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Hi all,

I'm really a first time producer, but long time recording engineer and drummer. I just picked up a Virus Polar and wanted to start making some, you guessed it, Dubstep. I've read millions of threads on how to make wobbles with massive or albino but haven't come across too much with people using the virus.

The kind of super heavy, grimey, and gutural sound I'm looking for is that of what you hear with Borgore, Nero, Tomba, Downlink, etc. If anyone has any advice for me that would be great! For all those who own a virus know, it can be a bit overwhelming at first especially for someone just starting production. Thanks!

i hope you didn't think it was as easy as buying a virus and pushing the "guttural bass" button. you said you've read millions of massive/albino bass threads, so surely it's just a matter of translating those techniques to your virus. if you don't know how to do that: read the manual!

if you do not understand what you're reading in those massive/albino threads, you need to spend more time learning synthesis and how synthesizers work. here's a good place to start:

http://noisesculpture.com/how-to-make-a-noise

good luck

No, I didn't think it was going to be that easy. I've used my buddies virus many times for the pads for making more abstract drone type material that was more or less us just messin around.I have a decent grasp on synthesis so far, but what I mean about the albino and massive threads I've read are people just talking about presets and things that more or less won't help me with the virus. And yes, I have taken what I've learned from reading threads like that and translated it over to my virus, but I've still been unable to achieve the sound I have been looking for.

Up until now I I have been mainly working in studios as well as with bands and artists as a recoding/mixing engineer. It however has taken so much of my time I haven't played in bands or made any of the music I love so I have decided to start making music again. I am more of the Death Metal kind of guy and that is the reason I am trying to create a more guttural sound rather than your generic wobble to incorporate my live drums with.

I guess as a reference track, the song Guided Relaxation Dub by Borgore is along the lines of what I am more or less wanting to do. If you have some first hand experience with the virus and have some relative advice, again, I thank you ahead of time!

Start with a Reece and your filters get some nice filter mods going... Your gonna have to resample alot of what you make on the virus anyway, for formant filtering, if you wanna make filth that is. Learn a bit about additive synthesis and then start zooming way in on your favorite tunes and ask yourself 'How can I make this waveform???' and get too it.

Like said above. You really should learn sythesis before you run out ad buy pro synths

Word.

Haha, I'm kind of a gear junkie though. Its my obsession. My recording/mixing set up can show that, lol. Plus, I figured I would learn along the way with the virus. What better way to learn than to actually work with a piece of gear. Plus, I can't just sit and stare at a computer screen for hours on end. I need to be turning physical knobs, patching things, working with hardware, etc. Plus, I get ridiculous deals on gear and a brand new Polar for $1400. I couldn't say no.

Thank you though for the tips! Anymore virus users? I'd love to hear what you all are doing!

I use a virus for all my basslines.

Ditto. Virus TI and Kontakt.

For your osc try using the Complex Formant Setting with the Decomposer waveform (for example) and switch the formant shift up to +12 then try adding the other osc at a higher Freq. Virus can be a ballache but you can get some awesome sounds out of it!

And yeah like Basic said try resampling a couple of sounds on the virus with Kontakt and fuck about with the filters on there.

I don't have virus but i'd suggest looking for a formant or formant saw waveform/setting, pitch it down a couple and octaves and go from there...
sorry if that's not what you were looking for.

is it wrong that i don't really feel like helping because i've literally spent thousands of hours with my ti, learning all the tricks, and now op wants me to impart my skills in a single sentence.

shaneynclan wrote:is it wrong that i don't really feel like helping because i've literally spent thousands of hours with my ti, learning all the tricks, and now op wants me to impart my skills in a single sentence.

yeah well...

what's the point in having knowledge if you don't share any of it??

ok dude..

here is what you can do to get started

filter 1 hi pass

filter 2 low pass

activate filter link

use the "wave shaper" saturation

go to your oscillators and select OSC 1 formant complex, OSC 2 square

play with different waves within OSC 1

another trick is to send LFO 3 to Filter balance in the mod matrix

assign the "frequency shifter" to a vowel filter, automate the filter if you want it to "yoy"

mess with the EQ's and the distortion on the FX1 page, try a bit crusher

play around... have fun

cheers

all the artists you mentioned have their own unique style of wobbles... i mean borgore and tomba sound kinda similar to me.. so i think i know what you're after..

honestly if i were you i would just start messing around with your synth in every way imaginable. you'll probably get distracted along the way from filthy wobbles and come up with something totally different, but that's how you learn! eventually you'll get the sounds you want, and come up with your own style.

also..

you are going to get better answers posting these questions in the "sound designing" part of the access-music.de forum

FSTZ wrote:

shaneynclan wrote:is it wrong that i don't really feel like helping because i've literally spent thousands of hours with my ti, learning all the tricks, and now op wants me to impart my skills in a single sentence.

yeah well...

what's the point in having knowledge if you don't share any of it??

ok dude..

here is what you can do to get started

filter 1 hi pass

filter 2 low pass

activate filter link

use the "wave shaper" saturation

go to your oscillators and select OSC 1 formant complex, OSC 2 square

play with different waves within OSC 1

another trick is to send LFO 3 to Filter balance in the mod matrix

assign the "frequency shifter" to a vowel filter, automate the filter if you want it to "yoy"

mess with the EQ's and the distortion on the FX1 page, try a bit crusher

play around... have fun

cheers

Man, do I ever agree. I've worked with recording and mixing engineers, producers, and artists from all over, that are at the top of the industry back when I was assisting in major studios. You know what? None of them kept anything a secret. Everyone of them did not mind what so ever about sharing their secrets with me as long as it was the appropriate time and did not get in the way of their work flow. They just want to see everyone improve their skill set and accell at what they do! This industry is about helping one another. Just imagine where we'd be if everyone kept everything secret. Sure, I need to sit down and spend much more time with my synth, but hey, I just started producing and why not help motivate someone a little more with what they want to accomplish? All I can say though, if this place set ego's aside it could be a much better place. This forum is a godsend to the dubstep community and is very helpful to those of all skill levels especially when we have top names in the genre posting here! Sure I don't have many posts, but that doesn't mean I haven't been lingering for a while.

FSTZ - You have been more than helpful man!!! I greatly appreciate your time, patience and willingness to help a virus n00b! Also, that patch set you recommended is killer!

Narcissus - Oh man have I ever already gotten lost in it! In my quest to make "the sound" I was looking for I've created so many new patches for myself that aren't even close but are still rockin it for me! The best part about it all is I've been learning so much as I've been going.

Sorry all, I didn't mean to make another one of these Grimey YOY, blah blah, threads, but I was really interested in hearing what people are doing in terms of filth on the virus. I haven't seen much talk about it so I figured I'd bring it up. It's awesome to see that people are using it the way I intended to!

yeah, that was going to be the last thing i said, but i figured you'd find it out soon enough.. glad to see you having fun, hope to hear tunes soon.. if i had knowledge of the virus, i'd give you a few favorite tips.. alas

shaneynclan wrote:is it wrong that i don't really feel like helping because i've literally spent thousands of hours with my ti, learning all the tricks, and now op wants me to impart my skills in a single sentence.

No harm in sharing some of the stuff you've learned. I think alot of people feel this way about their sound design knowledge and experience. It's a shame really music ain't a competition for me it's a means of expression.

Also to the OP check this thread on the virus forum from a while back - it has a few little bits that might be of use:
http://www.access-music.de/forum/index. ... eadID=1122

shaneynclan wrote:is it wrong that i don't really feel like helping because i've literally spent thousands of hours with my ti, learning all the tricks, and now op wants me to impart my skills in a single sentence.

And where did you get help from for your production? Just because you spend a lot of time with it doesn't make you special - however, that time YOU spend, will deeply affect the quality of your tracks. You can impart knowledge, but unless the person spends a lot of time with that knowledge, they just won't get to your level.

Share and share alike - it helps us grow.

But look bro, homie has been climbing a mountain for three years. His knuckles are thick with callouses, scars liter his body, the elements have dried and wrinkled his skin. He stands atop the peak, and some chump at the bottom shouts up, "hey dood, can you throw me a rope, I've got a 1 o'clock lunch that I don't want to miss?" Don't be surprised if there is a sudden yellow rain storm happening over Mt. Virus.

Education is freeloading no doubt about it. But really, it's what we're all about as humans so get on with it.

But then the other implication of that questionable post, how can you inpart all that wisdom, all that subtle knowledge into a glib forum post summarizing the extent of your knowledge? Not really possible.

I have an ancient virus, and I don't make those kind of sounds, but I'd look at it like the virus is the first step in the process of making those sounds.

nowaysj wrote:
I have an ancient virus, and I don't make those kind of sounds, but I'd look at it like the virus is the first step in the process of making those sounds.

Ez Noways your on a Virus A or B if i remember right have you looked into using something like this?
http://www.solar3d-software.com/features.php

Cool post guys and nice to see a lil family of Virus TI users on here!

Well I'll throw in my 2 pence, happy to share what I've learn't during the countless hours working on it! I'll also be taking FSTZ's demo home to see what it sounds like tonight (I'm at work so...)

Warning... I like to make my TI scream so some of you who like your calmer basslines might not like the sound I make but the movement is DEFFO worth applying to any of your bass sounds and is something I've not seen on this topic yet...

I'm not gonna go into detail about how I'd get an initial bass as we are all different but try this...

OSC1 = Square, change the shape of it to suit
OSC2 = Flick through your waves to get something nasty...

Maybe a like distortion to taste

Assign LFO2 to your filter (easy to hear the changes)
Turn off the clock so your in manual LFO mode and set to about 90

Go to your matrix
For the source choose you pitch
Assign LFO2 to it and set it to +8 (anything more will just make the lfo move to quick...)

Go to common and set your pitch to -/+6 or 12 depending on how much you want it to move

Now hit a note and move your pitch wheel... You not have a free moving wobble controlled by your pitch wheel.

Now you have your bass wobbling in whatever manner you like you can now go back to the matrix

Get another mod slot which is free and select LFO2 as your source
Now assign any parameter which is currently being used to it to hear some crazy modulation all controlled by your lfo2 which is controlled via your pitch wheel...

This has given me hours and hours of fun and created may a tune for me!

So is this the right place to ask about Patches? I'm just about to finish a bank for Access whcih you'll all be able to download for free soon but anyone know any others?

Blessings my fellow TI famo! Hope this adds something to your programming but always remember.... Your mod slots are the mutts nuts, just think about it logically cos when I first started to play with them they didn't do anything... Because there weren't being used....