1.Use EQ to shape and taper the frequency content of your instruments. If you're having trouble with to much, take away.

2. Detuning doesn't make the sound less harsh man, you're making the harsh sound more processed......Learn better technical skills to achieve a result that's coherent to the result that you want.

3. Look at a frequency spectrum chart of instrumentation, and understand the range at which instruments operate. This should give you some idea as to better understand and utilize the sounds that make the most sense for any tune. Orchestral instrumentation.

4. Chill out and keep doing it, I had a hard time doing stuff and putting things together when I first started. Six years later, I can literally make a whole tune in four hours.


I'd also suggest to be more simplistic in your approach, adding more layers on top of stuff doesn't really make sense if you're unsatisfied with one particular instance of the sound.......It's like adding roses to a big pile of shit in hopes that the big pile of shit will smell differently...... It's easier to just start off with one rose and smell it for all it's worth.

Understanding the instrumental frequency chart of orchestral instruments can help you get some idea on how to better process your instruments.

You also have to consider the character of your instruments as well.


Lets say you have a saw wave(from one oscillator;no filter) and you raise it one octave. You've shifted the average frequency content to that of a higher order. Therefore, you have more top end than you do bottom end. Once you apply a low pass from the EQ, you're effectively removing the majority of the sound that you have available.

If you shift the saw wave down and octave and apply a low pass, you are effectively doing the same thing, but a lower order where the average frequencies are of a lower value. Once again, you will remove much of the content that is characterized as the "body" of the sound.

You're removing main components of the sound if you're not handling your EQ correctly in the context of the synth's octave position and range of notes being played(movement between high and low notes along the scale).

To consider this situation with multiple layers summed to create one sound, you WILL NEED to make up what you've taken away.

Thus, creating more work for you that's leading to frustration and confusion about your process.


That's why those future bass producers use one saw wave, it's because they understand the octave range, and the relative range of particular instrumental elements that cause a description of a "lead" or "bass" synth.


With right processing, such as bussing and group management, you can really get a nice sound with VERRRRRRRRRRY little effort.

You need to look into recording techniques and recording philosophy and see how you can best apply the simplistic nature to your work flow.

Go talk to a mix/recording engineer at you local studio. See if they have time to help you sort things out.

Other wise, there's just start fishing for subjects and do you best to gather the material.

I am learning how to record, that's what i am weakest at. But I've had excellent resources that have guided me while i was understanding certain technical aspects of recording that i apply to understanding of my music production on the computer.

My advice to you is to seek some one who is willing to sit down and talk with you for a while, until you wrap your head around the process. It's not so much a literal translation into what you're doing, but using the reference point from the real world to be applied to the digital realm.

Going back to the layering subject: You shouldn't really need to add any more layers to one particular sound, because you have more than enough information with one oscillator to make a lead synth sound really good. The more stuff you try to process that doesn't come from the same sources, leaves you with having to deal with more variables that you ought to have.


Once you understand and have gain mastery over the use of creating things with only limited amount of information, is when you can start adding in other components to help shape the overall picture.

Start with a few colors and elements, and analyse deeply how it works. Then you can bring in more complicated considerations, but you're neglecting to much of the fundamentals and expecting to perform as a master does with the same level of understanding.

You might even find greater joy in creating things more simply, than simply creating complexities for complex sake.




Start simple dude, reconsider your approach and understanding of where you're at now, and move forward.


EDIT: i've been doing mechanical engineering problems all day, so if this seems a little incoherent i am sorry.

I definitely think I'm creating complexities for complex sake. I've only recently learn that less is more with production and I guess that could be applied to sound design. I really love interesting sound design and I really love sound design in general given that its not making me frustrated.

There is a production school in my city but I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford a lesson on recording and stuff. Maybe someday I'll go there to learn some stuff. I'm pretty good at teaching myself stuff though. I've taught myself like 3 programming languages and I've been teaching myself how to produce music.

And can I ask what are the basic elements of a lead sound. Like what makes a synth a lead synth? Maybe if I grasp a better understanding of what a lead is I should be able to make them better.

Thanks for all the help as well man, hope those mechanical engineering question wont too hard aha.

All of those MCHE questions suck. But w/e, it's fun.

The basic elements of a lead sound come from the octave range that the synth is playing. If you're thinking of a synth that's super high pitch, you only got a portion of the picture.

I feel that's where it best define's it's purpose for it's description. If you go so low, it'd be classified as a bass.

If you look at the orchestral instrumentation frequency chart, i am sure you'll recognize the varying ranges in which the components of an orchestra operate in. The differences of the instruments give you different effects and feeling when playing a certain piece of music because of this.  If you consider how a composer makes the music for that particular situation, you'll have a better understanding of how your music can mix itself, before you start to apply any other more modern "mixing" tools.

And this circles back to basics in understanding frequency content of the sound you're working with and designing. There's natural tendencies that occur over a range in octave position, that you need to account for. Every thing else is secondary and used to "enhance" what is already there;enhancement is good or bad given the context of what you're goals are.

You just need to understand your reference point when you're making the music and understand how the sound can best fit it's role.

Also, you don't necessarily need to go to mixing school or w/e to get this information, it'll help, but it depends on what you want out of it. Not to mention, if you have to be really invested as a student if you want all the good details. I'd still suggest a cheaper alternative if you're not going to commit to being a student....

There's tons of stuff online, and if you have the capacity to teach programming languages, then you have the capacity to figure out what you're doing wrong. The only difference is that your self guided attempts will probably elongate the time at which you can gain applicable knowledge.



TL;DR

Go over frequency chart, consider the context of an orchestra, consider how you can apply that concept to your music, keep it simple, work your way up from simple decisions.

Complexity is the illusion masters have over the student. Often times the master seeks a simple and elegant solution, given the amount of understanding they have. You foundation is the most important part of your way, Strengthen your foundation and understanding so that if you do have a problem like this again, you'll have a better time processing it.

Sorry for the late reply, I've just DJ'd my first house party so I was preparing for that.

I've been studying the orchestral frequency charts and noticed that none of the instruments go above like 16 KHz and my leads have a lot of content above 16 KHz which is the zzzzz or shhhh sound I'm getting on my leads. Should I cut this out and kind of band pass the lead?

When you mean frequency range do you mean that lead sounds have a large range of frequencies? So leads should have frequency content in the low mids, high mids and the highs?

Thanks for the sound design tips, I'm definitely going to experiment with that and go in other directions.

Thanks man.

Look I've been trying all day to make a lead sound and just other sounds in general and they all sound like crap. It just sounds like old 8 bit game sounds, like not very good quality. The top end of my synths always sound like crap and it's stressing me out. I might go back to the fundamentals of sound design and synthesis. Do you guys know any good resources to learn this stuff?

Thanks for the resources dude I'm definitely going to check them out.

I said I was going to go back and revisit the fundamentals of sound design and synthesis and I was reading articles and watching videos and I already knew it all. Like I was already familiar with all the topics they covered.

I feel like I have all this theoretical knowledge of making music, Like I know all about how to eq things and I know all about digital audio like sample rates and bit depth. I also know the physics behind sound (as I used to study physics and this was a topic) and I know all about synthesis like FM synthesis, subtractive, I know signal path and routing and stuff, I know what wavetables are, I know filters, I'm very familiar with modulation and LFO stuff.

I know all this stuff and somehow in my mind I'm just pushing myself to make great music. I know making music is hard and that it takes a long time but I am pretty hard on myself and I do push myself really hard. It worked for DJ'ing, I used to work hard on making perfect mixes everyday and soon it just became like normal for every transition to be as smooth as possible and it payed off. I played my first ever house party the other night, I had never Dj'd in front of anyone for longer than like 2 minutes and everyone at the party loved me.

I'm not trying to talk myself up here I'm just trying to explain to you guys how I work and what my mind is expecting me to do when I produce music.

One of my biggest inspirations is Diplo, he so dynamic with he own project and Major Lazer and Jack U. Thats some of the music I love. That type of music has musical integrity and sounds good but at the same time your able to dance to it  and play it at festivals and stuff. Thats kind of what I want to make.

I'm very familiar with those basic wavetables but I hardly use them. I like weird sounds that sound unique but sound good at the same time. I find it very hard to be able to make weird lead sounds with the basic waveforms. If you listen to some Major Lazer and Jack U songs the lead sounds sound very unique, I wouldn't know what they used to make those synths (except the vocal chops I can understand how they do that) but thats what I'm aiming for.

Look I really am having trouble identifying my problem because in my mind I really shouldn't have a problem. So many producers are having fun making good music and it seems like they haven't gone through the struggles I've had. Don't get me wrong they probably have had issues but I've literally had issues with like every facet of music production from sound design to creative issues to mastering and mixdowns.

Music production is the hardest thing I have ever done, sometimes I've been so frustrated that I just want to take a break from it but then all I do is think about it ahah and Im back in ableton within 5 minutes.

Thanks for reading all my posts on here you guys, really appreciate you guys helping me out and hopefully I'll sort this out and make great music one day.