Noise issues

[Toktyn]

I am extremely inexperienced with the use of synthesizers as a form of writing music and therefore have been having a few issues. This one that I'm about to mention is regarding Reason 4, of course. The largest issue I'm having at the moment is that whenever I try to add a low drum (Big Fat Drum for Example), whenever the drum plays, I get a lot of noise/scratchy-ness out of my composition. If I play the drum solo, it sounds fine. If I play everything else solo, that sounds fine as well. It's only when the bass and treble play together. Any suggestions?

[SenPi]

EQ stuff, more likely then not, there are a bunch of frequencies interfering with one another.

[avaris]

Its referred to clipping. The bass drum is causing the volume to go up to high causing clipping. (audible distortion)

EQ can help. Lowering your volume levels is probably the best way to go.

Try this: lower all of your volume levels on your mixer by 20 (except for the master) and then play it and see if there is any noise or clipping.

[Toktyn]

Lowering the levels helped immensely, thank you. I am now going to go find an EQ tutorial to help me with that as well

[1makes2]

i cant beleive everyone left out compression.

compression is the next important thing to eq.

cut 100 hz shelf out of everything exept the kick and bass, and go from there.

add a little compression to everyting. should get those peaks down.

if you lower the levels of everything your mix will sound too quiet.

compress that shiznit!

just make sure the levels arent reaching red before hitting the compressor.

[Tensei]

i cant beleive everyone left out compression.

compression is the next important thing to eq.

cut 100 hz shelf out of everything exept the kick and bass, and go from there.

add a little compression to everyting. should get those peaks down.

if you lower the levels of everything your mix will sound too quiet.

compress that shiznit!

just make sure the levels arent reaching red before hitting the compressor.

This is pretty much bullshit. Compression is generally something you should add at the very end, and definitely in moderation, you should NOT have to use it on every instrument. During the mixing phase I ALWAYS lower the levels of everything until nothing clips (you can just turn up your monitors to compensate for this) then I apply maybe some gentle compression on the tracks that need it because the dynamic differences are too big(Bass guitar is a good candidate).

Drums are a different matter of course, but that's because the sound of pretty heavily compressed drums is one people are used to, so if you compress your drums correctly it will sound closer to commercial mixes.

It's during the mastering that I focus on making the song as loud as possible (without going overboard), using multiband compression (but still with a low ratio!) and a lot of make-up gain. Finally I run the whole thing through a limiter/maximizer and if you did everything right you should be at the same level as most commercial CD's.

[1makes2]

This is pretty much bullshit. Compression is generally something you should add at the very end, and definitely in moderation, you should NOT have to use it on every instrument. During the mixing phase I ALWAYS lower the levels of everything until nothing clips (you can just turn up your monitors to compensate for this) then I apply maybe some gentle compression on the tracks that need it because the dynamic differences are too big(Bass guitar is a good candidate).

Drums are a different matter of course, but that's because the sound of pretty heavily compressed drums is one people are used to, so if you compress your drums correctly it will sound closer to commercial mixes.

It's during the mastering that I focus on making the song as loud as possible (without going overboard), using multiband compression (but still with a low ratio!) and a lot of make-up gain. Finally I run the whole thing through a limiter/maximizer and if you did everything right you should be at the same level as most commercial CD's.

how is that bullshit? i said add a little bit of compression not squash the shit out of eveything. i agree with you to turn the volume down till nothing clips, but adding a little compression and turn up "the makeup gain" will bring the volume back without clipping. like i said "subtle" compression. just like using the eq "subtly". try not to make me sound like an idoit next time

<3 u

[Yoozer]

You still don't have to compress anything. Volume automation does the job just as well in a lot of cases; it's just that most of the time people are too lazy to find the risky spots and dip it a bit.

When you say "put compression on everything", people will do this. Combine that with having no idea what attack and release do and just jamming the ratio to infinite and the output gain up because that way it is louder (and therefore "more professional") ruins the music.

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."

[V___]

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.".

...That is an awesome quote!!