Taking things even further, we also decided to implement iZotope’s free Vinyl plug-in.
And just like any other modern plug-in, you can automate the majority of parameters in Trash 2, which means we were able to automate the width to open up to an ultra-wide stereo field sound once the full groove enters. We took our piano and altered it to sound more like a sound generated by an old guitar and then used the Mix fader to make it only ever so slightly audible in the final balance.įinally, we decided to take it one step further and used the width slider to make the piano monophonic and centered in the intro. Trash 2 comes with over 100 different convolution samples, which means you have an ocean of possibilities to choose from and get creative. We also hopped on over to the Convolve section where you can morph your sound into any other sound using convolution. We added Trash 2 to the piano track and in a few seconds found a setting that gave us the type of distortion we were looking for. Anything that goes above the threshold (like the kick, snare, and an open hi-hat at the beginning) get automagically processed.įinally, we decided to see how we can alter and make the piano sound more interesting in our intro. You can set the threshold, your desired delay parameters, and then forget it. The great news is that there's no need for any automation.
To keep things clean, I make sure DDLY only triggers on the higher dynamics, so in this case, primarily just the kick and snare are being processed. It already has some swing to it, but DDLY helps it achieve even more movement. Take a listen to the groove track's before and after. The end result is an unusual effect which gives the track a different type of life.
the loud sounds which can be manipulated with a different delay pattern. You set a threshold, which allows you to process quieter signals with a different delay vs. Think of it like a delay and a compressor had a baby. Unlike a regular delay, DDLY Dynamic Delay manipulates and alters the delay based on your track's dynamics.
We got a nice beat going, but we knew we wanted to create something more intriguing with the groove. We started off by creating a basic groove that was going to be the foundation for our new tune. I used to think it was Ozone’s exciter but I am starting to think he runs his hats through trash 2 or something similar.This past week I was working with up-and-coming music producer Bruno Cunha on a new tune where we decided to put the Music Essentials Bundle to the test. They have a really nice crispy sparkle to them and I think that character actually might be the crunch that you more consistently hear throughout a track to think that his tracks are crispy crunchity. Trash 2 has some interesting distortion presets…one is even called crunchy grunge…
My best guess to replicate it would be running noise in top of your patch or maybe even as a separate layer and then use something like trash 2 to distort it. I was really obsessed with that for a while. Zomboy has an intentionally placed crunch…if you listen really close to the Immunity growl it has a really pleasant top end crunch to it. If you push a soft clipper really hard it doesn’t give you the Zomboy crunch, it makes things sound like they are running through a blown speaker…flabby, thin, and distorted. Clipping is a destructive process and always adds some level of distortion…usually you want to use it lightly so the distortion isn’t noticeable. I don’t think you will find a track in the genre that isn’t clipped. I remember seeing a Zomboy remix contest a long time ago and the reward was Izotope Trash, is that what he uses? I know distortion is all preference, but is there something overall superior to Ableton’s stock options about things made specifically for hard distortion like Trash or Ohmicide?īut anyways, would love to discuss distortion options and techniques here.Įveryone is using soft clipping these days. I’ll throw on the occasional camel crusher or sausage fattener as well, but sometimes I find it hard to achieve a distortion that doesn’t sound scratchy/thin/metallic that I’m sometimes left with by using these. I generally stick to Ableton’s distortion options, like Saturator, Overdrive, Amp, MBD (if that counts?). Rather than scratchy or metallic it’s this nice crunchy, chunky and full distortion sound. Everytime I see artists like this live on a really nice system the same thing always impresses me, how nice their distortion sounds. I recently had the pleasure of seeing Zomboy, Must Die!, Kill The Noise, Pegboard Nerds, and a few other all in one show. This post is mainly in regards to brosteppy midrange sounds.