Beat This! - December 1-2, 2021

[2GooD Productions]

that's just a phrase. what do you mean

and rather how do you make

the crest factor is the difference between the highest peak and the average rms. If you can get the crest factor right(as low as possible), using compression and saturation to achieve the right balance, you can then push the master bus limiter/s a little bit harder before distortion. Judicious use of dynamic eq before the final limiter can reduce the amount the limiter has to work, making it more transparent and allowing you to push it a little harder. Cutting below 20-30hz on bass channels or any channel that has information down there and cutting above 16-18 khz can also take away some unwanted information that can cause problems. Also chaining a couple limiters can reduce the amount of work each limiter has to do, this can make the limiting a bit more transparent without crushing the hell out of your final master. This of course takes the dynamics out of a musical piece, the loudness war continues and the first casualty of the loudness war is dynamics. A well balanced mix has a good crest factor, and a reasonably flat frequency response across the spectrum. When mastered the wav looks very healthy and thick, without the distortion. Some genres push the loudness up to peak at -0.4db and averaging around -6 to -7db. I find it pretty easy to get around -8 to -9db, beyond that it can be a bit harder to push without the distortion becoming apparent.
Some engineers swear by soft clipping too, but I dont use much soft clipping. Maybe I should.

 

[Iron Keys]

the crest factor is the difference between the highest peak and the average rms. If you can get the crest factor right(as low as possible), using compression and saturation to achieve the right balance, you can then push the master bus limiter/s a little bit harder before distortion. Judicious use of dynamic eq before the final limiter can reduce the amount the limiter has to work, making it more transparent and allowing you to push it a little harder. Cutting below 20-30hz on bass channels or any channel that has information down there and cutting above 16-18 khz can also take away some unwanted information that can cause problems. Also chaining a couple limiters can reduce the amount of work each limiter has to do, this can make the limiting a bit more transparent without crushing the hell out of your final master. This of course takes the dynamics out of a musical piece, the loudness war continues and the first casualty of the loudness war is dynamics. A well balanced mix has a good crest factor, and a reasonably flat frequency response across the spectrum. When mastered the wav looks very healthy and thick, without the distortion. Some genres push the loudness up to peak at -0.4db and averaging around -6 to -7db. I find it pretty easy to get around -8 to -9db, beyond that it can be a bit harder to push without the distortion becoming apparent.
Some engineers swear by soft clipping too, but I dont use much soft clipping. Maybe I should.

that stuff just doesn't work for me at all. Whatever way i try it. Saturation doesn't seem to alter peaks at all for me.

 

[crog85]

@crog85 - This is probably the most Hip Hop out of the bunch.

I mean… that is what we do here, right? HIPHOP!! Whats @Iron Keys say… Leave that EDM in the bin on ur way in… @Mahlhavoc LOL

 

[crog85]

@Mahlhavoc had voted for this at one point. technically i thought it sounded really nice but after some contemplation felt that it wasn't quite as good as @crog85 who had a similar vibe.

Wasn’t quite as good as crog85, yea… but he tries hard tho! Lol

Tbh ya’ll better watch out for @Mahlhavoc He’ll be coming after my #1 Beat This! rank sooner than later! He been flexin hard since the season started!

@crog85 this one i'd also almost voted for.the panning on the mix was a delight and the keyboards and 808s had me grooving away. Thought it was a real banger nice work. I would dial back the lazers a little though.

Glad u liked it! I was kinda diggin it myself… it came a long way from where it started… made the beat, but something wasn’t right so I sampled it and made it into this… as for the lasers… there were only “laser” sound fx on the breakdowns and change up… the other sounds you’re hearing are prob different layers of hi hats with a flanger, pitch shifts and different record stop and start fx

 

[Mahlhavoc]

I mean… that is what we do here, right? HIPHOP!! Whats @Iron Keys say… Leave that EDM in the bin on ur way in… @Mahlhavoc LOL

My brotha..... what you tryina say?

 

[Mahlhavoc]

Wasn’t quite as good as crog85, yea… but he tries hard tho! Lol

I do, I am not one whos afraid of setting a goal and trying to reach by learning from those that were there before me and crog is that guy. So yeah, I am gonna try hard to improve.

But since you was being funny.... I am still looking down at you in the standings...

 

[InnerThug]

@InnerThug - Dope intro. Hype beat. A bit on the horror side too more than space aliens, but it could definitely fit. Nice drums and low end. Solid mix.

I think it would be pretty horrifying when the aliens attacked. lol

My concept for the beat was the stages of when they arrived the attack which was all alien noises followed by Aliens standing guard watching the enslaved humans as the worked and sang song to stay keep spirits up then the short battles which represented rebel forces trying to fight back then a last survivors after the human nuked the world represented by the 3 back to back explosions. I think it was pretty On Theme!!

 

[crog85]

I am still looking down at you in the standings...

What just happened? Idk… people voting for EDM in a hiphop battle it seems…

But it just todays standing tho… just remember that young grasshopper, u dont have that #1 spot yet

 

[crog85]

@Iron Keys

 

[crog85]

@xoxo_daisy__ - This one would be better if everything was lined up! It just seems off, but it could also be aliens trying to figure out FL Studio, which is more complicated than flying a spaceship.

@xoxo_daisy__ Tbh I kinda liked it… bc its off, but it still kinda works. Seems like something aliens would make, complex, with all the off rhythm stuff… actually seems like it would be difficult to make to me… idk its like some kinda alien hiphop jazz fusion or something… its neat

 

[TWU]

dunno why my mixes are so poor and so quiet.

Everyone else mixes like 100db with no damage to the beat

Exactly this. I think your mix wasn't quiet, but some beats must be hitting +6DB on the master channel or something. I wonder how many LUFS everyone is targeting?

 

[Iron Keys]

Exactly this. I think your mix wasn't quiet, but some beats must be hitting +6DB on the master channel or something. I wonder how many LUFS everyone is targeting?

I appreciate you, brother.

My mix was actually hitting my master channel at -6lufs. I actually had to 'master my track quieter' instead of louder. brought it down to about -9lufs.

Maybe I should have just let it be on a madness.

 

[Iron Keys]

Some engineers swear by soft clipping too, but I dont use much soft clipping. Maybe I should.

I be giving my kick and snare this treatment...

As long as they don't end up sounding like this...

 

[Iron Keys]

@Iron Keys

You're like the bad friend who introduced me to cocaine or something, and now I have a problem. Need more Cokebell.

... just realised, the funny thing about this, is not only did you in part introduce me to the phonk, but that's actually your cowbell sample

 

[GuttaTennekey]

@Iron Keys feedback plz

 

[Face Valid]

the crest factor is the difference between the highest peak and the average rms. If you can get the crest factor right(as low as possible), using compression and saturation to achieve the right balance, you can then push the master bus limiter/s a little bit harder before distortion. Judicious use of dynamic eq before the final limiter can reduce the amount the limiter has to work, making it more transparent and allowing you to push it a little harder. Cutting below 20-30hz on bass channels or any channel that has information down there and cutting above 16-18 khz can also take away some unwanted information that can cause problems. Also chaining a couple limiters can reduce the amount of work each limiter has to do, this can make the limiting a bit more transparent without crushing the hell out of your final master. This of course takes the dynamics out of a musical piece, the loudness war continues and the first casualty of the loudness war is dynamics. A well balanced mix has a good crest factor, and a reasonably flat frequency response across the spectrum. When mastered the wav looks very healthy and thick, without the distortion. Some genres push the loudness up to peak at -0.4db and averaging around -6 to -7db. I find it pretty easy to get around -8 to -9db, beyond that it can be a bit harder to push without the distortion becoming apparent.
Some engineers swear by soft clipping too, but I dont use much soft clipping. Maybe I should.

WISDOM

 

[Iron Keys]

@Iron Keys feedback plz

I hit play and wrote it as I listened through. (I call this 'live feedback')

really interesting and curious intro, maybe goes on a bit long for a beat this
not sure i liked how the beat dropped with the intro initially, but like a bar later i feel like it all fits, but maybe be nicer ifit came in better.

The beat... overall pretty nice. Mix is nice. Nothing stands out as being really off, the bass feels maybe 'too wide', but there's something I like about its width. I think maybe the bass being wide is fine, but maybe it's too wide.

I'm having a hard time listening to hip-hop lately. like "ah more pitched hat rolls", I think the ones you made are good, but even myself when I make them I'm like, 'ah these things'. But I'm also bored of everyone wearing jordans.

TL;DR/Conclusion: Nice beat. Nice Mix. Bass a little wide. Intro-to-beat could have hit a little nicer. Overall, good stuff.

 

[Iron Keys]

WISDOM

I might try 'properly' mix one of my tracks before I'm done. I'm pretty sure it will sound 10 times worse than ones I half-mix/mix off feeling.

 

[OGBama]

Just @Iron Keys do a rough mix. I know I say/have said and stand by it that I don't care/plan to learn mixing as I'll leave it to those who do solely that but I'd learn to do a basic rough mix if a such thing exists.

 

[Iron Keys]

Just @Iron Keys do a rough mix. I know I say/have said and stand by it that I don't care/plan to learn mixing as I'll leave it to those who do solely that but I'd learn to do a basic rough mix if a such thing exists.

indeed it do, boo!