Pad help

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Harry
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Pad help

Post by Harry »

Anyone got any tips on how to make a pad sound like this?

http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/99368568/file.html
http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/99368568/file.html

I've been using this as a sample in some tracks for a while but i'de really like to learn how to recreate this myself, just so i can have more control over it with modulation etc.

Have looked at quite a few tutorials and spent hours clicking around in Logics ES2 synth but can't really getting anything sounding as nice and textured as this.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Opuswerk
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Re: Pad help

Post by Opuswerk »

Those kind of pads are the result of a nice sounding patch with a bit of resonance and modulation on the filter, as well as combining fxs on top of it, delays and reverbs.
I've struggled a long time trying to get synths sounding directly like that, but it wasn't until i started sending the output in loads of different fxs that they came to life like this.

I'm sure it can be done only with very careful sound design, but my experience showed me it's much easier to play with fxs.

Hope this helps.
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Harry
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Re: Pad help

Post by Harry »

Opuswerk Your remix of Ryan Davis has a really nice pad in the backround, it's this kind of thing im aiming for really.
I have been trying out different combinations of filter, reverb and delay and the synth has some cutoff modulation on it already, but still can't get that nice rich sound that the sample has. Maybe i need to find some nicer effects...
Opuswerk
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Re: Pad help

Post by Opuswerk »

I can look back to what i did on that remix if you want. If i remember the starting synth is TyrellN6.
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Harry
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Re: Pad help

Post by Harry »

TyrellN6 looks nice man, just downloaded it. Great that it's free too!
Don't worry too about going back and opening the project man, I don't want to rip anyone off. Any pointers that you think would send in the right way would be really helpful though.
Opuswerk
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Re: Pad help

Post by Opuswerk »

Tyrell is really amazing as a synth. It's on all my tracks since i got the alpha really.
Else, it's really as i wrote above. Modulate everything you can, adjust and detune the oscillators, then send it into reverbs and delays :)
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AK
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Re: Pad help

Post by AK »

What chords are you playing too? Don't forget the harmonic content of the notes used help to give a full appealing sound too. Simple major/minor triads may leave the pad sound brittle, weak and lacking in fullness. Try filling the chord shape out with octaves or if using bigger chords, cluster the intervals together in the same octave or 2 for rich texture and a full sound.

That chord in the clip sounds like a minor 9th chord, Ebm9/Bb I think, possibly played like this: Bb/Db/Eb/F/Gb/Bb. You can try various chord shapes like this which really help to add to pad type sounds, you could even drop in an F below the first Bb to underpin it, stuff like that but your basic 'big chord' shape plus subtle modulation work really well for pad type stuff. :)
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