i wanted to ask you probably something pretty dumb… Im trying to make live Hitechy Psytrance, i know all that stuff is made on the computer and generally overproduced (thats what it sounds to me) and i don’t wanna know how much work they put in their music. but im not willing to accept i could not do that - live - on my elektrons.
i played with the rytm for some years and just now replaced it with an Octa, i got the A4, Mono and a Virus C desktop wich i usually sequence through Mono (now Octa) and im really happy about the Octatrack
yesterday i had a big breakthrough with my Octa using the scenes for really staccato like glitches found in most Hitech (like heard here, wich i adore since it came out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL1QO73oUCE&t=1321s ) loving that
but i have problems getting the right mix / compression / mastering. because everything sounds good until i add the basslines. it seems i just can’t get them right and then everything gets swallowed in a muddy mess.
since there are a few guys (looking at multiman/ inspector gadget) and probably a whole lot other people who can make live psytrance
My usual approach is to get the drums going, adding a melody lead sound, then effects like textures FX and alike. But then the bassline clutches everything to a dense unclear noisy swamp. not that i don’t like it but i want the sounds to be more cutting and separated.
so long story short: can you point me out some tips, sites, guides or anything to make my mix cleaner
hey i just browsed a little in the forum and now experimenting with compressing track master 8 and single compressors on the tracks…
i think its a little bit better but today im just using headphones (open ones not suited for electronic stuff) i have to try it on my BX8s
also - im totally new in compressing /mixing stuff so i think i have so much more to do now
I don’t write hitech psy, but I do write more fullon / progressive psytrance.
Don’t know hitech well enough, but if it is written in a similar fashion to fullon / prog you may struggle to compose complete tracks outside a DAW.
There are just too many layers, too many diverse instruments and effects required, too much intricate sequencing required, that it is just becomes too much hard work via hardware alone.
To get the clarity, space and headroom in the mix you are after, I feel you will need to compose in a DAW, and sequence, record and multitrack your hardware from there.
Many years ago I actually attempted producing psy via hardware alone using 2 Octatracks, a Virus TI and a Nord G2 Modular and yes it can be done, but as you have noticed you will reach a point where as you start adding more layers and effects, rather than creating an intricate layered masterpiece, it more just becomes a muddy, undefined mess. You need the micro management of every tracks compression, eq and effects that only a DAW can provide.
I don’t think there would have been any fullon /prog psy released on a label over at least the last 10 years, produced on hardware alone outside a DAW.
20 years ago maybe, but the music is so meticulously produced now, that there are just too many limitations you will hit trying to sequence, arrange and record via hardware alone.
Yet I’d think that you can achieve it with hardware only but it has to be minimalist and its value will be in what you can do “live” during your performance.
dennis, hey, I think you can pull off this sound with the killer gear you own. Just my opinion but I don’t think the boxes are the problem if your mixes are coming out muddy. Maybe you want to give us some clips you’ve worked on and some here can chime in with tips that are specific to what you’re doing? I’ve found that many people here are very helpful.
you need to put the kick on its own mono output, the bassline on its own mono output, then everything else coming out the master stereo output
you can use the Cue outputs on the OT for this, when you switch it to “studio mode”… hardpan the kick all the way left, and hardpan the bass all the way right… there you go - 2 more mono outputs
then you can use an actual hardware mixer to get the levels/eq (and maybe compression) setup correctly for the mix
separating the bass sounds out like this will give you much more clarity and headroom for them to work with
thank you very much for your answers
here you can hear some raw cheaply recorded stuff i made:
thats what my setup looks like, i got a Mackie 1202vlz mixer but never thought of using the multiple outs of the octa so yea i think ima try it, now with my monitors. thank you for the suggestion!!!
and i just got another problem, i don’t get the input volume higher for my DSI pro08 without getting the recording LEDs red blinking. I hear the DSI even though im not using a Thru track neither a Pickup machine, i can hear it at very low volumes. could it be that the output volume from Access Virus C is way higher than on my DSI Pro8?
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