Random Volume or Resonance
Create an auxiliary track and set the grid to sixteenth notes. Use the random pencil tool so that the volume of the track jumps up and down by about two to six decibels, depending on the desired effect. Add a high pass filter, low pass filter, harmonic enhancement, resonance filter, or whatever kind of effect that you would like jump in and of the mix to give it a more organic or variant sound. Add a plugin to the track that lets you adjust the volume without changing the automation on the track. This same trick can be applied to parameters of a plugin to create a variety of interesting effects. This trick often sounds best when done in parallel with the original track to help maintain consistency. More than one parallel track can be added with different effects to subtly change the characteristics of the instrumentation during the course of the song.
Dave Pensado’s Rhythm Randomization
Quantized midi tracks can sound sterile. To add variance to the rhythm of the track, shift the track to be early by a few milliseconds. Then use the mod delay to randomize the delay of the track by twice the amount the track was shifted by. The goal is to have the track jump around a few milliseconds to change how it interacts with other notes in the composition, making it sound more organic.
Dave Pensado’s Bass Technique
Create three auxiliary tracks and use band pass filters so that the low frequency track ranges from 20 Hz – 150 Hz, the mid frequency track ranges from 150 Hz to 1 KHz, and the high frequency track ranges from 1 KHz up to whatever upper frequency is determined appropriate for the bass (generally between 7 KHZ and 12 KHz). Put a compressor set at a compression ratio of between 6:1 and 10:1 on the low end frequency band and insert the kick as a sidechain input. Audible drops in the volume of the bass are fine. Put the low frequency band in mono using a Brainworx Mono_Maker or by moving one of the stereo tracks to the center, and deleting the other. Add stereo imaging or other effects to the high frequency band.
To compensate for the audible ducking of the bass, run the bass and kick to an auxiliary track and add some light compression to glue them together. Be sure to use non-linear EQs before splitting tracks such as the Neve, API, etc., and then use linear phase EQs after tracks have been split.
Hush Effect
The first step in creating the hush effect is to create two mono auxiliaries and pan them hard left and hard right. Add a quarter note delay with no feedback on one of the tracks and a half note delay with no feedback on the other track. Send an auxiliary out from the left track to the input on the right track and vice versa. Add a distortion plugin to each track, preferably different distortions and settings. Run a band pass filter on each auxiliary track cutting out everything below 400 Hz and everything above 3 KHz. Automating the parameters of the EQ bandpass using the random pencil tool may add interesting effects. Adding other effects such as chorus, flange, etc. maybe be interesting.
Stereo High/Low Pass Effect
Create two mono auxiliary tracks. Put a high pass on one of the tracks at 800 Hz and add 18 milliseconds of delay. Put a low pass on the other track at 1100 Hz and add 22 milliseconds of delay. Run both tracks to a stereo auxiliary track and automate panning to get the desired effect. Make sure that the tracks are panned to opposite sides.
Typical Background Vocal Treatment
Boost 5 KHz and cut 7 KHz with a moderate Q. Boost 15 KHz with a broad Q. Consider using multiple instances of de-essing in series to pull out the sibilance and give background vocals a pad-like sound.
Four on the Floor
Avoid using a quarter note kick at the same time as vocals are occurring.
Kick and Snare Hitting Together
In the unusual case that the kick and snare are hitting at the same time, break the snare into frequency bands so that there is a 200Hz and lower channel and a 200Hz and higher channel. Put a compressor on the 200Hz and lower channel and run the kick into the sidechain input so that the snare’s low frequency information drops out whenever the kick hits.
Mike Elizondo’s Drum Panning
Automate the pan on drums to go to one side and the volume to go down about 3-4 decibels right before going into a chorus. This will make the drums feel bigger when they come in, giving a perceived boost in the energy of the chorus.
Risers and Swells
Use risers and transitional swells such as rising pink noise, wind sounds, rising tone, swoosh with increasing pitch, etc. Risers usually go up, but they sometimes go down. One technique is to take the ending phrase and use Vari-Fi to pitch it down as the phrase ends.
Start Narrow and Build Wide
Mixes sound like they’re growing in power if they start with a lot of the low end content in mono and then move into stereo when they hit the chorus. Increased widening throughout the course of the song can also make it feel like it’s gaining in power.
Vocal Intro
Try cutting out the high frequency band of pitched instruments such as synths, brass, flutes, etc. on the first beat when the vocal phrase begins.
Pencil Tool Pumping
Set the Pro Tools grid to a quarter note. Use the rectangular pen tool to draw a volume automation that pumps the volume up and down by 3 to 6 decibels. Make sure that the volume automation is loudest during the first part of each bar, so that the first quarter note in each bar is louder than the second quarter note. Try changing the grid so that the first quarter note is lower in volume than the second quarter note if you want to emphasize a back beat feel. Also try using sixteenth notes, eighth notes, half notes, and triplets.
Hi-Hat Reduction
Try delaying the hi-hat by between three and eight milliseconds to decrease the perceived volume.
By Jack Johnston
Jack Johnston has a Master’s of Arts in Applied Linguistics from the New School University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Western Governors University, and a Master’s in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University.