is it my favorite plugin of all time? No, but upon hearing those presets swapping and that delicious wobble in the video (19:10), you'll know what I mean.

 

And that's the last of the Cymatics Freebies.

 

Next we have Spitfire LABS.

 

I promised myself I'd only say this once, LABS IS AWESOME. But I'll probably say it again, because, it's awesome. Perhaps the best free libraries of orchestral and live instruments, voices, etc. to this day.


Soft Piano and BBC Symphony Orchestra are two of KXVI's favorites, but there are many, many more.


Like him, before I could afford many Kontakts, LABS was my go-to. Even then, I still go back for goodies, like the choirs. Bc who doesn't want to make a franken choir of 15 different free choir plugs? (If you can't tell, I have an addiction, lol.)

 

LABS requires two things of you to get the goods -- make a Spitfire account, and download their manager.

 

There are tons of gigs of sample based instruments available. The best part is, they update them every so often to include more. Also, they do keep up with their software updates for bug patches!


The next great free plugin is Decent Sampler


Now I know for a fact I've probably rammed this and sforzando down your throat, but Decent Sampler is pretty much a "free Kontakt" style VST that, like Kontakt, supports graphic interfaces AND has a low memory footprint.

 

So, you've heard it from me, Venus Theory, and now a Grammy nominated producer, this one deserves a place in your heart.

 

See, Decent Sampler is not only cool and free, but as is true with sforzando's completely open format, developers can easily create patches and sample banks for it. It has many, MANY more free options than Kontakt as a direct result.

 

And I know you've heard the dreaded "FREE" instrument that only works with the PAID version of Kontakt, or the "free" pack that coincidentally only works with version 6.8 of Kontakt, when you JUST got Kontakt 6.7, update, update *eye roll*

 

None of that with Decent Sampler. The format is open; you can google "free flute DS instrument" and be reasonably assured you'll find a result. Nifty!

 

Speaking of googling for free instruments…

 

PianoBook, which you may remember from a previous issue or two, is another great spot to scope out new sounds!

 

That's pianobook.co.uk, and they have many, many free Kontakt, Decent Sampler, and sfz instruments, submitted by users according to a simple but effective rubric.

 

This is actually the site that got me started making my own sample instruments, like The CTK-2400 Project and Saudade Metal Drums Remastered (video demo, sforzando)

 

Many of the samplists are impassioned hobbyists, and of course YMMV, but I haven't found a pack I didn't like or at least find useful in the popular tab. I'll list some cool ones below.

 

Cassette Drums by Dan Keen for Decent Sampler is a favorite for the 70s sound (though the demo is long af and unskippable on PB, so open it in another tab and skim for a quick demo)

 

Hunter Rogersson has also made a free Kontakt lib called The Spellsinger which literally took my breath away. May be the #1 male-female distant-mic choir I've ever seen, with three separate, utterly jaw-dropping FX chains paralleled on top of the dry signal you can adjust with the mod wheel. Check it out! (video at 3:33)

 

There's also this sweet Discord Choir by Fred Poirier for Decent Sampler that functions brilliantly as a pad for backing other choral patches. Reviews state that it "has to be heard to be believed".

 

Complete with the LABS patches we discussed earlier, I can only imagine the possibilities, loading these up in a template, mixing, and matching.

 

In short, you're really shooting yourself in the foot if you think you have to shell out dollars for quality. Do some window shopping. You just might find something you can lift off the shelf, for free, to compete with its paid analogues if not make them utterly obsolete!

 

And after these, little commercial break; we have a cute little freebie vault locked behind a mailing list for Sonix Audio and a prompt with some upsells that *wait a minute, record scratch*

 

I just spit out my tea. Let me rewind. Matter of fact let's do some history.

 

Sonix.audio is an online music prod sample store founded by KXVI, the guy whose list we're going through up to now, "to supply his award winning sounds to the producer community. Since [its founding in 2021, he has] sold over 10,000 products and received 2 GRAMMY nominations for our loops."

 

The licenses to their samples are Royalty Free UP TO 1 mil plays. In other words, unless you're ridiculously popular or get a placement, you're covered. Then you clear the samples and split the royalties accordingly.

 

By the time you get 1 million plays, any track will have done its work, and so will you. I think that's fair. (Cymatics is launching free BETAS of their kits now and selling the licenses under the same kind of guise.)

 

So anyway, under FREE Kits, you're gonna hit that email marketing jig I just mentioned.

 

You'll put in your information, and an email will arrive in 3.5 to your junk mail. You're going to un-junk it and click the link to the sample vault, which will take you to Dropbox and/or an optional discord.

 

At which point your jaw will hit the floor. Because there, in the folders, are over 10 GB of content, loops, drums, vox, presets, PDFs on how to get your money as a producer, and probably more.

 

That is, if you aren't like me and put in your email, hit enter, immediately read the upsell that followed of "$7 for a sample pack from a guy who I just watched rattle on for 20 minutes about his libraries? Yeah I might just cop it." Copped said samps, and then was like wtf where is my freebie, before I remembered to check my email lol.

 

The cheapo multi-pack is Mini Stash II, the sequel to Mini Stash.

 

I figured why not. Shrug. I got $7. The pack came with an extra surprise video from KXVI on 3 separate loops from the pack and a little of his thought process as he's working.

 

Note if you get the 10 GB zip, you're probably gonna have to extract it with WinRAR folder-by-folder. I tried to unzip it with 7zip and that gave me errors, despite there being nothing wrong with the file.


//end commercial break

 

With the Sonix.Audio self-plugs out of the way, we're looking at Baby Audio Free FX, which you can get for the low price of occasional email marketing.

 

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Let's not take up too much of your time; they are in order: Magic Dice, Pitch Drive, Beat Slammer, and Magic Switch.

 

Magic Dice is a random multi FX plugin, which gives you random settings on a chain, good for oneshots and bouncing, but I wonder if you could modulate the hidden parameters with midi.

 

Pitch Drift does what it says on the tin. It's a one knob, or rather slider that might go nicely ahead of something like Cymatics Origin in a chain, or even on a master or tape stop for transitions. I can also see it being used for warbling effectively when modulated. It has a cute little visualizer too!

 

Beat Slammer, well, slams the input. But it has a makeup gain knob and output. ;)

 

And finally, Magic Switch is a cute little chorus plugin!

 

A fuller explanation of these awaits at the link provided. If any of these pique your interest, drop an email and wait 5 minutes, and your downloads will arrive shortly.

 

Moving on!

 

NOT FREE, BUT… you can use the trial for 20 minutes, bounce the audio, or save a preset, unload the plugin, reload, and repeat, so technically it's still free. - KXVI

 

Cableguys - Shaperbox 3 - Glitchy, warbly, reversing, and otherwise, Shaperbox has you covered. You can create fantastic paterns with this VST that just sound FIRE.

 

The only caveat to this one is price, and if not price, then the big bolded disclaimer up there. But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who does that with trials, find a setting and bounce lol.

 

Thus ends the "Essential" half of KXVI's list.

 

Next up on the list are plugins that are still cool but with some more niche applications or a harder to understand interface.

 

Prisma - We've already gone through Prisma in a previous issue, but seeing this ugly ass UI in the hands of a professional gave me life. The free version just has a banner at the bottom if I remember correctly reminding you to support the developer. :)

 

Prisma is a multiband distortion with many different colors of hideousity to throw on top of your sound and make it gross.

 

Autochroma by imagi.ro is a glitchy granular FX plugin with an interface I'm almost completely incapable of understanding, but a completely usable set of presets that make these beautiful, percussive, delay-y textures. There's a short trial period, after which you can do the good-ol switcheroo with presets and bouncing audio.

 

what is autochroma? | walkthrough by @connermusic


One thing about Autochroma is that with the same preset, you can bounce multiple different versions of the same loop or sample. It's different every time, so you can 100% wet the signal and pan around multiple different renders for a granular cloud if you will.

 

Then there's Vital, with whom I'm sure you're all acquainted if you're like me, completely addicted to free plugs.

 

I disagree with KXVI's assertion that Vital is NOT in fact essential to any up and comers here, but I might be able to see his reasoning in that the free version is virtually bereft of good presets and a bit hard to get used to if you're coming from Serum, Nexus, or Massive.

 

Still, he makes the same point that I do that great presets are not at ALL hard to find on PresetShare.com or YT/Google, and neither are wavetables if you like to design your own synths, which we also covered in a previous edition of the mag -- think we got them off comfybox.

 

And back to the realm of squeezing the juice out of the trial, Guitar Rig 6 is great for running your leads through for, literally no reason other than to make them sound wild. (Oops that's Guitar Rig 7 -- we'll see if it works)

 

I've been running my keys through amps for a while now btw. These leads are not in fact guitars! (2:19)

 

Селена Гомес - Хочу Чтоб Ты Знала (2:19)

 


My point: You don't NEED per se Guitar Rig 6 or 7 to achieve this effect.

 

All you need is an amp, a cab, or an amp and cab all in one, and some kind of multi-fx you can modulate to get things cooking. Amps and cabs aren't just useful for the metal heads shredding. They have other applications!

 

Jacob Collier Audience Choir

I think this one speaks for itself. It's got some interesting colors, stomps, claps and so on. Not my cup of tea, but someone might love it, so appending a link to the video.

 

How to use the free Jacob Collier Audience Choir | Native Instruments

 

And that rounds out KXVI's list. He goes on beyond this to say which plugins he would whittle down to if he absolutely had to, but I think you can do that for yourself. Or just watch him. You do you.

 

Wow. I didn't think that I'd be writing so much for such a short list. Well, in the interest of saving time and touching grass some time this week, that's the last of the plugs we'll be covering this month.

 

But we do have one honorable mention!

@Czyszy's nice FREE guitar cab IR (Newspost)


The next thing on my list is things I wish I knew 10 years ago when I thought I knew what I was doing but obviously did not

 

AKA

 

The Unsolicited Life Changing Advice Column

 

So begins the torrent of pro tips you never knew you needed.


We'll start with a quickie from Alice Yalcin Efe of Mercurial Tones Academy, aka my favorite EDM production and mixing guru. It's short and sweet, and you should probably take notes, because we're gonna learn 19 different grooves in the time it takes me to remember what I was just talking about.

 

19 Techno Patterns Changed My Life in 4 mins


 

Ok, 19 is more like the amount of times I FORGET what I'm talking about in 4 minutes, but bookmark this one to the speed dial, steal some of these ideas, and get inspired!

 

Next up is a new episode of Myth Busters from Jesse Cannon -- I mean: Jesse Cannon DESTROYING The 7 Biggest Music Promotion Myths In 2024.


This video is long, so I've also written a condensed version. Feel free to skip and watch if that's your gig.

 

Fact: Music Production Twitter, Reddit, and YT have gone off the rails. Radio, TV and even biographies are saturated with wishful thinking, whining, and outright lying about how the industry works, or should work, or how to advance your music in the digital age.

 

Have you ever heard, "Good music simply promotes itself!"


I have. But does that ever happen to me? NO!

 

The only time my music promotes itself is if and when I get Frontpaged on NG, or I make an translation cover of something like Ne Ver Ne Boisya (things I know my YT audience searches for, which brings me to my next point)

 

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It MIGHT be true that good music promotes itself, IF your music magically happens to sit in front of the exact audience who would organically share it. Chances are if you're reading this tho, you're dealing with the #1 problem of artists today: nobody knows who you are!

 

And problem #2, you don't know who your target audience is. You could be like me and discover it completely by accident with a passion project after years of inconsistency, but that's not the way to be. You need to determine who to market your music to and what they want. Make some videos or shorts or visualizers or WHATEVER to appeal to that want. And stop being shy about sharing!

 

If you don't know where to start, STUDY!


Stop scrolling TikTok and find some social media gurus for WHATEVER kind of content you can envision doing!

 

You might complain, "but GUYS, that's a LOT of work!"

 

But as Jesse explains, before the internet, artists did interviews, press releases, and shows over and over, touring, flyering, and phone calling to get their music heard. Ad nauseam.

 

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The majority of our work today is online, tending to the audience you already have, focusing on quality over quantity. 3-7 pieces of content per week (promotional, videos, and otherwise) is ideal and totally doable.

 

What do you think I'm doing now? Writing a magazine for no one to read? Ofc not. I'm very vocal about it in my day-to-day convos here. I'm not shy to drop my own tracks as examples for a plugin or method I mention either, especially here!

 

Now, am I going to be that artist who releases a new video every week? No. I'm already pushing my limits, and I don't assume anyone reading this has time for FULL balls to the wall commitment. But you can do SOMETHING productive.

 

And you should absolutely link up with others you come across online and IRL musically or otherwise.

 

Find people who do graphic design, video editing, music videos, etc., things you lack; you can pitch them a song or commission work from them.


But don't just do this randomly with cold DMs. Strike up a conversation on their pages, comment on their work, then eventually seg-way into what you'd like to do together! It's like a date -- nobody wants to go out with the construction worker catcalling every girl who passes by, but a nice conversation and a business card might get you a callback. ;)

 

Ex: @Odd-Naw has done some really cool album art for me in the past, @Shayinator is finishing up a really cool graphic for my page as we speak. I have other contacts who I'm thinking of commissioning a music video from.

 

 

Ex 2: I've also done freakishly cool collabs with @trunotfals, @FarFromSundown, and @SkankyMojo that have resulted in not only more fans but FRIENDSHIPS. So give it a shot!

 


 

Never discount the importance of friends in music, people you can collaborate and and grow with. Not to mention inspire!

 

Other Online Producer Myths

For some reason, people think we're hopeless -- the labels control the charts, and daddy's-money nepo babies like Billie Eilish and Doja Cat are the only ones who can make it big.

 

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Maybe so, but we're in the wild west era of music, where grass roots followings have more influence than you think.


Nepo-babies might have a lot more in terms of initial resources thanks to mom and dad, but if they aren't talented, they're not breaking out. Even with the financial freedom to work on music day and night plus their parents' connections, they can still end up screwed.

 

Editorial Playlists are STILL important

Not that you'll ever see me on them, but the benefit of these is self-explanatory. They do in fact convert fans and algorithm in your favor. One of these days, write a pitch or two. You miss 100% of the shots you never take.

 

You don't have to have a huge catalog to get big

Some of the artists on the top 200 have 30+ songs, but correlation is not causation. You don't need that many. You just need a few exceptional ones and a little consistency. I struggle with this myself, but hey. Garbage in, garbage out.

 

/end commentary

 

Whew that was a lot of text I didn't know I had in me.

 

Our next sub-section of Things I Wish I Knew Before I Wasted 10,000 Hours Acquiring DAW-Induced Hearing Loss covers mixing myths that I unfortunately fell for because some audiophile said so.

 

If you have at least 1 braincell left, and you still want to learn more about making music, read on.

 

Common Misconceptions of MusicProducerTube

 

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So, you know how we're all our own harshest critics?

 

Well, if the shoe fits you as it does me, you've prob been researching all sorts of things to improve your music, only to find out a lot of the tips you learned were based on lies, circular snake oil, or outright bullshit. Right?

 

Like, someone please tell me why the majority of help videos are on mixing and mastering, yet the majority of problems in mix or master are plain bad production? But everyone says you need this or that $$$$ing plugin, and "don't do xyz, use this."

 

For instance - don't put reverb on the master, or kick, or bass. Granted, I'd usually agree (if you've seen reviews from me in the last decade, you know lol) bc it was the only advice I ever heard to keep a clean mix!

 

And that's because music prod gurus, where I got my info, were getting their advice not from pros, but from internet bros, leading us to the top 4 myths of music prod I used to believe.

 

MYTH #1. Reverb is evil

 

iu_1222383_1726297.jpg

 

There's a widely held belief among audiophiles that reverb is the bane of our existence, creating resonances where resonances need not be and destroying n00b mixes before they leave the headphone jack with a nasty lo-mid wash.

 

Have you ever considered there ARE times using reverb "wrong" is the RIGHT THING to do?

 

Ex: a slow rock ballad with lots of space between the kick and other melodic elements -- you're not gonna leave that pillowy kick naked in a vacuum.


Ex 2: a shoegaze track, where that reverb wash is kind of the point?


There are genres and situations within genres where reverb is the tool for the job; you just have to use it intelligently. Watch for phase issues for your other instruments (re: bass and kick). Don't make it UBER noticeable or genre-inappropriate. STUDY.


This is of course not the safe-route n00bs are hoping for, nor something I expect them to get for reasons I will get into, but for the initiated, sometimes reverb is the secret sauce! I understand your initial revulsion too, bc the majority of the reason people tell you not to use it on a master or any low frequency instrument is the resulting wall of mud (wrecking your compression, phase, etc.)


The solution in most cases is to low-cut the reverb to 250 hz or so, roll off some of the highs if you don't want that shimmer, have a shorter tail, and turn the reverb wet down until it sounds suitable. (also, sidechain)

 

Send tracks are a godsend, so you can EQ and side-chain to taste.

 

Personally, I would never use reverb on three things: a fast moving bass instrument, a double-time kick on a metal track, or a master in general if the genre did not call for shoe-gaze. In fact, until recently I barely used reverbs at all due to the bunk advice I read online! Instead I used ping-pong delay, which… also causes its own mud and should probably be treated the same as verb.


Has it hurt me? No. There are plenty of ways to skin a skeever.

 

Things I WILL use reverb on: higher frequency instruments like keys and hihats because our ears don't care too much about the phase of those, snares because DSHHH DSSHHH means good, and vocals; a very slight amount of reverb properly managed is a beautiful thing.

 

Moving along.

 

MYTH #2. Choirs should be completely intelligible

iu_1222385_1726297.jpg

 

 

I think this is self-explanatory. The purpose of a choir is to add a layer of EPIC, not to be UNDERSTOOD. Have you ever heard an actual choir perform? They sound cool af, but even in my own native language I'm lucky to understand a word or three of opera. Possibly bc I'm deaf-ish.

 

If you want your lead to be understood, have a lead vocalist mixed on top. Otherwise good luck. Choirs have soloists out front for this reason.

 

The only thing really important is that the releases and articulations of each individual vocalist are properly timed, not for intelligibility, but for cleanliness. Operatic singing manipulates vowels in a way typical every day singing does not, making them super open and resonant. They sound very different and may be hard to understand even with a soloist.

 

So no, your choir does not have to sound squeaky clean!

 

MYTH #3. You need this EQ for more color…

 

And that EQ too, and this parametric vintage three knob colorizer, and this 1982 mixer board vst for this and that and so on…

 

Um, no, and I don't expect you to take my word for it, since some of these EQs have popped up in my feed, and I myself once bought into the hype of this or that particular vintage-plug, but this is the digital age. It's… snakeoil.

 

I came across this sad truth in Russian actually, on Zvukar Bombit's channel.

 

КРАСЯЩИХ ЭКВАЛАЙЗЕРОВ НЕ СУЩЕСТВУЕТ?

 

You probably can't understand Russian (Eng subs are pretty ok) -- but if you can, you can skip the rest of this and just watch the video.


What I got from his frequency graphs is this: there IS no such thing as ANALOG COLORIZING EQ. Even if plugin companies believe the hype, the data doesn't lie. The difference in "color" when controlling for unique filters, boosts, cuts, and so on between "analog warmth" EQs is INAUDIBLY SMALL.

 

Too Long, Didn't Russian: EVERY plugin is digital. When measured for frequency response, they have little or no difference between them EXCEPT in EQ filter curves and how they might shift when you nudge knobs around.

 

The reason you THINK these EQs add analog flavor is actually the way they look. The human brain is affected by what it sees, so change plugin graphics, and you change the way it sounds. This is why music videos are great, and why batman skins were so popular for Windows Media Player in the 00's.

 

TLDR: Don't buy the hype -- EQs are about workflow. The average listener and pros alike probably won't hear whether you used a digital-analog-bro EQ or a 31 channel digital freebie, IF you use it well! The analog-plugin craze can be summed up in two words, irresistible marketing!

 

MYTH #4 Resonances must be cut at all costs!

 

iu_1222386_1726297.jpg

 

This is a pernicious myth I find hanging out all over ProProducerTube. So-called experts, including my past self, insist you must scan every element of your track for hidden "resonances". I'm talking cutting offending frequencies out of the bass, kick, snare, vocals, pads, all the FX, you name it.

 

I call this "producerizing," what you do when there's really nothing left to be done to a track, but producing is supposed to be hard, so you do what you have to do to make it hard.

 

Here's the thing. Cut too much, and your instrumental/leads are going to sound stillborn.

 

Why? I'm glad you asked. Every frequency, every note, has harmonics. You'll notice them if you open up de-hum in a FX suite like iZotope 10 and try to eliminate something as simple as a PC hum, outdoor ambience, or an air conditioner from an otherwise quiet recording.

 

You select the noise, learn it, and get a frequency back with the harmonics. Our own voices are chock full them too. It's how we make vowels, how talk-boxes, vocoders, and wah-wah pedals work, and why throat singing sounds cool. Cutting them should not be on your list.

 

There are some instances EQ cuts are useful and unpleasant noises are properly called resonances -- aka a constant treble hiss on your guitar, dissonant snare reso, room noise. But you should only cut what DOESN'T harmonize with your track, ex: snare ring and rhythm guitar mud.


Please, don't do it to lead vocals, bass, or kicks unless they REALLY sound GROSS!

 

/end rant

 

Anyway, that's about all I got for now. I dunno how many hours this took me to edit, but I hope you found something useful!

 

If you haven't already, check out SECRET AGENT, made with April List's star freebie, the E-Mu Proteus.


 https://www.newgrounds.com/projects/audio/5764518

 

Stay tuned this Friday at 09:30 NG server time for a fresh drop, then the following Friday, an interview part 2 with @Aalasteir coming up, and then July 15th, for the next issue of the Freebie Mag!

 

This edition would not be possible without my supporters. You can join the list on ko-fi or Patreon (sidebar left) for slick perks like priority requests for commissions and projects. Love y'all!

 

Brought to you by : @MATRVG@MariogD@Cyberdevil, and @JimmyTheCaterpillar

 

If you want to support me besides, you can subscribe to my YouTube Channel or follow me here on NG! Or like my stuff and vote 5. Every bit helps!

 

I also have a Beatstars. Everything there is free. ;)

 

Previous Editions: May List 2024Aprillist 2024Marchlist 2024Februarylist 2024Januarylist 2024Decemberlist 2023Septemberlist 2023Novemberlist 2021, and Octoberlist 2021!

 

That wraps it up for this month. If you have any questions or requests, let me know!

 

CIAO!

 

 


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Comments

Thanks for the shoutout. I agree that Vital is a gorgeous synth plugin. I'm still in shock that you get all this incredibly powerful functionality free of charge, without any microtransactions and other malarkey! After moving to Win 10 from Win 7, my ancient pirated version of Serum started behaving very differently. Its ADSR evelope would simply "crackle" with fast attack and release times. So I gave Vital a try... and, well... I'm not going back to Serum! Haha. Well, if you dont' count keeping my Serum waveforms as "using Serum" ;)

Hey, use what you got! If you have the patience, you can remake almost all your serum presets in vital. There's also some kind of plugin by Micro Music that will generate presets based off of input wavs. I find it pretty interesting to just run random stuff through it rather than try to emulate an actual synth patch. The results are very unpredictable with rough input audio, which I like

Magnificent list as usual! And of course, the most useful advice in life is always unsolicited and related to EQ ;)

Just one small correction regarding NGADM schedule, the auditions start on July 1st and end on 21st, 22nd being the start date for the auditions round judging phase :)

Editing RN!

Thank you!

Also holy cow you read fast

@ADR3-N I personally never liked using synth presets. I always start with the "init" setting and sculpt my patches for my needs from scratch. B) That's one of the major advantages of synths over ROMplers. Why not utilize its potential?

I have done both but I'm not actually THAT much of a DIYer in terms of individual patches. I prefer to do my macguyvering in combining patches, finding unusual uses for plugins, and modulating

There are a few synths where I'll fool around though, like the olskool Moog and Impulse or whatever that used to come standard with Mixcraft. Basically something I've had for years and have had time to explore everything

@ADR3-N For me it's reverse. I almost exclusively sculpt the patch from the ground up with a few exceptions. Like, the free DX7 clone Dexed. Not only am I a noob when it comes to FM synthesis but making your own sounds on the Yamaha DX7 was particularly counterintuitive. So instead of wasting my time to get a "ballpark" result, I would simply just use one of the "iconic" presets. ;)

Omg you're not wrong about Dexed. It's just as counter intuitive as SQ8L to me! So right around the time I picked them up, besides Massive I stopped making so many of my own presets and focused more on tweaking them to fit into bigger and bigger combinations.

I do make a lot more of my sounds, like basses for example using meowsynth and insane amounts of distortion, or I may make some new 808s because you can never have too many for inspiration

I prefer sampling WEIRDLY

Great list with lots of very helpful information. I'm excited for part 2!