DUB DISCUSSION BOARD

hello i have recently started producing dub using logic pro , i was just wondering if any of the dubheads on here have sum tips for producing uk steppas dub like iration steppas , vibronics, jah shaka etc ? Cheers

hi there - greetings from a fellow leeds producer!

first of all - I checked out your tunes on soundcloud - they were excellent - you seem to have a feel for this kind of thing, so I kind of wonder why you want to go in a different direction!

just a couple of tips from me - remember this kind of massive sound system dub is what fine artists call "site specific" - the amps and speaker boxes are generally an integral part of the sound so don't worry too much if it doesn't sound "right" at first. However some of this can be simulated with amp sims and convolution reverbs - the bad news is the bass amp sim in logic is awful, so you'll need to look at the ik multimedia, native instruments stuff etc.

second - the tape echo plug-in in logic is very versatile/useable, however as it is difficult to do the classic "on the fly" dub echoes with a mouse, you will need to get your head around the automation system. i.e. - make sure you use an aux send for your delay plug, make sure that that channel strip is in the arrange page, and then draw in some automation on the feedback parameter - this will give you a good basis for echoes that build as well as fade away.

let me know if you want more detail

sam m

thnx for the advice sam , wen u talk about amp simulations does that mean running pianos horns etc through one?? Big Up All leeds crew!!!

Amp sims - excellent for bass, chops, voices - anything that needs dirtying up a bit to give it that "sound system" feel.

Basically the principle is that if you make tunes entirely synthetically, i.e. "inside the box" (ITB for short) using soft synths etc, there is no sense of the ambience of a room, no feeling that air is being moved about within the mix. Amp sims can go a long way to fixing this - although another approach can be to run things through amps, sound systems etc and record them back intro the machine (this is kind of how breakbeat, jungle stuff works - by sampling drum loops etc from other records you are not just taking the sound itself, but the room, the amp distortion etc too).

sorry for such long posts

sam m

thanks a lot for the tips i get what you mean now, need to get rid of that digital coldness and get sum analog warmth!!

if in doubt run your drums on to cassetta and back again - I know at least one big producer who does this!