How would you create this kind of sounds below? From cold, thick saw-type pads (first one) to soft, warm string-type sounds?
http://www.speedyshare.com/files/23801918/Fatso.mp3
Any suggestions on techniques and VSTs are welcome!
Warm, fat pads?
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- KVRian
- 834 posts since 2 Mar, 2008 from Melbourne, Australia
The best way to create nice warm pads is to use the filters, release, and some reverb to work within the sound.
Start with a couple of saws, and slightly detune them so there not phasing with each other. This will give a much thicker sound as well. You can try different octave settings for the OSC's but sometimes this can get bit much an sound more like a church organ!
Next you'll want a reasonably long release on the AMP ENV as well as a medium attack, so the sound fades in & trails off.
After this comes some filtering. A nice warm Lowpass filter is where it's at. Adjust the cutoff depth to taste so you're getting some of the tone of the OSC's but also low enough to create that lowpassed warmth. A touch of resonance can also be nice, but too much can create alot of overtones that can detract from the sound.
You can leave the the Filter without an ENV or you can give it some movement with an LFO (maybe slowly rising and falling) or use the ENV for a subtle rise or fall at the beginning (if your playing shorter chords).
Effects wise, a big lush reverb will be your friend, as well as maybe a very slight ping pong delay and maybe even some chorus or a phaser for extra character and movement.
Once you've started to get something you like, you can experiment with different waveforms, filter settings, and other effects.
p.s Big warm pads also work really well when you play chords other than simple triads. Try 7th's 9th's or wide open voiced chords with different inversions for a big thick sound. These sorts of chords really tie into the pad feel and open the sound up.
Hope that helps.
SJ\\
Start with a couple of saws, and slightly detune them so there not phasing with each other. This will give a much thicker sound as well. You can try different octave settings for the OSC's but sometimes this can get bit much an sound more like a church organ!
Next you'll want a reasonably long release on the AMP ENV as well as a medium attack, so the sound fades in & trails off.
After this comes some filtering. A nice warm Lowpass filter is where it's at. Adjust the cutoff depth to taste so you're getting some of the tone of the OSC's but also low enough to create that lowpassed warmth. A touch of resonance can also be nice, but too much can create alot of overtones that can detract from the sound.
You can leave the the Filter without an ENV or you can give it some movement with an LFO (maybe slowly rising and falling) or use the ENV for a subtle rise or fall at the beginning (if your playing shorter chords).
Effects wise, a big lush reverb will be your friend, as well as maybe a very slight ping pong delay and maybe even some chorus or a phaser for extra character and movement.
Once you've started to get something you like, you can experiment with different waveforms, filter settings, and other effects.
p.s Big warm pads also work really well when you play chords other than simple triads. Try 7th's 9th's or wide open voiced chords with different inversions for a big thick sound. These sorts of chords really tie into the pad feel and open the sound up.
Hope that helps.
SJ\\
Sound Engineer / Musician / Producer......but I'm always learning.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 26 posts since 22 Feb, 2010
Thanks. I just tried replicating the sounds in my link, and I managed to get surprisingly close to all with just 8 detuned voices and LFO/filters.
Except for the second sound, the soft strings. If I try to replicate that sound with 8 detuned voices and a filter, it doesn't get as smooth, and you can clearly hear that it's a saw synth and not a string pad. If I filter out most of the higher frequencies, it just sounds like a low-passed supersaw. If I filter less, you hear the higher sharp saws.
The second sound probably isn't a synth anyway, but I guess that's what I'm most interested in. If there's any technique/synth to make a smooth, soft, nonsynthetic pad.
Except for the second sound, the soft strings. If I try to replicate that sound with 8 detuned voices and a filter, it doesn't get as smooth, and you can clearly hear that it's a saw synth and not a string pad. If I filter out most of the higher frequencies, it just sounds like a low-passed supersaw. If I filter less, you hear the higher sharp saws.
The second sound probably isn't a synth anyway, but I guess that's what I'm most interested in. If there's any technique/synth to make a smooth, soft, nonsynthetic pad.
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- KVRer
- 5 posts since 17 Aug, 2010
You nailed it buddy. I loved the sound of those pads btw! Im going to save it for future reference!soul_junkie wrote:The best way to create nice warm pads is to use the filters, release, and some reverb to work within the sound.
Start with a couple of saws, and slightly detune them so there not phasing with each other. This will give a much thicker sound as well. You can try different octave settings for the OSC's but sometimes this can get bit much an sound more like a church organ!
Next you'll want a reasonably long release on the AMP ENV as well as a medium attack, so the sound fades in & trails off.
After this comes some filtering. A nice warm Lowpass filter is where it's at. Adjust the cutoff depth to taste so you're getting some of the tone of the OSC's but also low enough to create that lowpassed warmth. A touch of resonance can also be nice, but too much can create alot of overtones that can detract from the sound.
You can leave the the Filter without an ENV or you can give it some movement with an LFO (maybe slowly rising and falling) or use the ENV for a subtle rise or fall at the beginning (if your playing shorter chords).
Effects wise, a big lush reverb will be your friend, as well as maybe a very slight ping pong delay and maybe even some chorus or a phaser for extra character and movement.
Once you've started to get something you like, you can experiment with different waveforms, filter settings, and other effects.
p.s Big warm pads also work really well when you play chords other than simple triads. Try 7th's 9th's or wide open voiced chords with different inversions for a big thick sound. These sorts of chords really tie into the pad feel and open the sound up.
Hope that helps.
SJ\\