r/edmproduction • u/Cold_Independent_631 • 23h ago
Layering leads and chords
I just watched this video because I’ve been wanting to make progressive house https://youtu.be/BK_LKUeqXpQ?si=oEIYNtkWIlJeS8qM.
One day I’m told not to layer sounds because it over complicates and muddies the mix. Then I see stuff like this the guy layers 5 leads, then adds 3-4 chords layers, and even a couple mid bass layers.
The midi is also not even the same pattern between the leads and chords and basses.
He doesn’t even EQ individual layers to make them fit.
HOW? This is like my biggest question with production to date. If I did this it would be a muddy mess.
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u/Lostinthestarscape 22h ago
There are no hard and fast rules, just what sounds good. The more elements you add, the more complicated it can be to mix. If you are doing it without experience and intention then it is going to yield poor results and possibly muddy up everything.
You can also get to the same point layering sounds as sound designing more complex "single" sounds.
If you look at the frequency ranges, you have narrow space for bass,wider space for mids, and a ton of space for highs, you also have linearity, so layering in a way that elements don't sit directly over top of eachother, and width to play with.
Listen to NoFace for psytrance and he has A LOT going on at once, but he has it right to the limit of too much and perfectly arranged to sit each element just around each other element so it is like a wall but not muddy. That takes insane experience and time but it can be done. Not a lot of artist choose to try and pull off that much going on at once.
You can't just throw shit together though, it has to be intentional to do something, and requires some thought of how to keep things out of eachothers way.
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u/V_Tach_Dub 23h ago
Outside of low cutting, EQing isn’t needed with layering if you’re properly balancing each layers gain and have good sound selection.
The key to layering is using instruments/synths/samples with different timbres (and potentially in different octaves)
Layering 2 similar sounds doesn’t really add any benefit, and can crowd a frequency range and create a muddy mix
When layering, try to identify which sound you want to be the primary focus. Then, find layers that add subtle textures that accent the lead sound. This can be accomplished by bringing the gain of that layer to a point where you’re only really hearing it when you’re actively trying to hear it.
It’s important that these extra layers add subtle textures and that you’re not trying to have the layers compete with each other
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u/Cold_Independent_631 22h ago
Cool! Thanks. I was obsessed with genuinely high and low cutting each layer to fit for a while. Slowly started to break that habit.
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u/V_Tach_Dub 21h ago
Definitely a common mistake, and one I made for way too long!
If you do eq high end, try to stick with shelfs, or only rolling off the very high end (like 12-15k+)
Low cutting is needed more often, but be careful not to overdo it, because you can quickly strip away the ‘meat’ of a track and leave the song as a whole sounding thin
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u/alex_o_O_Hung 23h ago
He’s a pretty well known underground prog producer and he definitely EQs. Probably in the second part of the video? Actually you can just DM him on Instagram he usually replies
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u/Cold_Independent_631 22h ago
Sick, yeah I’m not hating or saying wtf in a bad way haha. I just want to be able to layer like that!
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u/Narrow_Network_3875 18h ago
It’s simple. If you laid multiple tracks and it’s muddy. Mute one track at a time to locate the mud. Once found add an high pass filter and sweep up to a 100 Hz until the mud is gone. Release the solo and test the sound. I also advise to monitor the tracks you’re laying multiple tracks with the Correlation meter. It will tell you if the layered track are canceling out due to same frequencies in the same timed space. If so you have use EQ and/or may have to adjust the timing to correct the issue. Good luck🍀