Adding Warmth to your Synth

[2beats]

Hi 2beats, thanks for sharing your knowledge in a great article.

Do you find you can use Live's Amp effectively on a synth? I find it doesn't just add warmth, but sort of makes the sound "thin". Maybe I am not using it correctly. What settings do you use? Thanks

Totally agree. I don't find it gives me a sound I am looking for. Seems a little cheap sounding. AMP is good for live efect racks though.

[snakedogman]

Warm comes from electronics and synths that have tubes in them. When you play the instrument it always sounds different and has varity because as the tubes, which is part of making the synth, warm up there are slight changes in sounds. Warmth has come to refer to dynamic changes in your synth as well as a solid fill mid range that is not over driven in the highs. Warmth also refers to a natural and analog sound.

I must say I'm not an expert in electronics but I don't think analog synths generally have tubes inside them. Except perhaps the Electribe MX but this was added as an extra to the output signal path for extra "warmth".
There is still of course "warmth" in analog synths (and other gear) without tubes.

[memes_33]

I must say I'm not an expert in electronics but I don't think analog synths generally have tubes inside them. Except perhaps the Electribe MX but this was added as an extra to the output signal path for extra "warmth".
There is still of course "warmth" in analog synths (and other gear) without tubes.

that is correct. the first commercial synthesizers were built in the 60s, and i think solid state technology had pretty much taken over by then.

[2beats]

I must say I'm not an expert in electronics but I don't think analog synths generally have tubes inside them. Except perhaps the Electribe MX but this was added as an extra to the output signal path for extra "warmth". There is still of course "warmth" in analog synths (and other gear) without tubes.

Ok... Sorry everyone... Just for the record what I meant is the term "warm" first came from how tubes warm up. I didn't mean to say tubes in your synth. Yes warmth comes from many other things then just tubes, it is just where the term originated.

Thanks for all the replies and glad people are getting some ideas from it. Make sure you check out the other articles I have on topics like Spacialization techniques and Layering Drums

[3dot...]

[memes_33]

is there a drool emoticon?

[Hermanus]

When I want adding coldness I put my track in the fridge all nite long.

For warmth I set the oven on 3 and backing during one hour

/joke


Seriously nice stuff here

The other day I was working on a pianotoy recorded and put in sampler.

On track was not at my taste so I started to put 3 sends, one for Lo, one for mid and one last for Hi all with eq8 picking only the involved frequencies for the respective send.
Adding brillance and warmth, I also added some few reverb on the mid send.
Of course after such a process, I would have to render the track for further use in other projects

cheers

EDIT: korg elektribe with lamp is awesome, a friend have shown me the beast in action... Lamps make all the difference, impressive and a good & warm analogic sound

[drumrak]

I must say I'm not an expert in electronics but I don't think analog synths generally have tubes inside them. Except perhaps the Electribe MX but this was added as an extra to the output signal path for extra "warmth". There is still of course "warmth" in analog synths (and other gear) without tubes.

Ok... Sorry everyone... Just for the record what I meant is the term "warm" first came from how tubes warm up. I didn't mean to say tubes in your synth. Yes warmth comes from many other things then just tubes, it is just where the term originated.

Thanks for all the replies and glad people are getting some ideas from it. Make sure you check out the other articles I have on topics like Spacialization techniques and Layering Drums

I have a couple of issues with your posts. Have you ever even recorded a synth coming out of the speakers? It def doesnt give it air, if anything it muffles it some(just like with a guitar cab compared to DI).

Also, tubes being warm has nothing to do with why we say things are warm. Its just a saying, like bright or dark. I dont think back in the day they used to talk about how warm tubes were, because thats all they had so it wasnt "warm" it was normal.

[Goran@Irrupt]

Hi 2beats, thanks for sharing your knowledge in a great article.

Do you find you can use Live's Amp effectively on a synth? I find it doesn't just add warmth, but sort of makes the sound "thin". Maybe I am not using it correctly. What settings do you use? Thanks

Totally agree. I don't find it gives me a sound I am looking for. Seems a little cheap sounding. AMP is good for live efect racks though.

the thing with Live's AMP is that you need to put a Cabinet effect with it. only then it works as you'd expect.

[mholloway]

I would also try "Saturator" that comes with Live. There are even presets in the default library for "A bit warmer", "Warm up highs", and "warm up lows".

+1....was surprised to see the OP never mentioned Saturation in general in his list of "make analog warmth" tricks, as I definitely think it's a big one. I also really like Voxengo's "varisaturator" -- actually I use that quite a bit more than Ableton's saturator, but the latter sounds good, too.

-M

[nuxnamon]

I have a good tube mic pre with additional line inputs for such things but to me, it doesn't really add that much warmth.. what really works for me is a UBK Fatso.. i mean it actually has a warmth button..