Rookie mistakes in techno
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- čas přidán 24. 06. 2024
- Let's take a look at some techno tracks I made 10 years ago, and learn 4 lessons from them so you don't repeat the mistakes of my younger self 😂
(wow the noise examples really got mangled by the video codec, sorry!!!)
- Follow Torc here: / torcaudio
- Follow Face the Sun here: / face-the-sun-be
- My Foundations of Electronic Music course: courses.underdog.brussels/cou...
- My Industrial Techno follow-along course: courses.underdog.brussels/cou...
Contents:
0:00 Intro
0:44 The three tracks
1:51 Lesson 1: Hear what you are doing
4:30 The low limit monitor test
7:43 Lesson 2: Clean up your low end
10:35 Lesson 3: Tonal balance
16:35 Lesson 4: Clarify the groove of the track
21:20 About making rookie mistakes
Torc: soundcloud.com/torcaudio 🔥🔥🔥
Face the Sun: soundcloud.com/face-the-sun-be 🌈🌈🌈
Find Oscar's video courses here: courses.underdog.brussels 🖤🖤🖤
Join the Underdog Discord channel: discord.gg/z5N9CTA 👾👾👾
Could u sometime base a track around Error Func, Flamingo zoom on lucidflow label love to get a understanding on what they are doing with the bass sounds and sharpness of the mids and what sort of sound design they are doing. Lucidflow label is amazing when it comes to production
Yeah techno or GTFO. Great sound and always super insightful and engaging videos! Thanks for sharing them
An important aspect of the Fletcher Munson / Equal Loudness curves, is that they are a DYNAMIC curve, in other words, our perception of EQ balance changes based on the listening level/SPL. It's important to check your mixes at levels that resemble the anticipated SPL the audience will typically experience.
This guy is incredible, not spending too much time with all the small details or DAW technicalities, which we figure out either way, but teaching us the general principles and concepts of what makes a good track. Not only this is useful when producing, but even just listening to EDM, I can now hear what decisions the producer made to make the tracks sound great. Thanks Oscar.
Indeed, thanks a bunch ✌️❤️🙂
Yes he is ❤
This is really great even at the frequency test. As a 49yo beginner I wonder if my hearing of high or low frequencies will effect the music I make. Only 1 BlackSabbath/Motorhead concert in my history 🤣
I’ve been producing for 10+ years and I still learned some things. The way that you’re able to express and articulate your thoughts is direct and easy to understand…Great content bro.
Producing since 1995 and those video are so much pertinent !
Absolutely the best electronic production channel on YT, always so clear and understandable in the way you explain everything! Keep it up!
Another killer tutorial. When he's on his game, Oscar's doing the best Techno tutorials on CZcams.
very cool, i love how roasting your own old tracks allows you to be critical without holding back - much more helpful than analysing other people's tracks where you naturally don't want to demotivate people
That was an excellent video. I really enjoyed it. One other thing I have found helpful with building groove is prioritizing elements and then using notch EQ to cut out the strongest frequencies of your high priority elements in your lower priority elements. So for example if you have a clap that hits with a lot of energy at 800hz, and a noisy texture sound that comes in from say 400 - 4k hz then use an eq to cut a “dip” out of it around the 800hz mark. I’m sure you know this already tho :)
I also knew, but this is a good reminder that i need to do this more often!
This would be what trackspacer would do too right?
I sure did not know this. Thanks for sharing!
Yep! You can notch and you can also sidechain so that every time that clap hits, the noisy texture slightly dips. I do both depending on the sounds being used.
Yes indeed. I think it is important to do the stuff that Oscar was talking about first. That way you probably don't need as much eq (ie shallower notches). This is where dynamic eq comes to the fore. That way the noisy texture (as you put it) is only affected when the clap hits. I always use dymanic eq and sidechaining for the Kick and Bass. It's like magic. Whomever invented it should get a Nobel Peace Award IMO 😄
Reason does have a handy frequency display. It's the large button with the wiggly line just below the yellow EQ tab on the SSL mixer. Super useful.
I was just scrolling through to see if anybody had pointed that out
Story of my life around 20 years ago in ReBirth and Fruity Loops - tracks I made are dry as Sahara sand - I wish I had back then all the resources that CZcams can give you today. But I hope for a new fresh start now.
definitely the most util and necesarie videos of music production on the entire known internet
Man, based on your early monitoring situation..I’m impressed!
Thanks for sharing your early work, that takes a lot of courage! And great tips, as always
This is the tutorial I needed 10 years ago... maybe I wouldn't have given up....
It's never too late to try again bro
lets give it another try man keep it up bro
If you're watching this, I'd say you haven't given up.
You can always try again
Cool video. Been producing for just over a year and your videos and other you tubers sure help. Still learning but see progression in my soundcloud so good for you to share your earlier work to aspire others to get better.
This is one of you best videos Oscar, thank you! And I can only confirm, learning gain staging and using references is crucial for a good sound. Took me way too long to realise that.
Been watching a bunch of your videos while beginning and learning how to create tracks (only about a year and a half experience). Thank you for what you do!
Wow! I heard so many of my own mistakes in your examples Oscar! That groove tip is a game changer!
the audible groove and overall feeling of a techno track was awesome insight. i would love to see you do a video of building a groove, and balancing the various elements in real time to make a coherent groove that works really well! thank you for your videos, loving your content.
Extremely useful info in this video and also in all your underdog clips from your channel. ❤
Wow. I am 8 months into production and this was a lightbulb video for me. Thank you!!
Each video I'm amazed at how much I can learn thanks to you. And I'm not even trying to produce music, but my listening experience is greatly enhanced - now, I'm gonna pay attention to the tonal balance of my favorite tracks for instance. Thanks !!
Thanks for the incredible content Oscar! Best electronic music teacher I have ever listened to. (And please keep up the Reason videos!)
Along with good speakers, I found that my room was also important. When I first started I played in my basement which had a concrete floor, finished walls, and no drop ceiling. All the surfaces were relfective. This resulted in me fighting mud that surfaced after the sound left my PAs. My new "studio" in my next house has carpet on the floor, a drop cieling, and I made acoustic panels from rigid 3M fiberglass panels. Plus theres soft furniture in the room. So, there is much less mud. Good headphones would eliminate that for everyone but I like to mix on the PAs I am going to use so there are less surprises.
Thanks Oscar for your time and efforts in sharing your knowledge. Peace.
I love how practical your examples are, especially the relationship with white, pink, and brown noise and how that relates to looking at a track's RMS and LUFS. Absolutely brilliant. I have several tracks that I really like, but they have a lot of issues despite all of the other tutorials I've watched about tonal balance and mastering, and this one video has given me a real plan to address what has been getting me stuck for months. Your videos always take me 500% longer to go through because I take so many notes. ;)
Cheers, so happy it's helpful ✌✌😁
Wow! Very important Stuff right on the point explained with your own Story, Examples and Mistakes. Really enjoyed this Video :-)
Thank you, for taking the time to teach for free. I appreciate what I learned from you and it has helped me immensely. I just wanted to say thank you.
Thanks. Best EDM teacher I have seen on youtube. I am struggling with choice paralysis so I like how you break things down. Also you seem like a thoroughly nice bloke! Wishing you the best with your channel and music. M.
Amazing auto analysis and criticism.
I don't recall I ever seen any video like this.
Very helpful.
Started to follow after I've watched one of your video about the rumble on reason.
You're my man.
Big thanks 🤜🤛
this is my fav channel so glad I found it.
Your teaching style is next level. Clear and precise. You have helped me so much and I thank you! 😉
You are an amazing teacher and really great in explanations! ❤
I'm really enjoying these videos, so insightful. Thanks Oscar.
Yet another video of yours that I will have little use for, because I don't produce music, but watched from beginning to end because it's so fascinating and well explained. Thanks for the Torc recommend too. I have a 20 hour playlist of Pure Techno on Spotify so I'll be adding a couple of your tracks to it. Listening to Transistor Fey right now 😃👌
Absolutely love this comment! :)
@@cmpc724 I tinkered in the past (I've been experimenting with sound and DJ'd since my teens in the 80s!) but these days my time is spent filming and video editing. There's still a lot of crossover though, which is why I love this channel so much.
You continue to give us gold - thanks!
Great video! This made me feel finally understand at least some basics. Now have to test it on my tracks 😁
This video was bloody fantastic. Just what I was looking for! THANK YOU
I’ve learned more in this 22 minuet video than I did in the years of ‘experimenting’.
Eureka moment.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your great tips always!!!
What a great teacher you are!
SUPER useful tips!! Thank you very much, you have a great way to communicate your knowledge.
You are the best! It's so easy to learn with you man!
Dude you are an amazing teacher, thanks for your work. Honest and clear.
Another great and very useful video. I also wish I had all the help available now when I was younger. Thank you Oskar. A suggestion for a video about fails... Sidechain.
this guy is amazing, so passionate, always learn a lot from short videos :)
Great tips!
pls more Videos like this, this realy helps so much!!
Awesome video! A quick tipp in regards to high-passing (or a little addition to your tipp on listening to the sound "thinning out"): Consider the key your song is in and root notes you use in your music. If the lowest note in your song is an A, you should cut frequencies a few semitones below that note, as to not take away the "foundation" of your sound (e.g. an A1 is 110 Hz, so you should maybe start cutting at somewhere around 100 Hz).
Really all in in this video! Thanks! 👍
Fastest click of my goddamn life. Love your content (but techno especially ;D)
You're an excellent teacher and it takes a lot of heart to criticize your own tracks in such a way. Thank you. Groove is huge for me right now. Refusing to touch the 'Swing' knob and doing everything manually, nudging drums on the grid at 960 PPQ. Can already tell it's making me better.
This is just excellent advice, a truly great lesson on some very important fundamentals. Even though I know these lessons instinctively, I'm not certain I could have articulated them as well as this. Thanks! This is very useful. I wish I had seen it three years ago!
Great job, easy to understand, i learn a lot with your videos, many thanks
incredibly useful, I have been making most of these mistakes myself at the beginning and wish I had been explained this back then!
Very useful indeed, you are very clever because nobody has ever explained it too me like you do. I actually learned something 😁👍thanks
Very pleasant and easy to understand. Can I really confirm everything exactly like that. Also, how well he gets to the heart of the important things will save many a beginner many years of frustration. And you also get a rough structure that helps you to find a start and to keep track. Thank you. 😀
GREAT idea for a tutorial! Thank you!
i really like this video and your reasoning, very interesting, well done mate.
So many answers in this video! amazing class
Always great advise, thanks :)
Absolutely incredible and invaluable video. Thank you for sharing!! 😎👍🎶🎵👏👏
I love your videos, big up!
Just what i needed, thanks Oscar!
You're freakin fuckin amazing thanks for the quality content mate
Really interesting and informative, learned a few things, Thanks!
Great video and content as always....
I’ve learned so much from your videos, and I really appreciate your work that you do. 🙏
Btw. On a side note; I watched this on my iPad without headphones & I could surprisingly still hear the sound down to 34~33Hz 😄
Lesson #1 learned from this video: the built-in iphone speaker is surprisingly good at reproducing low frequencies! I could still hear the operator quite well a bit below 100 Hz. Not that I do any production on my iphone, but… maybe I should? I’ve got a bunch of music apps on my ipad, they’re quite fun to fiddle around with sound design…
Listening on my crappy 2015 MacBook Pro, and somehow I'm able to hear all the way down to 70Hz (though it's very quiet)?? That's like...a LOT better than I expected.
Yes I’m shocked at how Apple did this. I’ve mixed songs for artists and if it doesn’t translate well on my iPad speakers, I need to do so more surgery
I do all my production in iOS - we now have enough decent apps and plugins to compete with desktop systems and there are various setups you can configure to your liking. Mixdowns are another matter, but we’re slowly getting there too!
My Shure Aonic 215 earphones didn't have any drop off at all. Could even hear it when the frequency got so low it started to disentangle from a tone to a vibrating series of clicks. Just as well I use them when producing on the move! 😂
In this interview with Rampa of Keinemusik, he tells that he does all his mixdowns on his macbook speakers. His way to check the sub and bass was by feeling the soundbar while laying on his couch.
My first comment ever on your channel. I just want to let you know that you are the best teacher here on entire CZcams. Especially covering all type of music not just techno. But you are my go to techno teacher. Love your content.
Thank yoooouuuu 🩵
Thanks for these advices! Cheers from Madrid.
Thanks Oscar! You make musical world better! I wish you a good luck!
Thank you sir very well explained I'm sure takes a lot of practice on the tips you shared ❤️
I LOVE this!! ❤
Great video ✋❤️
Useful stuff as always
Hi Oscar! About a year ago when I first watched this video I did the frequency test with my cheap headset and way above the 45-40 Hz level, I couldn't hear a thing. I just got a new pro-level headset, and the first thing I remembered was this video. I'm so happy that I can hear those frequencies with this headset. I'm very happy your channel is doing great. Thank you for your content. I hope to become one of your students soon.
bruh, your tutorials are amazing, but your techno is even better :D
Some solid advice here, thanks a lot.
I enjoyed this video, especially describing what I hear.
Useful as always
i may be a musical illiterate, but I like the snippets of Hedon and Instinct massively.
Brilliant advice cheers 👌😁☮
Thank you so much for this video !
Excellent presentation. Thank you. You have one more subscriber xx
Still hearing 30Hz, 27Hz was more like feeling than hearing :D
great video ! thank you !! keep doing good job :)
I needed this 24 hour ago before i released my first Techno song 😂
Excellent stuff as usual. Regarding the speaker frequency response test: I've never bothered to actually do one for my laptop as I avoid doing anything mixing or sound-design related on anything other than my studio monitors, but since I watch many videos like this on my Macbook (Pro, 2018), I thought I'd give it a try and hear how bad (or not) its speakers are. In the video itself the sound disappeared around 50hz, but when I opened up Max/MSP and swept a sine wave down manually I still had sound down to around 35-40hz, which was interesting. Perhaps something to do with CZcams video compression. Regardless, my Macbook did better than I expected!
Yeah, it's probably compression. Compression algorithms tend to widen the lower frequencies, while cutting the higher ones. You are right about even 50 Hz being quite impressive for laptop speakers.
hey mate , always brillant u are , thx a lot
I am most impressed how those old tracks still load in your Ableton version. I have lost numerous tracks through incompatibilities. That's why I stopped using Ableton at some point.
So I was curious and decided to test this out on my Airpod Pro Max... 28.2 HZ. I wish latency wasn't a thing with bluetooth. This is an amazing video!
80 euros should be enough for a pair of MDR 7505 headphones.
Mixing only on phones alone isn't great, but it's probably better than just bookshelf speakers.
And then look at the spectrogram and compare to good mixes :-)
Also, the noise signals were totally garbled by CZcams compression, even on high quality.
I wonder if there's something we as creators can do to improve this?
Yeah it's super annoying! This happens when I use AAC as the audio codec. Using PCM doesn't have that problem but the filesize is too large then I think for a video this long. A bit of a dilemma :/
@@OscarUnderdog Thanks for that information, I'll do that 😉
I remember discovering sidechain... it was gift from heaven 🤯
Love your videos.... I suffered the same really and only appreciated what your saying when i bought my KRK ROKIT monitors....They are just awesome for me..... Not sure if you know either (i assume you do) but if you press F2 in REASON it bring up a full spectrum analyser EQ box where you can adjust LPF, HPF for each track using a more familiar style line curve...
Real dope. Thank you so much.
Great video! ✨
Wow, the low limit monitor test was really insightful!! I don't have "real" studio monitors, but I do have a fairly high end (not super audiophile) stereo system with a nice powered subwoofer.....I could hear fine down to 36Hz, and then there was a dip where I couldn't hear anything down to 31Hz, and then the sound came back until 27Hz where it disappeared again.
Savage! :D
Much fun, good idea for a video. Thx for the tips.
Very relatable as well (I would cringe so hard at my own tracks amai haha).
Actually amazed that my phone didn't drop out until 117 🤣🤣
Great vid, thank you!!
Oscar, on the topic of monitoring while mixing, i know having good "monitors is vital, I had those about 6years ago. Before i became a dad of 2. Now that the kids are growing up;
I found more time to pick up the producing again. I bought myself the BD DT770 pro, 25Oohm with amp ofcourse, together with sonarworks reference, to flatten the headphone as much as possible.
Now my question,
Is it even possible to do a full, mix to master all on these headphones. I found my mixes decent & on a B&W audio setup in my car so far, & better than expected..
Am i doing my work any bad by only using those headphones & the car audio system to compare..
BTW, keep up your great work man. One of the best teachers on youtube, for me, you keep everything very erngaging.
Good job
Hey man! Nice work, sounds like you have a pretty good system going on. If it sounds good on a variety of systems, you can be pretty confident in your mixdowns! Especially if your car has pretty beefy subs!
Thanks, indeed, when i reference on the harman|kardon system in my car (i was wrong on the brand lol), they sound exactly as intended just like in die dt770, i was just wondering this, Because i always see you wearing them while explaining & producing.
Good to hear i shouldn't think twice about the accuracy of them beyers.
Looking forward to attend to your online course some time.