How do I remix songs? -ACID Product Family - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:How do I remix songs? Posted by: djargo Date:2/23/2004 7:07:50 PM Anyone here can give me hints to remix songs? My problem is the tempo of original song and loops just won't match. How can I do to make them sync?
Subject:RE: How do I remix songs? Reply by: marcarotsky Date:2/23/2004 8:53:43 PM youre asking a pretty broad question... in its simplest form: 1. tempo map your song (or ideally acapella) 2. make your loop or load your acid loop 3. start chopping things up and adding different sounds. getting an accurate tempo map of a song is probably the most important thing to do though so that it stretches correctly. if you have specific questions, lemme know, ill try to help as much as i can. (im a remixer) :) --marc
Subject:RE: How do I remix songs? Reply by: djargo Date:2/23/2004 10:23:31 PM Hi, marc Thanks for your replying. However, I am a newbie of Acid Pro 4, and I tried to remix a song which already cintains some drum loops. Is it OK to remix a song like this or I do need the acapella version of that song? Cheers
Subject:RE: How do I remix songs? Reply by: marcarotsky Date:2/24/2004 10:07:30 AM remixing a regular mixed down song is "ok" to do, it will teach you a lot of the basics of remixing. (mixed down, meaning a regular 2 channel stereo track, a regular song you would hear on the radio or mp3 you would download with all the elements already in it) what you need to do is on the song EQ it so that you drop a lot of the bass frequencies out around the drum area. this way when you bring your own beats in you dont have a bunch of mish mosh. you might have to shelf (drop freq. out) a lot of frequencies depending how fancy you get with your remix. quick simple example: you wanna remix...usher's "yeah" song: 1. you have the downloaded regular mp3. 2. eq the song so that you drop most of the bass out 3. beatmap the song in acid (it should come out to about 100 bpm) 4. if you desire, adjust acids tempo to the desired tempo you want your remix at. (i did a remix of that song and added a little more energy to it so i bumped the remix up to 105) 5. bring in your loops. 6. the reason for EQing the bass out is so that the drum loops dont wash each other out. you might have to do this with high end freq also. depending on how fancy you get) 7. start chopping things up. if you dont have sound forge i HIGHLY recomend you getting it to edit your loops and make loops now, the purpose of remixing using acapellas (the way its professionally done) is so that youre starting form a clean foundation. you can do WHATEVER YOU WANT to it and everything, all your sounds blend more naturally and you arent competing with any sounds imbedded in the song. this takes A LOT of practice to learn how to do. i started the same way you are with the regular version of the song and dropping tons of frequencies out of it to have a stripped down song, and just adding my own stuff on top of it to make new music. it works pretty well!!! (some songs work better than others) you will learn a lot this way though. HTH --marc
Subject:RE: How do I remix songs? Reply by: gazercmh Date:2/24/2004 10:11:48 AM ideally, to do a proper remix you'd want to have the individual tracks for each instrument in the song, but unless you have a friend at a record company it's unlikely you'll be able to get that. otherwise, you can work with an acapella or instrumental version. but really, there are no rules, and you can use any source materials you like, as long as they work with each other. the track you're using already has some drum loops, so you can go with those drums as your beat or you could add additional drums on top of those. or maybe just add a shaker or a hi-hat or something. try different things and see what you like. but marc's advice of getting the tempo right is very important. makes everything else a lot easier when you get the tempo set properly at the outset. there are a lot of ways to determine the tempo -- try the beatmapper, count beats to a stopwatch, use the free Tempo Tap program at analogx.com, use a metronome -- just find the method that works for you.

Subject:How do I remix songs?

Posted by: djargo

Date:2/23/2004 7:07:50 PM

Anyone here can give me hints to remix songs?
My problem is the tempo of original song and loops just won't match.
How can I do to make them sync?

Subject:RE: How do I remix songs?

Reply by: marcarotsky

Date:2/23/2004 8:53:43 PM

youre asking a pretty broad question...
in its simplest form:
1. tempo map your song (or ideally acapella)
2. make your loop or load your acid loop
3. start chopping things up and adding different sounds.

getting an accurate tempo map of a song is probably the most important thing to do though so that it stretches correctly.
if you have specific questions, lemme know, ill try to help as much as i can. (im a remixer) :)
--marc

Subject:RE: How do I remix songs?

Reply by: djargo

Date:2/23/2004 10:23:31 PM

Hi, marc
Thanks for your replying.
However, I am a newbie of Acid Pro 4, and I tried to remix a song which already cintains some drum loops.
Is it OK to remix a song like this or I do need the acapella version of that song?
Cheers

Subject:RE: How do I remix songs?

Reply by: marcarotsky

Date:2/24/2004 10:07:30 AM

remixing a regular mixed down song is "ok" to do, it will teach you a lot of the basics of remixing. (mixed down, meaning a regular 2 channel stereo track, a regular song you would hear on the radio or mp3 you would download with all the elements already in it)
what you need to do is on the song EQ it so that you drop a lot of the bass frequencies out around the drum area. this way when you bring your own beats in you dont have a bunch of mish mosh. you might have to shelf (drop freq. out) a lot of frequencies depending how fancy you get with your remix. quick simple example:
you wanna remix...usher's "yeah" song:
1. you have the downloaded regular mp3.
2. eq the song so that you drop most of the bass out
3. beatmap the song in acid (it should come out to about 100 bpm)
4. if you desire, adjust acids tempo to the desired tempo you want your remix at. (i did a remix of that song and added a little more energy to it so i bumped the remix up to 105)
5. bring in your loops.
6. the reason for EQing the bass out is so that the drum loops dont wash each other out. you might have to do this with high end freq also. depending on how fancy you get)
7. start chopping things up.

if you dont have sound forge i HIGHLY recomend you getting it to edit your loops and make loops

now, the purpose of remixing using acapellas (the way its professionally done) is so that youre starting form a clean foundation. you can do WHATEVER YOU WANT to it and everything, all your sounds blend more naturally and you arent competing with any sounds imbedded in the song. this takes A LOT of practice to learn how to do. i started the same way you are with the regular version of the song and dropping tons of frequencies out of it to have a stripped down song, and just adding my own stuff on top of it to make new music. it works pretty well!!! (some songs work better than others) you will learn a lot this way though.
HTH
--marc

Subject:RE: How do I remix songs?

Reply by: gazercmh

Date:2/24/2004 10:11:48 AM

ideally, to do a proper remix you'd want to have the individual tracks for each instrument in the song, but unless you have a friend at a record company it's unlikely you'll be able to get that. otherwise, you can work with an acapella or instrumental version. but really, there are no rules, and you can use any source materials you like, as long as they work with each other.

the track you're using already has some drum loops, so you can go with those drums as your beat or you could add additional drums on top of those. or maybe just add a shaker or a hi-hat or something. try different things and see what you like.

but marc's advice of getting the tempo right is very important. makes everything else a lot easier when you get the tempo set properly at the outset. there are a lot of ways to determine the tempo -- try the beatmapper, count beats to a stopwatch, use the free Tempo Tap program at analogx.com, use a metronome -- just find the method that works for you.