Hey, so I've tried layering, EQ notching out the harshness (I high pass everything 8khz up) de-essing, but somehow my cymbals always sound harsh or really weak. Anyone care to share the magic?

Hey guys,

 So I've been hassling you guys for help with professional sounding smooth white noise sweeps for a while now and I figured it out today, thought I'd make an imgur album for you in case you're interested.

http://imgur.com/a/N3yuf

Anyone know any good techniques? I've been designing my own morphing bass in Serum and automating macros but I've heard reaktor is a good way to go, I'm trying to emulate sunny lax's new tracks like this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKcxT-Xzuck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm6IFQu9FZY
(2:04)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qUhNcaOTiU
(1:43)

Very quick percussion sounding stab. I'm not sure how to make it at all tbh. I plan on using either Sylenth or Spire for this, unless this sound may be done through a sampler instead?

It sounds very squarish, pluckish obviously. Idk if I should be using a synth or trying to find some sort of sample. If I am using a synth could someone give me some guidance on how it's done? If I am looking for a sample, what kind of sample am I looking for? A stab sound? A percussion sound and process it as a stab?

If I am making it in a synth, what specific parameters would I be modulating? I know about the quick ADSR, filter cut off, but anything else regarding the pitch?

Will appreciate any advice, thanks.

Ok, so I usually try to make pluck stabs kind of like that in my tracks but I use them more sparingly, usually I use Serum and then add some EQ and compression/reverb/distortion after. I can't completely replicate what you want but I can get the percussive pluck sound down no problem if you follow this (even if you don't use serum you can apply the lessons to spire/sylenth/whatever)

1. Set the envelope for your oscillator in your synth, quick attack, short delay, pretty much no (or none at all) sustain, almost no release


2. Select your wave, you were right a square wave is exactly what you want for a percussive pluck, I also like adding a sine in there as well

In this one I also added the sub oscillator on a square wave up an octave to add some melodic tones

3. I don't think you can do this in Spire or Sylenth but you could use LFO tool or something I guess but I automated the envelope to a low pass filter and adjusted it's range so that it shoots up into the higher frequencies quickly to grab tone and then shots back down as the decay and sustain go away, it really crates that "plonk" sound


4. Then I connected the envelope to the volume of the sub, oscillator 1 and oscillator 2 so like the low pass filter the volumes shoot up and then drop as the sustain and decay drop away

This just solidifies the quick punchy shot sound you're making

5. Add some FX to it, in serum I added a little hyper dimension, chorus, a multiband compressor to glue the sound together a little and then an EQ where I boosted and cut the frequencies that complimented the sound


6. Then I played with the FX chain in Logic

Thats what it ended up being.
EQ'd and cut bad frequencies and boosted the good ones

Added an overdrive boost, EQ'd the new sound again, used camel crusher to add a little British clean distortion, EQ'd again, added Noveltech Character to boost the high and mid frequencies, added a short plate reverb with the mix around 45%

Then I added OTT compressor depth of 70% and output up to 10

7. Add delay and reverb

I know its not super impressive but thought you could use it as a rough guide

I bounced the pluck to an mp3 and then closed logic without saving it and selected bypass audio unit plugins so it came out shitty and I can't recover it so imagine a niiiice tubey sharp pluck sound with just the most perfect subtle delay in the background and present yet awe inspiring reverb. Just majestic, take my word for it.

Anyways yeah have fun good luck

EDIT: Basically make sure you have the right waveforms, one of them should be a square wave and be the main focus. The make sure the envelope settings are appropriate like I said earlier SUPER FAST ATTACK, SHORT DECAY, NO REAL SUSTAIN, ALMOST NO RELEASE (just enough so it prevents that stupid click sound) Then it's all about EQ cuts and boosts, maybe a boosting plugin of some kind, a little distortion/saturation, reverb and delay.

use the filter and automation dude lol

Oh yeah never thought of that one....

That's what I'm doing lol, I want it to sound smooth like blowing wind and not exactly like white noise

I'm trying to emulate this kind of style for my new tracks, what would you suggest I do using the LFO's, filters and envelopes in Serum to get something close?

Thanks for the help!

He uses them in the intros of both these tracks

Aeons
https://youtu.be/IZwoXxe1AcU?t=12s
Everything's A Lie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKcxT-Xzuck

maybe try look at the preset packs by sunny lax or similar for ideas or inspiration
i think those anjuna basses can be made with combining saw waves, FM and applying FX for grit and a lot of tweaking for variety

Total noob question but what do you mean by FM?

Let me know what you think, be a dick if need be that's how I'll get better