Organics, Dynamics, and EQing

One common problem with most amateur productions is that a synthesized drumline may sound 'stiff.' This all boils down to natural dynamics when you compare it with a recording. This can be simply remedied by taking your 1-bar loop and turning it into 4-bars, and shifting the beats over a few milliseconds. You have to listen carefully, however, as you have to match the drum beats with any other elements in the track. In certain positions the drum will clash with other waveforms being played and increase the muddy sound, while in others it will breath through. This comes down to the unfortunate limits of technology, as there is a 96Db cap in the bitrate. If two waves acting in similar fashion cross the same path, their Db count will add to eachother and cause clipping. Creating the proper offset will avoid this and the waves will bounce opposingly, allowing for more sound information to pound through. Beyond this, you can create multiple different offsets that work to create an organic rhythm within your 4-bar loop.

On this note, I would also like to cover some EQing basics. You may notice when producing that there will be some instruments that clash in frequencies. In other instances, you may just want to boost certain frequencies to make a sound 'pop.' Whenever you make an increase in one instrument, make a similar cut in the second instrument that clashes. Use a middle to high Q setting whenever you make a boost, but with the cut always use a very low Q. If you do not use a low Q on the cut, you will produce a hollow sound that only damages the instrument.

In my time working with music, I noticed that some producers prefer to only perform subtractive edits on their EQs. When there is a lot going on in a track I see this being a smart move. Experiment to see what sounds best to your ears. More importantly, every track is different. There is no perfect formula that can be used as a generalized solution. Practice makes perfect - and understanding what compression, reverb, delays, EQs, etc. does allows you to know exactly when and how to use them to come up with the cleanest sound possible.

Layering, Tension, and Compression

One of the most important aspects of creating a solid mix is to layer your instruments. Each layer is meant to further mix the instrument into the track and to refine the idea. 

As an example, to build a proper snare, you will probably find yourself layering multiple sound samples to build a thick and full instrument. You want a woody base in the low frequency ranges of 500-1500hz, a nice crunch at the mid-range of 2000-5000hz, and then a third high-frequency crisp to even it off at the 5000+. Each of these frequency ranges will generally require an individual sample properly mixed into the track. All the snare samples are then compressed together with a slow attack and fast release to keep the transients snappy. Most people will also make a duplication of this instrument to apply processing, such as reverb on the mid crunch.

The concept of layering is not only applied to individual instruments but in the way all the instruments of the track interact with each other. You should intentionally place every note in the midi sequence either on top of the kick or snare, to lead up to a kick or snare (as to create tension), or intentionally off-beat from the rest as to create swing. In dance music, where the kick and clap is 4x4, you may notice that an instrument always starts on the first beat of the measure to layer with the kick. Perhaps it layers with the snare also, or intentionally does not. This is called music theory, and unfortunately it is extremely complex - but hopefully you have been able to understand my simplifications of it.

Ordering of patches

I'm going to take a break today and move onto a more advanced Reason topic.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you can press the 'tab' key to flip your rack around. As you'll notice, there are many wires in which you can unplug and replug into tens of outlets on each patch. In a sense, you are layering from birth (oscillator) to the final product (mixer), and each patch inbetween these two points in an individual layer. Layering is a key concept in almost every program, and even in programming itself (especially object-oriented programming)!

The above picture is an example of HTML table layering. You start with the original square, and through individual layered cuts you have the final cell product. Patch layering in Reason is quite similar in a metaphorical sense.

I was talking with PotatoFinger the other day, who is part of the famous dubstep duo PotatoFinger & Fabian. I asked him how he orders the patches to his reese. His response was: "Instrument-eq-comp-scream-eq-unison-comp-stereoimager-scream-eq-vocoder (for the eq)-comp-maximizer." Now to a newbie to Reason this may seem like jibberish, but if you know what you're looking at this is a pretty golden setup. Notice how an EQ is always placed BEFORE the compressor and not after. EQing is always placed after a distortion patch (hence why it's always available within the Scream unit, handy eh? The frequencies on which it operates are hard set within the program... so unless it sounds good to your ends, don't use it.). At the end of the chain, he compresses and THEN maximizes it.

The word of advice is to pay attention to the order of patches in your chains. You'll notice that certain combinations work beautifully together, while if you reorder them they will work against eachother. The best way to figure this out, however, is to understand what each individual module does. So keep reading!

Filters explained

Within the Reason package you will have access to four generic filter types:

1. Low Pass Ladder
2. State Variable
3. Comb
4. Formant

These filters are handy tools that help you further shape the frequencies being produced by the oscillators by cutting out or boosting the ranges you want. It is key to look at these filters as only one step of a whole process, isolating the frequencies you want to be modified by other tools in your toolbox. 

The Low Pass Ladder and State Variable filters function using similar algorithms. I have made the following diagram for you to summarize their effects - let the X axis represent the frequency and the Y axis represent the signal's amplitude:

To go into further detail, the Low Pass Ladder is strictly a low-pass filter with various parameters. In Propellerhead's software (and other VSTs), you will notice that there is a 6, 8, 12, 16, and 24 option next to the frequency knob. With these you can set the rate of subtraction in decibels per octave in correspondence to the filter cutoff point. Now that you are thinking in those terms, you can see that it is -6db/octave, -8db/octave, and so on.

Lastly, the Comb filter simply adds a delayed version of the signal to itself. This will in effect add or cancel out certain frequencies along the spectrum being run through the filter. The Comb filter is most effective for creating that wide, ensemble-type sound. It is also staple to be put over a Dubstep wobble-bass.

The limits of filters don't end here. While their function is simple enough, it is in the application of them where they really shine. Try combining a low-pass with a high-pass filter to manually produce a band-pass filter, and in between the two filters you can apply as many effects as you want to produce a truly unique sound. Another tip I would like to mention is to utilize the ADSR envelopes in conjunction with the filters.

Oscillators explained

Propellerhead Reason's VSTi is a very general machine. The concepts behind all their designs are general purpose in the sense that these algorithms are a compilation of almost all that are used in other programs, hardware units, and synthesizers you can get on the market. Understanding the concepts behind them is important to being able to use them effectively on ANY machine, and this should not be taken as a specification manual geared directly toward Propellerhead's software.


Press the down arrow on one of the OSC slots. You will get a drop-down list of all the available oscillator generators within Reason. The differences between them are the way in which the waveform is generated. However, there will be 4 options common to all the oscillators - KBD, Octave, Semi, and Tune. KDB is the only one we haven't talked about yet, so let's define that.

KDB - Turning this knob all the way up will snap the frequency generated to it's corresponding note being played on the sequencer. If it is turned all the way down, you will always hear the note defined by the Octave/Semi/Tune knobs.

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oscillator types

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ANALOG:

The Analog generator is the most basic oscillator. It will produce one of 4 wave-types:
1 - Sawtooth
2 - Square
3 - Triangle
4 - Sine

NOTE: With the square, you are given the option to change the PW(pulse width). It does exactly as visually described on the knob. Using this will only help further fine-tune your instrument. I can only wonder why this option is not included for the rest of the analog waves... someone wasn't paid enough!
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 WAVETABLE:

Wavetable synthesis began with PPG Wave Computers in their PPG 2.x series and beyond, dating the methodology to 1981. It is interesting to note that almost all advancements in music production in recent times came about with the birth of the electronic age. There has been little innovation before OR after, due to constraints of technology. Rather, the biggest moves in the music industry have been in manipulating these age-old tools in new ways - something that would have sounded terrible in disco music in the 80s may now sound brilliant and a perfect fit in EDM music today.

Within the wavetable oscillator you have access to different wavetables. A wavetable is multiple sound samples digitally coded into a single file which are subsequently mapped out onto a mathematical table. Using the Position knob, you can browse through the different samples within the table. Pressing the "X-fade" switch on will have the program mathematically fade  between the different sample types instead of a sudden shift when changing from, say, a sine wave to a triangle.


Wavetables are designed so that you can map the ADSR envelopes(attack, decay, sustain, and release) to the position knob. For example: what this will do is that when you are attempting to replicate something like a trumpet, the initial attack of the note will be bright(timbre of a trumpet sound located at the top of the table), and will decay into the sustained body of the note which is naturally dull(bottom of the wavetable).

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PHASE MODULATION:

Phase modulation synthesis was developed by Casio in 1980. In computer terms, it is the manipulation of the processor's clock speed to produce new waveforms from simple analog ones. This can be best described as the sample is processed very fast, up until the highest point in the wavetable. At this point, the processor will then clock very slowly before returning to it's normal speed.

Take a look at the diagram on the right and you can see how a sine(green) can be morphed into a square(black) by slowing the clock speed at the highest point in the sine wave(red vertical lines).

In Reason, the clock-rate is modified by the PM(pulse modulation) knob. Like the Wavetable oscillator, you want to apply the ADSR envelopes or even an LFO onto the PM knob to get the most out of your synth.

Thor synthesizer explained

The Thor layout is pretty easy upon first glance. Follow the arrows and you will generally understand the flow of the sound signal from it's birth - the oscillator, to it's final output of the master volume(located at the top left of the Tho unit). Let's break it down further.

Within Thor, you have access to the following:

1. Oscillators
     - This is where you select the soundwave type. It will create a very basic sound that can be further refined using the rest of the thor unit. 

2. Filters
     - The filter overlays on top of the Oscillator's sound. It will cut out, or boost certain frequencies along the sound spectrum.

3. Shaper
     - The shaper further refines the waveform via mathematical algorithms. 

4. LFOs
     - These are a separate waveform generator used in programming other functions.

5. Delay
     - Repeats any played notes over time like an echo.

6. Chorus
     -  Chorus is created by adding a slightly delayed, pitch-modulated version of a sound to the original sound.

7. Mod Envelopes
     - This is another feature used in programming functions. Instead of using a waveform as it's base like the LFO, the mod envelope is based around Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release functions which we will delve into later.

8. Matrix Sequencer
     - The matrix is a mini-sequencer within the Thor unit.

9. Programmer
     - This is the core of Thor's advanced audio manipulation. Through this, you can tie together various parts of the Thor unit to produce something completely different from the original set-up.


Understanding the processes behind all the knobs is important to achieving the sound you want, even if you do decide to work only by using and customizing pre-made patches. Next, we will individually dissect each of these modules one by one.

Propellerhead Reason's layout explained

Open a blank Reason file, and you will notice two separate windows:

1. DEVICE RACK
2. SEQUENCER 

The device rack is your hardware emulator. From this window, you can add a device and program it to create the sounds you want - not much unlike as if you bought a physical unit from the store!

The sequencer is what ties all the devices together. From here you can write the midi sequences(the melodies and their arrangements) and control automations on the knobs contained within the device rack.

TIP: By default, the sequencer and device rack will be combined into a single window upon starting up Reason. You can separate them for user-friendliness clicking Window(next to Options and Help) at the top and selecting Detach Sequencer from the drop down menu.
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Moving back to the Device Rack:

Within the device rack you can right-click on empty space to open the Patch List in which you can generate a 'patch'. A patch is basically a hardware sound-production unit that is emulated into the Reason software package. Propellerhead, the creator of Reason, had tried to keep their music production package as faithful as possible to the original pieces of hardware that birthed the electronic genre. For instance, while in the device rack you can press the TAB key which will flip all the devices around and you can literally rewire the units as if it was really right in front of you! This is also key, because the actual ordering of effects/mastering on top of the instrument changes the final output sound dramatically.

Within this patch list, you will notice the following separated by bars:

1. Mixers
     - A mixer is a unit in which you can plug multiple synthesizer patches, and control their individual volume levels.

2. Synthesizers
     - The synthesizer is the root unit. It produces the sounds, or in the case of a drum kit, it will utilize samples pulled from audio clips.

3. Mastering Tools
     - Mastering tools are what refine the sound to make your track as pleasing to the ear as possible and to get the most out of a speaker system.

4. Effects
     - Effects are applied onto your synthesizer to make the instrument base more interesting, add flow, or to produce a specific vibe.

5. Splitters/Mergers
     - Splitters and Mergers are used to split an audio or effect signal into two separate copies. With an effect signal, these means you can apply the same reverb effect on two different synthesizers instead of making two custom reverb units respectively.

Let us move on to basic synthesis using the Thor Unit. Create a THOR patch - it is located in the list of synthesizers.

NOTE: You must be using atleast Reason v4.0 to create a Thor patch.