Organic/realistic/ambient sounding but still energetic leads

[_Agu_]

What's up guys, I really didn't know how to name this thread. What I'm talking about is these big wide lead sounds that don't sound like any basic saw wave trance synths but still fit into more aggressive bass music.

Here's a few examples:



Drops at 2:35, lead kicks in at 2:57.



Drops at 1:00, lead kicks in at 1:30

These are not dubstep tracks, but whatever, Pendulum is sort of a taboo on dnbforum.com anyways. I appreciate any tips you guys might have. I can easily make big and wide lead synths out of saws and squares, but these have much more character in them than regular trance and house synths.

[Ascenic]

This is a sound I've been very interested in myself. The only thing I can think of is having multiple saw voices and detuning them. The problem with focusing on sik wobs is you can't make simple stuff like this lol.

[_Agu_]

The problem with focusing on sik wobs is you can't make simple stuff like this lol.

This so much. Good reminder of when you think that you know something and then you realize you don't now shit about anything when it comes to the most basic stuff.

[xGannon]

You'll be able to make these out of saws and squares, with say an octave or two apart. Some sort of distortion was added for the glitch mob sounds with vibrato, really tightly distorted in certain frequencies (You got ohmnicide? great for multi frequency distortion).
Filtering and Distortion is the key to making uniqueness in synths. Try making a normal trance saw synth, and play with band rejects or notches, combine it with distortion etc...

My work flow when I make leads is to make a generic trance saw, and make my melody to fit with the track. Then just play with synth, change your filters, waves, distortion and all'a that, it's a great trial and error method I find:)

However I must say I use pads to create an atmosphere, tunes I make are quite dubby, so arena anthem type leads wouldn't work, would be cool tho:P

Soundcloud

[xGannon]

Yeah relistening to pendulum I can say imo it's certain frequencies that have been removed, leaving certain harmonics then slightly distorting the harmonics (maybe individually). I'd say a square with a saw sitting an octave or two above. I'm no expert for sure, but I have a fair amount of sound design knowledge for the theory an' shit. Like I said, these are able to be made with saws, squares, tri's and sines (or noise). They are literally the basis of every synth you ever hear. Any other synth that has other names and crazy wave forms (like massives digital section) are all combonations of these four waves, they're essentially mini presets aha.

So filtering and slight distortion is what im saying aha, let us know what you get

[_Agu_]

^Thanks for advice man.

I figured out that Glitch Mob one has some weird distortion on it. One thing that came to my mind would be that they made the basic lead with some FM synth like FM8 and that screechy, distorted quality comes from adding just a bit of modulation to it idk.

That Pendulum one goes over my head. I was absolutely certain it's made with some modeling synth, FM, or by layering strings samples together, but damn... More time with saws and squares then.

[xGannon]

Np man.

Yeah I'd say the glitch mob is more easier than the pendulum one. The one in 9000 miles is so precise with harmonics, I can hear the smoothness of squares/triangles in it though (do not underestimate triangles! they give really nice smoothness with a few extra harmonics so it's not a plain sound). Like I said imo it's certain harmonics that have been removed. I know Razor by native instruments is perfect for precise harmonic frequencies when making leads. You can visually see all the frequencies on a visual display, and it allows you to fine tune each one.

Like I said every lead has the four basic waveforms at the bottom of it. You can use hybrid/digital, I'm not saying don't. The point I'm trying to make is with using the four basic waveforms, you can make your sound, the most precise you want it to be. It'll take A LOT more processing and time, but the accuracy will be there. As a metaphor, when you paint a picture with a plain canvas, you can draw whatever you want. But say if you had a template, there's only certain routes you can go with that template, GL!:)

[xGannon]

Also forgot to mention, to sounds we're after are played in major scales. The melody you're playing has a big part to play in what sort of vibe you're after. Any of these exact sounds could be played in minor scales and we'd feel a complete different feel from this, so make sure you're playing upbeat and major scales to for this "organic" feel. PLUS analogue synths will recreate these realistic and ambient sounds the best (like Sylenth). I find synths like massive are way too digital for the pendulum sound, glitch mob maybe massive or FM8, but pendulum, you can imagine what them synth gods used for this, probs hardware modular synthesis!
I write a lot but I like to make sure my point is clear haha:)

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

Look how is sylenth an analogue synth ?

[xGannon]

My bad, virtual* analogue

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

lol i was just being a tnuc rly. I havent listened to these but im sure the way to achieve this sound is more in the processing a synth pad with no reverb of chorus etc tends to sound very boring and static.

[Ascenic]

Look how is sylenth an analogue synth ?

In my experience, whenever anyone says "analogue" they are usually referring to Subtractive Synthesis, which I guess most analogue synths could do? Don't really know much about older synths.

For example, Sadowick uses "analogue" as an adjective whenever referring to subtractive synthesis techniques in his Sylenth/Ableton videos.

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

Well he's an idiot then. A digital subtractive synth is not the same as an analog synth just cos it has a filter on it.

[Ascenic]

Well he's an idiot then. A digital subtractive synth is not the same as an analog synth just cos it has a filter on it.

Eh, he never says it's an analog synth, he just uses it as an adjective loosely.
"Turning the filter resonance like so will let you get those 'analog' sweeps" and other such phrases.

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

Its called a filter sweep

[_Agu_]

Sylenth

Pendulum/Knife Party use Sylenth a lot, I wouldn't be actually surprised at all if Sylenth is exactly where the sound came from if it's truly just saws & squares and triangles.

Found another one btw, dubstep this time:


0:55 ->

This sounds much more clearly like a square or triangle than Pendulum one, but there's still that "organic" vibe to it. Those massive amounts of reverb and delay probably have something to do with it too..

[xGannon]

Well he's an idiot then. A digital subtractive synth is not the same as an analog synth just cos it has a filter on it.

No he's right, people in today's time use the word analogue loosely as an adj. technically it's all digital cause it's a computer software being digitally processed, but the processing underneath the software synths are made to recreate the analogue sound in terms of circuitry.
It has analogue concepts but it's processed digitally, that's why Sylenth is referred to as a "virtual analogue synth"

To the OP anyway, any luck on making these sounds?
I've been making similiar stuff but in more of a dark, haunting vibe, like I said due to the scales in the melody

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

lol its virtuall analogue its still digital
"circuitry"

its software it has no circuitry.

it sounds digital too if u ever heard an analogue synth D:

muahahahahaha
derail
cunty tits

[xGannon]

Um, congrats? :s

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

Ye cheers