a couple of synth related questions from a new member.

[nattwalls]

is this a forum where if i posted asking for help recreating a synth sound from a song people would be happy to oblige?

ive searched the threads for the sound and general attitude towards that type of post and ive one post where the question was ignored and one where someone was happy to help.

my second question...

just out of interest, for those producers who make synth heavy hip hop beats, how many differnet synthesizers (for melodies, not drums) do you find yourself using in a track?

im finding myself clinging to 2-3 synths per beat often; mainly the minimoog v and moog modular v and sometimes kontakt or the arp2600 v.

im wondering how other producers approached the matter...

[MYAMS]

however many you need. I may use just one synth on a track or several... depends on the vibe and sound im going for. Perhaps a more specific and answerable question?

Nothing wrong with clinging to 2-3 synths at all if thats what you were wondering.

[nattwalls]

Originally Posted by MYAMS

depends on the vibe and sound im going for.

see thats how i approach a beat. but i guess im having a bit of producers block and just wanted to bounce ideas off other producers.

what synths do you use? do you have any links to your work? myspace soundclick etc.

ive got some stuff on MySpace.com - nattwalls - London, UK - Hip Hop / Soul / Punk - www.myspace.com/nattwalls

the source off is my current beat, the others were practise beats

[rhodesp04]

just like MYAMS said it really depends on the the sound you're going for but I always see myself using multiple synths because even if i only want "1" synth sound to be heard on the track I usually derive that from layering 2/3 and if i want different synth sounds on the track then obviously that would require how many ever you need...

[filterayok]

Originally Posted by rhodesp04

just like MYAMS said it really depends on the the sound you're going for but I always see myself using multiple synths because even if i only want "1" synth sound to be heard on the track I usually derive that from layering 2/3 and if i want different synth sounds on the track then obviously that would require how many ever you need...

i think he meant 'syntheSIZERS' as in different boxes, not sounds...

i used to work everyday in a room that had every synth you could imagine, 1080, triton, NOrd, supernova, trinity, 5080, mo phatt, xtreme lead, carnival, jp8080, midi moogs, motif, and much more...

And i used to think my tracks were so great cause every song had sounds from 4 different synths at least.. Then one day we got the Indigo softsynth and once i went through that i never touched the boxes again, except for percussion or sample/type sounds. I feel like since everything is so synthy and techno these days, you can definately make crazy tracks with just one softsynth.. I think the last 10 things i did were 90% Xpand!... And thats the FREE synth Protools gives you.. Its not the greatest, but damned if its not good ENOUGH...

[nattwalls]

Originally Posted by filterayok

i think he meant 'syntheSIZERS' as in different boxes, not sounds...

i used to work everyday in a room that had every synth you could imagine, 1080, triton, NOrd, supernova, trinity, 5080, mo phatt, xtreme lead, carnival, jp8080, midi moogs, motif, and much more...

And i used to think my tracks were so great cause every song had sounds from 4 different synths at least.. Then one day we got the Indigo softsynth and once i went through that i never touched the boxes again, except for percussion or sample/type sounds. I feel like since everything is so synthy and techno these days, you can definately make crazy tracks with just one softsynth.. I think the last 10 things i did were 90% Xpand!... And thats the FREE synth Protools gives you.. Its not the greatest, but damned if its not good ENOUGH...

yeah thats the idea i was getting at. using one soft synth to generate the many
different sounds in a track.

do you miss using 4 different synths?!

ive been using the aforementioned synths and feel bit like im going in circles.

i guess im having a bit of a creative block at the moment and feel like bouncing ideas of other people.

its good to hear you use one synth for most of your work. i can imagine it saves a lot of time and bother with other synths

[filterayok]

Originally Posted by nattwalls

yeah thats the idea i was getting at. using one soft synth to generate the many
different sounds in a track.

do you miss using 4 different synths?!

ive been using the aforementioned synths and feel bit like im going in circles.

i guess im having a bit of a creative block at the moment and feel like bouncing ideas of other people.

its good to hear you use one synth for most of your work. i can imagine it saves a lot of time and bother with other synths

Thats exactly what it does. And no i dont miss using the other synths.. I do miss indigo, tho and i actually got omnisphere, but hate it. I figured out that for me its all about how the synths are laid out.. i HATE synths that dont organize by category such as LEADS , BASS, PADS, etc. Thats why i loved indigo, and can fly through xpand as well. Thats my prob;em with the rob papen stuff too. Its so archaic to be scrolling through a bass, then a horn, then a pad... I know what i'm looking for i just want to scroll through some different options. I also think i was using so many synths just because i knew i'd heard a great bass in the triton, so instead of exploring the 5080, id just say screw it and go where i knew i could find a good bass quick.. So obviously i'd love to have indigo, but if having a different synth means searching endlessly for the right sounds and waiting for sounds to load, FUK that, i'll just stick with xpand

[gorillainthemix]

You can't beat turning and twisting filter knobs on the real thing...then again, I'm looking at a Sherman Filterbank to compliment my arsenal soon...
The Nord Lead 2X is still my favourite synth....it's just sooo phaT!
I have a Waldorf Q as well, it's nice but it doesn't go as "deep" as the Nord.


softsynths that I like a lot:

Absynth
Arturia CS80
Arturia Moog Modular
FM7
Pro-53

[rhodesp04]

i guess i didn't understand the question thanks other posters lol but yes using multiple synths is common practice because through experience you will know which "box" is better for certain things like if i'm looking for a more realistic sound i would something like a roland fantom or yamaha motif vs. a nasty synth i would use a moog voyager or a virus for example...

[smoke]

One good thing to try and do is take 1 or 2 synths and make an entire track with just those synth, including all percussion. Using only raw waveforms, sculpt out each sound and filter so they don't compete.

Kinda forces you to figure out how to get the sound you want. Also how certain waveforms work sometimes, others don't. You can learn how odd harmonics affect timbre vs. even harmonics and how this affects your overall tone and feel. This also gets you (well me) to understand arrangement and spacing better, because stacking lots of synth sounds gets complex fast. And don't use any effects.

[Keyflo]

i usually go to the electronic music production to get info on making synths

[phillysoulman]

thumbsupthumbsupXpand is a very creative tool.
I use it extensively and clients love it.

Its all laid out in an easy to understand manner and you dont have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.

You can stack up to four different elements from anywhere in the program and create new sounds from there...if you want to.

Try it,you'll like it.

[nattwalls]

first of all thanks for all the replies guys/gals, much appreciated

[nattwalls]

Originally Posted by filterayok

Thats exactly what it does. And no i dont miss using the other synths.. I do miss indigo, tho and i actually got omnisphere, but hate it. I figured out that for me its all about how the synths are laid out.. i HATE synths that dont organize by category such as LEADS , BASS, PADS, etc. Thats why i loved indigo, and can fly through xpand as well. Thats my prob;em with the rob papen stuff too. Its so archaic to be scrolling through a bass, then a horn, then a pad... I know what i'm looking for i just want to scroll through some different options. I also think i was using so many synths just because i knew i'd heard a great bass in the triton, so instead of exploring the 5080, id just say screw it and go where i knew i could find a good bass quick.. So obviously i'd love to have indigo, but if having a different synth means searching endlessly for the right sounds and waiting for sounds to load, FUK that, i'll just stick with xpand

i feel you with the whole categories thing, although as of late ive been making all my patches from scratch.

as annoying as the rob papen stuff is for searching, predator is a beast of a synth!

[nattwalls]

Originally Posted by smoke

One good thing to try and do is take 1 or 2 synths and make an entire track with just those synth, including all percussion. Using only raw waveforms, sculpt out each sound and filter so they don't compete.

Kinda forces you to figure out how to get the sound you want. Also how certain waveforms work sometimes, others don't. You can learn how odd harmonics affect timbre vs. even harmonics and how this affects your overall tone and feel. This also gets you (well me) to understand arrangement and spacing better, because stacking lots of synth sounds gets complex fast. And don't use any effects.

yeah definitely, ive tried that a few times in the past, maybe i should do it again to get out of this block!

using subtractive synths for drums is a bit tedious for me at the moment, although i do enjoy the idea of having a track made from one synth!