Category: 1Sound Design

As I write this post, we are just over a week away from Christmas 2019. 'Tis the season of the songs and movies we re-watch every year, family traditions, and a time to reset and cast new vision. My wife loves the song "Last Christmas". And so in honor of her favorite holiday song, I've decided to recreate all the synth patches used on it. If you're a keyboardist, make sure you also check out Practical Sound Design For Keyboardists, which will teach you to make the most out of the patches you make. Onward and upward. The Pulsing Synth The rhythmic synth part was originally created using a Juno-60. Ableton's wavetable has a wavetable from both the saw and the squares, and so rather than reinventing the wheel, thats…

Sounds are extrememly complex. They are made up of so many parts, and that is where the secret of layering sounds comes to play. Think about the sound of a bell being struck. Now, how much of what you hear is effected by the bell, and how much of what you hear is affected by the tool used to strike the bell? How much of what you hear has to do with your distance from the bell? How much of what you hear has to do with the size of the bell? Does the sound stay exactly the same the whole time? Or shift as time passes? I ask all of these questions to make a point. Since sounds in the real world are comprised of many elements, it follows…

Foundational patches are a great way to speed up your workflow. The concept is actually quite simple. In subtractive synthesis, we start with a lot of sound, and then use filters and other parameters to shape it over time. Foundational patches take this idea to the next level. Rather than start with simple waves and subtract sound, start with full sounds, and shape them. Today's foundational patch is the Supersaw, but this concept works with any patch that you think might be a good starting place. Bass Sounds - 1:41 The supersaw is a great place to start for a bass sound because it is complex and punchy. It's worth considering using a utility device to make it mono, or routing both oscillators through one output. Here's another video on…

As keyboard players, we have a unique connection to the sounds we create because they won't just be something that his our ears when we are listening to something, it will be something that we are playing; Therefore we want our sounds the feel playable Keyboardists who are also sound designers don't just design sounds, they create instruments. Now that's a pretty cool thing to say to someone. Oh yeah, I am just sitting here working on designing instruments. So we are left with this question: How can we make our sounds feel as good to play as they sound to listen to? While this will vary a bit from sound to sound, these three pillars remain true Appropriate touch responseExciting evolutionAppropriate volume for appropriate registers (Keytracking)Context is key Appropriate…

I have been caught more than once saying that the most important parameter on any synth is the amp envelope. The reason it matters so much is that all sound has a "shape". The amp envelope allows us to take what once would have been a normal sine wave, and shape the volume to make it sound like other sounds. If you haven't already, make sure you grab a copy of [thrive_2step id='2477']The Quick Synth Map[/thrive_2step]. It's a pretty handy reference for sound design, and I will continue to refer to it throughout this sound design series. Amp Envelope Examples Sometimes the best way to understand something is to just watch it happen in action. Here are three examples of how you can use amp envelopes to create simple sounds.…

Understanding sound design has without a doubt been one of the biggest advantages I have had as a keyboard player. When I switched to working primarily with Ableton, I started to really develop an interest in creating great sounds to play with. Besides becoming way better at making patches, it made me a more aware and intentional keyboard player. These are some of the ways that this journey has benefitted me, and how I know it can do the same for you. Efficiency Knowing your craft means working quickly. All subtractive synthesizers have only 5 parts. That means that whatever tweaks or alterations you want to make become way easier to find when you understand what each part does. I've put together the [thrive_2step id='2477']Quick Synth Map[/thrive_2step] to help you…

While there are different nuances to the various subtractive synths that exist, at their core, they are all essentially the same. What this means is that whatever you are currently working with is probably powerful enough to get the job done for your sound design needs. Now, if you are having difficulty unlocking the power of the synths that you have, it might be because you have never really thought about each component and what they do. Maybe you aren’t even up to speed on what a subtractive synth is. What Is A Subtractive Synth? A subtractive synth models sound by using filters to shape sound created by oscillators. Sounds are further refined, by using envelopes and LFOs to control the shape of the sound over time. In other words,…