Couple questions

Jus dl'd XL and now waitin for my password to get back on with the beats.. been workin with OS1 for awhile now and i have a couple of nitpickin issues...

* I dont have any external mixin source at the moment... im coppin a mac soon to jump onto logic but im really lookin for the best sound quality to come from the original source to start with, the MPC... i always work with the eq and compression on and i wondered if any of you dudes out there makin bangers could share any settings that you regularly use.. im not lookin to jack your steez, jus wantin to compare notes an see if any vital tweaks could benefit in the long run.

i currently use the following for my master.

EQ
H - 8000 +3
1 - 3500 +6 10
2 - 500 -3 10
L - 60 +6

COMP
thres -20
gain +3
att 20
dec 30

ratio 08:1

I have a feeling i have too much high end goin on but hopefully one of you dudes will be able to adv.


** Ok problem number 2... the low ends on my track can sometimes be real messy when i hear it thru a sub... theres no definition and sound jus seem to smudge together, i reckon it has something to do with the settings above.. any tips to get me on the right track??


*** I havent done too much research on this yet but i jus thought id throw it in... can you send effects to the 8 outs?? when i took my mpc to the studio for the first time i literally couldnt figure out how to do it.. had to reapply all my fx on logic and the outcome wasnt good.. its this possible or am i jus stuck to the stereo outs recordin one track at a time??


**** Final qualm... when i use direct recording on input thru i have to slow the tempo down and play what i need to play.. for manipulation sake and the fact that the mpc cannot give a perfect loop without the sound choppin at the end at it jumps back to the start, i then chop what ive played over 32 pads.

If i were to play my bits in and chop on the same tempo as the track i find what ive recorded is real choppy as the chops are not quite long enough to provide a constant sound, do i jus increase the release when slicing??.. i hate workin at the slower tempo, it serves its purpose but at the same time kills the spirit of what i was tryin to do in the first place.


Any feedback is much appreciated dudes.. i hope someone will be kind enuff to share some thoughts.

peace



myspace.com/rayezabeats

In my opinion you'd better disable EQ and COMP on the master.

You work with 60 HZ on the master EQ cranked up 6 decibels, and you're asking why your bass sounds messy?

elevated wrote:You work with 60 HZ on the master EQ cranked up 6 decibels, and you're asking why your bass sounds messy?

indeed.. i see your point son.

rayeza wrote:

elevated wrote:You work with 60 HZ on the master EQ cranked up 6 decibels, and you're asking why your bass sounds messy?

indeed.. i see your point son.

See also the point below and you are ready to tackle your MPC on a non toy-level.

le rat wrote:In my opinion you'd better disable EQ and COMP on the master.

ryssen wrote:
See also the point below and you are ready to tackle your MPC on a non toy-level.

le rat wrote:In my opinion you'd better disable EQ and COMP on the master.

But how else are you supposed to get phat beatz?

definitely disable the master effects.

NearTao wrote:But how else are you supposed to get phat beatz?

Don´t ask me, my beats are weak.

that eq/compression is only for tracking and resampling. not for whole mix. generally you wouldnt wanna put a wide band dynamics process over an entire mix until the mastering stage, which this facility on the mpc IS NOT. if you have worked out your eq for each part with your slide ruler and want to track to your mac or whateva but lack proper eq there you can use this to track with.

seriously i would avoid using this except in a pinch. you can get similar effects to eq with proper filter programming in your voice setup... but of course filters only get you half way there. if you track on the mac, there are many much better tools awaiting your exploitation. for free even. another reason to leave that whole section alone!

the only other reason i see to use the eq would be for soundcheck at a gig. ok maybe live this has applications. but it doesnt belong on a record.

WOW you guys are awesome .....the penny has just dropped on me regarding EQ and compresssion.....thanks alot

hokay... thanks for the feedbacks... i must admit im a lil nervous about workin without the EQ an Compress but il give it a go... i jus find they make the sound a whole lot more punchy an brighter but i will heed your advice as see what i come up with... i like my ish to bang knahmean.

overlookin the above now.. anyone wanna hit me with some more knowledge.. esp on the input thru side of things but pls dont leave me hangin on the 8 outs.. i tremelo my chops to make the beat a lil deeper.. i like how the mpc processes the effect an would like to track it in.

props
peace

mixing (ie eq and compression) is something best left to the engineer who knows what hes doin. you may think you have some insight in this area, but the reality is you dont. if i were you, i would put using it out of your mind until you have a better grasp of how it is used in a real production. this will take some time and reading, studying and doing. louder bass or higher highs just wont cut the mustard. if i were you i would start your research. the more you know the more you will see how much you dont know, and gradually your mixes will sound better. perhaps this isnt the right place for a question like that. not to mention that there are no 'general settings' to use for a particular result. everyones source material will be different, so a general setup just wont work.

no way 'ish bish' !

rayeza, dont forget a lot of these dudes do their dirty work out on a daw, if i were u id stick with the eq and cmp, esp. if u havnt got a mac just yet.

the juices def flow more when ur hearing the scrunch of those dynamics after a bit of eq. and some cmp limiting it a little.

if youre doing completely straight hip hop or rnb, then mbe a touch of 11k say +3 (my standard level here, and mids are trimmed out at 3khz by -3dB, and low-mids are cut by -6dB @ 200-500hz depending - i make a kind of abstracted hipnocorebient so take this with style salt pinches),

also remember the hi is a shelf (all above) and the low eq's a shelf type EQ that affects all BELOW the value, i personally love the 44hz at +3, but assume its doing the gains to ALL freqs below that setting by the dB amount. thats probably why 60hz at +6 was sounding crazy. ( a daw is usefull to remove anything below 30hz after the tracks done)

dont forget that earth hum is at 50hz (i see ur uk massv) , so mbe to get those slinky subs, - u said u have one? - go with a touch of extra at below 50.
listen to the sub as u put the eq at 20 and subtract 12dB, then raise the eq to 40hz ish, u'll hear the 20hz stay there. so just freak for a bit and test out your setup.


as for the cmp, i'll often want a really warm squeze with limiting responses, which requires a low thresh ( -24, -18 ish) and a gain to compensate for volume losses (+6, + 9), responses can vary, if u want to retain the snap of a smart snare or clippy kick, set attack to more than 10, and if u want no real sucky response, set a release of twice the attack at least.....but getting longer gives u more push and pull, so dont over do it.

these settings are a taste thing, and are VERY dependent on the material being fed in, but just keep 'bypassing' the master eq/cmp to check you're happy with the result, its easy to overcook something to death, esp. if u r using headphones to check it too....i believe that the 'vibe' of a 'sound' can be ALL about these settings, so dont listen to anyone completely as they cant hear what your after can they?

yow, jus gotta say dudes.. really respect the time an thought your takin to educate a punk like me.

il try both ways an see whas the dilly.

comon tho it dont have to end there tho........ lol

peace

i must admit im a lil nervous about workin without the EQ an Compress but il give it a go... i jus find they make the sound a whole lot more punchy an brighter but i will heed your advice as see what i come up with... i like my ish to bang knahmean.

overlookin the above now.. anyone wanna hit me with some more knowledge

avoid onboard mpc master eq/compression unless it's never going anywhere but straight to a stereo .wav file to be converted to mp3 and shared with friends and others ("mixtape" style/quality).

if it's going to get improved in a DAW or handled by any kind of professional, don't put em on cuz they'll be superfluous in the track-out stage (master fx are not applied to analog outputs/better effect usage will be applied by either you indaws or by said pro)

i leave my FX largely untouched, though delay is nothing to sneeze at.

-- both perspectives here are correct, though they are completely polar