so i became fascinated about progressive house, but not the electro-cheesy one, the real one
i'm gonna give some examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKlBk1jFGtQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LhAGuU-oiM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-4OJ10aaB4
so how do they do it? what are they using? how do they make this beautiful atmosphere and these great sounds?
i really wish i could produce this kind of music too, but i don't know where to start
Progressive house, the real one
-
- KVRist
- 279 posts since 21 Feb, 2006 from UK
Some really nice tracks there, thanks for sharing. Progressive House just never gets tiring to listen to.
I can't offer much advice. I've been composing in various genres for quite a long time, but this genre I really have some difficulty with. It's quite complex, deep and atmospheric and quite emotional..often melancholic.
I think if you really drown yourself in this genre and study the tracks enough you'll make a good start. Obviously atmospheric pads, and good use of reverb/delays are vital. Tempos around 122 - 130 are probably where you want to be, but I've heard slower and faster tempos too.
As I said, personally I find this genre quite difficult. I have a few Progressive tracks I just never managed to complete, even though some of them started off so well..Creating the mood, atmosphere isn't too hard, it's keeping it going..keeping it interesting, and well, progressive..
Give it a try, and good luck
I can't offer much advice. I've been composing in various genres for quite a long time, but this genre I really have some difficulty with. It's quite complex, deep and atmospheric and quite emotional..often melancholic.
I think if you really drown yourself in this genre and study the tracks enough you'll make a good start. Obviously atmospheric pads, and good use of reverb/delays are vital. Tempos around 122 - 130 are probably where you want to be, but I've heard slower and faster tempos too.
As I said, personally I find this genre quite difficult. I have a few Progressive tracks I just never managed to complete, even though some of them started off so well..Creating the mood, atmosphere isn't too hard, it's keeping it going..keeping it interesting, and well, progressive..
Give it a try, and good luck
-
- KVRist
- 34 posts since 24 Jun, 2008
Is it just me or is the first one Deep House?
Also, I don't think there is really "real" and "fake" progressive house... By defining a certain style of progressive house as "real" progressive house, you are narrowing the genre, which is a huge problem with electronic music nowadays. As soon as someone does something slightly different, they want to call it a new genre...
Look at pop, there is all kind of pop music out there. Rock pop, electro-pop, hip-hop inspired pop, and the typical pop (Britney Spears etc.) that everyone knows, but for the most part, they are all labeled as just pop.
Also, I don't think there is really "real" and "fake" progressive house... By defining a certain style of progressive house as "real" progressive house, you are narrowing the genre, which is a huge problem with electronic music nowadays. As soon as someone does something slightly different, they want to call it a new genre...
Look at pop, there is all kind of pop music out there. Rock pop, electro-pop, hip-hop inspired pop, and the typical pop (Britney Spears etc.) that everyone knows, but for the most part, they are all labeled as just pop.
-
- KVRAF
- 5948 posts since 19 Jun, 2008 from Melbourne, Australia
Nice tracks, I love this floaty style of progressive (or whatever you want to call it). It's quite psychedelic in it's own way
The track by Grigory Fatyanov reminded me a lot of Vibrasphere, who are probably more progressive trance, but sound just as lovely IMO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsaOqAj_sOo
Anyway, in Grigory track the kick drum is an 808 / 909 or similar - pretty classic stuff, very clean processing. There is an echo of the same hit compressed heavily to make it sounds like a plastic drum, with EQ to take out the low end. You can use samples or something like D16 Drumazon / Nepheton for this sound.
The main synth / lead sounds are quite reminiscent of Vibrasphere. This is generally done with at least a couple of delays in series, so the sound cascades from one to the other. The delay times are almost alwyas clocked at something like 1/4 beat followed by 1/8 dotted, but you'll need to see what works for you, and you might process this delay further with a flanger and / or phaser in to a long reverb. Lots of reverb can be good, or even a 100% reverb mix depending on the sound you want. You will need a decent quality reverb for the sound, these guys are probably using mid to high end Lexicon or similar, but you can get close enough with something free like Ambience from Smart Electronix.
Doubling up sounds (or more) and panning each left and right can get you a much wider sound.
What used to do my head in trying to recreate these sounds is doing it with just synths. Generally, you can't - you need to process the basic sounds with lots of effects, and / or layering. It doesn't mean the basic sounds are rubbish and fixed with effects, just that it's the effects that get you the rest of the way. The delays / reverbs give it that slow, steady rising feeling where nothing is forced in to the mix too quickly.
Another trick I discovered recently is you can create some very interesting sounds with a quality phaser with quite extreme settings on a parallel drum channel. Sounds I would not have normally associated with a phaser. Compression on the same channel, after the effect, will get things pumping (but not too much) and this might also help. Experimenting with some of your usual FX on drums / percussion, but with more extreme settings than you are used to might take things in unexpectedly good directions for you.
Hope that helps.
Peace,
Andy.
The track by Grigory Fatyanov reminded me a lot of Vibrasphere, who are probably more progressive trance, but sound just as lovely IMO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsaOqAj_sOo
Anyway, in Grigory track the kick drum is an 808 / 909 or similar - pretty classic stuff, very clean processing. There is an echo of the same hit compressed heavily to make it sounds like a plastic drum, with EQ to take out the low end. You can use samples or something like D16 Drumazon / Nepheton for this sound.
The main synth / lead sounds are quite reminiscent of Vibrasphere. This is generally done with at least a couple of delays in series, so the sound cascades from one to the other. The delay times are almost alwyas clocked at something like 1/4 beat followed by 1/8 dotted, but you'll need to see what works for you, and you might process this delay further with a flanger and / or phaser in to a long reverb. Lots of reverb can be good, or even a 100% reverb mix depending on the sound you want. You will need a decent quality reverb for the sound, these guys are probably using mid to high end Lexicon or similar, but you can get close enough with something free like Ambience from Smart Electronix.
Doubling up sounds (or more) and panning each left and right can get you a much wider sound.
What used to do my head in trying to recreate these sounds is doing it with just synths. Generally, you can't - you need to process the basic sounds with lots of effects, and / or layering. It doesn't mean the basic sounds are rubbish and fixed with effects, just that it's the effects that get you the rest of the way. The delays / reverbs give it that slow, steady rising feeling where nothing is forced in to the mix too quickly.
Another trick I discovered recently is you can create some very interesting sounds with a quality phaser with quite extreme settings on a parallel drum channel. Sounds I would not have normally associated with a phaser. Compression on the same channel, after the effect, will get things pumping (but not too much) and this might also help. Experimenting with some of your usual FX on drums / percussion, but with more extreme settings than you are used to might take things in unexpectedly good directions for you.
Hope that helps.
Peace,
Andy.
-
- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 26 posts since 8 Dec, 2007 from Romania
thanks!
but before this, what VSTs should i use?
i think a subtractive one like Sylenth1 would work only for the hard parts (bassline, arps, plucks)
for those slow pads and sounds i think i need an FM synthesizer
so i think that's the hardest part - making the sounds
and also could you recommend some sample cds? like vocals, deep sounds...
but before this, what VSTs should i use?
i think a subtractive one like Sylenth1 would work only for the hard parts (bassline, arps, plucks)
for those slow pads and sounds i think i need an FM synthesizer
so i think that's the hardest part - making the sounds
and also could you recommend some sample cds? like vocals, deep sounds...
-
- KVRAF
- 5948 posts since 19 Jun, 2008 from Melbourne, Australia
Nothing wrong with using subtractive synths for pads, just make sure you have a slow attack and decay, adjust sustain to influence the decay, looping the envelopes can be useful to create the rhythmic effect more easily. Albino is really good at lush pad sounds, and it can do (limited) FM too. You can stack up to 16 oscillators in a single instance, which would be very handy!
Stacking oscillators at various intervals (experiment!), slightly de-tuned, doubled up and panned will create a nice wide pad, and you could try a formant filter to start start working towards the ethereal / angelic vocal like pad tones that are useful. The right delay and reverb will sound great. Use LFO's to add a bit of movement to excite the delay / reverb combination. If you sweep around the sound spectrum you will notice that some frequencies sound a bit more voice like than others, so exploit them.
Recently I've been using Alchemy in this context - it makes it really easy to add in e.g. a sample of a wind instrument to give a bit more character to the sound rather than a typical oscillator based sound. Getting some quite angelic tones this way. Modulating the result in interesting ways is also really easy.
IMO trance gates are pretty essential once you have your pad sound going. Using the right amount of delay and reverb will be a winner IMO! Just don't over do it. Or over do it completely - depends how you like it!
Zebra could also do most of those sounds quite easily, very powerful and the custom wave oscillators make it easy to create unique sounds.
FM is great, and it would work really well (e.g. Blue is what I use, FM-8 gets high marks) but it's not necessarily the answer, just another way of getting there.
Peace,
Andy.
Stacking oscillators at various intervals (experiment!), slightly de-tuned, doubled up and panned will create a nice wide pad, and you could try a formant filter to start start working towards the ethereal / angelic vocal like pad tones that are useful. The right delay and reverb will sound great. Use LFO's to add a bit of movement to excite the delay / reverb combination. If you sweep around the sound spectrum you will notice that some frequencies sound a bit more voice like than others, so exploit them.
Recently I've been using Alchemy in this context - it makes it really easy to add in e.g. a sample of a wind instrument to give a bit more character to the sound rather than a typical oscillator based sound. Getting some quite angelic tones this way. Modulating the result in interesting ways is also really easy.
IMO trance gates are pretty essential once you have your pad sound going. Using the right amount of delay and reverb will be a winner IMO! Just don't over do it. Or over do it completely - depends how you like it!
Zebra could also do most of those sounds quite easily, very powerful and the custom wave oscillators make it easy to create unique sounds.
FM is great, and it would work really well (e.g. Blue is what I use, FM-8 gets high marks) but it's not necessarily the answer, just another way of getting there.
Peace,
Andy.
... space is the place ...
-
- KVRian
- 685 posts since 11 Feb, 2006
I stumbled upon this thread while looking up progressive house forums. Does anyone remember the progressive house forum back in early 00’s
Anyway I feel this style is due for a comeback.
So creative how did you get on with your tracks?
I’ve been listening to stuff by quiver lately. Great stuff
Anyway I feel this style is due for a comeback.
So creative how did you get on with your tracks?
I’ve been listening to stuff by quiver lately. Great stuff
