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Subject:synths driving me crazy
Posted by: cloudspine
Date:6/13/2003 12:34:53 PM
hello all first off, let me say that i'm an utter newbie to acid pro 4. what i want to do with this thing is to create some ambient/soundscape background for my tribal drums and rattles. hence, i downloaded a bunch of synths (which i figured i need): crystal, space synthesizer, etc. anyway, i've figured out some stuff since i got acid a few days ago, but i just can't figure out how to use a synth. the manual doesn't help either. i also downloaded and set up a few virtual/software keyboards, the "loopback" midi router, and directmusic producer (which i read i need in order to use the router). now, i tried playing the keyboard and and recording with acid, and it works, but just what am i supposed to with the synth, any synth. i'd appreciate any help/tips/tutorial, especially for one of the two synths i mentioned, or at least acid's own soft synth. or if you could point me to a webpage with a step-by-step (or something) tutorial. thanks in advance |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: RasKeita
Date:6/13/2003 5:02:41 PM
I'm a bit confused by your query but I'll attempt assistance with what I'm gathering. I take it you don't have an external MIDI Controller or Keyboard of any sort. If that's the case you've got to use the Piano Roll to play the Virtual Synths. I also hope you're using Acid 4.0. So assuming you have an external source to input with... First you must set up the computer to accept MIDI input. In Acid>Options>Preferences>MIDI>check the box next to the port your MIDI input is connected to>Hit Apply OK>Close window> Open a New Project (upper left hand corner blank page icon)>Insert Soft Synth (select the synth you want it should appear)>Push both the Enable Realtime MIDI and Enable Buttons (point to the buttons their names will appear)>Key some keys on your keyboard you should now have input>Hit Record.... With no External MIDI Source... New Project>Insert MIDI Track (save it where you want)>At the end where it says New MIDI Track 1 theres a little bix click that select your soft synth>Double Click the Track Number Icon (properties window appears you can now use your pencil tool to write in the MIDI notes you want to write).... this will get you started...Level Vibes |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: dkistner
Date:6/14/2003 8:34:49 AM
And, of course, if you have a midi file already, you can paint it into Acid and play it with a synth. I think. But I don't try to do any midi in Acid at all any more. I use my scoring program to record midi by routing it into Chainer (my synth host) via SoFo's virtual midi router, then pull the recorded waves into Acid for mixing and effects processing. Works great. |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: cloudspine
Date:6/20/2003 9:55:02 AM
thanks for the advice. anyways, it seems that all i had to do was press that little button beside the midi track name and select a synth. so simple really, but god, was it driving me nuts. |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: cloudspine
Date:6/20/2003 9:58:29 AM
just one more thing can anybody suggest what synth to use to make those wash-like effects reminiscent of steve roach's "tribal-ambient" collaborations with metcalf, reyes, etc. i've tried a bunch of them, and absynth rules, but are there any nicer ones for those effects. |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: ihisert
Date:6/20/2003 2:11:20 PM
I particularly like Synth1 (which is freeware). The presets it comes with are okay, but you can download dozens more patches that are truly excellent. Check out http://www.kvr-vst.com/inst.php to download both Synth1 and a multitude of sound banks for it. Ian |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: drbam
Date:6/20/2003 6:07:04 PM
>>just one more thing can anybody suggest what synth to use to make those wash-like effects reminiscent of steve roach's "tribal-ambient" collaborations with metcalf, reyes, etc. i've tried a bunch of them, and absynth rules, but are there any nicer ones for those effects. << Couldn't help but smile at this. Steve's been creating his music for over 20 years and is perhaps the most emulated in the genre. His wizardry in the studio borders on genius and there's no such thing as a preset to him. The sounds you hear on his recordings come from racks and walls of synths, processors, and assorted gear most of which is done live in the studio and created in a way that only he knows. I've been fortunate to have watched him work for a few years now and its always a jaw dropper to witness. ;-) drbam (Byron Metcalf) |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: cloudspine
Date:6/21/2003 3:21:48 AM
i think i know what you mean. i mean, i haven't seen him in studio or live, but the sounds he produces (with his gear i mean) are almost unbelievable. i dare say it's pure genius. before i started listening to his music, i actually heard some of those sounds during certain experiences... but i digress. i figured he probably uses a bunch of synths and processors and what not, but well, i was just hoping something similar could be produced with a software synth. absynth does come somewhat close however. thanks byron cloudspine |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: drbam
Date:6/21/2003 9:09:59 AM
Absynth is about the only softsynth Steve uses. The rest is all hardware and other outboard stuff - a lot of what is considered now classic or vintage units. But again, a preset means nothing to him other than a basic set of parameters. He will go directly into a parameter matrix and start carving and tweaking till he gets what he wants. BTW, he turned me on to SOFO products when I got my first DAW. It sounds like you are able to "hear" a lot of what he is doing. It takes a great deal of "deep listening" to really get into the multidiminsional, almost holographic character of his work. drbam |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: cloudspine
Date:6/22/2003 7:27:29 AM
most excellent work on "the serpent's lair" |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: drbam
Date:6/22/2003 8:57:53 AM
>>most excellent work on "the serpent's lair" << Thanks! ;-) drbam |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: spesimen
Date:6/22/2003 1:56:12 PM
i had the pleasure of seeing steve roach live in ann arbor a few years ago. amazing. one thing i've noticed while trying to analyze his recordings is that there are frequently a very wide pallete of frequencies represented in his ambient pads. to get started on the path to getting some of those spacey, drifting chords, i'd suggest using something like the following: 1. take a fairly simple patch like a pure sawtooth or square wave. 2. set the attack and release to be very slow..(5seconds or more) 3. try layering many notes together, like heavy patterns of white keys up and down the keyboard - at least 10-12 notes. don't just do it randomly, but try to anchor some of them around certain pitches, across 2 or more octaves. try to avoid using multiple octaves of the same note unless you want to emphasize that note for some reason, like to anchor a drone. anyway that's kind of a simple place to start but with a little practice you'll be able to get some surprisingly good results. for me, anyway, it was one of the discoveries i made when trying to study his chord structures was that they are sometimes very complex groups of suspended chords (didnt' seem like any noticeable major or minors in there)..also, this is pure speculation..i'd love to know more about how he does it.. but there's definitely a very similar vibe to the sounds i'm able to get by working that way. of course, like mentioned earlier in the thread, fine tuning the patches once you have the basics down is also very critical to getting unique and subtle textures. |
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Subject:RE: synths driving me crazy
Reply by: cloudspine
Date:6/25/2003 10:28:36 AM
thanks for the tip spesimen. i perfectly understand points 1 and 2. point 3, however, is somewhat unclear to me. i did say i was a newbie. you are talking about absynth, are you? or some other synth? if it's not a bother, could you go into a little more detail please? i've been working intensively with absynth for the past two-three weeks, figuring out how to make/alter the patches, and this little program is really amazing for soundscapes. |