Advice on gain staging - particularly for the delay

Elektron Gear Analog Rytm
#1

I use the AR here and there. But it seems each time I jump in thinking I know what I’m doing, I end up creating a kit that needs serious level adjustments. I know with the distortion and compressor, there are a lot of things to turn off when building a kit, however there are a few things that just never seem to gel.

Currently my biggest issue is that I can’t get the delay to ever be heard in the mix. The first repeat is barely audible even when I set a send to full on - I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a second repeat - but if I crank the feedback, it will get out of control.

It seems like the delay has a max level, yet the sounds can way surpass that level with overdrive and filters and other settings, so that the delay is always barely heard. I feel like the delay should just take whatever the volume is going in, and spit that back out - but it doesn’t.

For example, if I use an individual out and send that to an actual delay, the results are easy to hear - but internally - I’m just not getting it.

#2

I’m not a super-expert with my Rytm, but I do love it, however, I also find myself going back to kits that I thought I programmed perfectly a week ago, only to hear something very different than I remember coming out of my speakers.

That being said, I found leaving the high range of the delays filter wide open, and cutting off just a little low end is always a nice starting place. I find when I can’t hear my delay well it’s usually because my EQ was narrow. This helped with the newer updates and the visual representation of the filters.

Also, make sure your delay send is maxed out, or at least over 75%, and your delay mix is about 40/60.

Compression helps bring out delays especially with ping-pong and slap back styles.

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#3

be sure that you are not using an old kit where the Legacy FX levels are enabled [x], the fx levels were set too low at launch, a lot of people had patterns worked through so the ability to retain those settings was preserved, but a new project should default to legacy fx [_] off where the levels are higher

also be sure that the overall FX track level is decent, each track has its own level, including FX

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#4

Thanks for the reminder ! - I forgot there were track levels for effects. It does seem weird, as there is one page for delay, and a volume setting right there.

For drum tracks, is the track level post amp volume, pre-effects sends?

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#5

that’s what I presume

#6

Try to set delay to post in the distortion page.

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