Create Depth Without Using Reverb and Mix Synth Pads Around Vocals

HOW TO: Add depth without 'drowning in reverb' and draw a quick picture to work out the space needed for vocals and synths

Weiss Sound | Audio Mixing and Mastering

Accomplished Mixing and Mastering Engineer Matthew Weiss (!llmind, 9th Wonder, Dizzee Rascal) shows how to use slapback delay, harmonic saturation and distortion to add depth to a track without, as The Pro Audio Files say, drowning it in reverb.

These are the little things that help create a little bit more depth and little bit more harmonic richness to your sound... It's this little game of inches that, a lot of times, accumulates to a really great sounding mix.

And if that wasn't enough for you, Justin of Modern Mixing (http://modernmixing.com) shows you how to make synth pads wide, haunting and with enough space for the lead vocal.

Says Justin about the video:

'The original sound gave me a haunting, mysterious vibe, I wanted to accentuate it...I wanted to create something that takes up a wider spectrum, but wraps around the vocal, whilst carving out space for the vocal too.'

This video gets extra props for showing just how much actually drawing how you want you track to sound can help. With the simplest of paint applications and a couple of colours, Justin literally illustrates just what type of sound and effect he is after.

This video shows just how much drawing how you want you track to sound can help. With the simplest of paint applications and a couple of colours, Justin literally illustrates what type of sound and effect he is after.

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About The New Beatmaker

Hi! I'm Lee. Welcome to my blog. Here we talk music: news, reviews, interviews, tips, tutorials and more. I'm also working on the upcoming podcast Influenced as a guest, writer and researcher alongside music aficionado Mark Williams and friends. Watch this space!

I have been a lover of music for as long as I can remember, an amateur lyricist for 25 years, a music writer for 15 years and a hobbyist musician and blogger for almost 10 years.

My tastes range from jazz to house to hip hop and I love helping artists from all genres develop their sound.

My music, videos, reviews and interviews have been featured in a variety of magazines and websites, including:

B-Boy Tech Report
Gimme That Beat
Humanhuman
Audio Skills
Dream House Beats
Where Did the Road Go
Beat Tape Co-Op
Push Power Promo
Drum Magazine

You can find my music on Bandcamp:
Monkey Mind Sounds AKA LeeTNB

And you can find me on Facebook:
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The Theory For Our Revenge 'OBORO'

REVIEW: Japanese multimedia art duo make a great first impression with their mix of industrial, trap and operatic pop

The following is a paid for review and post, via humanhuman (see below).

It is always an honour and a pleasure to receive new music to check out and review; especially when it's as enjoyable a listening experience as this first offering from The Theory For Our Revenge is.

The Theory For Our Revenge are COLD FAITH and Jhas; a Japanese music production, fashion stylist and visual art duo.

Their debut single ,'OBORO', is a slice of experimental electro-trap / operatic-art-pop.

Starting with an industrial sounding chugging and churning, the track moves into frosty, haunting melodies.

It's in these opening bars that the only potential hiccup occurs.

Around the 0:38 and 1:12 marks there's a jagged synth whistle which is potentially painful to an earbud wearing listener.

Admittedly I am very sensitive to certain high pitch frequencies.

However, to remedy this I wo…

Georgel ‘Colibrí’

REVIEW: 'Colibrí' highlights Georgel’s potential as a superstar in the making

It is always an honour and a pleasure to receive new music to check out and review; especially when it's as enjoyable a listening experience as Georgel’s ‘Colibri’.

A slice of swaggering, sensual, big band pop, ‘Colibri’ is a superb offering from the singer songwriter.
‘Colibrí’ immediately demands listener attention thanks to punchy horn stabs, satisfying drum fills and Georgel’s strong vocals. Listener attention is maintained throughout due to the athletic and theatrical flair of both vocals and instrumentation. These theatrics never descend into ham or kitsch.

The hook is slinky and sensual, adding an extra layer to an already super-enjoyable cut. The memorable arrangement and vocals, together with professional mixing and mastering mean the song would be as much at home in a big-budget Hollywood musical or Broadway show as it would be on your favourite music streaming service.

A slice of swag…

The New Beatmaker

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