The Legendary Zoltan Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 http://youtube.com/watch?v=bTeYzewzo1o Check out this music video of Every Little Thing. Can you please tell me what the name of that kind of synth is that's used for the solo at 0:12? I need a sound like that one for the R&B song that's in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 That is nothing more than a sine wave played in monophonic (or 'legato') mode with portamento to create those nice glides from note to note. You may also want to add some light vibrato (either manually via modwheel, or as part of an LFO with a delay on it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyBoy Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 This thread makes me want to ask: Is there some basics to analyze synth sounds or other type of sounds (simple or complecated)in case to mimic them? If I heard a synth sound how can I tell if I can create the sound or not with my synthesizer of choice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunahorum Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 This thread makes me want to ask:Is there some basics to analyze synth sounds or other type of sounds (simple or complecated)in case to mimic them? If I heard a synth sound how can I tell if I can create the sound or not with my synthesizer of choice? practice10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Yeah, practice - and lots of actually synthesizing stuff yourself, and reading about how various sounds are created (eg. posts like mine) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoozer Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Is there some basics to analyze synth sounds or other type of sounds (simple or complecated)in case to mimic them? Yes. There's even a tool for that; it's called an oscilloscope; it plots the waveform. As a plugin there's something called the Smexoscope: http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Smexoscope/ If I heard a synth sound how can I tell if I can create the sound or not with my synthesizer of choice? If it's a realistic instrument, don't bother synthesizing unless you're willing to go off to the deep end. Use a sampler and sample library. If it's a synthetic instrument, pay attention to the following: - is the sound played one note at a time? - does the sound "glide"? - when the sound comes in the mix, does it so directly or does it fade in? - when the sound drops out of the mix, does it so directly or does it fade out? Fading out and in can happen with volume - just gradually getting louder or quieter, but also with the filter - gradually getting brighter or duller (in case of a lowpass filter). That tells you something about polyphonic and monophonic and portamento, and the envelope (ADSR) settings. Those are the easy parts. The complex part is in synthesizing the actual waveform. More things to pay attention to: If you listen to the character of the sound, is it bright and glassy or is it warm and soft? Or is it harsh? The first may tell you something about the synthesis type used, harshness tells you if there's a distortion effect being used; but it can also be an indicator of FM synthesis. Is the sound wavering or is it relatively stable? This tells you about the fine tuning of the oscillators. It's practice; practice in listening to the details which is sort of like asking which color chrome has; tricky to pin down . Also, experiment with several synthesis types; first try all the oscillator settings. Try Synth1 or something and switch on 1 oscillator (disable the filters or open them completely). Listen to all the waveforms and the effect of PWM. Repeat this for oscillator 2. Then, combine them and start messing with combinations of waveforms and combinations of tunings - what's it sound like when one of the oscillators is tuned one octave higher, and if one is square and the other is saw, which of the two will you notice? Then, mix them differently; put one at 25% volume and the other at 75% and find out which effect this has on the sound. Again, try all waveforms and tunings. Then, do the same for the filters. Find out what the LFO and envelopes do on a filter, what different modes do (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, bandreject). The trick is to build a standard library of sounds in your head so you can pin down an approximation quickly. And that's just one type of synthesis; when you try FM it's far, far worse . There's a slight consolation in the fact that most people don't go beyond the presets that much (especially with FM) so it boils down to finding the right name of the preset (and making minor modifications if necessary). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerrax Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 God, FM synthesis is a bitch, but it has yeilded some of the most interesting results for me. I'm starting to get the hang of my ES 1 and ES E synths. Still got a ways to go on the ES P and the EFM 1 Not to mention, Zoyd, Crystal and Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyBoy Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Yeah, practice - and lots of actually synthesizing stuff yourself, and reading about how various sounds are created (eg. posts like mine) Practice is essential no doubt about that and reading how various sounds are created is also useful (can't find alot of threads like this though ) but my question was if there is any fundamentals in general for achieving a certain synth sound? Yoozer thanks for the great info that answers my question but I really like to get in deep to what you have mentioned here I'd like to know more advanced stuff if possible. Does anyone recommend a good source for sound design to start with? (books, videos, websites, forums, anything..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunahorum Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Does anyone recommend a good source for sound design to start with? (books, videos, websites, forums, anything..) get a synth and read the pdf that comes with it then try it out. Experiment with the different knobs. Don't be afraid to practice because you might be practicing wrong. Any messing around will make you better, and lead you to the best way to practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 get a synth and read the pdf that comes with it then try it out. Experiment with the different knobs. Don't be afraid to practice because you might be practicing wrong. Any messing around will make you better, and lead you to the best way to practice. Messing around will only get you so far. Understanding some basic theory behind synth design will help you UNDERSTAND what you're doing far more than shooting in the dark will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunahorum Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 you need both theory and messing around. For example, it is one thing to know that chorus delays the signal and detunes it creating a "fat" sound, but knowing what that "fat" noise sounds like is just as important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyBoy Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 Let's say that I want to synthesise a wind sound, what makes me think the best way to create it is using a noise generator + resonant filter? I'm not talking about FX sounds here I'm talking about how to get the synthetic sound I want,if it's a somthing going in my head or a sound I'v heard in a song, there got to be a proper way of thinking to synthesise a sound. If there is some other tips about that subject that will be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 Soundonsound.com had a series of tutorials where they explain how to emulate 'real' sounds using various synthesizers. Search for "Synth Secrets" there. Also, search on google for the e-book "How to make a Sound" - there's a free version and a full version which again, explains various synth programming tricks. However, there really is no "proper" way to do anything. Different synths behave differently. You can't just apply the same settings in one VST and expect them to make the same sound when used in another. That's why it's better to understand the fundamentals of synthesis, learning how different aspects affect the sound (and of course listening to the results) so you can immediately jump into any new synth and use it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidd Cabbage Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 I've always wanted to know how to synthesize sounds I'm looking for, but have never known ANYTHING about theory. Hell, I don't even understand my Pro-53. I just pick a preset and twiddle some knobs until I get something sounding nice. Is there a site where I can start to learn the basics of sound synthesis? I at least want to know how to use my Pro-53 (dual-oscillator synth) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Legendary Zoltan Posted November 10, 2007 Author Share Posted November 10, 2007 That is nothing more than a sine wave played in monophonic (or 'legato') mode with portamento to create those nice glides from note to note. You may also want to add some light vibrato (either manually via modwheel, or as part of an LFO with a delay on it). Dude, I'm sorry. I posted this topic and then later figured out what it was and never thought to check back in this thread. So, thank you. That explanation had a lot of that I don't know in it so I better go look it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 The girls singing is sometimes offkey... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_NutS Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Messing around with the knobs, as zircon said, can only get you so far. It won't teach you how to shape the sounds exactly the way you want them, it will only make you lose time messing around with knobs, time you could use working on other details and the arrangement. First learn about how synthesis works and the different types there are. Then learn how filters work, and the different types. After that familiarize yourself with basic forms of sound waves (triangle, sine, square, saw) and the effects that filters have on them. The more you familiarize yourself with the basic components that make the complex sounds, the more able you will be to identify such components, or to think of ways to use them to achieve the sounds you desire. Messing around with the knobs and settings is something I don't recommend without at least knowing the basics, because doing so will get you nowhere. If you get used to this you can somehow learn how to shape sounds in your synth of choice, but as soon as you use some other synth you will be lost again. However if you know the theory behind how these sound generators you will familiarize yourself in no time with whatever synth you lay your hands on. As for me, making the sounds is half the fun of mixing . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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