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Author Topic: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres  (Read 23460 times)

Jeremy McNichol

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Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« on: February 26, 2011, 01:18:15 AM »

There has been alot of talk both speculative and educated on this and other forums about the specific predominant frequencies that are used in the making of EDM tracks, eg basslines (synth or otherwise), kick (especially)!! and any other frequencies that are the focus in each style, (Trance,House,Hardhouse,Progressive,Hardcore,Dubstep).       

I would like to hear from anyone that has direct measurements (eg RTA ,Spectrum analyzer,Smarrt,maybe?))  of any of the aforementioned styles that can post these results for all to see so that we can once and for all see exactly what parts of the freq. spectrum that have the most concentrated energy.

I know that this has been posted before in the old Lab forum in small parts, but it would be nice to have a comprehensive listing of all types of EDM and even perhaps Reggae to enable current and new members to be able to gear their systems towards their music of choice thru the proper choice of loudspeaker alignment/processing.
Are there any current members that would like to contribute to this thread to help out? The main reason I ask is that I am a mobile DJ and I own all my equipment:Crown,Crest and Numark, but I also build my own speakers...subs/ mid-highs and it would be nice to be able to tune the subs for intended use eg. F3 of 25 hz for dubstep or flat response from 40-80 hz for the kick in a trance track..... maybe ,I don't know.
Thank you for any help you can give , hopefully it can clear up any questions I and others have.

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Ivan Beaver

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2011, 11:18:08 AM »

My limited experience with dubstep required a FLAT response down to 20Hz.  And be fairly loud.

There are "notes" below 20hz in a lot of that material.

If you are good to 20Hz, then you should be fine with other genre as well.

Of course if you tune to 20Hz flat, then you are going to have a greatly reduced output capability, which may be a problem for some styles.

It is all a tradeoff and  you have to determine what is most important to you and your customers.
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Ivan Beaver
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Jeremy McNichol

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2011, 08:06:25 PM »

My limited experience with dubstep required a FLAT response down to 20Hz.  And be fairly loud.

There are "notes" below 20hz in a lot of that material.

If you are good to 20Hz, then you should be fine with other genre as well.

Of course if you tune to 20Hz flat, then you are going to have a greatly reduced output capability, which may be a problem for some styles.

It is all a tradeoff and  you have to determine what is most important to you and your customers.

Thanks Ivan, makes sense but I don't play dubstep, more of a trance addict with occasional rock functions. Do you have a source for the averaged bass frequency for Trance that you could throw a screen shot up here ? I know not every trance track has the same synth and kick energy but maybe frequency screen shot of a couple of different tracks would give a good idea. I think if this type of thing were available this would give people the incentive to "look up" the graph for the music they play and be able to match up to a sub box that has the desired frequency response, instead of the SR pros continually getting the" which sub do you think will work for this music" question which seems to bother the guys a bit.

Like you said  a 20hz flat system is really only useful for a limited market and as others have said it does add a lot to the cost of a system to reproduce those lows. Thanks again.
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Doug Fowler

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2011, 04:26:40 PM »

Here you go.

Two hour average of ETN.FM internet stream, ETN1 Trance Channel.  This program was mostly Pedro Del Mar's Mellomania show.

I have noticed this LF bit at Ultra capturing data, single ended measurement of course.  This just gives us the spectral content of the music.  I can't say about the extreme ends of the spectrum since this was a 256K internet stream, but it looks like there is enough here to formulate some opinions.

Check out the spike at 55Hz.  That's the LF bit I was talking about.  Also, those spikes around 500Hz and above, I believe those to be female voice (this is a heavily female euphoric trance oriented show).

Remember, this is a two hour average.  I set SysTune for a very large FFT size and infinite averaging.

More coming as I get around to it, including dubstep.

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Todd Anisman

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2011, 01:38:06 PM »

My limited experience with dubstep required a FLAT response down to 20Hz.  And be fairly loud.

There are "notes" below 20hz in a lot of that material.

If you are good to 20Hz, then you should be fine with other genre as well.

Of course if you tune to 20Hz flat, then you are going to have a greatly reduced output capability, which may be a problem for some styles.

It is all a tradeoff and  you have to determine what is most important to you and your customers.

???No... You want the Sub region about +10dB for Dubstep, not flat...  40Hz is Fine, although there is content down there occasionally. 
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Jeremy McNichol

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2011, 06:00:55 PM »

Here you go.

Two hour average of ETN.FM internet stream, ETN1 Trance Channel.  This program was mostly Pedro Del Mar's Mellomania show.

I have noticed this LF bit at Ultra capturing data, single ended measurement of course.  This just gives us the spectral content of the music.  I can't say about the extreme ends of the spectrum since this was a 256K internet stream, but it looks like there is enough here to formulate some opinions.

Check out the spike at 55Hz.  That's the LF bit I was talking about.  Also, those spikes around 500Hz and above, I believe those to be female voice (this is a heavily female euphoric trance oriented show).

Remember, this is a two hour average.  I set SysTune for a very large FFT size and infinite averaging.

More coming as I get around to it, including dubstep.

Wow, that's exactly what I was looking for! Thank you Doug. This way people will have a better idea of how their music looks. I thank you ahead of time for doing this ,especially for different genres. I had no idea there was so much energy @ those frequencies.
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Doug Fowler

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2011, 11:56:27 AM »

And a dubstep track, Bassnectar remix of Teleport Massive.  Dominant LF is abour 46Hz.  Also notice where the trance tracks were dominant at 55Hz, here it is carved out.

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Ivan Beaver

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2011, 09:17:18 PM »

???No... You want the Sub region about +10dB for Dubstep, not flat...  40Hz is Fine, although there is content down there occasionally.
I was talking about the response of the system-not the output of the system with musical content. Agreed that the sub region needs to be hotter.  And I would argue that it was more like 20dB hotter than the tops.

If you think that 40Hz is fine, then tell that to the artists who came up to me with comments like "THat was like a religious experience-I have never heard/felt anything like that"  or "I knew those notes were in my music, but I have never heard them before", or to see the smiles of everybody when the sweeps went down low and you just got engulfed in the sound  and wrapped around you like a fluffy massaging blanket.  40Hz would not have done that.  40Hz is easy-an octave lower is not so easy-at a loud level in a large room.

But that is based on my very limited experience with the genre.
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Ivan Beaver
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Doug Fowler

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2011, 12:30:33 PM »

40Hz would not have done that.  40Hz is easy-an octave lower is not so easy-at a loud level in a large room.


No doubt a sub that does 40Hz very well, meaning this is not the lower limit of its capacity, will shine in this application whereas a sub that barely does 40Hz will not.

I imagine that is what you experienced.

fwiw (not much....)

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Ivan Beaver

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Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2011, 05:10:57 PM »

No doubt a sub that does 40Hz very well, meaning this is not the lower limit of its capacity, will shine in this application whereas a sub that barely does 40Hz will not.

I imagine that is what you experienced.

fwiw (not much....)

Not exactly.  While there wasn't much to do at the gig-I spent a good amount of time watching the meters on the amps-which weren't anywhere near full output.

I had 2 sub systems in use-one that went from  20Hz to 40Hz and another that went from  30Hz to 80Hz.

Most of the time both systems were producing decent output, but during the deep sweeps, the meters on the 30-80Hz system would go completely off and the one on the 20-40Hz system were still working at the same level.

If the music was only going down to 40hz or even 30Hz, then both would be working all the time.  But a good number of times this was not the case.

Now maybe the specific type material I was doing was not normal (very likely as I have little to compare it to).

The last night I found a lounge area way off to the side and behind the stage with some comfy couches to take a nap.  I had to get up several times because I said to myself "My goodness what the &%#@ are they doing with the system"-because it felt like the building was going to come apart.  So I would get up and go look at the amps and they were just fine-coasting along.  But the deep freq were like nothing I have ever heard before.

It wasn't 40Hz by any stretch.
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Ivan Beaver
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Specific frequency profiles for EDM genres
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2011, 05:10:57 PM »


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