AK wrote:The value of whats being discussed re: frequencies is obviously important but for me theres the danger of missing the fact that youre actually making music and not in a science lab performing a psychoacoustic experiment.
When steevio mentioned the track/sound building approach based on choosing sounds with the previous sounds harmonic content in mind, id expect some people are gonna just get confused. I cant say its something ive ever done. Im aware of the basic frequencies as my ears tell me how things sound but id have to think too much about it if i wanted to get analytical.
Also it would assume you are going to stick with the same sound you start with, i know i constantly tweak and sometimes throw out certain sounds and start again right up until the end. Of course if you use samples, its not always possible to know their harmonic content and even changing a sequence/riff is potentially going to alter a mix based on what frequencies are doing what and when.
Theres some definite positives from it but surely not to the expence of the ears? Theres also fx to consider when talking about frequency content.
There must be a reason why mastering engineers hp at 30hz, its not just about headroom. Its said we can hear down to 20hz but lower frequencies can be 'felt'. But what would be the point of this in a musical application? Ok, they might be felt but you wont have any sense of pitch down there. Just how low are we talking? Theres a point where there is no point but i dont know where it is.
well mastering engineers dont routinely HP at 30 Hz, and you have to remember filtering isnt a brickwall, its a slope, and there is no default slope, it depends on the kit youre using. i dont thinka dubstep producer using an A0 in his bassline would be happy if the engineer HP'd at 30 Hz.
ive had my records mastered in many different studios and i always attend record cuts, and no two engineers do things the same way, or use the same kit, 20 or 25 Hz is more common as the cutoff in most of the mastering studios ive been in.
you're right to point out using samples is a different situation to creating your own sounds, so lets just say i'm talking from a synthesis point of view, as there are plenty of guys on the forum using synthesis, so anyone who doesnt simply ignore me.
personally i can perceive pitch down to at least 27 Hz, but surely music isnt just about pitch, especially techno. what you feel is equally important.
i take your point about the psychoacoustic experiment thing, but lets get this in perspective, say i take three weeks to write a tune, i would probably spend approximately 5 minutes working out what harmonics i'm using in my low frequency spectrum, and then maybe do a couple of spectrum analysises of the whole tune at necessary points and make a few adjustments, a total of maybe 20 minutes work.
i wear a hoody in my studio not a white coat bro
