ANATOMY 130 BPM
Nov 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Erik Hawkins
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REMIX LINKS… |
Any remix artists worth their salt know that a lot more is involved in producing a remix than just comping together a few rhythm tracks and dropping in a vocal. A good remix requires not only a trained understanding of the intended audience but also a clear idea of aural space and composition. Mood, vibe and intensity mean nothing if a remix is lacking in those basic areas.
So what do you need to know before you send your latest batch of tracks back to the label? In part 1 of this series ("Remixing Roundtable," August 2002), remixing pros discussed–in addition to the gear they depend on for remixing–using parts from the original song in a remix, the importance of highlighting the original vocals, changing a vocal track’s tempo without degrading its sound quality and programming beats versus sampling drum loops. In this article, Angel Alanis, Dave Audé, Kris Bones and Pablo La Rosa are back to cover creating remix song structure, using compression and effects, nailing your mix, being original and getting into the remixing business.
STRUCTURE TIME AGAIN
Traditional songwriting is big on structure: verse, chorus, bridge and so on. Do you follow similar structures with remixes?
Kris Bones: Think about it as if you were the DJ. Have a run-in time, a break down and a runoff time. Normally, on the run-in, try to give people something they’ll recognize straight off: a heavy kick with light rhythmic parts and a little bit of bass. For the runoff, try to bring it back down to just the raw beats but keep them hard so that there is enough for the DJ to work with. If your track has a two-step kind of feel to it, like the snare is hitting off-time, bring back a 4/4 snare towards the end to avoid the possibility of clashing with an off snare coming in from the next track.
The last thing you want is a really noisy ending that nobody can put another tune over. People only know to go on the 1, so if you have three snares going, all it takes is a little bit of a bungle, and all fucking hell breaks loose. Somewhere in your tune, you need to break down to something really simple; if it’s not at the end, make it in the middle–just give the DJ somewhere they can get out of the song.
Pablo La Rosa: You definitely need to think about who will be buying and listening to your remix. Consumers might pick it up, but, ultimately, you are trying to please the DJ, so you have to think about what they need when they are mixing. I always start with drums in the beginning and very little low end, like no bass line and nothing too complicated musically, pretty stripped-down. The same thing goes for the end of the song. Other than that, the entire middle is pretty much up to you.
My intro structure tends to be drums at the beginning, usually about 32 bars, starting off with things like hats and percussion loops and then bringing the kick in for the second 16 bars, or maybe the opposite order. Next, I try to bring in a bass line because drums and bass are the most important foundation of a track; then, I like to tease people with the vocal, maybe just a word or a phrase with some kind of filter effect. Finally, you break it down and start to bring in all the vocal parts. And I think there should always be a B section. Don’t just keep doing the same thing over and over. You should have a definite B section where you bring in some new element, and the track takes on a whole new character. For example, if you’re going to make an eight- or 10-minute remix, it should have something different happen at the end. That will keep it from getting boring and entice the DJ to play the whole track.
In terms of creating intensity on the dancefloor, I think that a breakdown is always warranted. However, I think that we’re all pretty much over the snare-roll thing. To build up the kind of energy necessary to transition smoothly out of the breakdown, try using effects instead. If you have a sound that was repeating with, say, a tape delay, crank up the effects-send level and feedback until it starts building on itself and really creates a lot of anticipation. Then, right at its apex–boom–drop everything back in. There are new ways now to create that kind of intensity without going back to the tired old snare roll. Even silence, dropping everything for a beat or two, can also work to create tension and anticipation.
Dave Audé: I don’t really have any set structure other than that there must be some time at the beginning and the end of the track to mix in and out. Also, I suggest that you should not leave the kick drum out of the beginning of the song–I think that’s just lame. If you actually DJ, then you know that it helps to hear the kick and that nobody is ever going to hear the entire intro anyway.
Angel Alanis: Definitely, I go for the DJ-friendly approach, an intro of around 64 bars or maybe even longer depending on the type of remix I’m doing. Sometimes, though, I may only do 32 bars and then just break down to silence. It depends on if you want to create drama or simply settle into the track’s groove for a while. I don’t think outros are that important. Not to put anybody down, but if you’re a good DJ, you shouldn’t need a break to mix out of.
GETTING EFFECTIVE
Which effects or effect units do you use regularly?
Bones: Just the effects on the Pioneer [DJM-600] mixer. House DJs, those boys can get all heavy into the effects because their beats are pretty straight. If you’re doing breaks or anything like that, the most you can usually do is throw on a little reverb, echo or flange. Anything more, and you’re going to cause chaos.
Audé: I use them all. You should try out new things, experiment. I’m all about technology, but, really, the most important thing to remember is to try to not use an effect on everything.
When I do use an effect, it has to sound really good; otherwise, your whole track just ends up sounding like Niagara Falls.
Alanis: Emagic’s Logic Audio comes with several very useful effects plug-ins. Plug-ins I use a lot include: Tape Delay, AutoFilter, Flanger, Mulitpressor, Tremolo and PlatinumVerb. You can also buy your own VST effect plug-ins. And hardware effects units are good, too, like the DP/4 Plus by Ensoniq and the FireworX by TC Electronic.
La Rosa: Something important to mention concerning effects and vocals is that when people think about vocals, they think they’re going to need a really good reverb. But, honestly, I never use reverb on vocals; I use a delay. Delay just seems to make the vocals smooth out and carry more without making things muddy–assuming you have your delays matched to the tempo of your remix, which is easy to do with today’s plug-ins that can lock to your digital audio sequencer’s master tempo. Delay just adds more presence. I am a big fan of Logic’s Tape Delay. I use the hell out of that on vocals, instruments and drums.
OUR FRIEND COMPRESSION
How important is compression when you’re remixing?
Alanis: Compression can be tricky. It can either help your mix or totally ruin it. You have to be careful not to compress your final stereo mix too much, or it will sound muddy, and you will end up with a terrible recording on vinyl. I highly recommend buying a more expensive stereo tube compressor [such as the Avalon VT-737SP] to use on your master stereo output. You can also compress individual tracks for dynamics control or to create an effect, like to warm and tighten up a sound. Compressing snares, bass drums and percussion is typically a good idea. The Presonus ACP88 is an 8-channel rackmount compressor that works great, or you can always use the plug-in compressors that come standard with all the good digital audio sequencers.
La Rosa: The kick, in particular, you really want to compress the hell out of. I go so far as an 8-to-1 compression ratio, and I’ll crank the attack up to make it really crack so that it cuts through the mix. I used to think that using such an extreme compression ratio was wrong, but forget engineering rules and just do what sounds good.
Audé: Don’t use compression on everything, just when you want "that sound." Drums are usually the most popular candidates for compression. Try compressing all of your drums, except the kick, as a stereo group for a really big sound. I prefer to compress the kick separately because that’s one of the most important elements in a remix.
Bones: Compression is good, but be careful not to hit it too hard, or things will start sounding flat and lifeless. I generally let my engineer handle all of the final compression settings during the mixdown.
CHECK THE MIX
What tricks ensure that your final remix is totally pumping, that the mix produced in your studio sounds the best it can before it goes to the record label?
La Rosa: Whenever I finish a mix, I burn a CD. I think it’s really important to sit on your mix for a while, play it around and see how it sounds; check it out in the car. I even go so far as to mix it in with records on my turntables to see how it would fit in a DJ set. This way, I can look at it not only arrangementwise–like, "Was that drum intro long enough?" and "Was the outro easy to work with?"–but also sonically to hear how the mix sounds when it is put up against records that are being released. A lot of times, you might notice, for example, that all of your highs are gone compared to the other records. Then, you know that your mix sounds dull, and you can get back in the studio and re-EQ things. Your ears can really play tricks on you, especially if you’ve been listening to the same mix for a long time. It’s important to give your ears a break.
Since I mix everything in the computer, I often run a mastering plug-in right on my 24-track session without first bouncing it to 2-track. If later I notice that the mix isn’t loud enough, I will go back and run it through a loudness maximizer. Previously, I used Steinberg’s Mastering Edition, but, recently, I purchased TC Electronic’s PowerCore bundle, and I use that all of the time now. It has the MasterX 3-band plug-in, which is incredible.
In the old days, it was always, "Just record the parts, and we’ll fix anything that needs fixing in the mix." Everybody had the attitude, "We’ll make it sound good when we’re mixing everything down." But that’s not the way to work anymore. Today, the way to work is to make everything sound good as you are writing the music. Sort out the effects that you’re going to use; make sure that every sound gels; mix your track as you’re working out the arrangement–if a sound isn’t working, find another one that does.
The labels are expecting everything to sound pro; they’re expecting a remixer to turn out stuff that is as good sonically as tracks being released commercially, like tracks that where mixed on a big budget by people such as Bob Clearmountain. So you have to start thinking about the mix from this angle in the very beginning, putting effects on immediately and making sure that all the sounds are working well together. Certain sounds might sound great on their own, but when you put them together, everything gets muddy. You need to start hearing and listening to stuff like this really early on. And you usually only have two weeks to get everything done.
Audé: Make sure you listen to the mix where you know the speakers–but setting up big speakers in your garage is not necessarily a good idea. A/B your mix against a lot of other tracks that you know sound good in a club. That is, go to a club, listen to the music, ask the DJ what song it is and go buy it. Don’t buy the CD version; buy the actual 12-inch version the DJ played. Stay away from MP3s; they don’t give you a complete sonic picture
Bones: You definitely need to listen to your remix on different systems: in the car, at different clubs. Get your friends who DJ at different clubs to give it a spin and give you feedback. Everyone has their own opinions, but there will usually be some outstanding comment, like it has too much high end or it needs more bottom.
Alanis: I try to get the best-quality recording that I can at home; good monitors and a well-soundproofed studio can help you make better mixes. After I’m done mixing down, I usually burn a CD so I can play the track everywhere. I will listen to it in the car, on my mum’s stereo and even over a TV. If it sounds good everywhere, then I probably have a decent mix. Then, I usually send the master to a good mastering house, like the Exchange in London, or if you’re on a tight budget, try Tru Tone in New York City–they do a good job also.
GROOVE TO YOUR OWN BEAT
Where do you get ideas for a remix? Do they come from listening to the original song, do you keep an ear open to the sounds of other currently charting dance tracks, or do you just throw caution to the wind and go for it?
Alanis: It depends on what the label or artist wants. I just take it from there and try to keep everything as fresh, as original and as DJ-friendly as possible.
La Rosa: In general, I’m always trying to make my own music. There are a lot of remixers that will just reassemble the original parts and add some effects, rearrange it, whatever. So the track still sounds like the original song, just a little bit more pumped up. But I don’t do that. I want to do my own music, create my own take on the song. I really try not to pay too much attention to the original song because I don’t want to get influenced by it. I don’t want to be influenced by its chord changes or even the way the verses are laid out. I might listen to the original one time, just to catch the song’s key, but I’m always paying more attention to the vocals than anything else. It’s important to remember that, like it or not, the more you listen to something, the more you get influenced by it. In my opinion, a remixer should try something different from the original, a new interpretation.
Audé: I’ve been DJing for 10 years now and am involved with some of the biggest DJs in the world. Basically, I’ve got my ear pretty close to the ground when it comes to club stuff. I know what’s working on the dancefloors right now. This is one of the major reasons I get hired over the other guys who sit in their studios on the weekend and never get out.
Bones: For the longest time, I was always obsessing over any type of break in a tune. It didn’t matter what it was. I remember that there was this whole frenzy about a Disney Mickey Mouse tune that starts off with the heaviest break. I and other DJs would get into frenzies looking for a particular break. If somebody used a sample, you just had to find it. I’ve got whole collections of crap albums with just a little, tiny one-bar break in each album, but you slept better at night knowing you had it. Some of these breaks I’ve never even used. When the breaks-and-beats collections on vinyl came out, it made life so much easier.
Then, there are guys like Jazzy B., who would use the same drum pattern every single time, to the point of being ridiculous. He must have used that drum pattern about 60 times and got away with it. So, I think you need to find a formula that works for you, stick to it and then just improve on it.
CLOSEDOWN
Do you have any final tips on getting into the remix business?
Audé: Working "on spec" sucks, but you have to do some of it to get a name for yourself. Just remember, it’s really hard to get money out of someone after you’ve done a job for free, so pick your free projects wisely.
La Rosa: Getting into the remix business is more difficult now than ever. To get your foot in the door, you’re going to have to be willing to do a few mixes on spec. But the best advice I can give is to focus on creating your own tracks. If you can get some original tracks signed and they create a buzz, record companies will be calling you for remixes. In terms of the gear it takes to get started, I would suggest a really strong digital audio sequencer, like Logic Audio, and a fast computer. Start from there and add more gear as you go. Definitely get a virtual analog synth and a workhorse module like the [Roland] XV-5080. Between those synths and your software, there isn’t much you can’t do.
Alanis: I recommend remixing other people’s productions and a cappella tracks when you can get them and then sending them what you create. Don’t be afraid to go all out. If the producers and the label like it, they’ll probably take it and run with it. And don’t be a label whore. Try to get your name out by making lots of music, but do your releases with fewer labels–preferably, the same labels that you like listening to.
Bones: Where [Genaside II] really started out was DJing and remixing records live and as bootleggers. We would cut beats and a cappellas together and put them to vinyl. So, really, a big tip for getting into remixing is to be as illegal as possible. Just start by doing everything, take whatever you can get, make it hard and do it bootleg–but cover your ass. Chances are, if you put a bootleg out and it does well, a record label will buy it off you, so be ready for this. If it doesn’t do well, no one’s going to give a fuck, so it doesn’t matter.
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