The first part of this 3 part series is dedicated to:

Sub Bass! 

Yep, the really low low low how low can you go aspect of DnB.

To be honest the Sub Bass part isn’t too difficult as long as you follow a few simple rules.

1. Sub Bass is really hard to get right in the mix and your Bedroom/Studio room probably isn’t helping in any way  so do what most people do. USE A SPECTRUM ANALYZER! I use SPAN by Voxengo and the Ableton Spectrum. Spend some time getting to know the analysers because they are all different. Study your favourite producers tunes using the Analzyers but don’t rely on them! Ears FIRST!

2. If your just putting a Sub underneath a Mid layer then a regular Sine wave from a synth will be fine. You can use Albino or the EXS24 default patch. Just copy the midi notes or pitch of the Mid Bass and you’ll be fine.

3. If the Sub Bass is the prominent layer then you’re going to have to double it up. So duplicate the Sub channel. High Cut the new channel and add some distortion. You NEED to do this in order to hear the Sub in the mix. Use the Ableton Overdrive or Saturation effects or N.I Guitar Rig etc.

4. Make sure your Sub is in a “friendly” key/pitch. I normally write tunes in F/F#/G.

You can go up to A if you want but I would not go any higher or lower then the ones I recommended.

5.  You can pretty much make Sub bass from anything. Kick Drums or field recordings of pots and pans or tapping on a desk. Bung the sample into a sampler. Pitch down, loop,  experiment and have fun.

6. You really want a nice even and consistent Sub Bass so don’t forget to Compress and Limit if need be. I find that when using Span -21db if about fine when ABing against other tunes. You can go up to -18db but make your drums lighter.

7. Make your Sub Bass MONO if you plan on getting your tunes on WAX. Nuff said.

8. If you’re having a few issues with clicks and pops in your Sub Bass then playing around with the envelopes on your synth/sampler etc. If your still having problems then bounce the audio and use the FADES tool in Ableton Live etc.

9. If your Sub Bass is clashing with your Kick Drum then either

a) Use a kick that hits at a higher Frequency like 100hz etc.

b) Use Sidechain compression with the kick as the trigger.

Getting your Sub Bass right shouldn’t be a problem if you follow the steps above. This leaves loads more time to spend on some of the harder things like drums and mid bass!

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!

Dauntless

Howdy, just a quick post to let you know that I’m still banging on the beats as hard as ever! I’ve been on holidays for the last month in my original homeland of Vietnam so I’ve not had much time for production. However, now that I’m home its 100% full speed ahead.

The time away was truly awesome and time away from the STUDIO  was actually helpful!

I’ve made a few changes in the way I work in the studio. They aren’t massive changes but I believe they are ESSENTIAL  for finishing tunes:

1. Have a good Idea of what TYPE of tune I’m trying to make. Then I pick a reference tune I want to AB with.

2. With an Atmos sound rolling I go about trying to make the break as good as possible. Always ABing with the Reference tune.

- I’ve found that If I have to go back in on a drum break its soul destroying and normally changes the tune in a bad way!

3. Finding a good starting sample is the next crucial step. Chord Progression, Bass Loops, Horn Stab or whatever. Something musical is a good place to start. Anything really will do but we warned that what you do pick can/may influence what you end up writing.

4. Bass is the next step and then arranging.

Yes, the list above is rough guide to how I’m working and yes I will get into more detail in a later post.

Good luck producing and remember to stay focused on the beats!

Dauntless

Well, its been a while since the last drum and bass production tip. What’s been happening? Well, a colab with Fuj which is turning out pretty nice is nearly complete and some of my own stuff is starting to get there as well.

The biggest difference to my production has been the purchase of my Sennheiser HD650 headphones. As you know, I  ain’t in no flashy studio so I’m a victim of room acoustics like most bedroom producers out there.(the Ultracurve can only do so much)

Working on headphones is a good way of dealing with a bad room. Sure its harder to gauge reverb and pan positions on headphones but I can live with that because of the level of detail you get whilst working on your cans. So I spend maybe 50-60% on the cans these days.

The headphones feel and look professional and the detail and clarity is pretty damn good as well. Mixes (besides pan and reverb etc) translate really well.

Anyways… Sennheiser HD650 Headphones=WIN!

What else have I been up to? Well, (besides boring work) I’ve just been busy building up my drum hits like snares and kicks and shaker loops etc. I just create a Cubase project and load up a snare/kick/hi hat and phatten it up using layers, compression, EQ etc. Then I bounce out a few variations and move on.

*** I don’t save the project. I don’t want a whole load of Snare Projects in my Cubase Folder. If I don’t save it kind of finalizes my work.  ***

So yeah. These self created drum hits/breaks/bass stabs/bass etc have been a big help in getting tunes finished quickly and has improved the quality of my work.

So if you don’t feel like writing a tune. Take some time out and create some new snare/kick samples for your personal library.

You’ll be glad you did when you feel like writing a tune.

So, are you ready for part 2? The first part was really well received and to be honest I was blown away by the interest in the Q&A session. So, thanks for popping in to have a read and if you haven’t had the chance to check out the LP Cocoon by Chook then click the Album cover on the right there and have a listen. Its 100% quality all the way!

Also, if you have questions to ask or want to make some comments don’t be shy. I would love to hear what you think.

So, on with the show then…

11. Your favorite key to write in?

it’s all about E inn’it

12. Do you use any hardware?

The Virus Ti is the only Hardware i can say I use a lot. It’s got a very powerful sound and the possibilites are just endless with it.

13. What do you put on your master buss? Why?
1. Gain, which I trim down about 5 db so that my master is not clipping even with no limiter on it.
2. A Cambridge EQ, with a Hi pass set at 25-30hz to get rid of unwanted rumble A 2 db increase with a high Q at around 60hz, that pushes the bass and the kick a bit
3. Sometimes I use the SSL bus compressor on the master but not always.
4. Always the Sonnox limiter with the input set between 3 and 6 dnb and the enhance on +-40%
I always have a limiter on the master throughout the whole production process. I find that if you only add it at the end your mix might be pumping or distorting.

14. Do you master your own tunes?

Don’t master the tunes myself. I’ll leave that to a professional.

15. Do you like to colab or write by yourself?

I haven’t released many collabs but I like both. Sometimes I wish I had a permanent collaborater to speed things up a bit.

16. Your music education?

I went to SAE in London in 2002. Fuck that’s ages ago.

17. What other types of music do you make?

I’m also working on some Techno and Tech house projects. I’m hoping to have a few decent tunes ready by the end of the year. I guess The Cocoon Lp reflects the stuff I like quite well.
I’ve also written soundtracks for short films, which was fun. I might be working on a new film soon actually.

Where do you call home right now?

I live in Luxembourg in a village not far from Luxembourg city. For those who don’t know Luxembourg is a country and it’s capital city is called Luxembourg as well. It’s right in between Belgium, France and Germany.

That wraps up the Q&A with the mighty Chook but I think you’ll agree that he really knows his stuff. The insight into what he puts on his master buss was worth the price of admission alone! Stay tuned as I’ll have another Q&A with another Drum & Bass Superstar soon!

See you on the dance floor.

Dauntless

P.S. I’m serious, check out the album Cocoon right now and give it a listen. See ya.