How to get Chill-out drums and super-smooth overall sound

[Barney]

Folks,

I am trying to smooth out my overall sounds and in particular drum sounds to get the relaxed feel of the Cafe Del Mar/Chillout style Happening. More in the electronic side of that, rather than acoustic, but still super smooth.

I am using either the PBC or the 4K Buss compressor on the drum bus and also on the Master buss. I have lowered the drum bus in the overall mix, eq'ed all the sounds to blend as best I can. Have applied Dreamverb to Kick and Snare and Kit in the most blended way I can.

Everything is programmed, using Battery for drums, and Cubase NI and GForce softsynths mainly. Jupiter 6 and also D50 in the mix as well.

I have read in the past that around 3 db of reduction is appropriate on the drum and master buss to save things sounding 'over-compressed'. However, I suspect that in this genre, things are supposed to be smoother than Smooth McSmooth. Should I just be compressing the drums and master more than the 3bd mentioned, or are there any other techniques (apart from hiring a producer) than are known to overall smooth out sound.

I have tried a variety of techniques like above ( ie yes I have used my ears) however, always get the impression that I am only 75% of the way to where I wanna get !

Help most appreciated

[Awesom-o]

Can you post an example of how it's currently sounding?

[Barney]

Folks,

Have done the posting thing.... took forever to do the upload, with incomplete transfers - hence the delay.

http://www.myspace.com/ausnewengland

The track (or snippet of it) is unfinished but indicative of where i want to go. There is a piano instead of vocals. Two tracks on Myspace, one as the track, one for the drum bus.

I have used the PBC on the drums - around 3db of gain reduction.
4k on the master - again around the same amount of reduction.
PLim on the output, K12 setting, with very few peaks clipped.

Any comments welcome on further smoothing out the finished sound.

[Awesom-o]

Hey Barney
I checked the link but I can't seem to get the tracks to play....

[Wayne]

With out knowing 'ChillOut per say (disclaimer), 'smooth, might be try 'Low Ratio Limiting'. Yeah I just made that up. It's not just peaks', deeper like comp', but fast like a limiter..
For example begin at say 1.5:1, (hard knee to keep the threshold' variables simple for now), three or four ms attack, and 10-50 or so so release. (As you work this, release' will be part of the 'stay in yor face' vs 'mellowed out/set back' variable as you extend past about the 5 or 10 ms range.) Set up for several dbs of reduction, then play with attack, 5 on out. This will be the softener' control, typicall for the snare and/or kick (depending on what is hot' and leading in your drum mix.
I am always rather struck by how much a little low ratio/fast can reel a kit in. (Presumes it hasn't been robbed and limited to shit of it's edge to begin with..

[Barney]

Hey Barney
I checked the link but I can't seem to get the tracks to play....

Awesome-o, the track has been played 17 times, i guess successfully - and the drum loop 11 - i guess that means people didn't like it

I can still get success on playing/streaming.

Wayne - thanks for the tip - it seems to work quite well on other tracks I have on the go.

Cheers!

[mpayne0]

For chill out drums, I'd say use a lot of natural drum sounds, especially hand drums, use natural subtle delays, program with good rhythm, perhaps use swing... don't overdo the reverb, and most especially smooth tracks should have great dynamics and adequate breathing room. When I do smooth natural percussive tracks, I find I use very little compression at all, because in this case I'm not trying to force drum elements to an even level, I prefer to have a lot of volume dynamics, articulation and variety.

[Awesom-o]

Hey Barney
I checked the link but I can't seem to get the tracks to play....

Awesome-o, the track has been played 17 times, i guess successfully - and the drum loop 11 - i guess that means people didn't like it

I can still get success on playing/streaming.

Wayne - thanks for the tip - it seems to work quite well on other tracks I have on the go.

Cheers!

Hehe it seems to be working now.

Hmm the drums are a bit "spikey" for a Cafe Del Mar - stylee

I think your congas need to be brought out more - so they are up there with the rest of the drums. They sound a bit programmed, but this seems to be a regular feature on a lot of the CDM stuff I've listened to. It sounds like they need more attack on them. I would also play around with the conga delay pattern to inject more groove into the rhythm. CDM is all about a warmth but I'm not getting any from that stick and hihat sound - they're too techno. A way round this could be adding more ethnic of live-played percussion to make it sound more organic.

I like the bass sound - but it needs to be much louder in the mix - at least as loud as the drums. Id also try some gated reverb or a short slap delay on the bass to make it stand out - be careful to EQ all the bottom end of the FX return or you'll be in a whole world of mud - and give it a decent predelay to separate it from the source sound.

Piano and guitar are jumping out of the mix - lower them into the mix and add a bit of delay (they sound too dry and detached at the moment) .

Have fun

[Barney]

Awesom-o,

Thanks so much for the comments - worked on the re-do and particulary the spikey stick (snare) and things are progressing nicely. There went my weekend afternoons...... Guitar also melded in lower and reverbed and delayed to glue it in place.

Will also give the treatment on the bass a go - have not tried that before.

Now -just a couple more weekends to refine

Anyone else have any comments - particularly on my compressor settings?

Cheers!