been trying to figure out some ethereal pads like this!

Discussion in 'how to make "that" sound' started by ArticStorm, Sep 12, 2019.

  1. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Moderator Staff Member

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    been trying to write an ambient/dnb track about a girl ...
    and i just cant find the right pads for it, so far, actual i think the pads in this track would be awsome to get, along with the guitar (jazzy guitar, pluck?)



    well i have Omni with Trillian expansion, Sylenth1, Hive, Serum, Discovery Pro, Zebra, ACE and yeah i could pull others too as long as they are not to big.

    thoughts about the pad, sounds like 3 layers, one thin layer with reso filter on it, then some shimmer layer which comes in later and the core should be a silky supersaw with removing the high end to make it feel/sounding warm ...

    actual the drum programming in this track is mad and suits so perfect with the pads ...

     
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  3. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

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    he he....buy old roland rompler..they are cheap...
    --
    btw...how do you do the breaks ?
     
  4. No Avenger

    No Avenger Audiosexual

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    I'm not sure if it has pads exactly like the ones in the vid, but usually Waldorf PPG Wave is very good at this.
     
  5. ( . ) ( . )

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    If I were to try doing this, I might just have one saw wave with x3 or x5 unison, tuned and stereorised, of course then putting it through a filter which you can modulate the cutoff and resonance, also increasing the attack, sustain and release times of the main amp envelope and lastly giving it a washed reverb. Then I'll play some chords, prolly 3-5 experimenting with different chords and notes...

    But the real expert is @Baxter with this kinda stuff...
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2019
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  6. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Moderator Staff Member

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    haha this will be another challenge, but i have time for that. she away for a few weeks anyway so ...

    PPG has mad glassy pads maybe as thin layer could work.

    i am now a t 3 sylenths with twelve saws per notes. sounds not to bad. maybe i should go minimlistic again. and try it with one saw - like you suggested. LFOtool provided the filter with Ableton LFO, bcs i dont know how to LFO the filter in LFO tool lol.
    hope @Baxter can help me?

    sounds like that


    thoughts on the guitar?
     
  7. ( . ) ( . )

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    hmm maybe increase the wetness of the reverb further and give the synth a highpass and see what it does...
     
  8. KungPaoFist

    KungPaoFist Audiosexual

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    This is the tricky part because finding the right reverb that has this density might be difficult. I might try a built-in verb from the synth vi or else an IR.
     
  9. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Moderator Staff Member

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    sylenth1 reverb is not my cup of tea, i have one from valhalla DSP i think, could try this one. which one would you suggest?!

    btw had still Dolby Audio booster crap, while tweaking the pad - so fuck it. i need to EQ the pad again ...
     
  10. Who Me

    Who Me Producer

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    Shimmer is the way forward with this and carefully octave layering of simple pads.

    The break BTW is Kurtis Blow - Do The Do.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2019
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  11. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

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    light noise layer is in there too....a lot of air and brilliance needed...i think u you using to low notes....but i dunno exactly:dunno:
    before you all think bout reverb..tone must be right
     
  12. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Moderator Staff Member

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    yeah i was thinking about an FX layer on top of the saw pad. it sounds like a stretched noise on top, you can hear it in the breakdown.

    @Who Me ohhh yeah its dat break, thanks alot.
     
  13. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

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    sorry not so soundesign related maybe but check this...
    first time i listened to a demo of it...
    its similar , isnt it ? but the pad you want sounds bigger and has more lows but not as much as youre first example

    sounds like 90ies rompler a bit :woot::hillbilly:

    -----
    --

    if you not know it allrready ..later for the drums
    http://legowelt.org/smackos-lemuria-vintage-sampler-simulator/

    i think you can hear that the drums from that track are just ITB
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2019
  14. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Moderator Staff Member

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    ufff i found a simple jazzy guitar in ableton tension with a bit tremelo on top and long reverb tail, it sounds good as a start. (its called jazz guitar simple or something).

    i might have to redo the pads completely, it sounds wrecked, thanks Dolby Audio shit (always forget to turn it off, when im in ableton).
    also maybe are the pad notes way to dense and low, i have to check that or maybe im aiming to much at this sound, while i just want to have a similar simple pad sound? idk ... have to take some time off.

    listened to the track from above again, the pad is freakin eqed, i mean the whole button is gone, that the drums can shine through.
     
  15. KungPaoFist

    KungPaoFist Audiosexual

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    @ArticStorm I hope you don't mind but I did some experimenting with your pad. Don't think I made the mp3 sound any better but based on the reference I felt like maybe harmonics played more of a role then reverb so I wanted to play a bit.

     
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  16. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

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    ok..im the baddest soundesigner of you all...but this all has nothing to do with original...these sound is common 90ies , heared on thousand tracks and advertising... sampler back then had crystal clear standing out top end...
    youre examples lack top end and has to much lows...

    so it looks like that...no baxter...no truth..
     
  17. ArticStorm

    ArticStorm Moderator Staff Member

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    wow this is awsome, you mind showing me the fx chain?

    yeah atmo dnb is totally inspired by the 90s, actual a lot gaints started out in the 90s, in retrospective its hard for me to achieve such a simple sound today.
    well i filtered the highs away :( (my habbit of doing trance music for so long lol):

    another try


    here with some pluck layers:
     
  18. ( . ) ( . )

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    when i wake up arctic imma try this out and do it for you were gnna get this right, shouldn’t be too hard to do.

    Ive been away from my DAW since my last track so just theorizing right now...
     
  19. Gyro Gearloose

    Gyro Gearloose Audiosexual

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    abey road brilliance pack...maybe....lol ..but maybe before filtering away..
    -----
    damn here enough old dudes who know how to do...
    i think fm synthesis is the way to go ITB....
    -----
    anyways , apart from 1:1 cloning : youre last example sound suitable for liquid dnb.....:yes:
     
  20. No Avenger

    No Avenger Audiosexual

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    Compared to the vid you posted the pad and the plucks are still too bright and the high freqs of pad and pluck are clashing.
     
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  21. ( . ) ( . )

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    Best Answer
    Okay, so I couldn't get the key right cuz cbs, but I got the general concept and idea...



    My initial theory was mostly correct albeit a few adjustments. What I did was I had 1 saw wave and put into x6 unison tuned up. Then I sent it to a highpass filter with a 12db steepness. I highpassed the sound just more than halfway and gave it a massive resonance (giving it alot of resonance is very important make sure its almost all the way).

    Set the amp envelope to have a moderatley long attack, full decay and sustain, and moderately long release. After modulate the cutoff with an LFO at about 35 percent and have the speed of the LFO going 3/1.

    Afterwards get an EQ and highpass to about 530hz and lowpass to about 1400khz so u get only the mid-high part of the sound. From that track it seems that pad is making sounds at around that frequencey, its not high, it's not low and it's not mid either but somewhere in between mid and high...

    Make sure you have a long reverb as well that is completely mixed in wet...

    Automate the modulation so it starts to modulate later on in the track (as what was done in that video) and you somewhat have a similar sound..

    Also play some chords rather than 1 note to get a full pad sound...

    Anyway, my sound isnt exact but it's somewhat along those lines and pretty much the basic concept, from there you can make further adjustments and of course, when mixed in with other elements the sound is gnna change a little... the sound of the pad from that video is also influenced by the way it sits in the mix and how its been eq'd and adjusted...

    Hope this at least puts you in the right direction...

    P.S: I named that patch arctics-pad and saved it, might end up using it myself on a track :wink:
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2019
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