How do you get your synths to sound huge?

[Kinh]

I mean huge as in aggressive.
There are many ways and I have a few of my own but I'm interested in other methods. Please share your techniques.
Here's what I'm talkin' bout 0:56...

[do_androids_dream]

It's something relative within a mix. It will sound 'huge' if it's louder and wider than everything else - as in your example. Play these synths in solo and they'll probably sound weedy and distorted (given the amount of saturation I can hear there). Getting the relative mix 'position' is 80% of it - then it's making sure it occupies that key frequency area with nothing else in its way - usually some form of saturation for thickness/richness etc.

[nonnaci]

Sounds like quick switching between mid and side channels exaggerates stereo contrast between synth-lead and vocal. Synth-lead's attack coincides with a broadband percussion with eq'd lows or alternatively a pluck setting.

[tehlord]

White noise above, big sub bass below.

[Kinh]

So nobody knows??

[nineofkings]

So nobody knows??

Huh? You just got 3 different answers.

[Apratim]

some methods for a "Huge sound"
1.get a unison plugin like Meldas Munison
2.get izotope stereo imager (free) and expand it more or may be multiband stereo processor like izotope ozone or melda Mstereoprocessor (paid)
3.Mid/side equing (Fabfilter pro-q)
4.remove the annoying frequencies (3.4Khz and 5.5kHZ for me dont know about others)
....................drum rools.......................
the most awesome tip
5.do proper arrangement , filter automation and mixing

[Kinh]

The question relates to the example in the post. I understand all the things mentioned get synths huge generally speaking but I'm after a more metallic, compressed, distorted, aggressive sound. Yes, stereo widener works, unison works, the example above gives you an idea of a different approach (additional techniques are being used.)

So far convolution with treble boost with spring reverb has inched me closer to the metallic aspect but I'm still miles away from that and the compressed saturation and gavelly type sound overall. There's a white noise track that runs with it but the problem I think is the actual synth which is kinda square/saw like. I've tried a variety of different kinds digital and analogue, tried practically every possible wave shape in Omnisphere. Ive also tried layering different notes of the chord using Razor's distorted tone but layering just kills it.

[AnX]

Studio engineers/producers.

[Apratim]

The question relates to the example in the post. I understand all the things mentioned get synths huge generally speaking but I'm after a more metallic, compressed, distorted, aggressive sound. Yes, stereo widener works, unison works, the example above gives you an idea of a different approach (additional techniques are being used.)

So far convolution with treble boost with spring reverb has inched me closer to the metallic aspect but I'm still miles away from that and the compressed saturation and gavelly type sound overall. There's a white noise track that runs with it but the problem I think is the actual synth which is kinda square/saw like. I've tried a variety of different kinds digital and analogue, tried practically every possible wave shape in Omnisphere. Ive also tried layering different notes of the chord using Razor's distorted tone but layering just kills it.

ok so you want to get more towards the sound design aspect and want your sound to have more metallic character
correct me if i am wrong

if you want that i will say
1.)use square wave as your sub
2.)use chorus effect(i use TAL's chorus effect all the time)
3.)use a good distortion plugin whith drive set to max and a limiter at end for safety (free-melda's Mdistortion)(P.S i am not affiliated with thin company i just love their produt)
4.)may be use a good saturation vst
5.)a good "lush" reverb (i would definetely recommend shimmer or if you are good at reverb design use Melda's Mturboreverb)
/////////////////////////most mysterious but successful process//////////////////
6.)try to experiment like throwing random plugins like drum enhancer ,etc in the chain

[ramseysounds]

...get izotope stereo imager...

off topic, but just see this. Downloaded and instant gratification

[Oneyejoe]

I mean huge as in aggressive.
There are many ways and I have a few of my own but I'm interested in other methods. Please share your techniques.
Here's what I'm talkin' bout 0:56...

Pretty much what everyone on here is saying.. To sum up what everybody has already said.

Add subtle white noise
Give it some sub, you can add a separate sub, usually pretty effective if you get the level right, also ties into the next method.
Layering! Split different sounds with different frequencies adding character, plus, its like unison, adding voices makes it sound "larger"
Also Saturation is great, what I usually do is add a Sausage Fattener, or Fab Filter Saturn or something somewhat aggressive adding some grit.. Then compress it and slightly cut some of the mids and highs to tame the sound. Usually requires some surgical EQing too so its not painful to listen to.
So compress it so it dosnt overpower your mix, and eq it as necessary so its not so harsh.


**Edit** did not notice your comment regarding your knowledge of this lol.

Disregard my comment then XD

[kamalmanzukie]

I mean huge as in aggressive.
There are many ways and I have a few of my own but I'm interested in other methods. Please share your techniques.
Here's what I'm talkin' bout 0:56...

Pretty much what everyone on here is saying.. To sum up what everybody has already said.

Add subtle white noise
Give it some sub, you can add a separate sub, usually pretty effective if you get the level right, also ties into the next method.
Layering! Split different sounds with different frequencies adding character, plus, its like unison, adding voices makes it sound "larger"
Also Saturation is great, what I usually do is add a Sausage Fattener, or Fab Filter Saturn or something somewhat aggressive adding some grit.. Then compress it and slightly cut some of the mids and highs to tame the sound. Usually requires some surgical EQing too so its not painful to listen to.
So compress it so it dosnt overpower your mix, and eq it as necessary so its not so harsh.


**Edit** did not notice your comment regarding your knowledge of this lol.

Disregard my comment then XD

an interesting thing: if you only use softsynths and you mixdown to 16 bit without dithering it will sound like poop. real world signals have enough noise to make dithering usually not necessary but softsynths will lack this.

in that vein, things i build usually have a bit of noise added in modulating the amplitude and pitch, not much, just the levels where the noise floor would be. also slight randmizations of pitch, and maybe even some good old circuit hum. it provides that growl that analog synths have that isn't distortion. its a hard thing to put in words but.... definitely more than 'closer' emulations, we need to learn to add that dash of chaos that everything else has. a better model is an ever so slightly worse model

[Kinh]

I mean huge as in aggressive.
There are many ways and I have a few of my own but I'm interested in other methods. Please share your techniques.
Here's what I'm talkin' bout 0:56...

Pretty much what everyone on here is saying.. To sum up what everybody has already said.

Add subtle white noise
Give it some sub, you can add a separate sub, usually pretty effective if you get the level right, also ties into the next method.
Layering! Split different sounds with different frequencies adding character, plus, its like unison, adding voices makes it sound "larger"
Also Saturation is great, what I usually do is add a Sausage Fattener, or Fab Filter Saturn or something somewhat aggressive adding some grit.. Then compress it and slightly cut some of the mids and highs to tame the sound. Usually requires some surgical EQing too so its not painful to listen to.
So compress it so it dosnt overpower your mix, and eq it as necessary so its not so harsh.


**Edit** did not notice your comment regarding your knowledge of this lol.

Disregard my comment then XD

Thanks but everything above I have tried.

[kamalmanzukie]

I mean huge as in aggressive.
There are many ways and I have a few of my own but I'm interested in other methods. Please share your techniques.
Here's what I'm talkin' bout 0:56...

Pretty much what everyone on here is saying.. To sum up what everybody has already said.

Add subtle white noise
Give it some sub, you can add a separate sub, usually pretty effective if you get the level right, also ties into the next method.
Layering! Split different sounds with different frequencies adding character, plus, its like unison, adding voices makes it sound "larger"
Also Saturation is great, what I usually do is add a Sausage Fattener, or Fab Filter Saturn or something somewhat aggressive adding some grit.. Then compress it and slightly cut some of the mids and highs to tame the sound. Usually requires some surgical EQing too so its not painful to listen to.
So compress it so it dosnt overpower your mix, and eq it as necessary so its not so harsh.


**Edit** did not notice your comment regarding your knowledge of this lol.

Disregard my comment then XD

Thanks but everything above I have tried.

have you tried: drift (low amplitude fm with brown (-6 db per octave so most 1 pole with cutoff at 0 hz fed white noise get you real close) noise

50 cycle hum is in all electronic devices at a low level. its a sine wave with weak harmonics. its a subtle thing but i think is one of the main things missing to get a good emulation. i even tried 60 hz first but found that 50 actually sounded better and makes more musical sense for most keys. also most emulations dont account for slightly colored high frequency noise which will be present in any circuit in whatever flavor occasioned by its constitution


lowpss filter with zdf and 'infinite linear interpolation' taming the aliasing in the tanh saturation goes a really long way too. there's reaktor and flowstone patches that exist, as well as published paper about it

that's what i did, and my now softsynth game is unassailable, immune to all criticism!