4 Oct
2014
4 Oct
'14
6:26 p.m.
On Sat, 2014-10-04 at 09:04 -0700, Len Ovens wrote:
On Sat, 4 Oct 2014, James Harkins wrote:
I didn't listen to this song, however, the Hi-Hat issue is an old early
80s issue, usually irrelevant since the late 80s, when even cheap drum
samplers provided layered samples. The SPX90II advertised that a known
song used it's auto-panning to get rid of the Hi-Hat machine gun effect.
I used a Dauz drum pad connected to a D4 (I guess I should start using
it again), to record closed Hi-Hat MIDI data with the Atari ST, however,
this only works for multi-layered samples, just different volumes aren't
enough.
I just did a rough mix on a track... well, I
think a little better than a
rough mix, but I can't go much further without some other ears having a
listen. All audio synthesis is in SuperCollider running in Ubuntu; then I
recorded stems on disk and loaded those up into Ardour (2) for easier control
over the mix.
A variety of influences at play here -- hope some of you enjoy it! Generally
I'd put it under the electronica label, though it doesn't exactly fit.
http://www.dewdrop-world.net/audio/wiggle-room4.mp3
It is hard for me to hear the over all mix on my netbook, the low end is
basically missing. The high hat seems to stick out quite a bit. I do not
know if this is good or bad, but, from a drummers POV, I would like to see
some variation in the HH sound. For example on the beat where the HH and
snare hit, a slightly open HH sound would be nice with a little bit of ring to
it. (this is a common feeling of mine for music using HH sampled/synthed)
Variaty in something that is used a lot would make for a less robotic
sound and something more "human". Pulling the HH down in the mix just a
small bit may help too, but then rememebr that my high end is emphasised
so someone elses comment who has a full range system to listen to (mine is
in storage) would be better.
The reason I point this out is that even though there are many changes of
feel through the piece the HH is always the same. If the snare was higher
I might feel the same about that too, but because it is lower in the mix
it doesn't stand out the way the HH does. IMO, any good electronic
drumkit, sampled or synthed, should have more than one HH and snare sound
the sound like they are played on the same HH or snare, just minor
variations. Some of this can be done with layering and velocity, but I
think more is needed. There are probably more HH "notes" in any one song
than any other note (unless you are doing the solo in Cinamon Girl). As
such I think it is worth the time to make it as interesting as possible.
Please note that I come from the guitar/bass/live drums end of things and
so my thoughts come from different styles of music and may not fit here.