Anybody help a newbie?

Please be gentle with me. I'm looking to get some advice on what to do next.

Basically I have:
- a PC P4 workstation
- Turtle Beach Santa Cruz soundcard
- CD burner
- Reason
- Soundforge
- Recycle
- Dumb midi controller and keyboard

I need some advice on a few of things
- Anything else you recommend (and why, please)
- Hard techno drum Kits for Reason
- the basic elements of a hard techno track...

...I've been layering the following but something seems to be missing. It seems to be missing warmth and space to the sound and the bass lacks that punchy kick to it.

- 4/4 bass kick
- Snares
- Rides
- Cymbols
- Lead analogue bassline
- Rythm analogue bassline

I'm not sure what effects to put on what and why? Just the basics would be fantastic

I'd really appreciate any advice.

:study:

- Anything else you recommend (and why, please)

= id say you have everything u need to start making some techno music mate :) .


- Hard techno drum Kits for Reason

= I dont use reason much so im not too sure on this but you can process the kits that are allready there and give the ma rougher feel (By using distortion/Eq etc)


- the basic elements of a hard techno track...

Have a good listen to lots of techno music that u like, try to copy a track, its a good way to understand how things work together, but most of all experiment :twisted:


Read up on Compression, Eq, and other effects and ways of implementing them, the internet is a good source for inforrmation on this subject, check out the past posts in the techno production section of this forum too.

compression will help give ur drums definition and more punchyness to them and eq will allow you to blend elemts together allowing them to sound right in the same space (reading up on this will make more sense then i can lol)

All the knowledge U need is in this brilliant forum!! ...

When U do yer first release u must dedicate it 2 Mark and the forum though ... lol jus pulling yer leg! ;)

Okie here we go...

Basically I have:
- a PC P4 workstation
- Turtle Beach Santa Cruz soundcard
- CD burner
- Reason
- Soundforge
- Recycle
- Dumb midi controller and keyboard


Things U'll probably need very soon...

Good Monitors..

Recomend : Alesis M1 Active...

I would also recomend that U start with Fruity (seems simple and lots of power the more u use it the more u understand what I mean!!)


New PC screen ... a dual/ triple setup will come in handy..


- 4/4 bass kick
- Snares
- Rides
- Cymbols
- Lead analogue bassline
- Rythm analogue bassline



Use a little bit of panning into everything exept the kick and the bassline!.. this should help getting a bit of space...

If u feel the sound is to cold general tips are using something like the antares tube mod/ Steinbergs Da Tube or some other valve/ "gentle" overdrive efect"...

reverb use a very tinny bit of it but search and play with the paramenters till U have nothing bit a little bit of the very high frequencies ... in other words cut the bass/ mid bass out of the reverb and add that in a very small amount 2 the master... afterwards use a little compression on the master that generally gets everything 2 sound a little more "together"...


Good plug ins u can't miss... Anything By waves/ Tc/ ohmBoys/ PSP!





I'm not sure what effects to put on what and why?


Then just go head and don't use' em ... try and play around with efects till u get a feel 4 them.. later when u r producing a track U'll start missing this and than that's when the efx will come into play... BUT U'll know what u need...


Just the basics would be fantastic

I'd really appreciate any advice.

fantastic.... thanks, I love it real simple.

just got maxx bass and found a few nice EQ settings :)

compression and reverve seems to make a massive difference if done gently

I mean that BBE Sonic Maximizer plug-in is very usefull for enhancing. In case you're using a PSP Vintage Warmer put it as an insert effect on the single track-be carefull it's in the single band mode,,tune it to the moment you'll say That's it,, and then carry on to other channel,,put one another Warmer on it,,and tweak it again, in single band... Then put one on the whole track to the master effects section, and this one has to be in multi band mode.. I mean this will bring a lot of brightness to your track,.,.
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I have to say don't forget to equalyzing each channel to separate each one in the freq spectrum. Better is to cutoff than boost..
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If you are working on the rhythm section i.e. in Battery.
Put one light reverb into send effects and tweek all sounds instead of kick,
then create a Group channel send there all outputs from Battery and then put in the insert effect another reverb (also should be light) then your drums will be more tight and powerfull...certainly you can use Vintage Warmer on the Group chaanel,,this will add that punch to it,..
Also pann all samples instead of kick (as ZeMigL said)
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When you are paint the rhytmic lines,, changing velocity will help to be more groovy..