How I Did It
Tools I Used
ableton to edit tracks, add breaks and process them also for sketching fx which appear in parts of edits and to edit from different passes thru the mackie 32:8:2, tc m300,tla 5021 valve compressor & gate for the breaks, um bheringer tube combressor for the bass think that was it really, ableton fx would have been apple matrix reverb, apple dynamics processor for breaks comp & gate, eq four for breaks apple delay audio unit. almost forgot i added a kick snare and high hat to the break for added toughness especially since there was so much buss filtering on the breaks. i used impulse for that and stock sounds i played with using impluses parameters.
Samples I Used
EA08_Lop_100bpm.wav probably from ableton bigga fish loops
kiss-conga-loop.wav
theme drum loop 4.aif by ramjac both available on freesound
Original Samples
none, my own samples get used all over the shop
Process
1.edited out what i didnt want from the provided tracks in ableton
and set up some fx in ableton to get the vibe
2.added breaks, originally with 3 different grooves and edited the bass in sections wher the break was in timestreaching to fit the groove
3.set individual outputs into desk using motu 24i/o
4.set up desk & outboard squashing the drum bass in comression.
5.ran 6 passes of live hands on desk dubbing it up with desk & outboard
7. chose edits from 2 mixes which were the last two passes i did which did not include the breaks, just leaving the original content only plus fx
8.added break by taking a loop of break from a previous pass, replaceing the different grooves which seemed to work nonethelss with the bass edits. this was because the two favourite passes contained no breaks but i still wanted them in.
9.ran the edits (4 stereo tracks in the end) thru a demo of izotopes ozone to limit the transient peaks but tried to maintain the sound of the mix without totally maximizing the levels, the idea being to think ahead to mastering whilst preventing occasional large peaks from interfearing with appropriate volume control use.
10.rendered two passes and edited them together in ableton in order to avoid the one second silence from the demo of izotope which occurs every 45 seconds or so.
Other Notes
when i heard the original tracks on offer for remix i knew i could do something with it in an olschool dub style so i mocked it up in ableton deleting what i would like to 'mute' and adding itb fx.
then i went otb and jammed the dubs and edited them together. my favourite passes were the ones without the breaks since i had tried to get an oldschool dub sound and avoid the digital dub. the passes involved changing fx settings in the middle of the mix so i had a variety to choose from.
i used the breaks to bring things up to date without trying to be tragically hip, i kept them pretty straight and just filtered or edited them when necessary for them to come and go from the mix without making a big deal of it, trying to understate things.
i enjoyed the fact that the bass was edited to go with the drums so things are fluid throughout the track despite the fact i only used one break groove in the end.
i enjoyed sharing the mix with my freinds all of whom have loved it. i dont think its an obvious choice for a winner but actually it is quite a good dub. its not really trying to prove anything and i think that the creativity in the process is not that obvious since oldschool dub is a well worn medium but as far as that goes its a good one, but it was a very enjoyable process and i hope that comes across in the mix. plus by adding the breaks and editing the bass it gave the mix a dynamic referencing times gone by and the reggae referred to in the original, which is such a great track i diddnt want to add too much to it, yet added the simple breaks to bring the dub it into the c21st. the breaks may be quite straight but locking down a beat is far more sly dunbar than squarepusher and like i say, ive got nothing to prove in that department. plus the groove includes my own drum programming and sounds so i was happy with the flavour.
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