ambinate Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I'm working on a track that's using some bitcrushing and some other types of distortion on some of the tracks, but I'm having a little trouble figuring out how to get them to be less grating. I like the tone I'm getting from the distortion, but it seems like the harmonics that are ringing out are getting distorted in a subtle but still harsh (the bad kind) way. I think there are ways to calm that stuff down - I'm thinking of dubstep and drum n bass stuff that use pretty harsh elements without actually being damaging to your ears. I just don't have any idea how to approach doing that. Any help would be super appreciated, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyril the Wolf Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Cut out the high end. Usually 8 - 16 khz is the problem areas. Do EQ sweeps to find the harmonics you need to destroy and kill them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 use a lowpass filter on them, adjust as necessary, i suppose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambinate Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 I appreciate the help a lot. I'm still having some trouble - I actually cut a really narrow band for one sound in particular and still thought I heard some harsh stuff going on, but I'm pretty new to this so maybe I missed something important in the process. I'm gonna post a sample of the song in case anyone might be able to give it a quick listen and let me know what they're hearing and what to address: http://tindeck.com/listen/ddeb The main sound that's giving me issues is the piano that enters early on and then comes back near the end. I did a big low cut up to 150 or so and then another from like 17k all the way down to 2k or so, but it still sounds funky. Although now I'm thinking the issue might also be with the white noise that's mixed into that intro pad. Again, any thoughts are really appreciated. Thanks a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melody Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 find the harmonics you need to destroy and kill them. he's merciless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Actually IMO the problem frequencies tend to be in the middle somewhere. If you just cut out the very highs it will only sound dark and muddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrototypeRaptor Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Try using an amp with a cabinet sim rather than just straight distortion - in my experience the cabinet "dulls" the sound in all the right ways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerrax Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Actually IMO the problem frequencies tend to be in the middle somewhere. If you just cut out the very highs it will only sound dark and muddy. This. Low freqs tend to have a rumble to them when distorted, high freqs will have a hissing sound. Distorted upper-mids are the ones that will really pierce your eardrums and generate a "harsh" sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambinate Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 This stuff has all been super helpful, thanks a lot. I haven't totally nailed it yet, but trying all of this out has already gotten me noticeable results. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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