Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

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squire69
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Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2018 1:53 pm

Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by squire69 » Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:42 pm

Hello.

I'm trying to find the perfect 80's synthesiser 'sound'(you know the one; electricbwooooaugh-wow) but i'm having trouble......
I'm using ableton 9 live lite, with an alesis vortex..............
I've combined a 'might as well synth' and 'bright saw' together, in an 'instrument rack', only because in tutorials, everyone talks about using a 'saw' to get the desired effect and 'MAWS' because it's got synth in the title, so it seemed logical.
I then added 'pitch', 'chorus' and 'auto filter' and I've been messing around with the settings in these, to find the right sound....
I'm nearly there but can't get it perfect.... so, my questions are these;

Can I achieve the desired effect in ableton 9 live lite or do I need to upgrade to get the full package, which will have the additional tools needed?
Do i need to have a synthesiser (VST) running with ableton?
Or, am i on the right path with the instrument rack and i just need to play around with it some more?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. If this has already been discussed, could you send me a keyword or topic to search for..... please?

Thank you.

*** since posting this, I've found the 'chord sweeper' in the 'pad' section, is better than 'MAWS' ***..... still not there......

login
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by login » Thu Mar 22, 2018 4:26 pm

More than "more tools" what you need are the "right tools".

If you want the 80's classic synth sounds get a synth that is very good at them, check U-he Diva plugin (google can take you to their web page and demo version).

But it is also possible to achieve many of those sounds with a Sampler (if you have samples of the oscillator waves), or other synths as Analog, wavetable and operator if you learn to program them.

Depends on how much time and effort you want to invest.

squire69
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Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2018 1:53 pm

Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by squire69 » Thu Mar 22, 2018 6:13 pm

Thanks for replying.

I have used all those 'tools' because i am missing certain 'tools' that are not available within the lite version.
I have seen many tutorials online but they are using the 'full' live9 packages. I have a mic too but lack a vocoder with lite and have to try different 'tools' to get a similar effect to what a vocoder does, but that can wait for another time.

Shift Gorden
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by Shift Gorden » Thu Mar 22, 2018 10:10 pm

squire69 wrote:Thanks for replying.

I have used all those 'tools' because i am missing certain 'tools' that are not available within the lite version.
I have seen many tutorials online but they are using the 'full' live9 packages. I have a mic too but lack a vocoder with lite and have to try different 'tools' to get a similar effect to what a vocoder does, but that can wait for another time.
So you checked out Diva? That's 80s melted down into a plugin - it's fantastic. Waves Element (Stormy!) is a great one, too. Or you could get a Sequential Prophet 6 ;)

You got Ableton's Analog as part of Lite, mate? You can get some great 80s sounds from the simplest of synths.

login
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by login » Fri Mar 23, 2018 5:15 pm

squire69 wrote:Thanks for replying.

I have used all those 'tools' because i am missing certain 'tools' that are not available within the lite version.
I have seen many tutorials online but they are using the 'full' live9 packages. I have a mic too but lack a vocoder with lite and have to try different 'tools' to get a similar effect to what a vocoder does, but that can wait for another time.
WEll if you don't want to shell out for suite (which is the one which includes the synths) then a plugin would be cheaper, Diva is the prime candidate for 80's analog sounds.

For vocoder maybe check Lector by waldorf, not hat many vocoders on the market.

squire69
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by squire69 » Tue Apr 03, 2018 4:11 pm

Not the cost, which is preventing me from upgrading, I don't have a bank account.... well, a card to use online.

I've tried downloading free synthesizers but all are useless or don't work..... anyone know of a successful one?

I'm nearly there from tampering with;

AUTO FILTER (LFO shapes and filter types need more investigating)
CHORUS
FAT LEATHER BASS & BRIGHT SAW

SuburbanThug
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by SuburbanThug » Tue Apr 03, 2018 5:19 pm

Not 100 percent sure on the sound you're going for but you could download the Tyrell plu-in from u-He for free and probably get into similar territory. Great company that u-He.

Stromkraft
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by Stromkraft » Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:31 pm

SuburbanThug wrote:Not 100 percent sure on the sound you're going for but you could download the Tyrell plu-in from u-He for free and probably get into similar territory. Great company that u-He.
As I've said many times, the Live synths are up against free ones like TyrellN6 for example. IMO this one is what Analog should have been.
Make some music!

Da hand
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by Da hand » Wed Apr 04, 2018 6:32 am

squire69 wrote:I've tried downloading free synthesizers but all are useless or don't work..... anyone know of a successful one?
Well the 80s sound wouldn't be complete without some FM synthesis - and more specifically something like the DX7.

Have you tried Dexed?
https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/

It's completely free!

Check out this page for songs/sounds made with Dexed:
https://archive.org/details/OSC74Dexxed

"Dexed is a multi platform, multi format plugin synth that is closely modeled on the Yamaha DX7. Dexed is also a midi cartridge librarian/manager for the DX7."

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tintala
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by tintala » Sun Apr 08, 2018 3:53 am


Mark Williams
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Re: Trying to achieve a really nice synth sound....

Post by Mark Williams » Sun Apr 08, 2018 9:44 am

You cant go far wrong using Synth1 either and its free.
http://www.kvraudio.com/product/synth1-by-ichiro-toda
Live 11, M1 Mac Mini, Push 2, Scarlett 18i20 & ADA8200, Softube Console 1 Mk2, Deepmind12, Hydrasynth, Cobalt 8M, Moog Subsequent 25, IK Uno Synth Pro, Plethora X3, Nord Drum 3P

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