The "how do I (re)create a particular sound" Megathread

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No More Drake > Musician's Lounge > The "how do I (re)create a particular sound" Megathread

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

I am looking for steps on how to make a synth sound like this:

@3:12 is when it kicks in
https://soundcloud.com/dawnoflight/...-heck-of-a-ride

The sound is really full, airy, saw chords (probably layered) and it sounds like there is heavy side-chaining on the kick to give it that pumping sound. I am using Ableton and have both Sylenth and Massive (more comfortable with Massive but either will work).

# ¿ May 27, 2016 00:22

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 20:46

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

MrSargent posted:

I am looking for steps on how to make a synth sound like this:

@3:12 is when it kicks in
https://soundcloud.com/dawnoflight/zunorodo-one-heck-of-a-ride?in=dawnoflight/sets/zunorodo-one-heck-of-a-ride-ep

The sound is really full, airy, saw chords (probably layered) and it sounds like there is heavy side-chaining on the kick to give it that pumping sound. I am using Ableton and have both Sylenth and Massive (more comfortable with Massive but either will work).

Reposting this since the original link seems to have broken. Looking for help on how to make the synth chords @3:12. When I make chords/pads I have trouble getting them to sound smooth and airy and still have some intensity.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2016 19:47

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Siets posted:

Somebody else can probably add a little more detail than me as I am still fairly amateur, but here's what I can pick out of that particular synth:

-That pumping, rhythmic smoothness that you are referring to is likely the use of the sidechaining the synth's entire instrument rack to the kick drum with a very fast attack and a long release to slow the return of the sound.
-There is very clearly a layer of white noise that has been either bitcrushed or run through a warmth/analog FX module. Simply add this as another instrument on your rack that follows the same midi as your actual synth to get that layer of airy hissing on top of the synth itself.
-The timbre of the synth feels fairly standard to my ears and makes me think of a polysynth employing upwards of 8+ or 16+ saw wave voices, with some slight detuning, sub oscillator enabled, stereo-widening, and a touch of reverb to get that big room epic saw synth sound.
-Would also add that big epic chords often add much more than just the standard 3-note triad. Make sure to add in sevenths, ninths, and/or additional tonics and 5ths from the lower octaves to really amp up the harmonics in the chord.

Thank you so much for this, it has really helped. Do you have any suggestions or resources I could use to learn more about adding 7ths, 9ths, and adding notes up and down an octave to create those very spacious chords? My music theory is pretty poo poo and it would be helpful to learn more about building chords. I play guitar but basically have to count notes if I want to re-create a chord shape in a synth. If I could go back I would have learned piano.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2016 20:07

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Siets posted:

Somebody in the Ableton thread recommended me the book "Music Theory for Computer Musicians" and it really has been the first time music theory clicked for me out of all the other websites, YouTube videos, and other articles that I've tried to digest the subject through. The book has very clear writing and puts electronic music at the forefront of its thought processes. You'll get pictures of DAW midi arrangements alongside your traditional treble and bass clef music notation. The author also has work exercises for you to attempt after each chapter that range from easy and quick-recall to challenging. I bought it as an eBook on my phone for $25 and devoured it over a week while on vacation and it really has done wonders for my understanding of music theory.

This sounds like exactly what I need! Thank you so much for the help.

Hopefully in the next few months, I'll have something I'm not embarrassed to post for feedback :dance:

# ¿ Jun 22, 2016 19:52

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Misc posted:

My guess would be a Vox Continental with some overdrive/distortion, some ring modulation maybe? Paul Roessler played half the keyboards on Drug Me as well. The sound you want is so distorted I think you could just as easily pull it off with a Rhodes or an overdriven guitar with octave pedal, too.

You can hear more of the band playing with Paul in this live recording at the Mab if you need to "study" it some more�he's almost entirely in the left channel. I wouldn't overthink it, though, I guarantee they didn't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB_kQ-r7QJ4&t=1712s

I was listening to that DK song to see if I could recognize the organ sound, but its so heavily distorted that I don't even think I could distinguish it from the electric guitar. My ear is not that good.

# ¿ Dec 14, 2016 17:58

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Lhet posted:

How do I make ambientish pads? (e.g. the beginning of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HITef7mIJ8)
I know there are tons of presets everywhere, but I kinda want to know what to think about wthen trying to make my own.
Mainly use Operator if it matters.

I would start with a single oscillator saw waveshape, bump the unison up to about 6-8 and add a bit of detuning. For the actual notes, you are going to want a chord shape that stretches across multiple octaves to give it that wider sound. I would then add in a LP Filter and start to play with the cutoff until you have a tone you like. Finally, I add in a Reverb Effect and push the Dry/Wet value up, then toy with it a bit.

I am sure there are a bunch of other ways to do this but hopefully this helps push you in the right direction.

Edit: If you are still having some trouble, I can create a pad sound in operator when I get home and save it as a preset to send your way. (Assuming you are using Operator in Ableton Live).

MrSargent fucked around with this message at 22:00 on Dec 28, 2016

# ¿ Dec 28, 2016 21:56

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 20:46

MrSargent: Dec 23, 2003; Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jimmy T.

Flipperwaldt posted:

Use as many different LFOs at differing speeds as you've got available and let them modulate as many different parameters as you can by minute amounts.

I'm interested in what you mean by putting an LFO on as many parameters as you can...like I would think it needs to be a little more targeted than that to widen the sound out right?

# ¿ Dec 29, 2016 03:28

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No More Drake > Musician's Lounge > The "how do I (re)create a particular sound" Megathread