How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

hardware, software, tips and tricks
Forum rules
By using this "Production" sub-forum, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed with our terms of use for this site. Click HERE to read them. If you do not agree to our terms of use, you must exit this site immediately. We do not accept any responsibility for the content, submissions, information or links contained herein. Users posting content here, do so completely at their own risk.

Quick Link to Feedback Forum
Mossmade
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2010 1:47 pm
Location: LEEDS
Contact:

How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Mossmade » Mon Jul 05, 2010 7:18 pm

Digital or analogue, I just need some tips.

User avatar
tripwire22
Posts: 2384
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:30 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by tripwire22 » Mon Jul 05, 2010 7:19 pm

long attack and sustain?

User avatar
sixth sense
Posts: 505
Joined: Fri Jul 02, 2010 4:38 pm
Location: the other side

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by sixth sense » Mon Jul 05, 2010 7:20 pm

Automate some of the filters

User avatar
Recessive Trait
Posts: 768
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:11 pm

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Recessive Trait » Mon Jul 05, 2010 7:25 pm

slow, unsynced lfos routed to everything. slow automation increasing intensity (or diminishing or what have you).

User avatar
Ongelegen
Posts: 2310
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 5:17 pm
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Ongelegen » Mon Jul 05, 2010 7:31 pm

layering and automating the volume of the layers can also help to make things interesting

SesG
Posts: 136
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:31 pm
Location: SO14

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by SesG » Mon Jul 05, 2010 8:39 pm

Stereo widening is the bizzniss for pads
Image
.............................http://soundcloud.com/ses-1.............................
Image

User avatar
Depone
Posts: 3526
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:49 pm
Location: South-West UK
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Depone » Mon Jul 05, 2010 8:47 pm

Recessive Trait wrote:slow, unsynced lfos routed to everything
Oh god that would sound awful!

User avatar
tripwire22
Posts: 2384
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:30 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by tripwire22 » Mon Jul 05, 2010 8:55 pm

Depone wrote:
Recessive Trait wrote:slow, unsynced lfos routed to everything
Oh god that would sound awful!
prolly

User avatar
abZ
Posts: 5261
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2006 6:14 pm
Location: pittsburgh
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by abZ » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:07 pm

tripwire22 wrote:
Depone wrote:
Recessive Trait wrote:slow, unsynced lfos routed to everything
Oh god that would sound awful!
prolly
Not necessarily imo

User avatar
Depone
Posts: 3526
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:49 pm
Location: South-West UK
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Depone » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:15 pm

abZ wrote:
tripwire22 wrote:
Depone wrote:
Recessive Trait wrote:slow, unsynced lfos routed to everything
Oh god that would sound awful!
prolly
Not necessarily imo
Im getting visions of hypnotoad sounds. Cmon, if you really modulated everything via lfo would sound wank. Pitch, tuning, envelopes the lot. would reallly sound disgusting

User avatar
Depone
Posts: 3526
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:49 pm
Location: South-West UK
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Depone » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:33 pm

Just for a laugh, i selected random oscillators by closing my eyes and modulated everything in massive (nearly everything) via LFO 5.

Check it

http://www.mediafire.com/?yaz4ymyzn0t

User avatar
abZ
Posts: 5261
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2006 6:14 pm
Location: pittsburgh
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by abZ » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:14 pm

Depone wrote:
abZ wrote:
tripwire22 wrote:
Depone wrote:
Recessive Trait wrote:slow, unsynced lfos routed to everything
Oh god that would sound awful!
prolly
Not necessarily imo
Im getting visions of hypnotoad sounds. Cmon, if you really modulated everything via lfo would sound wank. Pitch, tuning, envelopes the lot. would reallly sound disgusting
LOL I didn't take it to mean literally everything. That would defo sound like ass.

User avatar
mks
Posts: 4155
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2006 3:35 am
Location: Planet Earth

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by mks » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:37 pm

A very slow lfo on the filter envelope sounds very nice indeed for a subtly shifting moving pad sound.

EZ

User avatar
Recessive Trait
Posts: 768
Joined: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:11 pm

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Recessive Trait » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:44 pm

lfo to pitch? - let's be realistic.

massive gives you 4 lfos and a plethora of things to link them to (wavetable pos, intensity, ring mod, phase, filter cutoff etc etc so many posibilities.) pitch is the last thing i would ever think to attach an lfo to, unless that's what i was going for.

ridicule it if you want. it's a fantastic way to make some really interesting pads.

User avatar
tripwire22
Posts: 2384
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:30 pm
Location: United States
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by tripwire22 » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:46 pm

vox or Band pass filters work well in blue

User avatar
Depone
Posts: 3526
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:49 pm
Location: South-West UK
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by Depone » Mon Jul 05, 2010 10:57 pm

Recessive Trait wrote:lfo to pitch? - let's be realistic.

massive gives you 4 lfos and a plethora of things to link them to (wavetable pos, intensity, ring mod, phase, filter cutoff etc etc so many posibilities.) pitch is the last thing i would ever think to attach an lfo to, unless that's what i was going for.

ridicule it if you want. it's a fantastic way to make some really interesting pads.
Think you will find im taking the utter piss! :wink:

User avatar
komanderkin
Posts: 704
Joined: Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:06 pm
Location: Belgrade
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by komanderkin » Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:07 am

shitloads of reverb and delay after the synth. resampling, to cutoff the long trails caused by those two.

User avatar
apastrat
Posts: 81
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2009 11:33 am
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by apastrat » Tue Jul 06, 2010 9:56 am

Depone wrote:
Recessive Trait wrote:slow, unsynced lfos routed to everything
Oh god that would sound awful!
Why? Ever heard of subtlety?! :roll:

nitz
Posts: 3105
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 5:28 pm

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by nitz » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:35 pm

Hardware:

Square waves
Adjust the ADSR
Filter (thats the important part)
Reverb
Delay
A brand new song!

Soundcloud

User avatar
kaiori breathe
Posts: 1715
Joined: Sat Mar 27, 2010 12:26 am
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Contact:

Re: How do you go about creating pads on synthezizers?

Post by kaiori breathe » Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:36 pm

Depends how you want to make them really. There are lots of ways to make pads.

One of the simplest. Open up your vst, set it to play 3 saw waves on a three octave spread, detune each a little. Add chorus for a silky sound. Then start working with LFOs and EQing to get the sound you want.

You could also open your vst, set it to play 2 saw waves, on a two octave spread, detune each, an have the third play some white noise at a really low volume, then again, start working with LFOs. Then add lots of reverb and delay to help it all mesh together, EQ it,

Those are two really simple ways to create either a silky sounding pad or a more airy pad.

You could also try exporting the sounds you create using these processes and bring it in as a sample, reverse it, add more effects layer them...etc.

Using samples is great too. One thing I do a lot is to take that 3 detuned saw waves on a three octave spread as a sample, layer in a choir sample and a string section sample which gets some good results with EQing and effects. You can make some really thick pads this way.

You should look into granular synthesis too, a lot of my pads are the result of processes revolving around granular synthesis. One of the most fun ways to make pads I think.

The best way to learn to make pads is open up presets in whatever vst you're using and deconstruct them.

If you search on youtube for pad tutorial you should get some good results too.

Locked

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests