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presets don't cut it, time to programme, help!
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| JmanNZ |
I've been producing now for almost a year, and with a history of audio engineering and years of listening to trance I have come to understand exactly what I love about EDM, and that the sounds. Up until recently I have been spending hours just scrolling through presets until I eventually forget what it was I was looking for. I came to the conclusion that the sounds I want can't be found, they must be created, and if I expect to become good at producing then synth programming is a must.
I've learned all about the theory, and generally know what kind of synthesis makes what sounds, but FFS its ridiculously hard to make anything sound decent! I mean, I've made a couple of sounds, one by complete fluke and I think I was lucky on the other one, otherwise Im lost on it.
Anyway, getting to the point, I'm just wondering what can be expected as you progress with synthesis. Do you imagine a sound and then make it, and not have to worry about searching for sounds? Or does it not really get much further than skillful playing until you stumble on something that you might use one day? Basically, how good do you get at this? And how long does it take?
Thanks in advance! |
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| EgosXII |
i hate using presets, and using over-used sounds (supersaw for example), for the same reason you mentioned (that the best thing about trance is the sounds), but i think the worst thing about trance is the heavy OVERUSE of a tiny amount of sounds..
i'm also new to production and it's really hard to figure out how to make a really decent sound.. even presets sound crap compared to the majority of sounds used in professional productions..
i've really found that the best synth patches i've made have involved luck (stumbling on a good combination of wave-forms etc), and a lot of FX, from distortion, to delay and reverb...
which has lead me to another annoying realisation about trance: a lot of the time what makes the (especially new) best tunes is just the amounts of FX... :(
i think the common advice for learning to make good patches is to learn ONE synth REALLY well, the majority of em can handle similar stuff, find one you get good results with (for me it's NI massive (love the layout more than the other vsts i have)) and just try using it for everything, try using every oscilator with different waveforms etc... :) |
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| Stef |
A lot of sounds are often times made by tweaking presets after you hear a sound that initially interests you. Personally, i love having a base sound to work with rather than the initial sound the synth will default to.
However that's not to say that i don't make my own sounds when i know exactly the type of sound im looking for, for the particular melody i wrote.
You said it yourself Egos, it has a lot to do with the effects that are applied to a sound so sometimes it requires a lot of thinking ahead. |
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| owien |
"programing synths" leads to making grate sounds.
and finding other elements can lead to making new and interesting patches to. |
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| cArAcH0 |
| Does anyone knows a good book about programming synths (for beginners)? |
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| daeus |
I put a fair bit of time in to looking or buying preset packs online, then tweaking these.
I find it really hard to find good bassline synths (Individual key press or pad style) if anyone can point me in the direction of a good pack for one of the better known VST's.
Effects and EQ's applied after the synth can only do so much, but if you hear a good pad for example adding some reverb from Altiverb for instance can instantly bring it to life and creates amazingly warm fuller sounds. |
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| asdfg |
Find some good sounds you like from commercial soundbanks and look at how they're made, then learn to recreate them.
Identify/recreate certain sounds from your favourite tracks, if you're new to synthesis in general stick to as few synths as possible and learn them well. |
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| DeZmA |
| quote: | Originally posted by cArAcH0
Does anyone knows a good book about programming synths (for beginners)? |
dance music manual covers some synthesis and a lot of other producing techniques |
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| Beyer |
Buy a hardware synth, and tweak your guts off. No joke. It will be the best way to learn.
I always hate to tweak sof synths, so when I got the andromeda, I learned a helluvalot. |
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| JmanNZ |
Thanks guys, although I have already been considering many of these things. I have chosen Z3ta as my goto subtractive synth, and have recently added FM8 as my FM synth. I have become very familiar with them both.
I know that efects are huge, but you can usually tell before the effects stage if the basic timbre is there or not.
I have tried to replicate sounds I have heard in pro tracks (generally witghout much success) and have tried reverse engineering presents (but the thing is none of these are even close to what I am looking for).
Am I being unreasonable in assuming that one can get good enough at synthesis to simply create an imagied or heard sound? Particularly with FM synthesis, as I believe this is the source of many of the sounds I am seeking.
Oh yea, how to make a noise is a free ebook that is the best I have seen so far for synth programming, google knows where it is
Also, can't affort hardware, and surely I would still suck with even the best gear |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by JmanNZ
I have chosen Z3ta as my goto subtractive synth,
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I highly recommend Simon Cann's "Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User". It essentially starts by covering the basics of synthesis, then has chapters devoted to each of Cakewalk synths with tutorials, download-able pdf addendum chapters and tutorial preset files, interviews and sound design discussions with the guys who developed these synths and programmed the sounds, etc. I can't think of a more perfect resource for you. The chapters on Z3TA+ alone are worth the cost of the book. Unfortunately, Cakewalk doesn't offer an FM synth, so the book won't help you out too much with FM8, although IIRC there are some general discussions of FM synthesis in the early chapters.
http://www.amazon.com/Cakewalk-Synt...r/dp/1598633147
BTW, Simon Cann is also the author of "How to Make a Noise", in case you didn't catch that already. |
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| Sonic_c |
| I do know how to program bt it would take pages to describe something anything, you just get a knack for it. Remember a synth is an instrument so you got to approach it as if it was a guitar or piano or something that kind of attitude. |
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