Hamish, I don’t know for certain how Major7, Vertical Mode, or Helber Gun doing their basslines, but I have a couple of tips that might help.

Before putting a complex chain of compressors, equalizers, and other devices, I suggest checking your sound patch in the first place— oscillator’s phase to be more precise.

Psytrance bassline synthesis

Phase can make your signal smooth or crispy, so be sure to set the best starting point position of your oscillator. I could write a lot about it, but in fact, Mr. PsiloCybian did an amazing video on the exact same topic. Just watch this video, he nailed it:

PsiloCybian explains oscillator phase to make bassline more punchy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF-NS8DOiXA

On EQ, cut the “mud” area around 300~500 Hz with a Bell filter and gently boost the highs. It would give you extra clarity and some sort of punchiness, too. I’ve written advice about bassline equalization, be sure to read it as well.

Psytrance bassline equalization

Getting rid of the low-mid frequencies to get more clarity

Saturator, Phaser, and various transient shapers are more considerable options for making your bassline more punchy. Keep in mind that these tools can also ruin your sound, so be gentle with its settings, don’t push it too hard. Especially Phaser since it messes up the signal phase.

Layering can help you with that. You can make one bassline layer with a High-cut filter to make a solid and consistent base, and then add one more bassline, this time with a Low-cut filter and extra processing such as Phaser. This way your low-end spectrum won’t be affected, hence it keeps the bassline pressure while adding punchy mid-highs.

Instrument Rack with two chains, both have the same resampled bassline audio loaded in Simpler. One chain has EQ with High-cut filter, another one has EQ with Low-cut filter and Phaser. Saturator at the end affect both chains

Here’re two basslines for comparison:

The difference is subtle, yet huge. You can download these samples to your computer (right click on the play button → “Download linked file as...”), open it in Ableton, and click on the Solo buttons to make A/B test.

Let me know if it helps.

Fellow producers out there, how would you make your bassline more punchy?

Well, basically, there are three ways of getting vocal for your production.

Record vocal. Recording your own sound gives you full control over the content and the form of the vocal, whether it be a song or a speech. Although this seems to be the most obvious way, it requires a vocalist — someone who will actually sing or say some phrases for you. Getting the right person is probably the most difficult thing because technical part of recording such kind of vocal is quite simple: you can record vocal even on a $100 USB mic in a regular room. But the better sound quality you have in the first place, the less time it will take to make your final voice sample sounds clean.

Solar Kid recording her voice for a track with Zyce

Buy sample packs. Sample packs are the most affordable way of getting a vocal: they come in all possible varieties and costs around $30 per pack with hundreds of sounds, on average. Most samples are recorded by vocalist on professional-grade equipment, which makes them sound nice and clean. You can also find vocal samples on some free website that distribute sounds under creative common license, Freesound.org is one of such websites. As a downside, you have no control over the content, and plus other producers may use exactly the same vocals in their productions as well.

DanceMidiSamples is one of the many stores that offers vocal sample packs

Synthesize / buy NI Kontakt libraries. This is a sort of mixture of both methods above. On the one hand you can make a unique sound tailored for your project, but on the other hand, it’s still not that flexible as a real voice recording.

Exhale by Output is a vocal engine synthesizer

Speaking of myself, so far I’ve been using the second method, with a regular voice sample packs. But being honest, it’s more because of my budget limit rather than I really love those samples, and overall this is the last way of getting vocals which I’d recommend. If you are looking for a mystical ambient vocal, I would suggest go for the third option mentioned above.

And two more tips.

First, I don’t know what DAW you’re using, but in case you are an Ableton user, make sure to choose “Complex Pro” warping. I find this algorithm work the best for warping the vocals.

Choosing “Complex Pro” warping for the best results

And second, be creative. Learn how to use reverb, delay, compressor, vocoder, and other audio processing devices to make your production sound good. Getting a good vocal in the first place is definitely important, but what can you achieve having that raw material is no less important. Remember the importance of sound design.

Vocal Chops tutorial from Airbase. It’s 8 years old, still works perfectly

If you have more specific questions about using some vocal processing techniques, don’t hesitate to ask it too.

Great questions as I see many producers get confused with it.

Basically, mixing was a part of the post-production process as originally it comes from acoustic music where they use a process called multitrack recording — each instrument is recorded separately and then consolidated in a “mix”. But electronic music is different — you are a composer, sound designer, producer, and half-engineer all at one person. It’s both art and science.

In electronic music, mixing is considered as a part of the production process, which means that when you saying “I’ve finished a new track”, it supposed to be mixed already. This is your duty along with making a great track in the first place. That’s why labels expect to receive demo with a proper mixdown as a single audio file.

Mastering is a different story. Usually, record labels accept non-mastered tracks and offer “in-house” engineer’s service, but it can be kinda tricky. That “in-house” engineer doesn’t necessarily have to be a staff member, most likely it’s a 3rd-party specialist, just someone they trust.

Some producers think that getting mastering done on a label saves their money. In reality, it’s not really true. Usually, all contracts are written in a complex language that only lawyers can understand, and somewhere between all those rubbish, it says that all production costs will be deducted from the income.

Speaking about the contracts, see this: “Label re-released a track without my consent. Is it okay?”

Let’s say, you’ve got a $100 of pure revenue from the sales. Most record labels deals imply 50:50 share, so both you and the label get $50 each. But if you have mastering done by the label, audio engineer’s fee will be deducted from that revenue. Same applies to a custom-made artwork and other expenses.

Best practices

To summarize, I advise the following:

1. Make a proper mixdown by yourself, it comes with experience and trained ears.
2. If you want to make mastering on a label, make sure to send them a single audio file, rendered in uncompressed WAV or AIFF formats, 44.1 kHz, and 24 bit.
3. Ask label to tell more about their in-house engineer: what’s his name and where you can listen to examples of his work. Usually, credible labels work with the best engineers, so this is not a problem, but not every smaller label can afford it simply because not every release generates enough income to cover the expenses. As a result, smaller labels either do their own mastering (usually by a label owner himself) or hire low-cost external engineers — and most likely, in both cases the result is mediocre.
4. If you dealing with a smaller label, find a mastering engineer to make mastering for you. Here is the list of some trustworthy names to get started. This way is not much more expensive than doing mastering on a label but gives you more control over the result.

Read also: Insights on sending a demo to a record label

Hamish, I don’t know who advised putting mastering plugins on a master channel while writing music, and although I’m not saying it’s wrong, I would not suggest doing this.

Order matters

Every track has its production cycle, and each stage has a specific purpose:

It is important to understand that each next step is not designed to fix the issues caused by a previous step. For example, if the lead is too loud, you have to go back and change the mixdown accordingly rather than trying to fix it while mastering. Or if the kick is too dull, you have to change the sound in the source rather than trying to fix it on mixing or on a mastering stage. That’s why music production goes in this direction, not in reversed order.

“The Biggest Home Studio Lie We Tell Ourselves”, Graham Cochrane

But what the point of adding mastering plugins while your track is only half-finished? In order to make a quality mastering, you have to have a quality mixdown in the first place, not vice versa.

I’m not alone in such thinking, and I’d like to put these quote here from two credible engineers:

“Limiting the main output bus during mixdown is a whole different kettle of fish because the main purpose of full-mix limiting is simply to boost the subjective loudness within the digital headroom. As such it’s usually much faster-acting, and the goal is usually to make as little difference to the mix balance as possible. Furthermore, setting up a limiter for the best results is usually a delicate process, where small shifts of the input level and plug-in controls can make big differences to the sound. So on the basis that mastering limiting shouldn’t normally affect mix balance, and that it adds to the already considerable complication of creating a decent mix, I usually recommend that this process be left until after mixdown.”

“Why shouldn’t I use mastering limiting during mixing?”. Mike Senior, Sound On Sound Magazine

“The best thing you can do if you are mastering your own material, is to consider mastering as a separate process and give it the attention it deserves, at the proper time. When mixing you should only care about mixing. You really shouldn’t worry much about how loud the final mix will be. [...] Then when you’ve got a great mix going, you can bounce it down to a stereo file and park it for mastering.”

“Should You Master While You Mix?”. Graham Cochrane, The Recording Revolution Blog

Music producer ≠ mastering engineer

I would also like to clarify one thing: not every music producer is a good mastering engineer, and not every engineer is a music producer at all. Basically, these two are very distinctive roles that require a different set of skills and equipment.

Of course, you can learn how to do it yourself, but is this what you want? Next, are you going to master graphic design to make your own cover artworks? You surely can, but does this agrees with your goals as a music producer?

I have a simple principle: don’t do shit. I have a digital reflex camera, but I won’t take pictures of myself for a press kit. I have some skills in graphics, but I won’t design a logo for myself. Same applies for mastering, and many other fields. Just because the fact that I have a camera, graphic skills and mastering plugins doesn’t make me a great photographer, designer, or engineer. Let professionals do this job, those who dedicated their lives to doing these things great.

Professionals

As for your second question, it deserves separate advice which I’ll go over next time.

Speaking of professionals: ‘Daniel Lesden’ logo is designed by Nebojša Nađj, press photos are shot by Anatoly Shostak, and the website is made at Mirai Art Studio. I’m happy that I’ve been worked with these people, and proud of the results. Be sure to check out the list of recommended audio engineers, too.

TranceMag is a leading Trance music site who shares the latest reviews, interviews, and hosts TranceMag Sessions every Sunday. After making the guest mix, Daniel Lesden has been invited to chat with TranceMag stuff writer Florin about his background, second album, expectations, and opinion on the Psytrance scene.

Hi, Daniel. We’re glad you’re able to take some time to talk to us. Hope you’re doing well.
Hello and thank you for having me here. I hope you’ve enjoyed the guest mix I did for TranceMag Sessions recently.

We most certainly have! Thank you :-) Let’s start off with a little introduction for our readers. When did you get interested in electronic music, PsyTrance in particular?
Formally speaking, my music career began five years ago with the debut release on Ovnimoon Records, but my love and passion for electronic music have started long before that — around the age of 11.

Could you tell us more about your early musical background? How did it all start for you as a producer, and what were some of your influences?
Since childhood, I knew for sure I wanted to connect my life with music, and to encourage my initiative, mom bought me a Yamaha keyboard. The best present I could ever dream about! The same year (1999) I got my first ever PC, and that was a starting point of my experiments with music. In fact, I have written about my first music production experience — an article in two parts with all the behind the scenes details and even samples of my earliest music (spoiler alert: it sounds terrible, you’d better not listen to this).

As for influences, well, you have to realize that a 13-year old kid had very limited access to music at the end of 99—early ‘00s. I desperately tried to find any piece of electronic music, so overall my musical taste was very broad: from Prodigy’s Breakbeat and Scooter’s Happy Hardcore to Nitzhonot of Cyan, Goa Trance of Astral Projection, ‘Classic’ Trance of M.I.K.E. Push, and even some really crazy 180-BPM Trancecore stuff, like Beyonder and Rebellion. But I get used to calling all these diverse genres by one simple word — Rave.

I get used to calling all these diverse genres by one simple word — Rave

What was the first track you heard that you instantly fell in love with? What about the first record you bought?
Speaking of Psytrance music, Astral Projection’s “Mahadeva”, Yahel’s “Last Man in the Universe” and Man With No Name’s “Floor-Essence” were definitely some of these tracks.

Taking a look at your productions from last year, one is treated to an outstanding line-up. However, Enuma Elish seemed to steal the show, due to it being widely supported by both well-known Trance artists and listeners, catapulting you into the limelight. What’s the story behind the track title and production? Could you share your experience while making it?
I’m glad you like Enuma Elish, and thanks for asking because there was an interesting story, indeed. I received a personal request from John 00 Fleming to make a “138-140 BPM driving monster”, the kind of real Trance he’s been hungry for. And that was perfect timing as I felt the same.

You know, all those modern dancefloor tricks like build-up and drops that we hear in today’s Psytrance music are fine, but sometimes I feel that ‘Psytrance’ misses the ‘Trance’ component. I wanted to make a straightforward track with a hypnotic vibe, a track that awakens emotions, even if it’s considered as old-school today. So, inspired by the old 00.db tracks, as well as by many of my personal all-time favourite Progressive and even Goa Trance tracks, “Enuma Elish” was born.

And just to tease you a little bit, “Enuma Elish” is gonna be remixed by a UK artist.

I wanted to make a straightforward track with a hypnotic vibe, a track that awakens emotions, even if it’s considered as old-school today

Your work has appeared on some of the world’s best Trance labels (specifically those more underground Trance oriented) like JOOF Recordings, Pharmacy Music and Digital Om Productions. How important, do you think, is their support for a young and talented artist like yourself? How hard is to maintain the consistency and authenticity of your sound?
JOOF Recordings, Pharmacy Music, and Digital Om Productions are some of the best labels in underground music with a huge cult of followers. But what’s most important is the people behind label names: they are truly passionate about what they do, real professionals. Their support means a lot. And it is an honour for me to work and learn from them.

It is nice to have a unique signature sound of course, but when an artist uses the same sounds over, and over and over again with no any development, to me it’s more like laziness rather than “signature sound”. That’s why, from time to time, I go out of the comfort zone to make something totally different, and “Surreal”, released earlier this year, is a testament to this.

You are one of the most versatile producers nowadays, managing to successfully balance Progressive and Psy, integrating a lot of melodies, and pushing your sound in an exciting direction. What is most important to you when making music? What message do you want to spread with your sound?
I think the most important thing is to stay true to yourself, regardless of trends. It may sound selfish, but first of all, I make music to express myself musically. If you try to please everyone, you won’t please anyone. And I am very grateful to all the people that follow me throughout this journey.

If you try to please everyone, you won’t please anyone

From what you announced recently, we learned you are working on your 2nd artist album. Could you share some details about it? What inspired the album and what sound dominates throughout?
I am a huge fan of cosmic exploration and science fiction. Pretty much every track I’ve made so far was inspired by one of these themes, and the album I am working on at the moment is no exception. The album is still in the making, but I would say it gets a more full-on-ish type of sound, more aggressive, more “high-tech” if I may call it this way.

Does the album have a name yet? Also, will it be released on JOOF, like your previous one, Chronicles Of The Universe?
It has a couple of working titles, but the final name is yet to be decided. As for the label, I’d keep it in secret for now. Let it be a surprise!

You have mentioned a few collaborations and a remix will be featured on the album. Could you tell us with whom you have worked? What were you looking for when it came to picking the producer (or producers) to collab with?
AudioFire is an amazing producer I have worked with, perhaps you’ve seen my recent announcement about it. The remix was done for some folks from Serbia, producers I admire a lot. I’m afraid, that’s all I can say for now.

When picking a producer to collab with, I look for similarity and otherness at the same time. Both of us have to like each other’s music in the first place, that is for sure, but at the same time, we have to use a slightly different approach. What’s the point, otherwise? Same as in a dispute, I believe the best solutions are born from the collision of different opinions.

I believe that a track has to have some storyline behind it, some plot that would open up the listener’s imagination.

Is there one track on the album that perfectly describes your style and sound you want to present to the listeners?
I think the album production teaser I’ve shared recently sums up the overall album vibe perfectly. If you enjoy that teaser, I guess you should love the whole album, too.

What is the most important thing for you in a track? Do the listeners have to search for a deeper meaning?
I believe that a track has to have some storyline behind it, some plot that would open up the listener’s imagination. Someday, I want to make music while also accompanying it with a short film and written a story, so people can experience my vision as a whole. So yes, listeners certainly can find some deeper meaning in my music.

What are your expectations from the album in general? What message do you want to send?
I had expectations before, and it didn’t end up well. Expectations are no more than guessing of the outcome, and the outcome is something that you cannot control. What you can control, however, is your own actions. So rather than set high expectations for something that may or may not happen, set yourself a habit of doing your work well, do it on a regular basis, and on the best possible level you can. And this is exactly what I’m doing with music now — just doing my best.

Expectations are no more than guessing of the outcome, and the outcome is something that you cannot control. What you can control, however, is your own actions

What is your opinion on the current Psy-Trance scene and the modern sound that people are attracted to?
We can certainly see a growing interest for Psytrance music these days, some Psytrance acts are now playing at the world’s largest festivals along with commercial Trance and House DJs in the lineup — something that wasn’t possible just several years ago. And I like it, because a growing audience opens up more possibilities to the scene. As you probably know, I grew up in Moscow, and what I remember is that many good party promoters gave up on organising Psytrance parties simply because there were not enough attendees to cover the costs for a venue rent, good equipment, artist fees etc.

I believe that since Psytrance has gone mainstream, more people will demand smaller underground parties as well, which would give a second breath to the clubs, party promoters, and artists. Commercial and underground music are two sides of the same coin, like light and darkness, they exist only because of each other.

What do you think needs to change about the scene? Any producers out there at the moment that you are really enjoying?
I like the fact that the entry threshold for electronic music, in general, becomes easier, and more people can afford making music. More people in the scene means more ideas, more talents yet to be discovered. And this is great.

However, the professional side of music has many more questions than answers available. As a result, we see a lot of low-quality tracks flooding music stores or up-and-coming artists who have no idea how record labels work. And I’m trying to change it by making knowledge more accessible and widespread. That’s the reason why in August 2015 I launched the “Advice” series, where every Wednesday I answer the questions people send me. Together we make the music scene better, and I’m very grateful for the massive feedback I receive from the music community, fellow DJs, and producers.

As for producers I really enjoying — oh yes, so many good artists around. Just listen to my radio show!

We see a lot of low-quality tracks flooding music stores and up-and-coming artists who have no idea how record labels work. And I’m willing to change it

Where do you see yourself in 10 years, in terms of your music?
As I said above, I don’t want to fall into the trap of expectations, so hopefully, I’ll just continue to follow my journey.

Let’s bring it a little closer to current events. This year marks the 5th anniversary of your monthly show, Rave Podcast, so congratulations! How does it feel to have reached this milestone?
Thanks! Frankly, it was unexpected. I was like, “okay let’s see what we have for the February edition… hold on, is it February 2016 now? I’ve launched the very first episode in February 2011, so this must be the five year anniversary, jeez!”. Time flies! I’m really amazed by how many people became regular listeners of Rave Podcast throughout these years, and I really appreciate each and every one.

Staying on the subject of the podcast, what is the concept behind it? Following that, how do you choose your guests?
At first, I started the podcast just to share the music I love, and the basic concept was to show different music genres — hence the name, “Rave Podcast”. But Rave Podcast is more than just a show, reflecting my ever changing musical taste.

By the end of 2011, I had changed the concept to not stick only to Psytrance as the main genre, but also showcase artists from all over the world. At the moment, artists from 27 countries have made their guest mixes for Rave Podcast. Just imagine how big and diverse the Psytrance scene is!

Having a radio show with a loyal following is also a huge responsibility because at some point it affects people’s taste. When choosing a guest, I’m trying to showcase a very broad spectrum of musical beauty: from deep Progressive to uptempo Fullon, from mellow to harder sound, from up-and-coming producers to the world’s largest names. It’s a fine balance, and it looks like we’re doing well so far.

We’re curious, outside of DJing / Producing, what else do you do with your time? Besides the album, what else can we look forward to from you? Any confirmed gigs?
These days, artists have to do much more than just music, so when I’m not making music or DJing, I do everything else: business negotiations, work with the audience, marketing plans, website, blog, social media, dealing with the press, just to name a few. Speaking of personal time, I love running to keep my body healthy and mind clear.

Before the album, you’ll hear a remixes EP of my tracks, including my own 2016 mix for one of my older productions. This one is gonna be really interesting.

As for gigs, I have a lot of requests from both promoters and party people in USA, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Finland, Japan, Brazil and India, just to name a few, but none is confirmed so far. Maybe it’s for the best as I’m trying to use this time wisely to finish the album. Studio work and active travel are two things that can’t be easily combined.

Is there a track in history you wish you would’ve written, or have been there to witness it being made?
No, I don’t think so :-)

Silly question, but do you have a pet? If not, what would your ideal pet be (you can even go with an imaginary one, if it’s more interesting)?
I don’t have a pet for now. I believe that a pet (whatever it may be) is not just a toy, it’s a living creature that needs attention no less than a person and spending extra time is something I can’t afford at the moment. But if I had a pet, I think it would be a cat — I just can’t resist their cuteness!

Any last words for our readers and your fans?
I would like to thank all my fans, colleagues and the people I work with for their support and experience. I sincerely appreciate it. And thank you for the nice interview, TranceMag! Can’t wait to see you all on the dancefloors around the globe!

Link to the original post
Text — Florin Bodnărescu

And its physical properties

All these questions require an understanding of the very basics of sound itself, so to answer the questions we have to go to over the fundamentals of sound and its physical properties. This topic is extremely important for music producers of all kinds, find at least 20 minutes to read it.

Sound

If we get rid of the complicated words that people use to describe things, the sound is pretty simple. Sound is a vibration. That’s it.

The beauty is that the air carries the vibration very accurately. If the object wiggles in a certain way, the air molecules around it wiggle exactly the same way. Then, getting into our ears, the air molecules cause the eardrum to vibrate exactly the same way. Nerve signals are sent to the brain, which interprets them as sounds. So we hear the sound.

Sound has three physical properties: amplitude, frequency, and waveform. Let’s take a look at all of these.

Amplitude

Imagine a string. If we pluck it, vibrations appear, and we’ll hear the sound. If we pluck it lightly, the wiggles will be weak, if we pluck it hard, the wiggles will be strong. This power, or intensity of the vibration, is the amplitude.

Picture 1. The imaginary string

By hearing we perceive the amplitude as loudness: we hear light wiggles as quieter sounds, and stronger as louder ones.

However, the measurement of loudness is kinda tricky. The point is that the human ear perceives loudness logarithmically, i.e. by the ratio between the two signals. To express volume changes close to human hearing, we’ve got a unit called decibels, referred to as “dB”.

Decibel is the relative unit, it can tell how loud or quiet the sound is only relative to something. By that “something” can act as the very sound itself, or some reference level. Thus, we have two kinds of measurements with decibels: a so-called “dB Gain” and “dB Level”. I know it may sound confusing, but these things are important for understanding.

The redline: decibels explained

As an example of the first measurement type, the dB Gain, let’s take a channel mixer in the DAW which you might be already familiar with. If we drop down the fader to -6dB, it means nothing but that the volume will be 6dB less relative to the originally recorded sound.

Picture 2. Channel mixer in the DAW is an example of dB Gain

The measurement of the dB Level occurs relative to some level, which is taken as the reference point for this particular scale.

One kind of such reference level is the threshold of human hearing. For its measurement, we use the decibels with the “SPL” suffix, which means sound pressure level. In this scale, zero decibels, or 0dB SPL, is the quietest sound that human hearing can perceive — it cannot go down below. To give an example: the volume of a whisper is about 30-40 dB SPL. Or: a regular conversation is around 50-60 dB SPL. The level of 120 dB SPL is considered the threshold of pain, the excess of which can cause hearing damage.

Another kind of reference level is the operating level in digital systems. The fact is that in digital audio, zero decibels is the upper threshold. Everything above is subjected to the noticeable distortion or deterioration of sound. And it’s very important to understand. As you can see, unlike the threshold of human hearing, in the digital world, the sound is counting down from its maximum value. And the decibels which are used to measure on this scale are called dB FS, where the FS refers to the “full scale”.

There are more types of decibels that are used to measure voltage and power, but I won’t talk about them in this instalment.

To summarize:

The point of using decibels is that after changing the volume, for example, 6dB up or down, we will hear the sound at the same level, regardless of the sound source and the measurement scale. It is a universal unit, made to fit our non-linear perception of sound.

Frequency

The speed of the object’s vibrations is called frequency. It’s measured in hertz (as “Hz”) and in fact, very simple: one hertz is equal to one cycle of vibrations per second. The “cycle” is the full movement of vibration: back, forth, and back to its original position.

Picture 3. Cycles of vibration

If an object wiggles less than 20 times per second, our ears will not hear the sound. The same occurs if an object wiggles more than 20000 times per second. Thus, we have a frequency range of human hearing: 20 Hz — 20000 Hz. But it is theoretical. In fact, we feel rather than hear the bottom line, while the upper limit is about 17-18 thousand hertz. Frequency below 20 Hz is called subsonic, and above 20 kHz is ultrasound. Cats can hear much more than this.

Heinrich Hertz
1857—1894

By hearing we perceive frequency as pitch. Slow wiggles we hear as low sounds, fast wiggles — as high sounds.

For instance, let’s take a standard tuned 88 keys piano. The note “A” of a fourth octave, A4, wiggles 440 times per second, i.e. on the frequency of 440 Hz. If we double this number, we’ll get the sound on octave above — A5. And the opposite, if we divide this number by half, we’ll get a lower sound — A3. Here it is, the mathematical beauty of music!

Musical Scale Frequencies Chart

Usually, the frequency spectrum range is divided into three major groups: lows, mids, and high frequencies.

This division is pretty abstract, in addition, each group is divided into further sub-categories. But it is necessary for a general understanding of the picture.

Because of our non-linear perception of sound, there is one more interesting thing: we hear different frequencies at different volumes. Moreover, this difference varies depending on the volume of the sound source.

In 1933, two American physicists invented a graph, which later became known by their last names — “The Fletcher–Munson curves”.

Picture 4. The Fletcher–Munson curves. Source: Wikipedia

In this graph, the loudness level is positioned vertically (relative to the human perception threshold), horizontally — the frequency range. The reference frequency, at which we perceive loudness as it is, it’s at 1000 Hertz.

These lines tell us the following. For example, let’s take a volume of 20 dB SPL. To hear the low frequency (20 Hz) as this particular level of loudness is the same as we hear 1000 Hz, it is necessary to increase low’s volume to 60 decibels. That’s huge. The overall trend is the follows: we hear the low and the high frequencies quieter than the mid ones.

That’s important to understand at least for two reasons:

• Subjectively, we perceive louder music as “better”. Hence why we have a so-called “loudness war”, when on the mastering stage engineers push the volume level so hard; objectively, it becomes worse but makes it better for our subjective perception (yes, that’s the paradox!).
• When we listen to music quietly, the frequency balance changes for our ears — for instance, we hear the bass quieter than the others. Professionals suggest writing music and doing a mixdown on the average loudness level at 80 dB SPL. But please keep in mind that music is one of the few activities which directly affects other people against their will. Respect others and don’t listen to music too loud.

Goes tight? There are plenty of tech talks below. Take a rest, and make a cup of tea.

Waveform

Let’s get back to our imaginary string. Now imagine a more extravagant picture. We attached a pencil to the middle of the string, and it moves up and down along with the vibration of the string. And a paper roll is moving behind this pencil. It turns out that when you pluck the string, the pencil will draw a line. This line is the waveform.

Waveform (or wave shape) is a graphic representation of an object’s vibration, which is needed to reproduce the sound. Not some abstract thing, but a specific visual graph of this particular sound.

In such a way, what sound we hear depends on the waveform. By hearing we perceive it as a timbre.

Sinewave is the simplest wave shape. However, we couldn’t find such simple sounds around us. Moreover, if the instruments had the same waveform, they would sound the same. Fortunately, the piano, the guitar, the violin and hundreds of other instruments sound differently.

In fact, an object wiggles not only in a single spot. If we pluck our imaginary string, it will also vibrate in the middle of its length, then on each third, then fourths and so on. And the smaller this interval, the faster its vibrations are. As a result, we have a series of wiggles, one simple sound on top of another one. This series of vibrations is called harmonics.

Picture 5. The nodes of the vibrating string are harmonics

Harmonics are in mathematical relation to each other, like in harmony: the frequency of each additional vibration on top of the basic one is N times higher, where N is the number of these additional vibrations. In other words, harmonics are multiples of the initial frequency rate.

For example, let’s take some sound on the note “A” of the second octave, A2. Its frequency is 110 Hz. The frequency of the second vibrations in this harmonics is 220 Hz (2×110). The third — 330 (3×110), fourth — 440 (4×110). And so on till the spectrum’s end.

Picture 6. Harmonics

In the example above, the number of 110 — is the basic amount of these particular harmonics, which is called the fundamental frequency. And all wiggles above are called overtones.

Let’s write it down to avoid confusion:

If vibrations are not in mathematical relation to each other, like, not in harmony, we perceive such sound as a noise. For instance, the sound of the waterfall.

Recap

• The sound has three physical properties: amplitude, frequency, and waveform. By hearing we perceive them as loudness, pitch, and timbre.

• The loudness is measured in decibels. The decibels show how loud the sound is only relative to something. As a standard reference level, we use two scales: the threshold of human hearing (0dB SPL — its minimum) and the operating level of digital systems (0dB FS — its maximum).
• The speed of the vibrations is measured in Hertz. The frequency range of the human hearing is 20 Hz — 20000 Hz. We divide this range into three groups: lows, mids, and high frequencies. We hear lows and highs quieter than the mid ones.
• The variety of different sounds is based on the summary of simple vibrations on top of each other — the harmonics. The harmonics are made of fundamental tone and overtones. If the vibrations are not in mathematical relation to each other, we perceive them as noise.

On cover image: vibration of a cymbal in slow-motion. In fact, the solid object acts almost like a liquid, and its vibrations cause the sound. How cool is that?

And the three things I’ve learned

A couple of months ago I promised that I would tell you a story behind the creation of “Genesis”, a result of my collaboration with Cosmithex released on JOOF Recordings.

Genesis, 2015

I’m about to share some really, really rough drafts and show how the track progressed from point “A” where it all started to the point “B” — the version of the track you all know as the final one. You’ve been warned! This is something that most other producers never do, but as I listeners myself I was always curious how things were going behind the scenes, so this is my present for you.

October 2011

I’ve instantly become a huge fan of Cosmithex when I heard his music for the first time. That was a track titled “Projection” from his upcoming album by that time, thanks to John 00 Fleming’s radio show as he always supports new talents. And I told myself that someday I wish to make a remix or to collaborate with this guy because his music was like fresh air to me.

Visions of Sound, 2011

June 2014

I had an album released a few months ago, so I’ve got some confidence in myself. I sent a message to Cosmithex asking if he’s interested in remixing or collaboration, and suddenly he said “yes”.

You don’t ask—you don’t get

By that time I had some new project started, so I sent him this:

This one sounds real far from the “Genesis” you know but bear with me. In fact, this very first sketch has few elements that went into the final production: 133 BPM tempo, C#m key, the pad sound, percussion which you can hear at 0:43, and the melody at the end. And obviously it was a super rough draft just to demonstrate the idea, don’t take a look at the arrangement and sound design as I know it’s terrible.

Also, as you can hear that track quite different from my usual sound, and that’s what I call “out of comfort zone”.

Getting out of comfort zone

I was always wondering how people collaborate technically when they are a thousand kilometres away, and even using different programs (DAWs)? It turned out you can easily set up a shared Dropbox folder and send WAV files to each other. So basically you just rendering all layers as separate files, and it doesn’t matter which plugins or DAW both musicians use because it sounds the same. And it worked for us pretty well.

August 2014

After some work, Cosmithex sent me back his vision:

Dark and tripy, we both certainly liked this one.

On that point, I’ve decided to add some stabs, textures, and effects, while Tanel adds his famous ‘303’ acid sound. Also, I’ve added the voice speech, which pretty much defined the final track’s title:

In the meantime, Cosmithex experimented with the bassline and more melodics, which led to this:

We found upper bassline really likeable but decided to get rid of these strings. In the meantime, we render out and share with each other more layers to experiment with the kick drum, the stabs, and other sounds.

Discussing the details

December 2014

Oh yes, it happens. Almost 4 months passed quickly with a routine as we both had full-time jobs, so almost forgot about the track. Luckily, our enthusiasm hasn’t gone yet.

After some serious thinking, tries and fails, I’ve come up with the all-new melody, which now you know as the main track’s theme:

Then Cosmithex made a fantastic job by putting everything together, including his acid sound by the end, which I love that much:

January 2015

New Year is a tough period for getting things done as everyone is quite busy. Also at that time I’ve moved to a new flat and had to build up a new studio space, which again took me away from the production.

A new studio

I guess I’m a tough person to collaborate with because if I don’t like something, I say it straight as it is. And I’m very thankful to Tanel that he didn’t give up.

Changing the environment and new studio allowed me to hear the track differently, so, in the end, I’ve decided to mixdown all layers by myself as we both felt that the project needs some fresh air.

Finally, this version made us totally enjoyed the result. Hurray!

This is it? Not quite yet, because few more things were still left: get the mastering done, sign it on the label, get remixes done, and then finally release it (hint: it’s been released in August 2015).

As you can see it was quite a long journey, so when I posted a video teaser, my excitement was totally real.

Project overview

What I’ve learned

Three things I’ve learned from this project:

1. Whether you are under pressure of routine, or thing just doesn’t go the way you want, you always have a choice. A choice to give up, or to pull yourself together and finish what you’ve started.
2. Never agree on “okay” result, always aim for the best. I’m really glad both Tanel and I didn’t say “sounds okay, we’re done”. It was quite a tough project, but eventually, we’ve got an excellent track that reached out top charts position and huge feedback from the audience.
3. Set yourself a deadline, it’s a must. Without a specific time frame you risk to stretch out a project for too long, as a result, we have nearly abandoned the project!

And here are the things wish I knew before:

• Re-energizing for music production after 9-6 work
• 5 tips on how to finish tracks
• How to find time for music

“Genesis” has been at #9 spot on the Beatport Top-100 chart and been massively supported by the artists like Jordan Suckley, Christopher Lawrence, Alex Di Stefano, John 00 Fleming and Mark Sherry just to name a few, not mentioning huge fans support for what I am immensely grateful. This blog has been written with consent from Tanel aka Cosmithex.

Read also: My first production experience: flashback to 1999-2005 (Part 1)