what is layering?

[jwalk]

what is layering and what are the best tips for doing it.

 

[Cleverwon]

You talking about drums or vocals?

 

[SpinDoctor]

Just leyer different snares over other snare or do it with kicks, uv jus got to experiment really.

 

[jwalk]

ok so can i layer strings and bass? if so what are some good techniques?

 

[Bosta]

layering is simply putting the same instrument or different ones on top of each other....like u might use different kicks hitting at the same time to get one - there's really no special technique, just mess around till u get something that sounds good

 

[FuzE]

Listen to the snares on a Kanye beat lots of times they are layered.

 

[DJ Hoppa]

and definitely fuck with the volumes for each layer, dont just layer em all on top of each other @ full volume... i always layer my kicks and snares, and i eq the shit out of each one until it sounds poifect

 

[Greg Savage]

^^^ true shit

 

[woohff]

and definitely fuck with the volumes for each layer, dont just layer em all on top of each other @ full volume... i always layer my kicks and snares, and i eq the shit out of each one until it sounds poifect

TRUE. I've used layering maybe an year and just yesterday I started thinking that maybe its not good idea to layer them with full volume. So how stupid do you think I feel now that I read your post??? =)

 

[DJ Hoppa]

TRUE. I've used layering maybe an year and just yesterday I started thinking that maybe its not good idea to layer them with full volume. So how stupid do you think I feel now that I read your post??? =)

haha, that's funny man, yah, it took me some trial and error to realize that's what wasnt sounding right in the beats..

 

[classic]

TRUE. I've used layering maybe an year and just yesterday I started thinking that maybe its not good idea to layer them with full volume. So how stupid do you think I feel now that I read your post??? =)

LOL damn man, yea like hop said u should definaly layer at differnt volumes, the sound that you want to "be heard" should be louder then all the other ones, i usually cut everything else off at 50% volume or less. That way You cant here the layerd sounds indivdually, but i changes the tone and "qualitity" of the " main" sound

 

[woohff]

Yea. I've started to pay more attention for the volumes. But still having a major struggle with the clarity of snares... I don't know but it seems what ever I do my snare looses some high-end. Just don't sound as bright as it should man! And again I'm afraid to use much eq because of the feeling that it would eat the room from vocals!
Am I totally wrong with my instinc and should I eq so much it would sound clear?
If somebody gives tips to clear the problem, I'll drop props to the Gyal's topic! =)

 

[Lex]

I'm not sure if this is a solution as such, but it could definately help - use a sampled drum hit that was played with bushes or just from jazz music - the snares alwmost always have a crisp snap to them with virtually no decay. This is perfect for crisp sounding snares, although you have to layer it quite carefully and subtlely with other sounds [which I assume you would intend to anyway] if you don't want to keep a jazz tinged-feel to the track [I fucking love jazz music so I like to let this through a little more, but obviously it doesn't suit every type of beat]. Snares played with prushes, also very prevelant in jazz music, have the smae crisp sound but the sound is usually very weak so won't add any punch to the sound if thats what you're looking for, it will simpy add a little more texture.

I'm not out for the props man, Just telling people what I do myself..aight.

Peace.

 

[The Konductor]

Layering is just that, laying shit on top of shit(sounds). Lets not forget to pan sounds slighty differently so that you don't have instruments drowning eachother out. Such as layering a string and bass. Both are are or can be deep, so you want to pan accordingly.

 

[woohff]

LEX: I definately try your tips. Thank you.

 

[Lex]

Cool, I hope it helps you get that sound you want. When you start experimenting with panning, volume the posibilties when layering are pretty much endless - you can end up tweaking stuff to the edge of your sanity.

 

[woohff]

Yeah. I've kinda hussled with panning and layerin' but just now I started to pay more attention to them. The wackness of my beats because of them drives me near to sanity... =)