Eq techniques for Sp404SX (Making samples play nice)

[Jovi]

hiya folks!

was just wondering if there were different tricks for equing on here besides the Equalizer MFX on here.

For example: https://soundcloud.com/theanjovi/sp-loop

at 0:09 I use a second sample for the female's vocals but I'd like to be able to eq out the drums some more to make them mesh better. What I did was used the Equalizer MFX and Resample, but if there was other ways to do it (strictly on the SX) i would be interested in hearing them.

Right now I'm proficient with fl studio (sampling, sequencing, eq, etc.) but I find the idea of using the sp404 on it's own interesting.

[Om_Audio]

Hi,
Isolator for one, and sometimes resampling a few times w diff effects like filter then EQ or reverse, etc. Let us know if you sort something good out. i love staying in the box too. I take my SX out with me often and have an external battery pack on the way to do the same with other gear.
C

[Rabot]

if you EQ out vocal and found them to be a bit thin, try to use the pitch fonction hand have MFX50 up at 12 so you have some kind of backing vocal. it's pretty ghetto but it might help.

[Jovi]

ahhh...haha! it seems to work better then the equalizer.

Thank you for all the help Om! Really appreciate it!
and I'll keep you posted if I find any other methods

[Jovi]

if you EQ out vocal and found them to be a bit thin, try to use the pitch fonction hand have MFX3 up at 12 so you have some kind of backing vocal. it's pretty ghetto but it might help.

that's mfx 21 eh? whats the MFX3? just hitting some knobs I can't figure out what 12 means in regards to it i've got pit, fdb, and bal on the knobs when i tweak them.

haha! sounds neat though!

[Nosmo King]

youre not really gonna be able to EQ those drums out without ruining the vocal. youre not gonna be able to do it at all really, they will hit in pretty much all the frequencies

if i were you id chop it up until the drums hit in a way that makes it rhythmically interesting

the Isolator for me is actually the best thing ive ever come across for singling out vocals... i guess thats what its for. it has a very distinct sound to it which audiphiles might not like but it really works (i cant get better results with a laptop)

do some reading up on EQing in general man id say

EDIT: the snare thats in with the vocal sample has more snap than your actual snare lol

[Jovi]

haha! yeah that's true!

i haven't really been paying much attention at all to any of the levels...just been sort of recording them off of the computer and throwing them together lol.

[LO-]

EQ Used as a utility, is the most usefull tool for frequency reduction.
EQ as an effect will brighten and fatten some sounds but it will be mostly reduction that will make good use of an equalizer, for example. most of the
time, you will need to cut almost all the heavy bass out of electric or acoustic guitars, so the bass has some room, and vocals too. you may have to boost the lows on vocals and cut the mids a bit. i noticed too, if you can, record in vocals a more narrow band sample rate, like 22500 or even 11000 khz at 32 or 24 bit, it will squeeze the frequencies, and eliminating un needed frequencies, like bad highs, and esses. it's still just a theory. but it makes sense to do that for vocals.

[Om_Audio]

Great post Bruce!

I bought a nice Neve preamp years ago and had to research why he put on a hi pass filter on each channel- there were only 3 knobs for Gain, Trim, and the hi-pass filter. Pic of the pre is below and as you can see there is basically nothing there but gain knobs and hi-pass. Rupert Neve knows what the fuck he is dong- I am glad I trusted that and researched it.

I discovered that inaudible low end frequencies build up and make mixes sound muddy and confusingly shitty. The idea is to put a hi-pass on -everything- (not bass etc. necessarily) and sweep the freq until you just start to hear it make a difference, then back it off just below that point. You end up removing audio material you can't hear but that def builds up and affects things. I actually need to try and multitrack some of my battle tunes and do this.

Article on this concept-
http://therecordingrevolution.com/2010/ ... -your-mix/

I have the multitrack of "Ain't no mountain high enough" and the bass is woolly as hell like a tone I would never choose, but when you add all the other tracks in it sounds KILLER. It can be hard to think "mix" not "individual sound"- I get narrow vision when editing on the SP etc.

C

[Jovi]

awesome! will have to look into this. thanks guys!

[LO-]

when i make my beats with headphones, and then switch to speakers,
my drums bang and spike way over the song, because the limiters in
my headphones, before i would eq it out, now i switch inbetween speakers and headphones, when i leave the room, i check to see if I can hear my beat banging out side, then I keep turning the drums down till it doesnt bang thru the walls.


Is using a high pass filter, the same as chopping the bass out with an EQ ?

[hseiken]

when i make my beats with headphones, and then switch to speakers,
my drums bang and spike way over the song, because the limiters in
my headphones, before i would eq it out, now i switch inbetween speakers and headphones, when i leave the room, i check to see if I can hear my beat banging out side, then I keep turning the drums down till it doesnt bang thru the walls.


Is using a high pass filter, the same as chopping the bass out with an EQ ?

It's more like using the Isolator rather than EQ. Butterworth filter cuts absolutely, most high pass filters will 'trail off' if that makes sense. Butterworth makes a straight wall for frequency blockage. Most high pass filters are 2-4 pole which creates a smooth ramp down of the filters. The Isolator works more like a parametric EQ...i.e. a butterworth.

[Krisso The Great]

.. been using isolator on drum sounds .. you should play pads on loop of the other elements you're working with .. for example if you have a sample sequence.. nd' tweak each drum while thats playing to get em ripping through in the mix ..

i .. play sequence (keyboard)

tap drum sound while tweaking .. get it sounding how i want .. resample the drum with the eq then move to next sound .. when it comes to playing over the top .. drums are already sitting in the mix nice .. 1 . 1