instruments distort each other

[Smag]

I work in Cubase and use WAV samples for my drums. The problem I have sometimes is that when I'm using a particularly strong kick with a snare, the snare gets distorted and sounds a bit squashed. I'm finding that the WAVs in some way interact with each other and distort each other and also volumes are decreased on high frequencies. It happens when I'm layering a lot of Wavs. Is this a symptom of a crap soundcard (SB Audigy Plat) or is it the way I'm mixing the WAVs?

[Drammy]

Are your outputs clipping??

Sounds like they are.

[Hollowcell]

yep, i aggree with martyn here.

sounds like u are clipping your audio. either clipping while playing back, or you clipped as you recorded the audio.

while the song is playing, check your mixer, plus your master mixer window...if the clipping is occuring because your mixer volumes are too loud within cubase its easy to fix (turn down the volume), but if you have clipped them while recording you may have to record them again.

[Smag]

Cheers, I'll have a look at the mixer, should be pretty straightforward

[picato]

Sometimes you can get problems like this, and the first thing to check is, just like the boys already suggested, clipping...
But it isn't necessary a phenomenon about clipping. A snare and a basedrum can easily create some strange effects together. You could also use a spectralizer to make sure that the peaks of the sounds doesn't occupie the same frequencies. If that's the case, a notch filter on that frequencies can fix the problem. An other way to go is trying to move one of the sounds one or two milliseconds back or forth in the song. This way the peaks doesn't occur at the samt time, but you want notice the very slight latency either.

When mixing a real bas guitar and real drums you can get a really different sound by experimenting whith slight latency. I have not tried this one on synth music though, so I dont know if it works on this type of sounds. Mixing electronica and ordinary pop/rock isn't the same thing at all...

[Smag]

Nice trick with the latency Picato, I'll give it a go, I think I may be over compressing the bass and snare and it's squashed it to buggeration.

[Panopticon]

Well, yeah, you didn't mention compression in your first post (although nearly every drum group needs compression to some degree). I'm not sure how much comb-filtering could take place between a kick and a snare, maybe a little bit between the low side of the snare and the high end of the kick, but but what I might suggest looking at is the mix between the two. Maybe your kick is burying part of the snare, or vice-versa.

[udenjoe]

Don't compress untill you got all the mixing straightened out. Then you got to go between compression and mixing. Back and forth.

They should make compression illegal.

Hey, I got a novel idea don't use compression.... It sucks. You honestly don''t need it.

[Smag]

You're right, I should leave the compression until it's been mixed properly. I definitely think I do need compression when making dance tracks.

I think I'm going to get an Audiophile 2496 to replace my Soundblaster "Home Theatre Experience".

[Hollowcell]

Originally Posted by Smag

You're right, I should leave the compression until it's been mixed properly. I definitely think I do need compression when making dance tracks.

You do need compression when making dance tracks I'm affraid. Specially on the bass and kicks. Also try getting to track up to a professional sound level without using compression on the final mastering stage. I wouldn't listen to Uden on this one - sorry Uden

I think I'm going to get an Audiophile 2496 to replace my Soundblaster "Home Theatre Experience".

That sounds like a good idea!