Get that groove going: Pro tips on music production

As a DJ, Haidak puts a premium on his music productions. His music is what defines him and what sets him apart. Through this series of blogs, Haidak shares tips to young, up-and-coming DJs everywhere, so that they may master the craft, and find their own sound.

For this blog, Haidak gives some pro tips on music production. He focuses on three techniques that the best music producers in the world use.

Sidechain: This technique lowers the volume of the bass when a kick is heard, by adding compression, typically through a plug-in into the bass track and feeding the kick output into the respective sidechain detector. The result is a smooth, pulsing effect that bridges two sounds. This solves the frequency masking conundrum that happens when two sounds of different frequencies aren’t compatible. In electronic production, this mostly occurs between basslines and kickdrums.

Reverse reverb: A reverse reverb is done, quite literally by reversing the reverb (tail) of any sound or instrument. It emphasizes vocals and is rather technical in nature, than creative. There are countless examples of this during the rise of rock bands at the tail-end of the ‘60s with groups such as Pink Floyd and The Yardbirds making good use of it. A more modern act that’s used reverse reverb to its full effect is My Bloody Valentine.

Gated Snare: Noise gates are quite popular among musicians, with that added buzz between riffs and licks. In the ’80, noise gates were unintentionally discovered by sound engineers for Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. What sounded like a glitch on the mixer, turned out to be a tool to cut the reverb effect. It disappeared for a while, but Haidak notes that the gated snare has been making a comeback in recent years.

Haidak is a DJ who loves sharing tips on music and sound production with everyone. He is also passionate about helping save the planet. Read more articles like this by clicking here.