SadSpoon, here´s a tip of how you can make a fat subbassline in Reason;
- Set up a new 14:2 mixer inside a combinator.
- Set up a Malström. Use two oscillators set to basic sine´s. Play the sines at somewhere between C0 and C2 to get it as low as you wish. (Try to get your subbass lowest frequencies around 25-50Hz or so). You won´t hear much at this moment, so turn on the shaper and add some boost for the sine-shape (or saturate or whatever you think sounds coolest).
- Now, to get it pump, set the Modulator (B) rate to around 85-ish, depending on how fast you want the "beating effect" pump. Use a sine-shape here. If you want to, you can sync the shaping, but personally I prefer not to. Set the volume knob on the Mod B to around 40, or how much you want it to beat. Remember to route both oscillators to the filter, and if you want, route the osc. B to the shaper as well.
- This will probably sound fairly OK, if you try doing stuff with the shift knobs, it´s gonna start crying in a cool way. But to get this right, we must take control of the sound, since it´s all over the place now;
- Connect the Malström directly into a spider splitter. Now you´ll have four signals to play with. One of the four you connect into a lowpassfilter (remember that you can use the StereoImager as a filter as well, both low and highpass. I think it works as a 6dB filter). Cut it around 250Hz or so, it all depends on what notes you are playing. After the filter you can add some slight compression if you feel comfortable using a compressor. Then put it straight into the Mixer. Now you´ll have full controll of the actual sub-frequencies.
- A second signal from the splitter you can put into a Scream4 unit. I think it sounds really cool if you use the Tape compression, set knob P2 to a low value, 2:0 - 2:5 or so. Then after that comes a Highpass filter (use the StereoImager), removing all frequencies below around 250Hz (again, it depends on whatnotes you are playin and how you´ve set your Malström.... You might want to cut it alot higher). Also add a lowpass filter, to get rid of ev. unwanted high frequencies. Perhaps aroun 1kHz or higher (or lower :)
Slightly compress if you wish too. It´s important that you never over-process anything, it´s very easy to do so with compression in perticular... remember that you´re gonna use the synth in a SONG, with other instruments, meaning you will most likley have to go back and twak stuff later.
Anyway, when you like the sound, put it into the mixers second channel.
- A third spilt you can fool around a little more crazy with, add a phaser AND a flanger, do other weird stuff with it... Eventually it should end up in the mixer anyway.
The point of this is that now you will have the full oppurtunity mixing the subbass to get the sound you want from the 14:2 mixer within the combinator. You can of course automate stuff to make it weird and all that jazz.
Of course you probably won´t get a "razor sharp killer sound" by following these instructions to the fully, you MUST tweak to get it right. These are just guidlines.
What I do now is that I set up a subbass kindof like this. then i re-wire to cubase and export the different channels, so i can mix it all in cubase. It´s basicly the same thing, but i´ll have access to alot of good plugs and wil work with .wav files rather then re-wired channels. It gives me very different options. I may have to go back into reason and make changes and export again, but it´s worth it, the end result wil be alot better.
Also remember that subbass should at all time be kept mono.
Try to get hold of a spectrum analyzer, it´s very difficult to hear the very low end. If you have bad speakers, you won´t get the right feel of the low end anyway. And don´t even think about trying to mix subbass in headphones. You MUST feel the bass... You should mix the bass rather loud too, around 85-90 dB. This is because the human ear won´t hear the bass as good as other frequencies (it´s called "phon curve", google it:). But BE CAREFUL when mixing this loud, and don´t do it for long periods of time. Take frequent breaks, or you´ll end up with tinnitus or worse... :O
Of course, listen to your song when i´t about to get finnished, in different systems. This is the only way to get as close to the truth of how it "really" sounds...
Hope this can give some insiration :)
