How To Properly Layer Sounds (Avoid Messiness)

Summary

In this informative video, Aaron from Unison discusses the art of sound layering to create rich and full music tracks. He covers choosing sound sources, EQ'ing and tuning samples, and using multiple sounds to fill the frequency spectrum. Aaron demonstrates layering techniques using Ableton, including building chords with major and minor sevenths, ninths, and octaves for depth. He also shows how to EQ and pan sounds to give each its own space in the mix, layering drum sounds, and adding atmospheric effects for depth. The video concludes with a look at the filled frequency spectrum and a suggestion to subscribe for more tips.

Takeaways

• 🎵 Layering sounds is crucial for making music sound rich, deep, and full.
• 🎛️ Choose the right sound sources, EQ properly, and tune samples to create a balanced mix.
• 🎹 Use multiple sounds to fill the frequency spectrum, giving each sound its own space in the mix.
• 🎶 Adding major and minor sevenths and ninths to chords can make them sound richer.
• 🔊 Layering an octave root note below chords fills out the low end and makes the sound fuller.
• 📉 Rolling off low frequencies in chords can prevent clashing with the bass, keeping the low end clean.
• 🎚️ Use EQ to give each layer its own space in the frequency range and avoid conflicts.
• 🥁 Layering drum sounds with different characteristics can create a fuller and more dynamic sound.
• 🌌 Adding atmospheric effects and background sounds can enhance the depth and richness of a track.
• 🎧 Use panning and spatial techniques to ensure elements don't clash and maintain a balanced mix.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is layering sounds in music production to achieve a rich, deep, and full sound in tracks.

Why might a musician's music not sound as rich as others they listen to?

A musician's music might not sound as rich because they may not be layering sounds properly, which can help in achieving depth and a fuller sound.

What is the first aspect of layering discussed in the video?

The first aspect of layering discussed is choosing the right sound source and building chords with major and minor sevenths and ninths on top of typical triads.

What is a triad and why is it important in building chords?

A triad is a group of three notes, typically consisting of a root, a third, and a fifth. It is important in building chords because it forms the foundation of the chord and contributes to the overall harmony.

How does adding an octave root note affect the sound of a chord?

Adding an octave root note below the chord makes it feel more full in the low end, enhancing the richness and depth of the sound.

What is EQ'ing and why is it important in layering sounds?

EQ'ing is the process of adjusting the equalization of an audio signal to emphasize or de-emphasize certain frequency components. It is important in layering sounds to avoid frequency clashes and to give each sound its own space in the mix.

Why is it recommended to keep the bass mono in a mix?

Keeping the bass mono helps maintain a clear and focused low end, ensuring that the bass frequencies are not spread out and remain impactful.

What is the purpose of adding a mid-frequency layer to a track?

Adding a mid-frequency layer helps to fill out the frequency spectrum, providing brightness and ensuring that the track has a balanced and full sound.

How does layering drum sounds contribute to the overall mix?

Layering drum sounds, such as a clap with different layers for body and top-end, contributes to a more dynamic and rich sound, adding character and depth to the percussion elements.

What is the role of atmospheric effects in a track?

Atmospheric effects serve as a background layer that adds depth and richness to the entire song, providing a sense of space and enhancing the overall listening experience.

What is the 'glue compressor' mentioned in the video and how is it used?

The 'glue compressor' is a type of compressor used to blend multiple sounds together, ensuring they mesh well and are well-balanced in the mix. It helps in creating a cohesive sound from layered elements.

How does the video suggest using reverb to enhance sound?

The video suggests using reverb subtly to blend sounds nicely into the mix, providing a sense of space and making the sound sit better within the track.

What is the importance of giving each layer its own space in the frequency range?

Giving each layer its own space in the frequency range prevents frequency clashes and allows each element to shine through clearly, contributing to a balanced and rich overall sound.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Sound Layering Techniques for Rich Music Production

In this video, Aaron from Unison discusses the art of sound layering to achieve a rich, deep, and full sound in music production. He demonstrates various techniques using Ableton, starting with the construction of chord progressions using major and minor triads, and enhancing them with additional notes like the seventh and ninth for a richer sound. He also covers the importance of EQ'ing and tuning samples to avoid frequency clashes and to give each sound its own space in the mix. The video includes practical examples of layering chords, sub-bass, and other elements to create a full and balanced sound spectrum.

05:01

🔊 Crafting Full Frequency Spectrum with Layered Synths

Aaron continues the discussion on sound layering by focusing on the frequency spectrum. He explains how to create a full sound by layering different synth elements, each occupying its unique space in the frequency range. He details the process of EQ'ing a mid-frequency layer to add brightness and using a pad layer to fill in the higher frequencies. The summary includes the demonstration of how these layers work together to create a rich sonic texture, both in terms of sound and visual frequency spectrum analysis. Additionally, he touches on the use of panning to give each layer its own space in the stereo field.

10:04

🥁 Layering Drum Sounds for a Dynamic Mix

This section of the video script delves into the layering of drum sounds, specifically focusing on the construction of a clap sound using three different layers. Aaron describes how each layer contributes to the overall clap sound, with one providing body, another adding a snap due to its higher pitch, and the third enhancing the top end. He emphasizes the importance of EQ'ing each layer differently to prevent frequency clashes and to ensure that the combined sound sits well in the mix. The use of a glue compressor, additional EQ, and reverb is also discussed to create a cohesive drum sound that integrates well with the rest of the track.

🌌 Adding Atmospheric Depth with Background Effects

In the final paragraph, Aaron talks about using atmospheric effects and background sounds to add depth and richness to a song. He demonstrates how subtle background layers and atmospheric sounds can enhance the overall feel of a track without being the main focus. The summary explains the use of these effects to create transitions and impact, particularly on the first clap of each bar, and how they contribute to filling the frequency spectrum. Aaron also recaps the key points covered in the video, including building rich chords, layering synths, drum sound layering, and the use of atmospheric effects to create a full and dynamic mix.

Keywords

💡Layering Sounds

Layering sounds is the process of combining multiple audio tracks or elements to create a richer, more complex sound. In the video, Aaron discusses how layering can make music sound deeper and fuller, giving examples like adding multiple synth layers to fill the frequency spectrum and using different drum sounds to build a more impactful clap.

💡EQ'ing

EQ'ing, or equalizing, refers to adjusting the balance of different frequency components in an audio signal. Aaron emphasizes its importance in layering sounds by showing how to roll off lows in chord layers to avoid clashing with bass frequencies, ensuring each sound has its own space in the mix.

💡Frequency Spectrum

The frequency spectrum represents the range of all possible frequencies of sound. Aaron explains how different layers can fill out the frequency spectrum, such as using bass for low frequencies and pads for higher frequencies, ensuring a full and balanced mix.

💡Panning

Panning is the distribution of a sound signal into a new stereo or multi-channel sound field determined by a pan control setting. Aaron advises using panning to give each sound its own space in the stereo field, helping to prevent overlapping and ensure clarity in the mix.

💡Synth Layers

Synth layers refer to multiple synthesized sounds combined to create a complex texture. Aaron demonstrates using different synth layers to fill various parts of the frequency spectrum, such as adding mid-frequency layers and bright pad layers to enhance the richness of the sound.

💡Chords

Chords are groups of notes played together to create harmony. In the video, Aaron shows how to build richer chords by adding major or minor sevenths and ninths on top of triads, and by including octave root notes to enhance fullness.

💡Bass

Bass refers to the lower frequency sounds in music. Aaron discusses how to effectively layer bass sounds with other elements, such as by EQ'ing chords to make room for the bass and ensuring the sub-bass frequencies don't clash with other low-frequency elements.

💡Glue Compressor

A glue compressor is a type of audio compressor that helps to 'glue' together different elements in a mix, making them sound more cohesive. Aaron uses the glue compressor on grouped sounds to ensure they mesh well together, creating a more polished and unified sound.

💡Atmosphere

Atmosphere in music refers to background sounds and effects that add depth and context to the main elements. Aaron highlights the use of atmospheric sounds, such as subtle background effects and foley, to create a richer and more immersive audio experience.

💡Unison Essentials

Unison Essentials is a collection of high-quality MIDI files and audio samples used to enhance music production. Aaron mentions using MIDI chord progressions from Unison Essentials to build the chord layers in his project, illustrating how these resources can simplify the creation of complex and rich-sounding music.

Highlights

Layering sounds can make music feel richer, deeper, and more full.

Choosing the right sound source is crucial for effective layering.

Proper EQ'ing helps to prevent frequency clashes and allows each sound to have its own space.

Tuning samples is essential for creating a cohesive sound.

Using multiple sounds to fill the frequency spectrum can create a full and rich sound.

Adding major or minor sevenths and ninths to triads can make chords sound richer.

Adding an octave root note below a chord can fill out the low end.

Subtracting lower bass notes from chords and adding them to a sub layer can clean up the mix.

Panning elements can give each sound its own space in the mix.

Adding mid-frequency layers can fill out the frequency spectrum.

Using a pad layer with a brighter tone can add brightness to the mix.

Layering drum sounds, such as a clap, can create a more impactful sound.

EQ'ing individual layers of a sound group can help them mesh well together.

Using a glue compressor can help to glue layered sounds together for a cohesive mix.

Adding atmospheric effects can create a depth and richness in the background of a track.

Foley sounds or other background effects can fill up the frequency spectrum even more.

Innocent essential packs were used for the demo, providing a variety of sounds for layering.

Encouragement for viewers to subscribe, like, and comment for further engagement.

Transcripts

what's up y'all aaron from unison here

today i want to talk about layering

sounds there's a lot of times where you

might be listening to music and you're

like wow it sounds so rich it sounds so

deep and thick

why doesn't my music sound like that

well today i want to show you some

different ways that might help and give

you a better sense of how you can layer

sounds and make your tracks feel more

full and get it to have that depth that

you might want i'm going to be going

over a few different things and that's

going to be covering layering sounds in

terms of choosing the right sound source

eq'ing properly

tuning samples properly using multiple

sounds to fill the frequency spectrum

and learning how to give each sound its

own space in the mix so that way

everything sounds good but it also feels

full and rich all right let's go ahead

and jump into ableton

[Music]

[Music]

all right so this is a project that i

made and i just want to dive into a

couple of different

elements here just to show different

ways that i layered so the first thing

we'll dive into are the scents mainly

the chords and how the chords were built

so this is actually a midi chord

progression from unison essentials

advanced midi and it is right here it's

this one number seven

right here and i just went and dragged

and dropped here and so if we dive into

the chords here we can see that it's

using

mainly

major and minor knights and so this

particular chord progression is in the

key of g flat major and so essentially

most chords the basses are triads when

you're building chords and so a triad is

just three notes in this particular

instance it's d sharp f sharp and a

sharp

and then on top we got a minor seventh

and also a minor ninth and so by adding

these two additional notes we have a

much more richer sounding chord it

sounds like this

[Music]

versus just these three

and so additionally you can go and add

an octave root note below and so here we

have the root note just an octave below

so that way it makes the chord feel more

full in the low end also

versus without

and so by doing that you can go and just

use one particular sound and fill it out

much more versus having to use multiple

sounds and creating a more messy mix

instead you just have one sound and

sounds very rich and full from the

get-go alright so let's say you know we

have these nice full chords but we want

to add some sub bass to this well we

have here these chords with the these

lower bass notes and so if we play it we

look on this eq here we see some peaks

going on around you know 60 hertz and

also around 40.

and so if we were to add bass i have

some bass here

you know they're going to be clashing

with each other if we look at the bass

now look at the base is peaking around

30 mainly but also there's some up here

in the 60 40 which is also happening as

well over here too

around 60. so

what i would do is go ahead and roll off

those lows in the chords

to allow it to come through

now if you go and do that though

if you listen to just the chords

you can hardly even hear these lower

notes

so it doesn't really make sense to keep

them in here so when i had the bass come

in i went ahead and just took out those

notes and just dropped them into this

sub layer here and so now

when i play it over here

go ahead and reactivate this eq

and together

[Music]

sounds much more nicer

there's nothing

fighting with each other and keeps that

low end nice and clean because now only

this is coming through

so

give each sound its own space in terms

of the frequency range also panning too

i wouldn't go and pan bass usually want

to keep bass mono but putting the chords

a little bit to the right to allow for

other elements to come through can help

as well so definitely give each sound

its own space in terms of the mix and in

terms of eq

and that will really help in terms of

layering sounds and giving that more

full feeling moving on to the most

energetic part of the song we have here

more layers which are each kind of

individually doing their own thing to

help fill out the entire frequency

spectrum

and so

you know we have our base chords here

and the sub

sounds like this but then we can go

ahead and add this kind of like mid

frequency layer

[Music]

and it just has a bit more brightness

added to this main layer and so for this

i went ahead and rolled off most of the

lows

from this layer here

because a lot of that is coming from

this layer here

and also the sub as well

so kind of using this is like a bit more

of a mid layer

it helps

even more to fill everything out

then additionally we have this pad layer

as well

[Music]

which adds even more brightness to it

and so if we look here

we can see that the spectrum is starting

to get filled out

so let's look again just these two

elements the base and the base chords

you know it's mainly all in the lower

end but as we add these layers

[Music]

sonically

it's filling everything out but also

on this frequency spectrum it's filling

everything out too

so by kind of giving each layer its own

space in the frequency range but also

sonically by panning elements and also

by finding sounds that work well with

each other that aren't clashing

sonically but kind of accompany each

other you can get a more rich sound and

it feels like there's more depth to it

moving over to the drum sounds i wanted

to focus mainly on this clap sound that

i have and so this clap consists of

three different layers they all sound

like this i have this clap here this

snap sound that pitch down

and then this percussive

sound and so each one has its own

function within the entirety of the

group and so this is kind of like the

base here this is to give it a bit more

body which is why i went ahead and

pitched it down as you can see here

which is down eight semitones and then

this percussive sound is just to give it

a bit more of that top end that was kind

of taken away when i went and pitched

this down and so all together it sounds

like this

and so each one is also eq'd differently

this one since most of it is body i went

ahead and just took out the lows to

allow for this to come in i also didn't

want to give too much lows because i

don't want to clash with the sub and

anything else that might be taking up

the lower frequency range and the

overall mix and then also that just

gives this sound a bit more character as

well so if i just solo these two layers

versus without

and then with

it just adds a nice extra snap to it and

then this other layer it just adds that

extra top into it then once i've gone

through and layered all the sounds i'll

go ahead and group them all together and

in this particular instance i went ahead

and used the glue compressor and a

little bit of additional eq on here as

well as some reverb i use the glue

compressor to go ahead and glue all the

sounds together so that way they're eq'd

well then when you use the glue

compressor they'll really mesh well with

each other and then of course i just

went ahead and used these eq to eq out

anything additional that i may not want

in the combined sound and then i thought

a little bit of reverb would blend

nicely in with this here it is without

the reverb and here it is with and then

actually let me go ahead and turn

everything off so that's the sound and

with everything

and so it's very subtle in terms of

everything but it just gives it a bit

more of a nicer punch and it sits better

in the mix as well you can pretty much

apply this technique to any element in

your song i've also applied it to the

kick here just in the chorus section

prior to that i went ahead and just kept

the one kick

and i've also rolled off some of the

highs so that way it's not really a

protruding kick until we get to the

chorus

it has this additional layer with a bit

more top end to add a bit more energy in

the kick especially with everything else

there's more percussion going on the

snare has a bit more energy as you can

hear and then of course what i was

showing you earlier with all the synths

and everything having a lot more energy

by all the different layers as well all

together if we go back to looking at our

spectrum on the master

[Music]

you can you can see there that the

spectrum is much more filled out versus

over here

[Music]

there's definitely a nice balance there

but it really shines once it gets to

this chorus section the last thing i

want to talk about is using atmosphere

and just various effects to kind of

create this atmospheric bed for your

entire song so when you're making a song

typically you'll go and you'll have your

sense in your drums and maybe a lead or

vocals whatever it might be but adding

that extra depth and richness to your

song by adding these additional effects

can really help it to feel full so down

here i have this atmos group and it just

has like this sound here

[Music]

and it's not really a main focus or

anything like that but it's just a nice

layer to kind of throw in the background

of your song sounds like this in context

and then there's also this other sound

that i have here

and i just have that on the first clap

of each bar

just to make that first impact just hit

a little bit more

harder but also in a very subtle way

there's also additionally this sound

here

just has some echo on it and it's

filtered down

so it just makes for nice transition

kind of sounds as well when you're

switching over different sections

additionally here in the beginning we

have these other two atmospheric sounds

[Music]

both of those so in context

[Music]

and so by throwing in these background

effects or even using foley or just

other sounds it will help to fill up the

frequency spectrum even more so on top

of the different layering that we

already have gone over so just to recap

we went over building rich chords by

adding those major or minor sevenths and

ninths on top of typical triads as well

as adding an octave root note to just

fill the spectrum when it comes to

chords now on top of that you can also

go and take out the lower root note and

just throw it into a base patch

and

you can go ahead and eq each of those so

that way it just feels

very nice between the low end all the

way up to you know the higher end of the

spectrum as well we also went over

filling up the frequency spectrum and

that was by taking multiple synth layers

and giving them each their own unique

space in the spectrum and that was by

having that higher end layer as well as

having a base layer which was like those

nice round cords that kind of filled up

the mid-range as well as having a more

sustained pad that just had a brighter

tone to it and so all together it just

made a very nice rich sound and then

additionally we also talked about

layering drum sounds you know finding

different drum sounds that can make a

nice round snare or clap or whatever it

is you might be building out same thing

with your kick as well as any other

percussion that you might want to go and

layer up like that you can do it with

pretty much any element in your track we

also talked about adding atmosphere to

the background of your track to give it

more depth as well by using little

effects spread out through the song that

aren't necessarily at the front of the

mix but they go and they add that

additional depth to the song most of the

sounds used in this demo are from the

innocence essential packs there'll be a

link in the description below where you

can pick these up if you're interested

now that's it from me for today if you

found this video helpful please consider

subscribing to the channel drop a like

on the video and if you have any other

ways that might help you with layering

sounds please drop a comment below

thanks so much for watching we'll see

you next time