Phat basslines, resampling and...the actual synth!?

[amphibian]

Hey guys!

At fear of being absolutely pwned by text (learn2read, search.etc.etc.) - I've been reading quite a bit on the datsik/excision threads, mainly because I'm curious how they create the sound - and I am starting to have some success (basslines are getting phatter, generally sounding cooler), but there is one thing that irks me...

Of all the reading I've done, it seems as though the synths themselves are used quite minimally. As an example, when playing around last night I found more success by simply having a couple of oscillators, low-passed to take off a little of the high end and slightly detuned. If I did any more than this then the effects later seem to either not work as well as intended or just don't have as much impact. Has anyone else experienced this, or perhaps can shed some light as to why this might be the case? I realize this is probably a "how long is a piece of string" thread, and if so just let me know and I'll go back and keep practising - but any light on the matter would be great

One other question, with all this processing and resampling business suddenly my tracks are a whole lot messier. I would assume it's better just to have a folder for creating these wikid sounds.etc, rather than using your track project?

PS - Decimort is f*cking great - by far my favourite distortion plugin so far

[narcissus]

welll... effects usually add to/alter a sound in a way that makes it more complicated.. and if yer addin lots of effects.. well then.. it's gonna get messy as the base synth sound gets more complicated, yes? just common sense..

as for organization...

i find for resampling purposes, one main 'samples' folder is enough.. filled with bunches of random and samples. then i have about 10-20 subfolders (as of yet, always expanding..) like "animals", "nature", "voices" "acapellas" "glichable sounds" "suspense" ... etc etc... for groups of similar sounds

just put it all somewhere so that it makes sense in your mind..

[Tese man]

I also have been digging deeper into this matter. I personally think that the actual synth needs to be quite 'phat' already. And by saying that, i mean the bassline should have lots of harmonics, and maybe even a slight, slow LFO to get the sound moving. Then I load it up in Kontakt, start beefing it up. Export-->Import. Duplicate, lowpass one and then highpass one. add FX to your liking. Export-->Import again. Repeat process.

You have to be careful not to fuck your sound up too much, because your end result will be totally unsatisfying.

As for the folder/database issue, I just started making a collection of all kinds of wobs, Like a 1 bar sequence of wobble. I can use them in other projects, or even label it my 'signature sound'.
I think it's the smart thing to do, because when i listen to a lot of dubstep (or neurofunk for that matter), I always hear a sound that the artist has previously used in one of his songs.

But now I have a question. When you resample, you use a long C note right? But it seems like everything above C#/below B just sounds so crappy when you use a resampled wobble. If you want to make a melodic wobble, should i resample every note of a synth?
If anyone knows the awnser, please do tell!

[daft cunt]

Of all the reading I've done, it seems as though the synths themselves are used quite minimally. As an example, when playing around last night I found more success by simply having a couple of oscillators, low-passed to take off a little of the high end and slightly detuned. If I did any more than this then the effects later seem to either not work as well as intended or just don't have as much impact. Has anyone else experienced this, or perhaps can shed some light as to why this might be the case? I realize this is probably a "how long is a piece of string" thread, and if so just let me know and I'll go back and keep practising - but any light on the matter would be great

I don't know if that's really answering your question but I find that a) practicing making fat bass sounds with only 1 or 2 oscs and lots of post processing and b) making bass sound as complex as possible before adding any external fx are both good ways to learn about the art of making big bass sounds.

But now I have a question. When you resample, you use a long C note right? But it seems like everything above C#/below B just sounds so crappy when you use a resampled wobble. If you want to make a melodic wobble, should i resample every note of a synth?
If anyone knows the awnser, please do tell!

In my experience it depends how much you fuck up your sound and how far you go from the root note (C in your case).
What I do is make my bass sound as big as I can before adding much movement to it (like notch filter automation, flanger, etc) then I resample and usually I can play almost one octave up and down without it sounding too shitty. Then I know I have a solid base and can start adding movement to it.
Also if you're only using a couple of keys you can resample only these notes. That's why it's good to start writing the melody before working on the sound design.

[Tese man]

Of all the reading I've done, it seems as though the synths themselves are used quite minimally. As an example, when playing around last night I found more success by simply having a couple of oscillators, low-passed to take off a little of the high end and slightly detuned. If I did any more than this then the effects later seem to either not work as well as intended or just don't have as much impact. Has anyone else experienced this, or perhaps can shed some light as to why this might be the case? I realize this is probably a "how long is a piece of string" thread, and if so just let me know and I'll go back and keep practising - but any light on the matter would be great

I don't know if that's really answering your question but I find that a) practicing making fat bass sounds with only 1 or 2 oscs and lots of post processing and b) making bass sound as complex as possible before adding any external fx are both good ways to learn about the art of making big bass sounds.

But now I have a question. When you resample, you use a long C note right? But it seems like everything above C#/below B just sounds so crappy when you use a resampled wobble. If you want to make a melodic wobble, should i resample every note of a synth?
If anyone knows the awnser, please do tell!

In my experience it depends how much you fuck up your sound and how far you go from the root note (C in your case).
What I do is make my bass sound as big as I can before adding much movement to it (like notch filter automation, flanger, etc) then I resample and usually I can play almost one octave up and down without it sounding too shitty. Then I know I have a solid base and can start adding movement to it.
Also if you're only using a couple of keys you can resample only these notes. That's why it's good to start writing the melody before working on the sound design.

Thanks mate! I will definetly try your technique!

[amphibian]

daft - good advice man. I'll try the opposite side of the spectrum now

I'm also, with practising basslines - starting to realize the importance and effect of good eq usage - especially after basslines have been distorted.etc.

As for organization, I was referring to the project itself where I create the bassline, not actual sample folders (that kinda speaks for itself). Thanks anyway though