building your own "synth" in Reason or any other programm

TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Production Studio
-- building your own "synth" in Reason or any other programm

Posted by Trancevision on Mar-09-2005 21:44:

building your own "synth" in Reason or any other programm

I started thinking about this long time ago and I also made a thread two years ago concerning this topic.

Build your own "synth" with any software sampler...

Most of the people I know use their samplers just for drums, vocals or some sampled pads. But only few use their samplers to build their own sounds...

You can use basic waveforms (small wav loops containing a very short basic loop of a synthesizer wav like sine, sawtooth, triangle)
in your sampler.

For example: I found the basic waveforms of the virus synth on the web, downloaded them an used them to create new sounds with my samplers. You can do this in Reason NN19 or NN-XT, but also in any hardware/software sampler.

I've managed to get some real nice sounds
from it ranging from Tiesto to Prodigy.

The overall sound is often completly different compared with any hardware / software synth.

To give you an idea:

QS300 RAW WAVES for REASON USERS

Trancevision

Posted by thecYrus on Mar-09-2005 21:48:

well, even if you use virus waveforms for the OSCs it will never sound like a virus.. there are much more components which does the sound how it is in the end.

with samples you loose the fat, widht, bright, deep, complex, flexible sound of a real synth.

and it will never sound much better than the internal (low quality) reason synths..

Posted by TXHARP on Mar-10-2005 01:00:

Re: building your own "synth" in Reason or any other programm

quote:
Originally posted by Trancevision

Most of the people I know use their samplers just for drums, vocals or some sampled pads. But only few use their samplers to build their own sounds...

You can use basic waveforms (small wav loops containing a very short basic loop of a synthesizer wav like sine, sawtooth, triangle)
in your sampler.

Trancevision

I, for one, have always used my samplers in the same manner as a synth. As you described, a person can load basic waveforms as the building blocks to create new sounds via the sampler's subtractive synthesis tools (filters, LFOs, etc.). Samplers are highly underrated and under utilized in EDM, in my opinion.

Recently I posted how I created a supersaw waveform, which I load in to my sampler, a Motif ES6. Here is the post, if you are interested:

http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...threadid=249164

Ted

Posted by Tranc3 on Mar-10-2005 01:10:

Posted by TXHARP on Mar-10-2005 01:29:

quote:
Originally posted by thecYrus
well, even if you use virus waveforms for the OSCs it will never sound like a virus.. there are much more components which does the sound how it is in the end.

with samples you loose the fat, widht, bright, deep, complex, flexible sound of a real synth.

and it will never sound much better than the internal (low quality) reason synths..

I believe the intent of Trancevision's post is to provide readers with an alternative method of achieving similar, but not identical, results with samplers. Many factors will attribute to the actual quality of the final results(i.e., sample quality, programming creativity, etc.), but the concept and application is on target.

Also, the main difference between a sampler and synth is the manner in which oscillators generate raw waveforms. Afterwards, the sound shaping capabilities are fairly consistent, especially on keyboard workstations (Fantom, Motif, Triton, etc.) and comprehensive samplers (Akai Z4/Z8, MPC4000, etc.).

Posted by TXHARP on Mar-10-2005 01:35:

quote:
Originally posted by Tranc3
Not to mention the fact that with samples you're only getting a one-time snapshot of the synth, that is to say, you're missing out on things like the filters and envelopes and such that are unique to that synth and give it its' own sound. The Moog is usually recognized because of its' unique filters, same with the 303.

This statement is not necessarily true.

Some samplers, such as keyboard workstations, have more than one oscillator (up to 4) in which sampled waveforms can be loaded as the building blocks for new patches. Also, the use of filters, envelopes, LFOs, etc. are just as applicable to the overall synth programming process of each waveform.

Ted

Posted by h.vox on Mar-10-2005 08:28:

quote:
Originally posted by Tranc3
Not to mention the fact that with samples you're only getting a one-time snapshot of the synth, that is to say, you're missing out on things like the filters and envelopes and such that are unique to that synth and give it its' own sound. The Moog is usually recognized because of its' unique filters, same with the 303.

if i read correctly, the guy said he got something good out of virus samples fed into his sampler, he did not claim he got a virus.
that is the whole point, to get something new. all of you are so eager to get a copy of a virus, a moog, a jp supersaw and things like that, which have all been done. the point is, just like in any other music - if it sounds good and is easy to use, it is good. no one should really care if those virus waveforms fed into a sampler sound like a virus if they work in a context - a finished track. right?

Posted by Trancevision on Mar-10-2005 21:19:

quote:
Originally posted by h.vox
that is the whole point, to get something new. all of you are so eager to get a copy of a virus, a moog, a jp supersaw and things like that, which have all been done. the point is, just like in any other music - if it sounds good and is easy to use, it is good. no one should really care if those virus waveforms fed into a sampler sound like a virus if they work in a context - a finished track. right?

Finally someone understanding...those sampled raw waves have a character of their own. Some lofi, some hifi...you create your own damn weird sounds and often original.

quote:
and it will never sound much better than the internal (low quality) reason synths..

and if it does sound better

Trancevision

Posted by thecYrus on Mar-11-2005 06:18:

quote:
Originally posted by Trancevision
and if it does sound better

well i don't care.. i'm not a reason user and have not to deal with such problems