Housey Stabs???

[sureno]

How to i get these type of chord stabs? i got a few synths with these type as presets but few and far between, any suggestions? what synth is best for creating these sounds and why? i dont mean how the stabs have the release extended but the actual sound design structure, i want to create my own as i dont like what i have

STABS

[Khazul]

The actual synth patches for these are usually very simple, or sometimes layering of a couple of synths (assuming getting the basic waveform and enevelope shaping is easy for you). The voicing (ie what notes contribute to the sound) OTOH can take a little more thinking - but not much

Back in the 80s when these kind of stabs started getting used ('good life' for eg) they often came out of simple open chords (root+3rd, root+5th etc) sampled from a piano, DX7/DX100, D50 etc then loaded into a sampler and again played as single notes or often as another simple open chord (as above).

The end result is (in the sampled 3rd case) is with a C chord, you would end up with C E ion the original sample, played as a 3rd giving you C + E + E(same note again) and F#, so the E would be the dominant sound wile the C and F# are quieter.

Hope the makes sense. If you dont want to do it via re-sampling, then you need a synth with at least a couple of osciliators and probaby a useful unison mode.

Sample+synthesis synths, or synths with sampled waves in them (Novation, Korg Radias, Virus TI to lesser extent, Reason subtractor and maelstrom etc) are very good for going this as well - old D50, V-Synth, Alcemy etc.

If using a synths then FM modulation is another way to create the unusual overtones that result from the original 3rd stacked sampling.

For some of them the voicing is simpler - often a octave stacking of sounds then played as in-key 3rds or 5ths, however they dont sond as interesting.

Setting an oscilator +15 or +19 semi can help as well - that gives you oct+3rd and oct+5th. Many electro house basslines for eg have a second osc, or a layered sound at +19 semitones.

[sureno]

thanks K, i fully get that, makes sense now when you explain it.
didnt think it would be constructed like that mind but i can see it.
iv always felt it was straight minor or major triads however im thinking now that you mention it it's the root + m3rd.

still messing about with some synths (soft of coarse) to achieve the desired sound.

wanted to stay away from sampling as i feel it restricts the sounds sometimes in how you tweak it, i got some lovely samples for EXS24 but sometimes cant get it just right.

i managed to get some nice stabs going on in Gladiator but was curious to know as well which VI is cut for the job in hand, or should i phrase it which is best cut for the job

[Khazul]

Dont have gladiator - only soft synths I have are alcemy, sylenth1 and a couple of 303 like things.

BTW - If you want the raw punch for some of these sounds - you need to layer FM and subtractive synthesis. FM (freq-mod, need a few more to get the same from phase-mod based FM) a couple of sines waves to get the hardness and layer in a saw for the tail, or just get a saw/noise blip in the attack and let a reverb carry it.

In Live for eg, try layering a patch in operator with a patch in analog (if you have the suite version).

[sureno]

Originally Posted by Khazul

Dont have gladiator - only soft synths I have are alcemy, sylenth1 and a couple of 303 like things.

BTW - If you want the raw punch for some of these sounds - you need to layer FM and subtractive synthesis. FM (freq-mod, need a few more to get the same from phase-mod based FM) a couple of sines waves to get the hardness and layer in a saw for the tail, or just get a saw/noise blip in the attack and let a reverb carry it.

In Live for eg, try layering a patch in operator with a patch in analog (if you have the suite version).

iv got operator but thats cos i was given it by Ableton, i dont have suite.
will try it out in some syths i have preferably sylenth1

[EdRyan]

I'm pretty sure Predator would let you build these sort of sounds.

It has the key ingredients. Can load more then one waveform, has more then one oscillator, they can be tuned and mixed fairly flexibly as well.

I'm not sure which types of synthesis it can run on.

Quick read on the RP site says that Predator was based on Prophets etc, and Albino based on fm things such as Yamaha DX7.

http://www.robpapen.com/faq/differen...-predator.html

[Khazul]

I just tried doing a few of these klind of sounds in operator, analog (which seems to be a complete CPU hog) and tension (string/hammer modelling synth in live) - tension was actually quite good for this. Operator was just hard work.

The best FM source Ive used so far is the Virus TI, allbet it only two operators (sine oscs). I should think the Nord lead and nord modulars are excellent for doing this kind of thing as well.

This was a quick test I did on a viurs ti starting from an init patch, setting it to two wave table sine oscs and osc 3 set to a saw, setting filter balance to filter 1 only and setting the filter mode to analog LP24.

http://www.sirwarwick.hostinguk.com/...IStabs.wav.mp3

Its a series of 4 bar loops where the filter cutoff is slowly raised over the loop - each repeats as follows:

1 - init patch, changed to two wave table sine oscs (osc 1 and 2) and osc 3 set to a saw, setting filter balance to filter 1 only and setting the filter mode to analog LP24 leaving the amp env on hard on/off and setting a simple pluck style env on the filter with cutoff at about 1/4 and env amount to about 1/2.

2 - as 1 and cranking up the freq mod fm to 20/127

3 - as 2 and cranking up the freq mod fm to 40/127

4 - as 3 and cranking up the freq mod fm to 80/127

5 - as 4 and setting the osc phase start to 20/127 or so (Virus TI oscs are by default 'free' running like an analog synth, however the phase init overrides that, yielding a harder attack and a more coherent sound) - now it sounds more sample like.

6 - as 5, but switching on 3x voice unison

7 onwards - as 6, just repeating with some quickly programmed rhythm.

Not exactly a polished patch, but gives you an idea of where to start from.

The voicing of this is a couple of octave stacked 3rds (4 notes).

[sureno]

you little blighter, thats exactly what im after

[Khazul]

Best get yourself a real synth then rather than this wimpy softies malarkey

[sureno]

Originally Posted by Khazul

Best get yourself a real synth then rather than this wimpy softies malarkey

[EdRyan]

Nice there Khazul.

One of the other things that's a major part of these sort of sounds in there filter and delays.

You should you'd set it to analogue lp mode, but hows it set up? Is the delay the natural effect of the filter, or have you added a delay process as well ?

[Khazul]

It was on analog LP24 mode I think. The delay is also added with a bit of HP damping - forgot to mention that - using 1/8 delays so it doesnt interfere with the high swing setting.

[sureno]

starting to get this now, got a few patches done in different synths, quite good fun designing your own sounds actually

[waxxy]

sureno ive sent you a message mate .

[modz1]

Great tutorial from Khazul here and a worthy reference for all - Stickied!