Hello everyone.

I'm still fairly new to producing (about 12-18 months) and I've sort of hit a dead wall when it comes to making new sounds. Let me start off by saying that I dont like using samples (apart from drums) because i want to get to a stage where I can create whatever sound (or near to it) that I have in my head, rather than rely on finding a sample that fits what I want.

Anyway, my synthesis skills are fairly basic. I understand what everything does (subtractive synthesis) and with a bit of playing around, I can create fairly basic stuff. I'm don't seem able, though, to come up with new sounds that are nothing like the default sounds that come with the synth. I have started to fall into the trap of looking for different synths because their default sounds vary from other synths, but then all I'm really doing is relying on pre-sets.

I often hear people on here talk about limiting yourself to a couple of synths and learn them inside out and this is what I want to do.

So can any of you suggest a few pointers, tips, tricks in creating completely new sounds. At the moment, I'm playing around with the different waveforms, setting amp and filter envelopes and thats about it. I'll often detune the oscillators by varying degress and this can bring good results. I'll also try applying lfos to the filter cutoff and sometimes the volume and this can help too. But ultimately it all sounds a bit samey and I feel very limited as to what sounds I can achieve.

I know the key thing is to practice and experiment and I'm trying to do this but I dont really feel like i'm getting anywhere.

Apologies for the lengthy post. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Cheers

P.S.

On a side note, is it me or do all the waveforms in Vanguard sound incredibly similar to each other?

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Listen to and download all my tracks at www.gregnicot.bandcamp.com

What Sequencer are you using ? Cubase?

I produce a melody with a VSTi then bounce it to WAV, then you can pass that WAV through different VST's and the possibilities are endless pretty much!

The best tunes have loads going on...

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http://soundcloud.com/drewwihl

quote:

Originally posted by daeus What Sequencer are you using ? Cubase? I produce a melody with a VSTi then bounce it to WAV, then you can pass that WAV through different VST's and the possibilities are endless pretty much! The best tunes have loads going on...

explain this further sounds interesting. how do you run the wav through your vst's do you mean just vst plugins? or actual vsts such as v station?

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Official Site - www.sterilis.co.uk

He means vst effect not the vst instrument probably, although z3ta+ can actually take audio input.

btw, PSP nitro is totally rediculous for adding modulation effects to an aduio signal

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BP

quote:

Originally posted by verdonsky He means vst effect not the vst instrument probably, although z3ta+ can actually take audio input. btw, PSP nitro is totally rediculous for adding modulation effects to an aduio signal

oh hi, sterilis, your on my msn list lol

Yes sorry I mean VST effects or inserts as they are in Cubase, allot of VSTi's allow you to pass audio through, Zeta can phatten up a synth you've bounced from MIDI to an audio track amazingly well if you add it as an insert in Cubase...

Check these two examples I just cut from a tune I'm working ok, rough but you get the idea...

Just MIDI

With Zeta

Can you feel that power it gives it...amazing!

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http://soundcloud.com/drewwihl

quote:

Originally posted by daeus oh hi, sterilis, your on my msn list lol Yes sorry I mean VST effects or inserts as they are in Cubase, allot of VSTi's allow you to pass audio through, Zeta can phatten up a synth you've bounced from MIDI to an audio track amazingly well if you add it as an insert in Cubase... Check these two examples I just cut from a tune I'm working ok, rough but you get the idea... Just MIDI With Zeta Can you feel that power it gives it...amazing!

who are you on msn? lol

what exactly did you do with z3ta run the wav file through it then play around with the knobs and sliders? it seemed to give it a bit more low end and power.

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Official Site - www.sterilis.co.uk

Yea basically

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http://soundcloud.com/drewwihl

Things for you to try:

FM Synthesis: link one oscillator's frequency to another. At low modulation frequencies, this makes a tremolo effect, but once the modulation frequency exceeds 20 Hz, the sound begins to change tone color. This creates sounds that are like tonal noise, and can emulate cymbals, bells, drums, anything with very unharmonic, uh.. harmonics.

Ring Modulation: I... don't quite get this. Physically, this is the multiplication of two waveforms, creating what is essentially the sum of the original waveforms' sum and difference. This results in more bell-like sounds, and if one of the input signals is a sine wave, it sounds like there is a second, "ghost" tonality to the original sound.

A lot of synths have options to do these. Experiment with the results they give you and see if you like anything.

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www.jexmusic.com - My website

heres what i tend to do that helps. look up specific patch tutorials and work on them. I learned more about synths from derivitives tutorial for pads and leads on a virus than i did reading manuals. If you dont know derivitive search for "unfat virus". point is try to make these sounds on the vangaurd or vstation. Or if you have the synths make your own variations on it. see if that helps

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myspace.com/djconway

quote:

Originally posted by G-Con On a side note, is it me or do all the waveforms in Vanguard sound incredibly similar to each other?

Nah they are all completely different. The only thing they have in common is that they all sound shit. Which may be the source of confusion.

ImpOSCar has killer waveforms and you can switch from Triangle to Saw to Square, to Skinny Pulse and they all sound dramatically different. Then you start mixing waveforms and tuning one of them out against the other to make new and interesting timbres.

vanguards got some bass tho

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https://soundcloud.com/ghostea stuff

quote:

Originally posted by G-Con Hello everyone. I'm still fairly new to producing (about 12-18 months) and I've sort of hit a dead wall when it comes to making new sounds. Let me start off by saying that I dont like using samples (apart from drums) because i want to get to a stage where I can create whatever sound (or near to it) that I have in my head, rather than rely on finding a sample that fits what I want. Anyway, my synthesis skills are fairly basic. I understand what everything does (subtractive synthesis) and with a bit of playing around, I can create fairly basic stuff. I'm don't seem able, though, to come up with new sounds that are nothing like the default sounds that come with the synth. I have started to fall into the trap of looking for different synths because their default sounds vary from other synths, but then all I'm really doing is relying on pre-sets. I often hear people on here talk about limiting yourself to a couple of synths and learn them inside out and this is what I want to do. So can any of you suggest a few pointers, tips, tricks in creating completely new sounds. At the moment, I'm playing around with the different waveforms, setting amp and filter envelopes and thats about it. I'll often detune the oscillators by varying degress and this can bring good results. I'll also try applying lfos to the filter cutoff and sometimes the volume and this can help too. But ultimately it all sounds a bit samey and I feel very limited as to what sounds I can achieve. I know the key thing is to practice and experiment and I'm trying to do this but I dont really feel like i'm getting anywhere. Apologies for the lengthy post. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Cheers P.S. On a side note, is it me or do all the waveforms in Vanguard sound incredibly similar to each other?

spot on man im having the same problems your having, the very same exact problem mate. great thread. but i think a few people are bouncing off topic. i often have troubles creating sounds, i mean i know pretty much all the basics to the fullest, but when i hear sounds like adam v's soundsets i just dont understand what im doing wrong. i spend alot of time just tweaking synths to get something different. what are some paremeters i should focus on that could really play a big role in creating progressed sounds/fatter sounds.

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paull anthony
Myspace

Last edited by Anz_ on Jan-30-2007 at 16:19