Dubstep...Do's and Don'ts?

[Navron]

I must admit, I've grown a bit fond of dubstep over the past few months, and after numerous failed attempts to create it, I think I finally got something I can work off of:

http://soundcloud.com/navy-brony/dubstepattempt

This is just a small loop sample, and not part of a WIP. Just wanted to ask some fellow dubstep artists if I'm heading in the right track, and not just regarding the bass, but also the drums. Are there any specific do's or don'ts that specifically apply to dubstep?

*Also, I know this popular genre is not technically dubstep, but I'd rather call it that than "brostep" as some people refer to it as.

[Versilaryan]

I'm really digging that drum groove! Good variety of sounds and an interesting rhythm!

Try to bring out the wobble bass a little more. Use a stereo expander or parallel multiband techniques to widen up the treble end of those wubs. That aside, there isn't anything specific I can say without going pointlessly nitpicky.

Also, if you haven't already, Google the Dubstep Bible. It's a thread on some dubstep forum that basically goes over every aspect of producing dubstep (and production in general, too). It's a really good read!

[Darktrot]

Versilaryan Is right. Do that. Sounds good though

[Navron]

Thanks for the reference. Did I get the right one, with the forum post collecting pages of forum threads related to each part?

[Versilaryan]

Yep, that's the one! You might also want to check out The Skrillex Bass Sound videos by mrbill. That's where I learned how to do the ridiculous sound processing that goes into a Skrillex-style wobble bass.

[Navron]

I originally thought about that, as I love the sounds Skrillex can mash up, but I instead opted to experiment around and try and see what kind of crazy sound I can come up with.

That sample above was actually thrown through a pitch correct, believe it or not, which added a bit of wackiness to it.

[Freewave]

I'll tell you one of the BIGGEST things you can do is pick up the VST called Massive. It's much more than your average little synth vst and if you get some of the dubstep templates to go with it you'll have some crazy sounds you can get. Just about any Dubstep forum will talk all about Massive but if you haven't gone that route yet you might want to pick it up.

Your sample sounds pretty good might want to get a deeper bass/drum sound and a little more delay on certain hits. i love delay and lets face it it should be on dubstep tracks (hence the dub). get some half step action on there in the breaks.

[MYCUTIEMARKISAGUN]

Drums.


Get more drum packs. Layer more drums together. Experiment with limiters on your drum tracks.

[[voodoopony]]

Mixing - LEARN IT.
The rest comes from experience ^-^

[ArtAttack]

As voodoo said, learn mixing.
Some things that people new to dubstep do:

DON'T: Underdo your drums. Make your drums complex and interesting, but keep the snare on three.

DON'T: Use one wobble and follow the chords. This results in cutestep.

DON'T: Go completely batshit insane when sequencing different synths. Give it some repetition, like always having a triplet wub on the first two beats. See "Amirah" by Chasing Shadows for an example on using repetition. See "Psychopath" by Torqux (Bassex Remix) for an example of being too complex. No matter how good the production is, it's forgettable because there's nothing to hold on to.

As for DOs...

DO: MAKE YOUR DRUMS STAND OUT. Everyone, including me, has problems with this, but if you can get your kicks to thud and your snares to snap, you're well on your way.

DO: Use creative sampling. Dubstep is all about weird ways of shaping sound.

DO: Resample your basses. Straight out of massive is usually not quite enough.

DO: Use some melody. The contrast between filth and melody can be striking, and awesome. See Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex (as if you haven't already)

DO: Layer your drums. Instead of overcompressing one to death, try layering 2 or 3 kicks.

DO: Don't be afraid to copy structures and synths. It's the best way to learn.

That's all I have off the top of my head, GL in your dubby adventures, haha.

[SeanNH94]

The only thing I would disagree on is keeping the snare on the third beat. That's a "rule" that is just BEGGING to be broken; when at the right time, of course.

[ArtAttack]

The only thing I would disagree on is keeping the snare on the third beat. That's a "rule" that is just BEGGING to be broken; when at the right time, of course.

Haha, as a general rule. I'm guilty of busting into double time far too often.

[Facexplodie]

I have always had trouble getting kicks to punch through, and after many a session of trial and error, I would say that keeping the kick fundamentals between 70-120 hz (yes, its a fairly wide range, I'm just trying to account for wide variety of kicks that could work) works brilliantly.

This leaves plenty of room for a sub-heavy bass sound. Making a 3-5 dB cut on the bass track where the kick fundamentals lie helps too.

Hope this helps man!

[Versilaryan]

Another thing to do is sidechain the bass to the kick so that it ducks slightly when the kick happens. If you do it right, you shouldn't notice the pumping effect at all, but your kick will be much more audible.

[Navron]

Thanks for the tips so far, although the thing that confuses me about dubstep, is mostly in the overall composition.

For example, I'm getting pretty good with Massive, at least to the point I can start getting some decent bass sounds. Here's an example of a WIP I'm working on, mainly just for the lulz. The intro to this is a couple of my coworkers singing randomly (fairly horribly too) on deployment, so I decided why not try and turn it into a decent song?

http://soundcloud.com/benjamin-hill-3/bstein-and-edwards

From what you can probably hear in the example, my bass has a decent sound to it, and I personally think the drum pattern is...decent, but that's where I'm lost, and been lost.

I've listened to a lot of dubstep over the past few weeks, trying to see what exactly makes up a composition, but I can't seem to figure out how to add other elements. Granted, the above example doesn't really have much of a melody, but most breakdowns I've listened to don't seem to feature much in regards to the melody, and has a lot of similarities to glitch, and that's where I'm stumped.

Do most artists automate the plethora of sweeps, filters, and LFOs, or is it common practice to export segments and import as audio files to slice and chop up?

[Facexplodie]

Hmmm.. I'm afraid I don't know too much about what other artists use to make their tracks shine. I have used truckloads of automation before though, mostly on LFO's and envelope filters. Automating high and low pass filters can really add to build ups and other segments too.

What you have up there sounds good, I would make it a even little more bassy though.

Sorry, I wish I could be of more help :/

[Navron]

More bassy you say? Well I pretty much decided to redo the whole song, with an added Vocoder effect as well. The last 16 measures won't come in until later in the song.

http://soundcloud.com/benjamin-hill-3/bstein-and-edwards-wip

[ArtAttack]

More bassy you say? Well I pretty much decided to redo the whole song, with an added Vocoder effect as well. The last 16 measures won't come in until later in the song.

http://soundcloud.com/benjamin-hill-3/bstein-and-edwards-wip

I'd advise using the drums in the last 16 measures through the whole drop, cause they sound awesome. Your kicks and snares also need to be bigger, and bring out the wubs more. Overall, it's just... quiet. Dubstep, at least this type, is ALLGEOAIWOIAWGOI IN YOUR FACE, and I'm straining to hear the wubs

[Navron]

Hehe, I actually lowered the synth bass a bit in volume, probably a tad too much though.

You're definitely right regarding the snare, and after giving it a listen in my car vs the speakers I have for my computer, I think I can definitely add some more punch to the kick with a 909 and layer another snare over the existing one. Sheesh, I'll probably have at least 5 drum tracks. Perhaps that's a sign I'm moving in the right direction? lol

Other things I noticed is I can definitely bring out the vocoder a bit more. Was relatively quiet in my car.

As for the wubs, they pretty much don't exist currently, which is where my previous question regarding phasing basses in/out comes into play. I can't seem to layer another bass synth over an existing one without it sounding very messy, so I guess the biggest advice I currently seek is what techniques are used to blend basses together. Side-chained compression?

[AutomaticJack]

I'd say you're definitely on the right track! I dig it already =)
These are the mane lessons I have learned:

1) Write the song before the drop. I used to start wobbling, and then if it sounded good to me I added a melody... And this led to many half-ass attempts. However, if I had a sweet tune I knew what I wanted to hear from the wobble and how I wanted it to drop, and I wasn't gonna quit 'til I had it.

2) Another thing I learned from dabbling in the Dark Dubstep Arts is that an LFO just DOESN'T do what I want... So I tried purely pitch-shift wobble (Concentrated Criminality, found on my Soundcloud) and then a Sliced hard noise sample (Gondorian Bravery Chant, same Soundcloud channel). These fit the song, but I really couldn't see them as versatile enough to keep reusing. My current favorite technique for wobble is to automate precision wobble in Automation Clips - a 1/2 step long, a 1/4 step, etc. - and this allows me to write a wobble line with the same ease as writing a melody. As for the sound, I have a special bargain with 3xOSC that allows me to get some decent grind (3rd OSC, Square waveshape, AM switch is GO, Jack the volume all the way up and set Coarse to a 5th or 7th), or I'll slice a vocal sample. I wrote a post on it a few hrs ago, here in the good ol' MLR forums. =)

My tuneage can be found here: Soundcloud.com/AutomaticJack.

Happy music making, Brony!