How to make weird Trap Synths (PLEASE HELP!)

[rusty1]

Lately I've been super struggling with my productions. I cant get any Ideas down and everything I make I seem to not like it. So I started thinking about what I really want to produce and I've decided I really want to produce Trap music. I dont want to produce hybrid trap. I really like Baauer and Rl Grimes trap music. I think its a little more hip hop orientated and not so dubstep-ish. I like dubstep but I want to make music that I can like show my mum. I dont want to make filthy dirty music. I listen to that but its not what I'm going for.

So I've been going back and listening to all my favourite Rl and Baauer tracks (I listened to these guys before I started producing and I think they are probably a big influence on me and what might have got me into production). I don't want to rip them off but I do want to produce like them if that makes sense.

So my question/ problem is: How do I make weird trap lead synths? I don't want to make FM growl basses. I dont want to make those boring generic trap leads. I want to make cool horns and some crazy sounding cool basses that dont have that vocally growl style to it.

Ok so I know what I want to make but I just don't know how to make them because I cant really pin point what the hell they are. I mean if you want to make dubstep just learn about FM and how to use Flanger effects and flange filters to form a growl.

Obviously Rl uses a lot of horns which is cool but what about other crazy synths? How is it done? A lot of the time I try to make a track in this kinda of style (or any other style) It just sounds like a boring synth with drums and an 808 below. It doesn't sound like a song.

Below I have linked some of the tracks that I'm talking about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uhb83oo9_I&list=PLq5MBc6t6kbQCWFHYlldpSz2FsCywFE9L&index=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMbi65XibvE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHWxMVatWwE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgiyMpKBl28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1612_Y7N9x4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuyKeH8rYOg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz1CqHw35Bs

Most of these tracks above have like 3 things in the drop: The Synth lead, Drums and an 808 sub or some kind of sub right?
How come when I do this it sounds horribly boring???

How do they achieve this? Is it synth movement? Is it the melody? Is it the actual synth itself?

PS I use serum, I know sound design, yes I have RTFM, I have also learnt Massive, I know FM and how to use it and I know all about filters and I still suck at sound design lmao

[vinceasot]

the best advice is to download trap preset packs from good brands out there and copy them,

vandalism, freshly squeezed, alonso sound, etc

the only way to get better at sound design is to spend time on it and do it, practice man!!

it starts with the oscilators to get the sound, so try get close to it as possible at the beginning ,learn to use the filters, ADSR, detune, FX etc, its good stuff

[Mussar]

If you want "Weird Trap Synths", you should stop thinking about things in terms of the synthesizer you're using, but rather the method of resampling you are using.

Some of these basses sound like FM8 patches that have been resampled and either cut up or played in a sampler, and your typical trap lead comes from taking a vocal, putting it into Simpler/Sampler/ESX24/Fruity Sampler/Whatever and messing with it. Remember that a lot of these songs are pre-Serum, so you don't always want to think about it in a post-Serum mindset.

[rusty1]

If you want "Weird Trap Synths", you should stop thinking about things in terms of the synthesizer you're using, but rather the method of resampling you are using.

Some of these basses sound like FM8 patches that have been resampled and either cut up or played in a sampler, and your typical trap lead comes from taking a vocal, putting it into Simpler/Sampler/ESX24/Fruity Sampler/Whatever and messing with it. Remember that a lot of these songs are pre-Serum, so you don't always want to think about it in a post-Serum mindset.

Ok thats super interesting. I have never thought of it like that at all. I guess I assume they use synthesizers to make the sounds. I am familiar with resampling but what do you mean resampling and messing with it? Should I make a sound in serum, sample it and then mess with it somehow? What things could I do to the resampled synth? Obviously you would put audio effects on it but in what way?

[Mussar]

This is where it gets fun - the answer to those questions is entirely up to you! Your source sound can be a synthesizer, a vocal, a sound you ripped off youtube, a recording of a dog barking, or anything else you can think up.

From there, you can do lot of different things:

You could try applying layers of distortion, filtering, and limiting to get the more noisia style neurofunk basses. You could pitch shift and/or timestretch the sample, chopping it up and bouncing that and doing it over and over again. You could put it in a sampler, play random notes, radical EQ changes, compress it, then resample that and try it again. You could apply a lot of reverb or delay then distort and/or filter the resulting sound.

What's important is that you experiment with a lot of different methods, so you can learn how they affect your sound differently.

[Tieme Typhonic]

Hi, just like Mussas and vinceasot say, try sampling a bunch of sounds.

However, yesterday I watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6c-j6GS824, it's about 3 techniques for creating trap sounds with Serum. I think it's not the best video, but his approach on creating trap sounds can give you inspiration on how to do it yourself.

[rusty1]

Yeah I have already checked out the video, didn't help that much but still learnt a few things.

So I basically experiment with effects in different combinations. My problem is when I do this kind of stuff I think I make something good and later I come back and I find out the sound I have made sounds like garbage.

Also how do I create movement/modulate the volume of a sample?

I'll keep grinding through and sampling random shit and messing with it I guess.

[Tieme Typhonic]

You can set any LFO or ENV on the master output via the Matrix tab. Find the master volume in the destination row and then something like Global (I've no access to Serum now so I can't see what it is exactly.) If you don't understand the Matrix tab, init preset and set up 1 lfo to a knob and see how that shows in the Matrix tab. Shouldn't be that hard

To control volume you can also use the 2 volume knobs from the oscillators, this way you can control each oscillator with a different LFO or envelope. Or control just one and let the other be.

Hope this helps!

[rusty1]

Oh I know how to do it in Serum. I've read the Serum manual I understand all the basics like the mod matrix and stuff. 

What I was trying to say is how do I create movement in an audio sample in ableton? Is there like a more complex volume envelope in the ableton sampler??

Thanks for your reply though.

[Tieme Typhonic]

Haha ok no problem

Don't have much experience with Ableton so I can't help you any further with that. Maybe you can look in to some VST's that do that, like Gross Beat.

[rusty1]

Ok will do thanks for that.