Same key for bass, lead when using different synths?

[wuntoo]

Hey Guys, need help, greatly confused with something, so you often read play bass in key of your song(or lead), which does make total sense when playing lead and bass on same instruments, you just play bass few octaves below lead - however when you are using different instruments or sounds for lead and bass, say sylenth1 for lead and nexus2 for bass, does the the whole thing about playing same in key still holds true?

Is it correct to say the point of being in same key make sense only when you are using same sounds for bass and lead, otherwise these are two different sounds, what may be frequency content at C note in one synth could be more aligned sonically to D or E or whatever note of other synth as the frequency content of two different sounds is completely different.

Hope I am phrasing my question correctly, just one of those question u wonder how to question!

Thanks in advance.

[recursive one]

when you are using different instruments or sounds for lead and bass, say sylenth1 for lead and nexus2 for bass, does the the whole thing about playing same in key still holds true?

Absolutely yes. Music theory is applicable to any chromatically tuned instrument, including Sylenth1 and Nexus2 as well

[wuntoo]

Absolutely yes. Music theory is applicable to any chromatically tuned instrument, including Sylenth1 and Nexus2 as well

yes but thats under assumption that certain notes has certain frequency values c3=130hz, c4=260 , c5=520 so lead at c5 and bass at c3 makes sense, but when playing these notes on different synths does not share the same relationship. So c3 of some sound on nexus may not be 1/4 of c5 note of sylenth1 .

[recursive one]

but when playing these notes on different synths does not share the same relationship. So c3 of some sound on nexus may not be 1/4 of c5 note of sylenth1 .

What makes you think so? Unless there is some special tuning at some of your synth patches, c3 should be 130.81 Hz in any synth.

[BDeep]

Notes relate to the fundamental. On top of that you have indeed additional harmonic content which may be different for different sounds. But if I play a C on any instrument, the fundamental will always be C. Otherwise it wouldn't be a C.
If you play the same note on any synth, say a C, it is a C on all synths. So yes, it makes sense to play in key.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic

[wuntoo]

Notes relate to the fundamental. On top of that you have indeed additional harmonic content which may be different for different sounds. But if I play a C on any instrument, the fundamental will always be C. Otherwise it wouldn't be a C.
If you play the same note on any synth, say a C, it is a C on all synths. So yes, it makes sense to play in key.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic

Thanks of the reply guys, BDeep & recursive_one.

So if I understand correctly its for Sampler(or vst) manufacturer to ensure when the VST plugin receives input in form of certain note from DAW, say note C, it then on the fly EQs or mutiband compressor(or whatever heck it does...) to the original sample in such a way frequency content of output peaks around C frequencies i.e. 130hz, 260hz, 520hz...

Is that correct?

[BDeep]

Well, with samples you will have to indicate in the sampler the correct rootkey of the sample. The sampler will have to know this so it's able to know how much it must transpose for other keys. So if your sample is recorded in C-3, you tell this to the sampler, and it will transpose the sample (by playing it faster or slower - and thus changing the frequency) to the input key.

A synth will adjust the frequency of its oscillators to the input key.

Other than these clarifications above, yes, you're correct.

[wuntoo]

Well, with samples you will have to indicate in the sampler the correct rootkey of the sample. The sampler will have to know this so it's able to know how much it must transpose for other keys. So if your sample is recorded in C-3, you tell this to the sampler, and it will transpose the sample (by playing it faster or slower - and thus changing the frequency) to the input key.

A synth will adjust the frequency of its oscillators to the input key.

Other than these clarifications above, yes, you're correct.

Okay now that makes sense. Much Thanks guys. Cheers.