4 tips for picking sounds

Sound design - and sound selection - is your ability to bring out emotion using the tone or “timbre” of the sounds you use in your music.

It’s one of the most important decisions you will make when producing any song.

Let’s go through some tips to help you.

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Good Sound Selection Is About Connecting With The Emotions of Your Sounds

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Tip 1: Start From Emotive Sounds In The Style You Want To Create In

The following is a simple idea that actually took years to sink in for me:

Different genres are built on specific sounds.

So if you want to create in a specific style, the best way is to start by searching for high quality sample packs or presets that are built for that style.

For example, if you want to create a Future Bass track, you should start with high quality Future Bass inspired drums and synth sounds.

If you want to create a Funk track, you should start with high quality Funk drums and VST instruments.

If you want to make LoFi, start from LoFi inspired drums and instruments.

Etc… every style has its own “class” of sounds that make it that style.

Doing this well comes back to the planning process before even starting a song.

Think about your goal for the track, and arm yourself with the sounds to get it done.

Don’t make your life hard by skipping this step - lifeless sounds or samples in the wrong “feel” will never be fixed by “mixing” them. You need to get it right at the source.

Tip: You can also get unique results by studying what is expected for a style, and then specifically going in another direction…

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Tip 2: Analyze Each Sound Technically and See How It Fits In With The Other Sounds on the EQ Spectrum

Play your sound and open an EQ.

Look at where the lowest fundamental peaks are. Now do the same thing with other instruments.

Is there a lot of overlap? This could be causing excess mud in your mix, because those sounds are competing in the same frequency space.

Some overlap is fine, but be careful of too much overlap in your sounds, as this can quickly have a negative impact on your overall sound.

Higher frequency overlap is often more okay - it’s the lower frequencies that will cause the biggest problems if there is too much overlap, especially under 1k or so.

Too much overlap can also point to an over-cluttered composition… consider revisiting your songwriting and carving room through elimination of parts instead of EQing the life out of parts.

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Tip 3: Close Your Eyes And Ask Each Sound What It Feels Like

Every sound has a feeling. This is even more important than the technical side of the sound.

Too many producers get caught up in the technical side, thinking that they get to “good sounds” by knowing everything about how to EQ or Compress… they’re looking for the tricks to that “pro sound” thinking it comes from what you do to the sound.

That stuff is all great… but you know what’s even more effective?

Close your eyes and just feel the sound itself, before touching anything.

Is the sound sharp and bright? Dull and round?

Is it like a buzzing insect or a booming roar?

Is it a punch in the chest or a slap in the face?

Is it in the direction of what you want?

What needs to happen to it to bring it to the best version of itself?

Listening with your emotion will help you make the right choices about what sounds belong in your track, and what emotions you are communicating.

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Tip 4: Learn How the Fundamental Mixing Tools Can Alter Your Sounds

There are 5 basic tools:

EQ, compression, reverb, delay and saturation.

Creative use of each one has a lot of power over how your sounds feel.

Here is an overly simplified description of each to get the ball rolling:

• EQ: Alters the timbre of a sound by changing the volume of different frequencies within it.
• Compression: Reduces the loud parts, so they’re closer in volume to the quiet parts, often resulting in a more full, or consistent sound.
• Saturation: Adds new harmonics to a sound, introducing new timbre, often which can make the sound more full or distorted.
• Reverb: Places the sound in a space. I often think of this like front to back dimension.
• Delay: Adds groove or width to a sound. I often think of this like left to right dimension.

I recommend using these tools through the filter of creativity - not “right and wrong.”

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Experimentation with Non-Judgemental Listening Is Key

Remember, the key to great sound selection is continuous experimentation and practice.