hey guys i know nothing about music theory just some sound desing and ive been making dubstep for a while is this in the right direction? i expect a shitload of hate but anyway i got drunk and grew some balls to post this what do you guys think what should i do to improve?

 

I don't find the quieter part that bad.

Unfortunately I can't give you any tips, because I know even less than you do, and I haven't even decided which DAW I want to use yet...

 

I'm pretty familiar with the kind of 2015-esque brostep barely-alive distorted sound you're looking for, so I've found a couple of pointers that might help you out a little

(I've also attached an example of the track with some of the main tips I've suggested implemented within it - hope that helps)


1. Drums
This was the most important realisation for me as a dubstep producer. getting the right drums - that hit hard enough - matters so f*ing much. Not only that, but make sure you have quite intense sidechain to make them cut through the loud bass sounds.
In the example I've provided, I used a ridiculously heavy sidechain, alongside drums I've made specifically for dubstep - I can send some over to help you out if you'd like )


2. Sub Bass
Make sure you're careful with your low end. Clue's in the name with 'bass' music - you've got to have it top notch. The sound design you've done is awesome, very similar to artists like Barely Alive - but you need to pay a bit closer attention to your sub frequencies. Looking on a spectrum analyser after getting rid of the kick, you don't hit any sub frequencies under about 100-120hz - meaning you're missing out on those real chest-vibrating frequencies with your basses, and making them fall a little flat. If you're using a lot of distortion when sound designing (especially in this case), I'd recommend processing your sub frequencies separately to keep them cleaner and have more control + less muddiness, and really getting that 50-60hz power.


3. Melody & Harmony
The main melody you have is pretty good, and nice use of 'Skanka' (I think that's their name) chords on the offbeat works nicely. Consider adding more variation - the melody loops every 4 bars - how about making it 8 bars, and changing some chords? I'm aware you said you weren't particularly knowledgeable in music theory, but looking at some basic minor chord progressions could really help you out (I'm sure there'll be a dubstep chord progression tutorial video on YouTube that'll be understandable)


4. Tension & Release
When rising tension to a drop, make sure to have LOTS of rising effects. Risers, drum builds, kick rolls, snare rolls, etc. The build you created worked well, but the kick felt a little too strong and overbearing. Also, having a moment before the drop that's quite empty, with only a catchphrase, will create contrast that'll make your drop feel more powerful.



Hope these tips helped you!

 

Hey man your flip was awesome would you share the drums and fxs? also what sidechain did you use and at what settings i really wanna become as good as you someday that was awesome

 

Sure!

I've attached a .zip file with:

• Kick
• Snare (Dry & Clipped)
• Sub Bass layer (Highpass your basses at ~120hz and layer this underneath them)
• Chants and Filler Vox
• Example of the ending chord turnaround
• Screenshots showing the sidechain curve (I use Kickstart2 for most of my sidechaining, but there's a rough approximation VIA an FL automation curve too)

Unfortunately I can't send all the other FX as they're all from licenced sample packs - but I'm sure you can find similar ones online


Let me know if there's any other way I can help out!

 

thank you so much man if you could tell me which packs are the other fx's from that would be of great help thank you so much again also how do you get your drums to sound so clean mine sound awfull distorted

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2023

For drums, I'd just make sure the sidechain is heavy enough there really isn't anything clashing with them - if you've used a heavy sidechain like I suggested and it's still causing clipping issues, check everything except your kick and snare is going through your sidechain bus.
Also, make sure your master bus is pretty clean - all I use is subtle bus compression and soft clipping to tame peaks - if you've got any saturation/distortion that could mess things up.

For the effects, I'm afraid I'd have no idea where they come from - all cherry-picked from random sample packs over the past 5+ years. The only things I really used were white noise sweeps, risers and a drum loop - if you have splice, you'll be able to find plenty good enough stuff to substitute there - if not, try looking for some free sample packs for dubstep/d&b - they'll probably do the trick