ive been programming z3ta for quite a while now..when i produce sawsynth or any type of synth, there always seems to be loads of high end frequency but when i lower the high frequencies it sounds empty.what is the key to making a saw synth whose defing sound is in the mid range rather than the high end???

Perhaps it's your monitoring system? You may find it is 'scooped' out around the mid - hi level giving you less clarity?

FJ

maybe but i dont think so..i have alesis m1 monitors and they have mid boost as well..in commercial music the saws dont have a very high end emphasized but when i create saws, if i duck the frequency it just sounds like the sound is expecting to open out to a full frequency..and so i cant get a big sound without having loads of hiss from high end...maybe im not making sense!!!

Z3ta is known for sounding a bit thin, so you gotta work a bit around it.. Try different EQ settings in the mids and highs and compare.. It might aswell a problem with the sound itself, that you've programmed it in a way that leaves you without a whole lot in the midrange...

quote:

Originally posted by Lokhèn Z3ta is known for sounding a bit thin, so you gotta work a bit around it.. Try different EQ settings in the mids and highs and compare.. It might aswell a problem with the sound itself, that you've programmed it in a way that leaves you without a whole lot in the midrange...

No way man!

I don't think it sounds thin at all.

Try a different EQ than the one you're using -- it makes a huge difference. As a matter of fact, try several, and get a feel for them...

The filters are pretty weak, and I sometimes feel disappointed when I've fully opened up a filter.

The Waves doubler plus other stereo width effects are useful.

I can understand yor feeling this, however its not the case. I took me some time to get to know the Z3ta+. When i finally got the hang on programming it and some tweaking with eq´s and comp, i relised what a powerful synth it really is. So i have to disagree. Before i mostly layered my v-station to get a nice bassline, but the Zeta is a killer!

But i can agree on the filter part if i compare it to the V-station. In my opinion the filter on the V-station is better.

Regarding the creating a saw on the Z3ta, i have to disagree. i Think it covers the freq range verry well and has a nice clear sound, with a nice warm mid that doesnt need that much EQ to fit well in the mix, but this could aslo be a programming issue. However i still think that the V-station forfill my needs when it comes to a sawlead, though it gives little to much on the mids in my opinion. But with some eq and comp, it kicks ass! :P

cheers
c

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I think the z3ta+ filters don't have very good logarithmic characteristics (they might even be linear, but I haven't really thought about it in the past so I can't verify that) so you may find that they close a little too fast, killing the high frequencies before you can get just the right level.

Try leaving the filter open and using an external filter. I think you'll have an easier time that way.

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I have to say I don't think its a thin sounding vst but there have been many times I thought the hi freq's were abit digitally harsh/hissy and perhaps cold. Have a listen to how the vst massive's high freqs sound and then listen to z3ta and you may know what I mean. Although I think there are a few factors that probably contribute to this that maybe able to be gotten around.... a lot of z3ta presets have a large boost in the high freqs with z3ta's built in eq so considering the filter quality perhaps the quality of this internal eq isn't that great, a low quality eq gives the worst results when boosting especially in the high frequencies. So try a good quality external eq and turn off the built in one.

As a side note what sound card do you use? Maybe something people havent considered is if they use onboard soundcards or audigy type sound cards that the extreme's in the frequency range aren't produced very well when going from digital to analog signals as they dont use quality converters. I noticed this lately when changing a audigy 2 sound card to a emu 1212m, wow what a different that made even at quiet volumes on my mackie hr824's. It maybe not applicable but something to think about in general...

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Shibby No way man! I don't think it sounds thin at all. Try a different EQ than the one you're using -- it makes a huge difference. As a matter of fact, try several, and get a feel for them...

That's what I do.. But if you don't know what to do/do nothing, then it does sound thin/weak/cold/whatever when the filter is fully open. You just need to know how to make it a bit better sounding, and in that part, you're right.

When ye say to use external EQ, have you got an example??do you mean an EQ like the filter Q or something like the TONIC filter??

Filter != EQ

When I say filter I mean filter. Tonic is one and you can use it that way, yes. If you don't like Tonic, I believe there have been a few discussions on this forum about filter plugins.

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