Ableton Tutorial: Correcting phase problems with layered kickdrum waveforms

[oopinaise]

You can also use a little track delay (D on the right of the screen) for a fast and dirty correction

[TheStoryWeLive]

utility would be alot faster and a lot simpler.

[derlubinator]

Thank you very much. Great tip!

[DJDaasMusic]

whoo BC!

[HYPNO5IS]

Awesome tutorial, greatly appreciated!

[HYPNO5IS]

Awesome tutorial, greatly appreciated!

[Fretanation]

great!!! thanks :)

[MarkHinnen]

Awesome tip, would never have caught this on my own!

[DJVespers]

@scooma1 Cookies are evil. I will have a stick of celery instead.

[TheBillyMoon1]

@djvespers - do you ever try inserting a simple delay, 100% wet, stereo linked and just nudge a sample back by a few points of a millisecond until it clicks into place? Works great for widening snares etc ;)

[DJVespers]

@TheBillyMoon1 Sure do. Great tip.

[Audionstudios]

Thats good you made the first wave cycle "in phase". But what about the other ones? Not all samples have the same umber of 'cycles' per 'area'....later on in the sample it still might go out of phase..no?

[DJVespers]

@Audionstudios Hmmm, good question. I'm not sure on that. Anyone else have any suggestions?

[Audionstudios]

@DJVespers ya if anything the first wav cycles will just be the click of the kickdrum (or the beater)....that has no real harmonics or tone compared to the sub part of the bass, which comes later. So it cant really be out of phase to much. When you hear two records phasing each other out from a dj it is because the sub parts of the kicks are out of phase. not the clicks

[LucidSpore]

"flabby " punchy" :P haha i loved the faces that was a good laugh but wow this is honestly .. all ive been hearing since i got monitor speakers.. the flabby ness when i layer haha so i literally stopped layering some of my kicks, thanks for this now i know how to correct that , cause it sounds immensely better.

[DJVespers]

@LucidSpore Nice one. Enjoy the new punch.

[LucidSpore]

"flabby " punchy" :P haha i loved the faces that was a good laugh but wow this is honestly .. all ive been hearing since i got monitor speakers.. the flabby ness when i layer haha so i literally stopped layering some of my kicks, thanks for this now i know how to correct that , cause it sounds immensely better.

[dontfeedthatwalrus]

youre a bosssss

[gendata1]

Woo thanks man thanks a lot for this !!!:)

[binary1001011]

It's times like this when I feel thoroughly unprofessional. but I learned something! thanks for that.

[DJVespers]

@binary1001011 You're not alone. I went years without knowing this.

[rharold]

Flabby = :(

Punchy!!! = :)

[djstory]

Very enlightening tutorial.



[DJVespers]

@djstory I'm giving the Dalai Lama a run for his money ;)

[MrBundler]

just uploaded a video, using this technique adapted for FLS... if i could get my screen cap stuff working, i could get a tut going lol

[DJVespers]

@MrBundler You on Mac? If so, try Screenflow. If not, Camtasia for screencap.

[Jungleros]

great!

[idcdrums]

Great video.Very clearly and succinctly explained. BTW last night as I tried to sleep I was figuring out how I wanted to set up my Ableton library. Vacation is no match for an Ableton addiction :)

[DJVespers]

@idcdrums What's a vacation? ;)

[GrouEEf]

awesome this rly made me understand what phase problems actually are!

[worotniuk]

great tutorial. i think it's the first time i've been able to understand phase. thanks.

[hershism]

Thanks for this great tip, just tried it on new song and it made a huge difference! I would have overlooked this before. Cheers.

[bigbagron]

Do you hear that high frequency that comes out when the kick hits? I always get that ringy noise whenever I export a track with lows... how do I get rid of that? :(

[mishaval]

Your tutorials always hit the spot!

[mekonin]

Isn't there a phase reverse button in Ableton?

This way you might loose some transients.

[glitchywitch]

@mekonin excellent point

[leepicciotto]

@mekonin you could always shift them(in the timeline) into phase without having to cut the beginning of any sample but this is still an excellent tip to share with people.good stuff @ guy doing the tutorial thanks

[DJVespers]

@leepicciotto I don't write my percussion by layering samples in Arrange view. I write in Drum Racks using MIDI. That technique won't work if you do that, but good call for those working in Arrange. Cheers!

[DJVespers]

@mekonin You can use the Utility plug to flip phase as well. For transients, this adjustment is imperceptible to my ears. Very small adjustment made here.

[cast390]

Thanks for this tutorial and enjoy your vacation

[thesoundcanal]

Greattt tip!! Flabby. Punchy. Flabby. Punchy. I will remember that.

[jofomofo1]

Flabby, punchy... Thats what I used to do to the fat kids at school! Lol Nice tutorial matey!

[DJVespers]

@jofomofo1 That's not very nice.

[HyPn0TiCz1]

@DJVespers this is really hard to explain... but... im trying to make a track and i started playing with the settings and now when i play a note with any instrument then the notes aren't continuous and theres some kind of background kick with the same sound but it goes louder and cancels out the other sound and i have no idea how to fix it... .-. help please?

[deepwithinmusic]

Really great tip buddy, thank you very much for this

[Tinnymin]

man, i always see your vids recommended to me - bang on man! wouldn't have thought about this before, cheers

[sk6mix]

I am on a PC running Live 8. I cannot seem to get multiple drum samples onto one single pad as you have done in this vid. Am I not executing the commands correctly, or is it my version of live?

[DJVespers]

@sk6mix Are you holding down the Control key while dragging them in? Live 8 should be able to do that just fine. Check out Multis in the manual under Drum Racks. Cheers!

[DJVespers]

@sk6mix Hold down the Control key when dragging and look up Multis in your manual. Cheers!

[sk6mix]

@DJVespers I FINALLY figured out what the problem was. FOR PC USERS, its not the Control key, it is the ALT key that you must hold to drag multiple samples into a single pad. Thanks for nothing Vespers! Haha....just kiddin.....u da man!

[awakeningbasterd]

nice!

[Floepkip]

wow, this was really helpfull, thanks 4 sharing!

[femiatwork]

great video. i remember asking how to correct phase problems in one of your previous videos. it's great to have an answers.

[DJVespers]

@femiatwork Nice one. Glad you've got all the info now. 

[AUDIOMUNKY1]

perhaps throw a utility phase on both of the kicks that out out? anyway great observation on the phase! :-)



[DJVespers]

@AUDIOMUNKY1 That could work too, although this way allows you to see the results visually.

[AUDIOMUNKY1]

@DJVespers yeah sorry i didnt see the other comments saying the same thing...anyway ur right in the sense of the visual experience...this provides a good learning platform to people who don't fully understand the 'dark side' of phasing :-) thanks for the reply and again for the groovy video

[CTRLALTDELmusic]

Top boy, great tutorials man. Keep em up!!

[DJVespers]

@CTRLALTDELmusic Cheers!

[shambles698]

Nice to see another ableton live tutorial its been a little while. Thanks for sharing and have a nice holiday opps sorry vacation ha ha................. :-)

[DJVespers]

@shambles698 Fo sho. Summer time's a little slower for me with the tutorials. Good to be back!

[OmarBFG]

Thanks for the tip man, good knowledge :D

[DJVespers]

@OmarBFG You're welcome mate.

[gotrice415510]

you are the man vesper. exactly wat i needed rite now. good shit!

[SubaruSumeragiX1999]

or you could use the 'utility' plugin and invert the phase.

[DJVespers]

@SubaruSumeragiX1999 For sure. I just like to be able to see the results visually when teaching. It's easier to grasp the concept.

[SubaruSumeragiX1999]

@DJVespers yeah, there's a cool FREE vst plugin on KVR audio's website that's simply called "SignalAnalyzer" it has a really usefull oscilliscope that zooms out for a great visual aid, and helps identify phase issues.

[DJVespers]

@SubaruSumeragiX1999 Sweet. Post a link to it on my facebook page if you can. It's /vesperspage Cheers!

[vdawg321]

Great info! Much thx!

[bubnjarovski]

so i can make 2 go down, that would be also corrrect?

[guysthanks4sharing]

you rock! thx for that tips! :)

[topmusicproduKtion]

Well done man. I like ur tutorials. ohh btw for this one, you can just reverse the polarity. then it will be sine wave form.

[whoisflowfatal]

your awesome deee jayeeee va va va va vesssssspers!!!!!!

[Blinksumk]

<3

[DJVespers]

@Blinksumk <3

[xFunnyFreemanx]

brilliant mate nice one :D

[nebulae10]

Thanks Vespers!! : )

[DJVespers]

@nebulae10 You're welcome!

[TranceElevation]

Actually I prefer the "flabby" kick. Much easier on the ear.

[DJVespers]

@TranceElevation Matter of opinion I suppose, but when referenced on a large system and along side other professional tunes that have been properly mixed, you may change your mind.

[neo36uk]

great tip :-) cheers 4 this

[DJVespers]

@neo36uk You're very welcome. Cheers mate.

[MrBundler]

wonderfull!



[DJVespers]

@MuzikAuto Glad to hear it's helpin and relevant. All the best.

[wobbygongman]

you always know just what to teach me

[DJVespers]

@wobbygongman Cheers. Hope it helps piss off your neighbours with that punchy new kick ;)

[ThePhantomJack]

Awesome! Really helpful tutorial. Love the punchy, flabby deal. And that extremely useful keyboard map tip.

[DJVespers]

@ThePhantomJack Wicked. Glad you dig it.

[1T0B]

Thank you once again.

[DJVespers]

@1T0B Thanks for watching!

[wrathallll]

wow, i never knew that!!!

thanks dude, your really good!!

lmao @ flabby . .Punchy . .flabby . .Punchy!!

[DJVespers]

@wrathallll You're very welcome. 

[mattoinliberta]

very usefull! thanks

[DJVespers]

@mattoinliberta Thanks for watching!

[popdani]

Awesome tutorial, thank you

[DJVespers]

@popdani Cheers mate!

[bacteriuman]

god this is just SO great!!

really one of the most PRO ableton tutorial that i've seen!!

thank you so much Mr.Vespers!!

[DJVespers]

@bacteriuman You're very welcome. All the best!

[MrRidisc]

great thank you

[DJVespers]

@MrRidisc You're very welcome.

[Demon1aq]

Thank you, Vespers!

How do you think: is it ok to use phasing to get thin, clicky IDMish drums?

__

Thumbs up if you want more drum layering lessons :)

[DJVespers]

@Demon1aq Hey mate. Good questions. Even in IDM you still want punchy percussion even if it's short and clicky. I'd always correct phase problems.

[SpeakerFreq]

I will make some fat beats, thank you!

[DJVespers]

@SpeakerFreq Go piss off your neighbours with that phat kick ;)

[drumr828]

hey thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! very informative



[DJVespers]

@drumr828 Cheers!

[inthemomentfilms]

Great tip! What if you use midi notes for bass instead of samples. Should you convert them over to samples when your done with your mix to Check the phase of them with the kick?

[DJVespers]

@inthemomentfilms Good question. You could resample it or freeze and flatten just to check. Or if your synth has a phase adjustment for the waveform, you could earball it.

[orfeuz]

great tip!

[DJVespers]

@orfeuz Cheers!

[orfeuz]

@DJVespers I read that in live 8.2.5 there are many new features, do you will make a video about it?

[DJVespers]

@orfeuz Check out the release notes for 8.2.5 on the LIve website. No new features to report. Just bug fixes really.

[RustyNoDDay]

Oh cheers :)

[DJVespers]

@RustyNoDDay Very welcome!

[LavaViper]

thank you so much!

[DJVespers]

@LavaViper Very welcome!

[DJChrisMack]

Thanks man! I didn't know this and it really helped :D

[DJVespers]

@DJChrisMack Cheers!

[Kraaans]

I love it when you do these kinda jokes.. Flabby = :( Punchy!!! = :) That is just pure gold.. Never knew that smth like this, made such a difference..

Thank you for this great, unique video.. ! :)

[DJVespers]

@Kraaans Thanks for watching! 

[djxxxclusive]

Such a great tutorioal as always... Is it most important that the wave form start on a positive going upward?? Or is just important that they are the same??

[DJVespers]

@djxxxclusive Great question.  Just important that they're the same, whether up OR down.

[shootjr]

Flabby = :( Punchy = :) I literally loled hahahaha

[DJVespers]

@shootjr :P

[leeblackharry]

Most tutorials on music production/DAW usage don't explain the why's. Thank you DJ Vespers for explaining the why's.

[DJVespers]

@leeblackharry You're very welcome. As I learn more and more, I'll always share it with you guys. Cheers!

[ryandmca]

nice to see you getting back to the actual tech tips! this is a good one that i tend to get lazy with quite often. i need to make a habit of checking this because it really does make a difference.

[DJVespers]

@ryandmca Yeah yeah, makes a huge diff for sure. Cheers!

[alekst1923]

Haha Vespers your the man, flabby punch lolz. Can you tell me if my kick is clipping in my song please? /watch?v=IupDN3Kh-hw much appreciated!!

[DJVespers]

@alekst1923 Hey mate. Did you make the song in Ableton? If so, you can tell if the kick is clipping by looking at your level meters and/or the waveform of the tune. Cheers!

[DJVespers]

Make sure you guys are watching this in 720p HD for best audio quality!

[mab1ro]

DUDE, I've been to sproat lake too!! nice vid yo that!

[mab1ro]

@mab1ro Check out the mars bombers

[DJVespers]

@mab1ro Cheers! Sproat Lake is wicked.