please ignore filters for this question and other effects

On sylenth1 i find the waveforms of saw and pulse very very harsh on the low end when playing low notes.

i was wondering if analog synths are a bit different? i.e sounding better when playing low notes or maybe a bit less harsh?

i am particularly interested for saw and pulse not other waveforms

if so can u let me know some examples of vsts emulations i should check if they could possibly sound a bit better when playing low notes for saw and pulse

thanks

 

use a sine wave or a triangle for your sub. it's not as fun as your example to deliberately start with the least desirable shapes, but it will push a subwoofer.

get FAW Sublab and Rob Papen SubBoomBass. both are great for making whatever low end you want.

 

I don't know what you mean by 'sounding better', but here's Vital's default waves vs my crude 'analog' drawings playing a C1.

Vital default square: vital_c1_square.flac.mp3
Crude attempt at drawing a square in Vital: vital_c1_crude_square.flac.mp3

Vital default saw: vital_c1_saw.flac.mp3
Crude attempt at drawing a saw in Vital: vital_c1_crude_saw.flac.mp3

If you want a sub, clone's answer got you covered!

 

Most very low instruments do not have a bunch of harmonics, at least not in the way a sawtooth or a square has. We're just not used to this. That's why often sines or triangles are used, as @clone correctly said.
Whether a sawtooth or square sounds unpleasant or interesting depends on taste, genre and arrangement.

 

You can really do a lot to get some of the characteristics people associate with analog synth basses.they are effects based things like saturators, tape emulators, compression, and combinations of others. distortion/overdrive also. But you said no fx

 

do you have a picture of your drawing of waveforms

thanks

 

If something is too harsh for me, I lower it with the equalizer by 2-3 dB (see attached picture).
I also usually lower it by 1 - 2 octaves in the VST.

 

it does sound a bit closer to what i'm looking for...damn those original ones kill ears...the ones u drew are more bearable

 

but overall if anyone knows if any analogue vintage emulations with more bearable original sounding saw and pulse.. it would be great to know......otherwise yes other waveforms is also an option

 

The more upper harmonics you remove, the mellower (but less defined) it's gonna sound.

If you only leave the bottom 10 harmonics in, it's gonna sound like a 60s early attempt at a synth.

 

do you have a midi of notes you want from analog?

 

That's why yes there are the filters to filter out the annoying frequencies or amplify you pleasant frequencies.
In addition, some useful effects, maybe some detune and a few more voices.

saw filter low pass high pass band pass and band stop low-high-pass filters in rf part 1 #11

saw filter low pass high pass band pass and band stop low-high-pass filters in rf part 2 #12

 

Did you tried to control the filter with keyfollow parameter?
This a very often used way to take harmonics in the low end.

 

i tried i might try again later...i was trying to understand if there are old synths with less harsh waveforms, must be...

 

There isn’t such thing as “harsh low end”

if the low end of a simple saw is behaving unexpected for some reason, then the culprit is the room, the monitoring or the ears

 

What are you trying to achieve? What is the actual problem?

Bass frequencies does not have "harshness". Harshness is around 3-6kHz.

Square and pulse have a lot of harmonics/overtones (both analog and digital). That's the whole point. It's the building-blocks for you to shape the sound the way you want it. You shape them with (for instance) filters.
I think you are overthinking. Or maybe underthinking.

 

I thought everything was ok until i checked on good headphones

the low notes of square and saw waveforms are horrible when playing a bit lower than C2

if it wasn't for headphones i would not bother

i guess from now on checking first on headphones

i'll try filtering more i guess as suggested or other waveforms thanks

 

Last edited: Aug 27, 2022

Define "horrible". I still don't understand what you are trying to say.

 

xorome provided some examples of C1 note a bit further above...although much lower than what i need they are still bleeding ears, i don't even recommend listening to that

btw it depends what device u're listening from but i doubt that won't be harsh anywhere still, i don't even wanna check...as i said earlier some things i thought were ok on monitors/laptop/mobile/earphones but headphones said otherwise

 

Last edited: Aug 27, 2022