Ohmfield shares a powerful, Emotional – UK Garage style anthem “Take It Back”
London-based electronic producer Ohmfield returns with the Sad-Garage anthem, “Take It Back”. Known for his distinctive fusion of sounds, Ohmfield brings a fresh twist to the UK Garage genre, blending emotive songwriting with the genre’s characteristic rhythms. Fans of Overmono, Fred Again, and Salute will groove to this one with plenty of rich synths and a two-step groove.
“Take It Back” is a compelling track that encapsulates the emotional highs and lows of a UKG rave. It opens with soft piano melodies, which gradually intertwine with driving, powerful drums, creating a soundscape that is both melancholic and exhilarating. This dynamic arrangement showcases Ohmfield’s talent for crafting immersive musical experiences.
We asked the talented producer to take us through some of his favourite plugins and tools – used to craft the glorious new single..
Arturia Mini V3
Arturia’s Mini V3 is a recreation of the classic mono synth Mini Moog. Between this and Native Instrument’s Monark it’s my go to for that typical old school fat bass sound. I’m a big fan of all Arturia’s analog modelling but this is by far it’s easiest to get my head around and the warmest sounding of them all.
Take It Back incorporates the Mini V3 for the second climax at the 1:30 mark, using a modified version of the appropriately named ‘A Bass You’ll Use’ preset. It’s essentially just playing long sustained notes with a low cutoff and barely any contour but when combined with some aggressive LP filter movement from Cableguys Shaperbox 3, it gives a really interesting sounding rhythm.
Sonnox Oxford Inflator
I’m pretty sure everyone reading this will have some idea of what Sonnox’s Oxford Inflator, if not then get to know! It doesn’t really fit in a specific plugin category as it’s a bit of a compressor/limiter, a bit of a exciter and a bit of a saturator; I’d summarise it as a ‘sound-goodizer’. It’s amazing at getting loudness and fullness out of whatever you feed it while also keeping the dynamics.
I religiously use this on every Drum bus and Take It Back is no exception. It does a really good job of bringing up the quieter ghost hits in the percussion without ever making them too overbearing. As you can see the only control I’ve adjusted is Effect which I’ve brought up to 35% and it genuinely makes all the difference in the world. When combined with some API 2500 Bus compression and PulTec EQP-1A’s low-end trick it just has my drums and percussion sitting in a really nice (and fat) place.
For the longest amount of time I always used to sack off drums and not spend too much time working on them during the mix stage. When I started making more UKG I also started using Oxford Inflator and I realised just how much punch you could get out of them. In this genre the top end is so important, it’s imperative that every little ghost hit cuts through. I think it’s now probably the most important plugin on my drum bus but in my opinion it should be used sparingly. It sounds like I’m writing a testimonial but I really love it that much (please sponsor me Sonnox).
ADPTR Audio Metric AB
This is a plugin that happily sits on my Master for every track. It’s a utility plugin that does absolutely nothing to the mix but makes managing reference tracks so much easier. It allows you to load up 16 reference tracks and easily compare every single element of them with your project.
I used two tracks for reference in Take It Back; Pocket – 80HD and JEV – Dreamer as they seemed to carry the vibe I was looking for and the mix on them sounds great. One of the best things about Metric AB is that you can loop one specific part and then listen to specific bands, I particularly struggled with getting a nice crispy top end and Metric AB was vital in honing in on specific bands and ensuring they we tight and wide enough when compared to other commercially competitive tracks. I also used it’s function to listen in mono and just the sides consistently to check for any compatibility issues.
Get a solid list together of different reference tracks for each project you start as Metric AB really lets you obsess over every minute different in your mix. It’s one of those plugins that you could without but Metric AB just makes it so much easier. Since I started using it I know that my mixes have improved tenfold.
UAD API 2500
This is a bus compressor modelled after the API 2500; it’s incredibly versatile and effective. It’s one of those plugins that as soon as you place it on a channel, even with the threshold at 0 you can tell it’s doing something. It just helps create that warm and glued together sound.
When I’m not using the SSL bus compressor on my drum bus, the API 2500 almost always takes it’s place (they’re pretty much the same but the 2500 allows for more versatility). On Take It Back it’s barely even getting 3dB of GR but it just adds that little extra bit of glue before going into the Oxford Inflator. Looking at the fast release and mix at 100% it seems like it might be a bit aggressive but if it sounds good, how can it be wrong?
I don’t think it’s the simplest compressor to get your head and most of the time I’d use the SSL bus compressor as it’s pretty quick and easy to use. However, when you’re not quite happy with the knee or the tone, that’s when I’d typically switch to the 2500. It can also be worked pretty hard then dialled back with the mix knob for a nice bit of parallel compression
Tip #1: The drums in UKG are everything! It may seem counterintuitive but you have to be precise in order to get that relaxed groove.
Tip #2: A good loop goes a long way, be it a drum loop or a melody. No ones judging you except for yourself.
Tip #3: Referencing is the single thing that has improved my mixes the most. Metric AB gang for life!
Tip #4: I personally prefer melody and harmony over sound design so for me a minimal sub is best.
Tip #5: I found Kenny Beat’s slogan “Don’t Overthink Shit” to be the most important thing I’ve learnt in the last 5 years of producing.
