"How do I make this sound?" thread

[Renegade]

Thanks. I'm curious about the sort of steady, booming bassline. The "duh-duh-duh-duh" I guess. I'm not sure how else to put it.

[Thelastdevastator]

I know that this is a "How do I make this sound" thread, but I want to ask what would be the best way or which form of synthesis to kick start my road into making my own sounds, while being able to recreate sounds myself, which winds down to me asking should one start with Subtractive synthesis or Additive synthesis?

[Thelastdevastator]

Always start with Additive synthesis. There's far more you can do with it and most other modes of synthesis utilize an additive atmosphere.

I'm guessing Harmor would be a good place to start with Additive synthesis then, right?

[S.P.P]

Harmor has a lt of different synthesis things going on which might confuse the issue, but it's an awesome synth and would be a great one to learn. CamelAudio Alchemy is a good additive synth, as is Ni Razor (which is kinda designed with a subtractive-esque interface).

[FLAOFEI]

So to restate an old question I asked here but never got the answer to

What kind of modulation is this on the vocals at 3 min?
https://pinkamenaparty.bandcamp.com/tra ... ncess-luna

[S.P.P]

So to restate an old question I asked here but never got the answer to

What kind of modulation is this on the vocals at 3 min?
https://pinkamenaparty.bandcamp.com/tra ... ncess-luna

I've asked Zovi about her vocals before and it's basically just messing around with ProTools' autotune. You can get similar effects using NewTone in FL by fiddling with the parameters, and then copying the vox and shifting one down a couple of octaves so you have two vocals at different octaves. I have an example of this which I did a while back which I'll go find for you :)

[Pulse Wave]

I know that this is a "How do I make this sound" thread, but I want to ask what would be the best way or which form of synthesis to kick start my road into making my own sounds, while being able to recreate sounds myself, which winds down to me asking should one start with Subtractive synthesis or Additive synthesis?

Well, subtractive synthesis is all over the place. Leads, basses, pads, what-have-you, up to and including electronic, non-sample drums. By far most hardware synths are subtractive, all analogue synths are subtractive, and most softsynths are subtractive, too. You will need it.

Additive is quite exotic in comparison, at least when you take a look beyond FL Studio. Even FM/phase modulation is more common.

Besides, you'll drown in parameters when working with additive synthesis. Won't happen to you with subtractive synthesis which, while seemingly more abstract in the beginning (WTH is a filter?), is much simpler at the end of the day.

Both have modulations, so you'll need them anyway, but additive tends to have more.

Ah well, but that might just be the rambling of an old-school hardware synth aficionado who was raised on 80s synthpop and started making music before there were even computers powerful enough to run a DAW on.

[ph00tbag]

Additive synthesis will make fully zero sense to you if you don't know anything about harmonic oscillations. Subtractive synthesis, on the other hand, is pretty intuitive by comparison if you've never really studied acoustics at all. I would start with that, but definitely look into acoustics so you can better understand how and why other synthesis methods work.

[Acsii]

Additive synthesis will make fully zero sense to you if you don't know anything about harmonic oscillations. Subtractive synthesis, on the other hand, is pretty intuitive by comparison if you've never really studied acoustics at all. I would start with that, but definitely look into acoustics so you can better understand how and why other synthesis methods work.

I would disagree about starting off with Additive synthesis considering that most people who use Additive synthesizers like Massive don't really understand what they're doing, but they're provided a great area for experimentation. Subtractive synthesizers are usually best for teaching how effects work and allowing you to learn modulation techniques, but most people who pick up a synthesizer aren't going in that direction.

Acoustics are important to learn, but moreso than acoustic you're going to want to study how the stereo field works in a digital environment so you can practice sound design in a more or less unbiased arena.

I think ph00tbag was saying to start with Subtractive.

[Familiar Foreigner]

How can I make the rising sound you get when sliding your fingers down the cello (like in here, 0:45)?

[eery]

I would assume by sliding your fingers down the cello.

For real tho, doing this to a synth would probably just be the same as just sliding the pitch with an automation clip, since the pitch is what is being modified, as opposed to the timbre so much.

[Familiar Foreigner]

Well, I don't really know synths. How hard is it to make a cello-like synth?

[Captain Ironhelm]

it depends how realistic you're trying to get the cello to sound. String sounds you usually start with saw waves.

for realism you can do things like:
- test number of voices on the saws. This can help determine the richness of the timbre.
- set a slightly slower attack on the volume so the start of notes isn't hard
- apply reverb to make it sound like it's in real space like a cello would be
- set a short portamento/glide to make the synth slide between notes. Remember a lot of synths are required to be set to mono to allow for this effect.
- put on a low pass filter. The heavier you apply the filter, the less sharp the sound will be.
- apply a sine LFO to the pitch to add vibrato. Subtlety is key when making a "realistic" stringed synth.

[Familiar Foreigner]

So there aren't any easier ways to do this? Like I said, I don't know synths. I don't have any way to get a cello, either. I was hoping for a soundfont, maybe a sample. Guess I'll have to give up on that.

[ROFLPIZZA]

**EDIT**
I guess the last post in this thread was from a year ago, I didn't realize it was dead. I'll take myself elsewhere!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Hey all, I'm having trouble with 808s and YouTube is being worthless for this.
All the 808 tutorials are guys saying, "This is how you make your own 808, dawg. See, you drag this here 808 sample in and bam, that shit's yo's, mayn. Brand new from scratch, cuh."

So yeah, my question is, how do I make an 808 from scratch? I'm tired of being limited to the premade samples I have because I can't really do much with them.
Currently I use Massive and Serum, so it would be helpful if you could tell me how to do it in either of those.
Below is an example of the shitty 808s I've been able to make compared to the samples I have, which I'd like to get similar to. The first set of 808s are mine (made in Massive using a sine wave, Classic Tube, and Sausage Fattener) and the second set is made up of the samples.

https://soundcloud.com/alkalyne/808a/s-Es1WU

[CitricAcid]

From what I've seen, the basic concept is to 1) take a sine wave, 2) automate the pitch of that sine wave with an envelope, 3) give the envelope 0 attack and a super short decay, 4) set the sustain and depth of the envelope, so that the sustained pitch sounds about two octaves below the pitch at the start of the attack, and 5) play a low note.

I don't have Massive or Serum, so that's the best description I can give.

[ROFLPIZZA]

From what I've seen, the basic concept is to 1) take a sine wave, 2) automate the pitch of that sine wave with an envelope, 3) give the envelope 0 attack and a super short decay, 4) set the sustain and depth of the envelope, so that the sustained pitch sounds about two octaves below the pitch at the start of the attack, and 5) play a low note.

I don't have Massive or Serum, so that's the best description I can give.

Yeah, I have the basic structure down. The issue is that my 808s are all low-end and the ones I'm aiming for have some mid and high too, making them sound fuller.
I apologize, I should have specified.

In any case, do you have any suggestions on achieving that additional mid/high-end sound that I'm looking for? I've tried using tubes, crushers, and different waveforms but nothing gives the desired result.

[CitricAcid]

My suggestion would be to layer a different sound with your 808. Don't try to produce the entire sound by processing a single waveform. The sine wave will give you the bass you need, so add some other waves or samples for the mids and highs. Just make sure that whatever else you add doesn't interfere with the bass.

[ROFLPIZZA]

My suggestion would be to layer a different sound with your 808. Don't try to produce the entire sound by processing a single waveform. The sine wave will give you the bass you need, so add some other waves or samples for the mids and highs. Just make sure that whatever else you add doesn't interfere with the bass.

Okay, I'll try that. Thank you very much!

[mane0x06]

I want to make the chords here
[youtube]https://youtu.be/vXc38m3d7IM?t=51[/youtube]

it sounds like just a supersaw, but it feels softer than what I can make

[ElizabethMireles]

I even don't know how to make this sound. This task might be too complicated for a beginner, like I am.