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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 16
Enthusiast
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OP
Enthusiast
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 16 |
Dear Anyone.
OK, I'll keep this succint (hopefully!) I'm a wannabe New Age composer. Now the guys I'd love to emulate (Not rip-off!) are Karunesh, Medwyn Goodall, Paul Collier, Mike Rowland, all of whom are over YouTube like a rash (as are many of their counterparts). They all use one style to death - lead instrument, rhythm instruments, pad in middle of sandwich. The pad's a specific kind, it's sorta aural wallpaper to pin the instruments on, it's perfectly happy being masked by all the other sounds, it's just there, heard between the gaps, being a nice sound when there's no lead sounds going on.
I'm PRETTY sure they're using combinations of presets because I keep recognising elements (like two totally different meals can be made from the same ingredients) of the sounds. But where are they getting the presets from? I've got Korg M1 Emulator, Sylenth, ArtVera, Zebra, Synplant, Orca and I KNOW I should be able to create those kinds of pads with those - but despite many patient, dogged hours trying - it just aint happening. (I've also got Omnisphere but it's not currently installed because its sounds, though magnificent, are just too strange - sounds from a burning piano? African villagers chanting? Guitars made to sound like aeroplanes!?! Burning cellos!?! Like.... who save for John Cage would USE those things!) Mind you I don't think I ever managed to locate ALL the sounds, there's 40 gig of the thing and I only ever found a few sounds. Anyway.
The above digression aside - what synths could I use that have easy-to-combine presets resembling the background, slightly organy sounds the abovementioned composers use? I'd be happy to use presets for the moment until I got the hang of creating my own (or if I could ring the changes on the presets!)
Yours hopefully
Chris.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,318
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,318 |
Hi Chris,
I do some new age music and a lot of it is on the User Showcase forum here. My main pad instrument, well actually my main VSTi for everything, is Kontakt both with the original and third party presets. Kontakt can do everything from totally distorted guitars to the soft smooth moving pads that you are looking for.
If your M1 emulator can read sysex there are a number of new age patches for it. They are ok, many are free, but not as good as Kontakt IMO.
Native Instruments FM8 also has some nice pads to it, again not as good as Kontakt IMO.
I hope this helps, as you did not have a cash limit in your message. The VSTis I mentioned are costly but invaluable for what you are trying to do.
I'm sure others will have different suggestions for you. What DAW are you using? I have heard some very nice sounding new age from Reason also but I do not have it to really make and comparisons.
I think my wife has started to show the first signs of dementia.
She said she can't remember what she ever saw in me!
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,913 |
You need no other synthesizers. Nearly all of those that you listed can do new-age pads with ease. Zebra for example. You've invested at least $1000 in soft synths: Sylenth: $240 Zebra: $199 Synplant: $99 Omnisphere: $499 There are tons of great pads available in those synths. What specifically can't you do - can you point to a specific sound in a particular song, because I've just randomly picked a Karunesh song and a Mike Rowland tune, and I hear nothing that I can't actually output from my kids Casio WK200. Here's something to keep in mind - nearly every modern music production that uses synthesizers heavily is using automation to change some parameters. For example the Mike Rowland tune (Listen to Your Heart) that I'm listening to right now has a very simple warm pad, but it does sound like the filter cutoff is being very slowly modified. Very easy. You can do this with many freeware soft synths as well. Here's what I suggest you do: 1. Don't buy anything else - you have all the tools you need 2. Pick ONE song, with one target sound and critically listen to it. Do you hear it move from a timbre standpoint throughout the song? write out notes on the sound's characteristic 3. Pick one basic pad from one of the least complicated synths you have purchased. I suggest Sylenth, as it has the most 'conventional' controls from a subtractive synthesis engine of those that you have mentioned. Look at how the pad is constructed in Sylenth, and extremely change one parameter at a time. Make notes on how this sounds. Pads nearly always have a slow attack for the volume envelope, you can tweak non-pad sounds to have a slow attack delay and release to go with. Also, add reverb - almost as a rule. 4. Here's some free presets for synlenth, some of which are pads. http://www.kvraudio.com/banks.php?s=list&product=2500&order=date5. Don't spend anything. If you are still stuck, at least send me info on #2 step above, and I'll redo it on some freeware synths.
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Recording, Mixing, Performance and Production
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,727
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 10,727 |
Good suggestions above.
I have Kontakt and actually the "Komplete" collection which is Native Instrument's most popular synths all in one package at a greatly discounted price over buying them as individual synths.
Tons of pads of all sorts in that collection.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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