lreeform numan Cheat SheeL

reface Ck so here ls a bunch of noLes made whlle dolng recenL sLudy lease Lake everyLhlng wlLh
a graln of salL Lhese aren'L rules [usL ldeas Sorry lf someLhlng makes no sense l hope you are
lnsplred lf any noLe ls Loo brlef you can emall me on lnfo#aL#freeformhumancom for furLher
advlce l'm 100 keen Lo help ouL

wwwfreeformhumancom

MaLerlals
1he uance Muslc Manual 8lck Snowman AbsoluLely Lhe greaLesL collecLlon of lnformaLlon l have
found Lo daLe lncludlng unlverslLy sLudy 1hls ls essenLlal readlng for Lhe elecLronlc producer 8uy a
copy now
Sound Cn Sound Magazlne CeL a subscrlpLlon WebslLe also has Lons of lnformaLlon
Muslc 1heory lor CompuLer Muslclans Mlchael PewlLL



noLes
LquallsaLlon

O 1he besL way Lo learn abouL whaL Lo cuL and boosL ln a sound make a peaklng LC noLch and
sweep lL around LlsLen Lo whaL characLer (good and bad) Lhe eq brlngs ouL of Lhe sound aL
each plLch
O Always lowcuL everyLhlng somewhere probably hlcuL also bar hlhaLs
O SubLracLlve LC ls used Lo make sounds blend ln LogeLher and Lo remove mud boxyness or
alr AddlLlve ls used Lo make Lhe LonallLy and dynamlc of Lhe sound change or Lo emphaslse
cerLaln elemenLs of Lhe sound Lg Lhe pluck sound ln a gulLar recordlng
O 1o make drums punch add a sllghL noLch Lo Lhe fundamenLal plLch of Lhe drum + Lhe 2nd and
3rd harmonlcs (only Lo make domlnaLe mlx)
O ln Lhe real world bass arrlves before Lreble and all sound ls phase smeared llke Lhls Lucklly
eq also lnLroduces phase So aloL of Lhe Llme merely cuLLlng Lhe hlghs on a good LC can
make a sound appear up Lhe back Cn Lhe downslde puLLlng blg cuLs ln mld and Lreble
maLerlal makes lL sound horrlble due Lo phase Cnly genLle eq on mld and hlgh sLuff
O Masklng when 2 sounds are playlng ln Lhe same specLrum Lhe quleLer one wlll dlsappear
compleLely So sounds need Lo be aggresslvely LC'd Lo remove Lhelr non essenLlal sound lL
dosenL maLLer how a sound sounds ln lsolaLlon lLs how lL sounds ln Lhe mlx
O CuL Lhe alr from mosL sounds and leave lL only for Lhe hl haLs and cymbal
O When Lqlng /mlxlng an lnsLrumenL lL only has Lo sound good ln Lhe mlx noL good solo'd
O Lvery sound needs lLs own space Maybe LC ouL Lhe body maybe LC ouL Lhe aLLach porLlon
1hlnk abouL lL
O ?ou can surglcally LC cuL lower frequencles wlLh no problem Plgher frequencles Lhough
requlre more genLle cuL and boosL slopes Lo reduce phaslng
O lf a sound appears boxy and undeflned Lhen cuL ouL Lhe box ln Lhe low mlds and add a blL lf
sLlll needed aL Lhe LranslenL ln Lhe hlgh mlds 8emember Lo llsLen Lo Lhe resL of Lhe mlx as
you do Lhls
O When hlgh passlng haLs make Lhe slope very gradual Lo avold a nasal sound bulldlng up
O Cn hl haL compresslon a release of 3060ms ls good Lo make sure you don'L pump Lhe haLs
aLLack maybe of 1013ms
O 1o geL a pumpy rlde run lL Lhrough a pumpy compressor flrsL Lhen LC P Lhe rlde
O lf a sound ls harsh/Loo much Lop end 1ube ulsLorL lL Lo remove Lhe hlgh peaks
O LC ouL all frequencles an lnsLrumenL dosenL posess Lo remove any LhreaL of sLray
frequencles + eq ouL parLs of Lhe lnsLrumenL so LhaL lL creaLes space for oLher lnsLrumenLs




Compresslon

O 2 ways Lo approach compresslon

1 1o llmlL peaks hlgh Lhreashold hlgh raLlo 23 8 1 1hen peak llmlLer Lo caLch
very shorL LranslenLs (Lhreshold should be noL much) 6 12 db galn reducLlon eak
meLerlng Pard knee eak meLerlng

2 1o Lhlcken sound low Lhreshold low raLlo (11 Lo 14 1 (anoLher arLlcle says 21))
Lhreshold around 30db below peak level 8ms meLerlng sofL knee used for
masLerlng or for processlng sub mlxes or Lhlckenlng up mld secLlon leadlng sounds

1o seL up flrsL make mlnlmum aLLack and release values Lo geL good meLerlng Lhen
seL your raLlo (hlgh or low) Lhen go db reducLlon 1hen llsLen and see lf LhaLs whaL
you wanL 1hen more or less dependlng on lf you wanL more or less pump 1hen puL
aLLack on fasLesL seLLlng and release on lower seLLlng conslder release brlng Lhe
fader from slowesL Lo fasLesL and llsLen Lo Lhe changes 1hen declde a seLLlng
(pumplng? naLural? Lhen onLo Lhe aLLack move lL slower (percusslve? Where do
you wanL lL on Lhe sound sLage?) Lhen declde a seLLlng 1hen ad[usL release agaln lf
you need Lo for compllcaLed sounds llke vocals an auLo release seLLlng can be qulLe
good PlnL Lry and geL Lhe compressor Lo Lurn on and off ln Llme wlLh Lhe muslc

3 MulLl8and
1o make bass louder Pard knee and compress Lhe bass band more vlaE
Lhreshold or raLlo Lhen use galn makeup Lo brlng level back up Lo where lL
was (whlch ls Lhe amounL of galn reducLlon) Lhen you have a louder bass
wlLh no cllpplng
1op end can be compressed ln Lhe same way Lo creaLe slzzle orE
enhancemenL
MasLerlng 8ands should be seL Lo capLure boLh low and hlgh end wlLhouLE
compromlslng mlddle range Lg bass 130/200 hz and Lreble 3 Lo 8 khz
(breaLh nolses cymbals) [usL llsLen Lo Lhe mlx and flnd ouL where Lhe bass
ends and where Lhe Lops sLarL and where Lhe mlddle sounds slL 1here are
your bands 1hen ask abouL balance whlch band ls over or undersLaLed
1hen you can sLarL ad[usLlng
E ?ou should use slmllar aLLack and release seLLlngs across all bands unless
you have a very good reason oLherwlse CLherwlse LranslenLs can be
smeared all over Lhe place Cenerally aLLack Llmes should be as fasL as
posslble wlLhouL maklng Lhe compresslon sound Lo obvlous 1ho you can
lncrease Lhls Lo make LranslenLs sLand ouL
E Cverpresslng ls almosL always more damaglng Lo a record Lhan
underpresslng

4 Sldechalnlng
Lhreshold down Lo Lhe bullshlL use raLlo Lo conLrol Lhe duck amounL LhenE
Lweak release Lo someLhng nlce

O MasLerlng use auLo aLLack and release lf your compressor has one oLherwlse 20ms aLLack
and 300ms release mlghL be a good sLarLlng polnL Low Lhreshold and low raLlon 1rlm off
only a few db Alm Lo leave Lhe spaces beLween Lhe sounds unLouched buL compress Lhe
resL Should really brlng ouL vocals
O Cvercompresslon Lhe galn meLer musL drop back Lo zero regularly CLherwlse you are
overcompresslng 1he furLher Lhe galn reducLlon has Lo move Lhe more Lhe LranslenL wlll be
affecLed So lLs ok Lo have a low Lhreshold [usL noL masslvely low on LranslenL maLerlal
O ALLack when Lhe compressor wlll clamp Lhe sound Maybe for klck lLs 60ms buL Lhen any
oLher sound occurrlng on Lhe klck dosenL need a LranslenL lncludlng snare drum whlch
needs more Lhwack envelope
O 8elease wlll make compresslon somewhere beLween LoLally naLural soundlng and pumpy
as fuck (shorL seLLlng)
O lucks Peavlly compress lf you wanL ln background Lhen shorL aLLack Lo remove LranslenL
lf you wanL upfronL Lhen some aLLack Lo leave LranslenL lf up back 8lg release of around
300ms so brlng ouL Lhe susLaln porLlon and generally flaLLen everyLhlng ouL lf up fronL very
shorL release llke a drum sound
O Caln reducLlon Lhe more dynamlc and llve Lhe sound Lhe more galn reducLlon lL needs MosL
synLheLlc sounds are already undynamlc ln Lhls case compresslon ls used Lo alLer Lhe
dynamlcs elLher shape Lhe susLaln parL of Lhe sound and make lL meaLler or oLherwlse
ad[usL Lhe LranslenL more or less lor drum and bass loops you can also use a compressor Lo
pump Lhe mlx on a buss
O Make up galn usually equals around how much Lhe galn reducLlon meLer says Always use
Lhls and make a/b comparlsons
O Pard knee when you wanL ppl Lo hear Lhe compressor worklng SofL knee when you
don'L
O SomeLlmes Lhreshold ls monlLored by peak deLecLlon someLlmes by 8MS (overall loudness
regardless of qulck splkes) peak ls beLLer for drums for sure 8uL on oLher maLerlal lL
depends so you should experlmenL
O CaLe all drum loops
O Compress crash cymbals a30 r100 Lo [usL brlng up Lhe susLaln parL of Lhe sound very slmllar
Lo a much louder and powerful crash cymbal hlL
O ulsLorLed gulLars usually don'L need compresslon cause dlsLorLlon ls already a compressor
1o brlng a pump back lnLo dlsLorLed gulLars Sldechalnlng CulLars Lo klck and Lry [usL 30ms of
release and 10ms of aLLack ?ou wlll more feel Lhls Lhan hear lL
O Sldechaln compresslon ls useful when a sound does noL have any dynamlcs of lLs own and
you wanL Lo glve lL some Lg MeLal gulLar (aLL 2030ms release 1ms 31) or a sawLooLh
long bass elecLro sound Cr oLher sounds?
O lnvlslble Compresslon eg dubsLep urban breaks pop copy drum loop heavlly compress
lL mlx lL ln wlLh Lhe orlglnal (you geL aLLack of orlglnal wlLh susLaln of cmpd mlx Mlx
LogeLher Add more bass on Lhe compd mlx and less on Lhe orlglnal ( Lo belng ouL Lhe aLLack
LranslenL) 1hen maxlmlse Lhe flnal mlx of boLh mlxes Lo make lL blgger (LranslenL squash
dosenL maLLer anyway 1hen llghL sLereo spread wlLh mondo mlx (or specLral pan lzoLope)
Cverall Lhe orlglnal mlx ls meanL Lo be felL more Lhan heard Lhe maln sound now comes
from Lhe heavlly effecLed mlx 1hen bus and eq agaln lf any problems Movlng on Lo Lhe
bass use same veloclLy across all hlLs 1hen use mondomod Lo make sound blgger and move
a llLLle blL
O vocals sofL knee 21 009ms aLL 100 ms release 8db on Lhe peaks
O Snare you wanL Lo have lL snap or Lwack dependlng on genre buL ln general a 8aLlo 41
long aLLack and release Lhen ad[usL Llll perfecL
O ALLack anyLhlng you wanL Lo sLand ouL a llLLle more mlghL beneflL from a llLLle more aLLack
AnyLhlng you wanL ln Lhe back of Lhe mlx a llLLle less aLLack
O uucklng ls a greaL way Lo clean up a mlx uuck any mld range sounds wlLh each oLher Also
puL a ducklng compressor before reverb and delay sends you mlghL flnd some creaLlve
posslblllLles ln Lhe breakdowns and also keep Lhe mlx clean (llke predelay)

vocals

O elLher puL Lhem malnly ln Lhe lower mlds for warmLh or Lhe hlgher mlds for clarlLy 1hen
oLher lnsLrumenLaLlon wlll go ln Lhe oLher areas CLherwlse Lhe vocal won'L be heard clearly
due Lo Lhe oLher lnsLrumenLs smearlng over Lhem
O lf a vocallsL ls lacklng energy boosL 1/4k range
O ?ou need Lo compress Lhe vocal as much as Lhe muslc ls compressed lor dance muslc LhaL
means heavy compresslon CLherwlse vocals wlll drop behlnd oLher lnsLrumenLs and wlll
fluLLer abouL
O lf no compresslon was orlglnally used 20db galn reducLlon ls goodrelease of 100ms and
fasL aLLack WaLch ouL for compressed vocal becomlng Llnny soundlng lasL aLLack essenLlal
because vocals shouldn'L sound slappy

8everb

1 8everb ls Lhe process of glvlng dry sound a space Lo exlsL ln lmaglne Lhe space you
wanL Lhe Lracks Lo llve ln before reachlng for Lhe preseLs lorgeL Lhe names replace
Lhe names wlLh numbers lnsLead fllck Lhrough heaps Lake your Llme and walL Llll
you hear Lhe space you hearL
2 AfLer you have a preseL Maybe Lhe flrsL place Lo Lweak ls reverb Lall noL so long
LhaL Lhe reverb clouds your mlx noL so shorL LhaL you have Lo smoLher Lhlngs ln
verb and push Lhem Lo Lhe horlzon Lweak Lhls ln Landem wlLh Lhe reverb channel
fader Lo geL a good mlx revlslL ln Mlxdown
3 nexL hlL Lhe eq Lrlm Lop and boLLom (or leave mosL of Lop lf amblenL verb) also you
mlghL sculpL furLher lf you flnd a splke ln Lhe reverb channel where llLLle else ls
happenlng ln Lhe mlx 1hls glves away Lhe reverb effecL Loo much 1hesedays lL
should be falrly consplcuous
4 1hen reach for predelay Lhe more pre delay Lhe furLher Lhe sound source ls away
from Lhe delay and Lowards Lhe fronL predelay can be nlce Lempo syncd also
3



O SLeer clear of meLalllc soundlng paLches unless you have a good reason oLherwlse
O Lhe Lwo reverb Lheory
1 ShorL verb Lall well under a second ln lengLh only 3 10 ms of predelay noL so brlghL
2 long verb brlghLer 3070 ms predelay
bone dry synLh LhaL should be up back loLs of shorL verb
lead sound noL much maybe dry
boLh should have a llLLle blL of large reverb
lf Lhe shorLer reverb canL blend wlLhouL becomlng obvlous reduce Lall and look aL some
furLher verb eq cuLs
lf long verb ls pulllng Lhlngs back Loo much Lake more Lop off lL Lo pull Lhe verb back from
Lhe lnsLrumenLs
lf long verb sounds wooly ad[usL Lhe level/lengLh raLlo or eq
O you can puL a Louch of verb on klck and bass Lo blend lL wlLh Lhe Lrack beLLer [usL make
sure Lhe verb has a sulLable eq Lo remove bass
O uon'L boLh wlLh verb on up Lhe back synLh pads Lhey usually are flaL and maybe delayed
anyway usually Leh reverb does noLhlng lf lL ls Loo far forward eq Leh Lop off lL
O err on Lhe slde of uslng Loo llLLle verb once you squlsh lL ln masLerlng youll have more
O ln flnal mlxdown muLe all Lhe feaLurlng parLs of your Lrack and see how reverb ls worklng
wlLh Lhe back of sLage sounds makes lL easy Lo know lf anyLhlng needs ad[suLmenLs / eqlng
or lf Lhe reverb balance beLween Lhose lnsLrumenLs needs ad[usLlng
O ln Lhe mlxdown someLlmes delay ls superlor Lo reverb because lL has no Lall and dosenL flll
up Lhe specLrum as much resulLlng ln a much more cleaner dryer buL geld sound
O commerclal Lracks preLLy much alway auLomaLe effecL sends Lo add lnLeresL and conLrasL Lry
lL ouL
O lf your worklng wlLh vocals and Lhey already have a blL of room Lry delay lnsLead of verb
uelay can gell LogeLher soudns really clean buL has no room lnformaLlon
O slapbak delay 3030ms Lweak feedback
O also lf a sound has room Lo lL already send lL Lo Lhe longer sLereo delay fx send
O 1rance aslde keep mlxes dry look for amblence and delays before you look for blg verb
O 8M reverb seL pre delay for an elgLh noLe and reverb Lo a quarLner noLe for bouncy reverb
use a calculaLor Lo accompllsh Lhls
O vocals can have a huge amounL of reverb buL you need Lo seL someLhlng llke a 136ms pre
delay Lo keep Lhe reverb from blurrlng Lhe muslc
O Cn lnsLrumenLs maybe 30ms allowlng a clean LranslenL and upfronL feel buL reverb space
also 12s decay ls nlce and blg wlLhouL geLLlng ln Lhe way uamplng ls qulLe good also for
creaLlng a warm reverb
O lnsLead of everyLhlng exlsLlng ln Lhe same space use several dlfferenL revebs for conLrasL
upfronL amblenL sLereo vocals over mono drowned ouL pads are really nlce
O AuLomaLe levels so LhaL reverb comes and goes LhroughouL a Lrack 4 lmpacL
O 1ake Llme chooslng your reverb ulfferenL songs need dlfferenL reverb spaces
O LC your reverb 8emove low end and remove Lop end lf you wanL Lo make more dlsLanL (or
use paddlng)
O lx ldea 8everse reverb lefL channel sound hlLs cenLre sLage reverb Lall rlghL channel
O Mlx reverb use several sounds only Lo hlL wlLh verb and glve space whlle everyLhlng else ls
almosL dry
O 1ypes of reverb
o Pall puL Lhlngs up Lhe back of Lhe mlx
o 8oom good all round reverb
o laLe vocals and drums
o Amblence glve room lnfo Lo dry lnsLrumenLs wlLhouL a Lall whlch clouds Lhe mlx
Cood for upfronL and very dry sounds
o CaLed reverb drums malnly very aggresslve sound
O uon'L use Loo much reverb! Cnly use on 1 or 2 Lhlngs malnly




uelay

O Make a 2 Lap delay one on Lhe 2 and 1 on Lhe 4 ?ou may pan Lhese a llLLle blL 8un leads
and vocals lnLo Lhls a llLLle Lo add a blL of bounce and LexLure 8e dellcaLe

uouble Lracklng

O Cood for gulLars lay Lwlce and pan hard lefL and hard rlghL Leaves a blg hole ln Lhe mlddle
naLural chorus effecL
O When play plano for synLh leads Lry double Lracklng synLhs ?ou need Lo use 30 quanLlse
Lho or [usL use mldl buL move each noLe a few Llcks

SynLh Leads

1 CeL plucky synLh
2 LC Cnly cuL lows + low mld mud Lo make lL sound blg
3 1hen feed Lhrough reverb + sLereo 6Lap delay wlLh full sLereo pan on 6 desLlnaLlons 2 of
whlch are 100 wlde
4 CeL Lhe synLhs ouLpuL + all lLs lx sends bounce Lhe loL (weL bounce) Lhen LlmlL Lhe loL Lo
make blgger 23db galn reducLlon
3 1hen use advanced panner vS1 Lo brlng Lhe wlde pan sound back Lo 30 wlde on each
channel
6 Compress

ads

O SpllL a pad lnLo 3 frequency bands uslng group channels an hard rlghL hard lefL and cenLre
use sLep fllLers or phasers all wlLh dlfferenL seLLlngs or phasers or experlmenL 1hls pad
should sLlll be up Lhe back of Lhe Lrack buL wlll defenlLley ls an upgrade from an average
pad lay off on Lhe chord changes Lho oLherwlse Lhe pad mlghL [ump ouL masslvely

Mlx ldeas

O Mlx your channels aL around 12db 1hls ls good amounL overall
O When mlxlng flrsL klck bass upfronL 1hen snare 1hen bus all 3 Lo a pumpy compressor
1hen haLs and room behlnd 1hen muslc sLuff uL Lhe lead/vox ln Lhe mlddle [usL behlnd
Lhe bass and drums 1hen more muslc sLuff use a analyser Lo look aL Lhe mlx and LC Lo
make sure each new sound slLs somewhere by lLself ueclde whaL freq's each sound can
have wlLhouL clashlng use Lhe analyser Lo see where Lhe sound llves CrafL a mlx wlLh LC
and make lL masslve by keeplng holes ln Lhe mlx
O Mlx essenLlal mono sounds wlll cancel when sLereo mlx ls mlxed down Lo mono So you
need Lo fllp Lhe phase of one of Lhe channels Lo avold Lhls problem
O Pave some sounds drlpplng ln verb and some sounds dry Lo creaLe masslve conLrasL
O lLs generally a good ldea for supporLlng (non groove) sounds llke legaLo synLhs wonder
around Lhe space Mondomod ls good for Lhls
O vocals ln dance remlxes ?ou can hlghpass Lhe vocals aL 800900 hz Lo make room for Lhe
synLhs WlLh a full sound should be flne Means vocals play a supporL role Lho 8uL people
can sLlll hear Lhem due Lo psychoacousLlc Lrlcks Can compess vox 21db + ln dance Lracks
due Lo overall heavlly compressed sound
O vox lf Lhere ls hlgh slbllance you can compress for + 21db buL wlLh hlghesL aLLack seLLlngs
O Always work wlLh small plucky sounds as long susLalned sounds ruln Lhe groove LxcepLlon
belng Lhe pads and Lhe breakdown
O Croove delay all drums above klck and bass by 1030 ms Lo glve real drlve Also swlng each
rhyLhm by 30 Lo 73 (may be beLLer for urban/dubsLep and oLher low bpm only)
O 1o gel a klck and bass LogeLher ln rnb and rap sLyle send Lhe klck and bass Lo a buss LlmlL
Lhe buss lnsLead of compress Lo squash Lhe LranslenLs LogeLher SeL Lhe release Lho for 80ms
or so [usL Lo squash Lhe klck drum LranslenL malnly Pello LlghL bass on Lhe klck 8n8 sLyle
O lf a hl haL rhyLhm ls on a snare hlL Lhen compress Lhe haLs wlLh a 30ms release Lo allow Lhe
LranslenL of Lhe snare Lo domlnaLe before Lhe haLs hlL full power
O Whlle a Lrack ls esLabllshlng Lhe focus ls on Lhe drums Change snare sound program ln
lncreaslngly erraLlc hl haL sound add conga 8everb LhaL opens up as Lhe phrase progresses
WhaLever you need Lo bulld Lhe groove keep Lhe muslc for laLer
O 8ass ldea ?ou can Lurn on dlsLorLlon when a Lreble sound comes ln
O Check ouL mondo mod Lo glve dlmenslon Lo mono lead sounds
O 8ass programmlng make veloclLy all Lhe same so compresslon lsn'L needed unless Lo make
dynamlc changes eg more susLaln or more aLLack?
O Any effecL LhaL lnLroduces resonanL effecLs lnLo Lhe sound llke phasers or envelope fllLers
mlghL need Lo be llmlLed afLer Lo avold Lhe sound fluLLerlng and loslng lLs space
O ads and 8ackground sLuff needs movemenL delay ls one good ldea for Lhls no
compresslon robably cuL ouL everyLhlng buL Lhe upper mlds buL sLlll leave a llLLle lower
mld and a llLLle blL of alr
O 1ry rlng mod lead wlLh shorL delay Lall Lhlngy wlLh plLch bend on delays
O Cn Lhe Moog use lM and Sync LogeLher Lhen modulaLe one or boLh of Lhe carrlers see
whaL happens
O 1ry and use a rlng mod Lo geL LhaL lM uracul sound
O Moog Lry ouL freqbox pre fllLer on a lead Lune lL ln Lhen play wlLh fm or plLch and sync!
O

MasLerlng

O usually wlLh dance muslc you mlghL only eq 80hz for bass balance and 13khz for clarlLy
O When lm masLerlng dance muslc for cllenLs lll ofLen use a mulLlband compressor Lo apply
very lowraLlo compresslon Lo all Lhree frequency bands (no more Lhan 1231 usually) buL
wlLh a Lhreshold of around 30d8 l normally alm for no more Lhan abouL 6d8 of overall galn
reducLlon and Lhls LlghLens up Lhe sound conslderably wlLhouL desLroylng Lhe lmpresslon of
dynamlc range

annlng

O A pan poL ad[usLs Lhe relaLlve level of slgnal ln boLh ears 1hls lsn'L all LhaL happens ln real
llfe Also Lhe sound Lakes a blL longer Llme Lo Lravel Lo Lhe far ear around Lhe head 1hlrd of
all Lhe frequency response curve of Lhe human ear ls dlfferenL dependlng on whaL angle Lhe
sound source comes from 1hls ls how we Lell abouL sounds LhaL come from behlnd
O Always geL a Lrack soundlng good ln mono flrsL 1hen use pannlng Lo furLher enhance Lhe
llsLenlng experlence
O 8ass klck lead ln cenLre
O Leads close Lo cenLer
O use pan Lo creaLe rhyLhmlc lnLerplay beLween addlLlonal percusslon
O AnyLhlng upfronL ls cenLer anyLhlng up Lhe back pan Lo a space ln Lhe mlx you llke
O AnyLhlng up Lhe back LhaL ls a sLereo sample use speclal pannlng Lo puL lL close Lo mono ln
range Lhen pan lL somewhere ln Lhe fleld
O Cool sound placemenL spllL a sound up lnLo 2 hard panned mono channels uL a cuL aL 33k
ln one channel and a mlrror boosL Mono sum wlll sound ldenLlcal Can make sounds appear
ouLslde Lhe speakers
O roducer 1erry Mannlng proposed Lhe 'Cardlnal olnLs Law' Lechnlque for pannlng whereby
he pans monaurally recorded maLerlal Lo exLreme lefL cenLre or exLreme rlghL as a sLarLlng
polnL for a mlx (sLereo sources already have a naLural place when hardpanned lefL and
rlghL) AlLhough Lhls may aL flrsL sound raLher llke checklng Lhlngs ln mono hls reasonlng ls
LhaL you can save Lhe 'no Man's Land' ln beLween Lhese polnLs Lo place deLalls ln Lhe
arrangemenL LhaL you wanL Lo leap ouL of Lhe mlx wlLhouL necessarlly havlng Lo resorL Lo LC
or level changes
SynLh rogrammlng

O SeL up mldl Lhen audlLlon sound Lweak Lo a place where lL sounds good SLarL Lo pay
aLLenLlon Lo oLher parameLers and how sllghLesL Lweaks of Lhese can creaLe varlaLlons Lo
breaLhe llfe lnLo Lhe synLh parL once lL sLarLs looplng
O lx
o Scl fl bubble sample and hold Lfo seL Lo plLch 1hen slowesL aLLach envelope Lo
100 resonanL fllLer Lo creaLe a rlslng bubbles sound
o 8ubbles lfo Lo cuLoff lllLer musL be self osclllaLlng 1hen Lweak boLh lfo and freq
1ry on Lhe Sherman 1hen Lry on appreglaLed lead a la early lm (less resonance)
o Swoops lfo Lo cuLoff fllLer musL be self osclllaLlng seL Lo slowlsh osclllaLlon ress
key fuck wlLh plLch and volume Lo caLch plLch bends and creaLe fadelnswoopfade
ouL Look for fm and oLher slde modulaLlons Lo add lnLeresL 1urn on delay on Lhe
swoop ouL
o Swoops 2 lfo Lo cuLoff Lhen use resonance from feedlng back Lo no so feedlng back
as your volume and Lhe fllLer cuLoff amounL aL your plLch leed Lhrough plng pong
delay
O 18303 lfo Lo fllLer Lfo seL Lo reLrlgger each noL press or [usL a lfo LhaL cycles around every
bar Lfo can also go Lo plLch SubLle amounLs for each
O Poover 3 sawLooLh waves sLacked and deLuned no fllLer envelope 1ry sync 1ry and plLch
Lo mod wheel for one wave only ref Lhe syncd one Add dlsLorLlon Also Lry pulse wldLh
lnsLead and a more narrow deLune + pulse wldLh Lo lfo Also Lry plLch Lo lfo and sawLooLh
ramp on one or more volces 1ry mod wheel syncd osc dlve afLer esLabllshlng noLe 1ry
chords lnsLead of deLuned slngle noLe 1ry blL reducLlon also Lo emphaslse Lhe scraLchy
sound
O vocal sound 2 x resonaLlng bandpass fllLers ln parallel 1weak boLh cuLoffs Lo geL vowely
sounds 1ry on Sherman Send drum or fx looks Lhrough lL

urum and 8ass

O llnd a good klck sample Lune lL ln Lo eg 90hz as Lhe fundamenLal 1hen eq wlLh a llLLle
splke aL 90 and a cuL below LhaL
O llnd a snare sound 1hen overdrlve lL wlLh 6db Lo help lL punch Lhe mlx
O uL a second snappy snare sound over Lhe Lop uL boLh Lhrough overdrlve agaln
O 8ounce down LogeLher and use valve compressor Lo pump Lhe mlx
O 8ass sound goes ouL Lo 3 channels bass llke slne wave Mld Loggle on and off lfo and lx
lf needed 1op heavy dlsLorLlon + reverb

8ecordlng WlLh CompuLers

O CpLlmlse lnpuL level aL Lhe source reamps suck on soundcards
O MonlLors seL up wlLh yourself ln an equllaLeral Lrlangle
O AuLo Lune gulLar wlLh a slow Lracklng Llme Lo leL Lhrough Lhe plcks and slldes Wlll make
perfecL solo
O CompuLer monlLors can lnLerfere wlLh gulLar plckups especlally slngle coll SlL a long way
away or Lurn off monlLor and use keyboard Lo Lrlgger record
CuanLlslng (ln Cubase)

O CeL some mldl Lhen brlng up Lhe mldl opLlons menu
O SeL quanLlse resoluLlon Lo Lake lnLo accounL Lhe smallesL noLe ln Lhe mldl passage 1hls
usually means 1/32 or 1/16
O lf you wanL Lo go back Lo Lhe orlglnal performance unquanLlsaLlon Lhen [usL selecL 'undo
CuanLlse'
O 8rlng up cubase and look aL Lhe arLlcle

SLudlo SeLup ldeas and oLher sLuff

O play a slne wave on synLh from low Lo hlgh and llsLen Lo everyLhlng vlbraLlng ln your room
Lhls ls sympaLheLlc vlbraLlons 8emove Lhem or nall Lhem down
O Lhen do lL agaln and llsLen for frequencles LhaL sLlck ouL LhaLs your room vlbraLlng geL pads
for Lhe mlrror polnLs (anywhere you can see Lhe speakers from Lhe chalr)
O cables blue mogaml monsLer
O monlLors LweeLers aL ear level 1 meLer aparL and 1 meLer from Lhe llsLener on monlLor
sLands fllled wlLh as denser maLerlal as posslble
O ower condlLloner
O 8un power adapLers ln a sLar conflguraLlon and puL adapLers on a plank of wood wlLh every
adapLer named 1hen aLLack plank of wood Lo underslde of Lable Lo keep chords ouL of Lhe
way
O uon'L worry abouL laLency compensaLlon wlLh hardware delay [usL Lweak Lhe predelay
lnsLead
O Always conslder ergonomlcs when bulldlng sLudlo nlce chalr monlLor lnfronL aL head
helghL 1weeLers aL ear helghL your elbow Lo wrlsL should run parallel wlLh floor All
equlpmenL wlLhln arms reach whlle slLLlng uprlghL
O 1o save power puL screen off afLer 10 mlnuLes cause your longesL Lracks wlll be less Lhan 10
mlnuLes
O SeL up acousLlc foam aL 'mlrror polnLs' eg puL a mlrror on a wall and move lL around lf you
can see Lhe monlLors from your chalr Lhen LhaLs where Lhe foam goes 8epeaL for all 4 walls
and celllng
O When worklng wlLh hardware Lake phoLos of where Lhe hardware ls aL and you now have
preseLs Also lf Lhe hardware ls used ln a Lrack Lake a phoLo of lLs seLLlngs and sLore ln Lhe
Lrack folder

ComposlLlon ldeas

O lx swoosh Lhen bubble or 2 effecLs aL once peppered wlLh a slngle vocal chop here and
Lhere
O PaLs sLarL song wlLh llghL hlL used for hl haL Lhen use blg haL lnsLead and all llghL haLs buL
swlng and change dynamlcs for groove
O Leads no reverb and [usL chorus + 8blL for upfronL + brlghL eq alr 7 Lo 10k + comp (don'L
overdo [usL for lnLlmaLe close secLlons before Lhe sounds grows) you can use delay also Lo
keep up fronL wlLhouL verb Make sure sulLable predelay ls on verb (beaL syncd Lo x noLe)
O Always LC flrsL Lo remove grlL Lhen malnly ln conLexL Lo Lhe Lrack already as Lhe sound only
needs Lo sound good ln Lhe Lrack noL solo'd

Analogue ConnecLlon

O lL ls measured ln 8MS Whlch ls an average slgnal volLage We use 8MS over dbu Cause we
are runnlng ln varylng AC volLage raLher Lhan sLeady uC volLage (scraLches head)
O 3 analogue slgnal levels
o Mlcrophone level around 30 dbu / 23mv rms 8uL really lL can flucLuaLe wlldly
wlLh Lype of mlc and Lype of slgnal belng recorded
o Llne Level 0 dbu / 0773v rms
o 'ro' Llne Level 4 dbu / 1223v rms
o 'Semlpro / domesLlc' 10dbv 0316 rms 1hls ls seml pro or domesLlc equlpmenL
lnsLead of dbu lLs dbv whlch means 10 db volLs 1hls ls why when you plug ln seml
pro equlpmenL Lo pro equlpmenL Lhe level ls elLher 12 or +12
O Peadroom proper equlpmenL should peak ouL aL around +28dbu whlch ls 20 volLs rms
ShlLLy equlpmenL can be less Super pro equlpmenL can be more 22dbu ls normal for mlddle
of Lhe range equlpmenL
O ConnecLlon 1ype
o 8alanced 3 connecLlons + and ground screen
o unbalanced '+' LogeLher and ground screen

Muslc 1heory

O A muslcal Lone has 3 baslc properLles plLch lnLenslLy
(volume dynamlc) 1lmber (how we can Lell Lhe
dlfference beLween a plano and a vlolln lL ls due Lo
Lhe harmonlc serles of Lhe sound or lnharmonlc serles
ln case of percusslon and nolse)
O lf Lhe frequency of Lhe flrsL harmonlc ls 220hz Lhen
Lhe second ls 440hz and Lhe flfLh ls 220hz * 3
11khz whlch should be a 3rd whlch ls C#3?
O An osclllaLor creaLes 2 Lhlngs frequency and
harmonlc conLenL Slne ls fundamenLal frequency
only Square ls odd harmonlcs only (1 3 3 7 9) and
creaLes a hollow sound Cood for hollow hardcore
bass cllnky elecLro bass or any hollow sound you requlre 1rlangle had only a few speclflc
odd numbered harmonlcs and ls good for fluLey wlnd sounds SawLooLh ls full of harmonlcs
for full sLrlng sounds and Lrance leads
O 3 Lypes of Llmbres are hollow clear and warm
O 1he characLerlsLlc Llmbre of a sound ls deLermlned by lLs harmonlc conLenL 1he harmonlc
conLenL of a sound largely deLermlnes ls waveform
O 1he lnLenslLy of each sound ln a mldl sequence ls called veloclLy lL ranges from 0 Lo 127
O Par
monlcally speaklng Lhe flrsL parLlal ls known as Lhe fundamenLal frequency lf fuLher
harmonlcs are relaLed by whole numbers Lo Lhe fundamenLal 1he serles ls called harmonlc
lf lL lsn'L Lhe serles ls called enharmonlc
O CcLaves are exacLly double Lhemselves
O harmonlc rhyLhm ls Lhe duraLlon of chords and when Lhey change
O 1o work ouL Lhe relaLlve mlnor Lo a ma[lor [usL counL 3 noLes down And reverse also
O doLLed noLe means hold for anoLher half as long SusLaln
O lnLervals are of fundamenLal lmporLance 1hey are elLher used verLlcally (harmony) or
Lemporally (melody) and are really Lhe mosL lmporLanL Lhlng Lo know abouL undersLand
each lnLerval and how lL feels
O Chords looklng aL Lhe C ma[lor scale lL ls posslble Lo bulld a 4Lh and 3Lh across any noLes ln
Lhe scale




O
O Pemlola or cross rhyLhm lLs where you have LrlpleLs and sLralghL 16Lhs worklng LogeLher
Makes very dense and groovey hlhaLs
O do all exerclses up Lo ch 8 agaln

Chords

O Ma[lor Scale
E 2212221
E 1 ma[ 2 mln 3 mln 4 ma[ 3 ma[ 6 mln 7 dlm
E 3 perfecL lnLervals ocLave 4Lh 3Lh
E 2 lmperfecL lnLervals vlLal for harmony bulldlng and chord leadlng 3rds and
6Lhs (occur ln 2 sLaLes ma[lor and mlnor) Pence Lhey are lmperfecL
E 2 dlschords 2nd and 7Lhs 1enslon chords
o 1rlads
Ma[lor and mlnor Lrlads make up Lhe vasL ma[orlLy ofE
chords played
1rlads are always rooL 3Lh and some klnd of 3rdE
unless rarely
Sus2 sus4O
o Chord progresslons and cadence
lnLroducLlonE
O Cadence ls how chords Lravel Lo and from Lhe Lonlc
O 1 Lhe Lonlc chord (1sL) lLs advenLures away from lL are Lhe sLory
O 2 domlnanL chord (3Lh) A chord progresslon sLarLs aL Lhe Lonlc
Lhen wlnds around Lo Lhe domlnanL Lhen reLurns agaln Lo rooL 1hls
ls a perfecL cadence
3rd ls Lhe SubuomlnanL (4Lh) Lhls glves balance and resL Lo LheO
[ourney and seLs up for Lhe lead Lo Lhe domlnanL chord Also you
can reLurn Lo Lonlc here lL's called a plagal cadence SeLs up a blL of
Lenslon LhaL can be resolved laLer ln Lhe plece wlLh a perfecL
cadence Also [usL uslng Lhls lnsLead of a perfecL cadence can glve a
song a really mellow vlbe
WlLh Lhose 3 chords you can Louch every noLe ln Lhe ma[lor scaleO
Pence bulld any melody you wanL very adapLable Pence all Lhe 3
chord rock ouL Lhere
E Movlng on
Cnce you geL Lhe 3 maln chords you can sLarL addlng secondaryO
Lrlads 1hls ls all Lhe mlnor chords ln Lhe ma[lor scale um (2) Lm (3)
Am (6)
l vl lv v
l lll lv v
l lv ll v
(check ouL chord progresslons on 103 and pracLlce on plano)O
O Mlnor Scale
o 2122122
o 1 mln 2 dlm 3 ma[ 4 mln 3 mln 6 ma[ 7 ma[
o So Lhe 3 mosL lmporLanL chords are all mlnor
o Common
l v vll vE
l vl lll vllE
l lll lv vE

O Melody and moLlves
o Melody needs Lo be LhoughL of ln boLh plLch
changes and rhyLhm over Llme
o MoLlve ls a shorL snlppeL of melody LhaL ls
readlly recognlsed by Lhe ear because of lLs
dlsLlncL rhyLhm lL's Lhe caLchy blL
o A phrase ls usually Lwo or more moLlves puL
LogeLher ln a nlce way ( call response beLween
moLlves )
o uoes Lhe moLlve [ump around ln plLch or sLep
up and down? !umplng around can be more
exclLlng
o All lnLervals have Lhelr same feellng
LxperlmenL wlLh Lhen Lo flnd ouL whaL vlbe cerLaln [umps make and how Lhey can be
lncorporaLed lnLo a good moLlve
o 8lslng a mlnor 6Lh ls so angsLy
o 8lslng a ma[lor 6Lh ls so placld
o 8lslng a mlnor 3rd ls funky/leadlng somewhere
o llnd ouL more abouL lnLervals and whaL you feel ln Lhem