PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production Modern Sound_Very Quick Tutorial

Hey,

To follow another thread in BIAB, there is tons of stuff to make "modern sounds" in BIAB.

Modern is about 4 things:

1. Bass.

2. Loops.

3. Kit Drums over loops.

4. Less is more.

The screenshots below show a "doctored" approach to a Rapstyle in BIAB. _Raprock.style

Using this a starting point, I killed the electric, and added a chill loop to the drums used here. (See picture.)

If too hard to see, I replaced some tracks in the style by going to Select Real Tracks in existing tracks in the style Raprock and adding:

Acoustic 703

Acoustic 2678

Chillout Loop Destiny 71



I might also open another BIAB file later and select Rock Hard LA drums ( I think that's what they are called) export those drums, and mix those in as well inside the DAW project for like the second verse to end.

I.e, you want to "pile percussion" on but do it in phases, and cut it up some so the drum mix is constantly changing. Your goal is to hypnotize people and keep them guessing. You want them to go into a trance.

And use some acoustic guitar. See the choices I have made in the screen shot but experiment. (I know they are hard to read in the screenshot so I gave them above.)

If at loss for chord progressions, go the demos of the techno, ballad, or electronica styles and study the chord progressions. Again, less is more. Keep listening to demos and study them until you see the very simple progressions that work.

Then, go to the mic like Mick Jagger and just start babbling some stuff until you hear stuff that sounds cool coming out of your mouth. Don't "try" to write modern lyrics. Just keep babbling away like Mick and have fun until you hear the right words coming out. You will know the hook when you hear it. Let the music tell you what to sing, not the other way around. Record what you babble. Keep the good stuff.

Then when you go to add additional tracks be SPARSE.

You maybe only need one other guitar or a simple catchy synth riff you can play yourself.

Keep it SIMPLE.

If you find yourself going over 6 or 7 tracks you have gone too far.

Put one cool riff left and one cool riff right and sing down the middle and you will be good.

That is modern.

Give it a whirl and experiment.

If you use electric, please load your free amplitube that came with your package and study the drop down presets by right clicking on the track.

See screenshot.

Trust me. All you need to make modern stuff is here, you just have to study it and mix some really simple stuff.

For EQ go to Variety of Sound (google it) and download their entire free package of VSTS if you are using Real Band. (They are 32 bit.) There is a great free reverb rack here and other tools to put on the drums and vox. Master them.

But some Variety of Sound BootEQ on the drums or a bus compressor with glue if you have good paid stuff.

You will be sounding like Beck in no time.

Just make the drums and bass pop and the acoustic snap.

Give us a cool synth riff with 5 notes and sing some happy lyrics that will make us smile.

The Grammy's are yours.

Peace out.