resampling with isolator (volume probs)

PhilG · Post by **PhilG** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:03 pm

here is my prob:

i have a nice kick. i beef it up with the isolator, but at the same time i want to have another pad beefed up with another effect. so after i beef up the kick, i go to resample it. the problem is it peaks too hard when resampling, so i turn the volume down. by the time the volume is not peaking anymore, it's not beefed up anymore (it sounds exactly the way it did before the isolator). how do u work around this?

balazs · Post by **balazs** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:14 pm

yeah, the peeking seems to be sensitive when resampling especially on the low end. I also have been wondering if anyone has any workarounds for this. the only things I can suggest is compromise the amount of volume and low end boost, also try other fx like subbass and eq, and try turning the volume down on the other samples so the kick will by louder by comparison.

Dj Frantic · Post by **Dj Frantic** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:46 pm

Hit resample only. Then turn the master volume all the way up. Now lower it until it sounds good. even if the peak light is on.. I use the EQ instead of the isolator. It gives u good bump and peaks less. Also, u can record it a bit lower then compress it.

dman5000 · Post by **dman5000** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:15 pm

the peak light can flash a little bit and it'll still be ok - from my experiance
i think maybe its just peaking based on the level of quality the sample is at, but when you resample the level degrades slightly and then its not really peaking anymore - maybe.

Huph · Post by **Huph** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:37 pm

juxt wrote:yeah, the peeking seems to be sensitive when resampling especially on the low end.

Exactly. I'm not well-versed enough to explain or fully comprehend it, but most level reading devices are sensitive to the low end. It has to do with how much power is required to make low-end sounds. Small jumps in volume in the lower end of the frequency spectrum effect peak readings/levels at much more accelerated rates than jumps in the high end.

For example: compressors, which operate by reading peak levels, kick in much more drastically in reaction to low end spikes. You can demonstrate this to yourself by recording a mic through a hard compression setting and then thumping the mic stand. The compressor will usually kick in very harshly when you do this, even if the thump itself isn't that loud.

OP: I think the best bet is to try adding bass to the low end by subtracting from the high end. Leave the "Lo" setting where it's either at 12o'clock, or just not clipping, lower the "Mid" and "Hi" settings until you've got a bassy kick, then resample it. Of course, you can't easily raise the volume after that on the 404, which is what you'll need to do in order to get that bass THUMP you want. I suggest you just go ahead and sample the drums again much more loudly, get them sounding the way you want by the subtraction method I just described, and hopefully you'll end up with the drums at about the right volume when you add it with your other samples. As long as it's at least louder than it needs to be in the mix, because you can always lower volume on the 404.

I think it all sounds a little more complicated than it really is. Hopefully this all makes sense. =^)