How to get less "electronic" sounding sounds in Ab

Noah1483 · Post by **Noah1483** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:15 am

I'm working on some music for yoga video and I'm using Ableton 5. What can I do to make the electronic sounds I'm using sound more "real," or "organic?" Thanks.

AUDIO OPERATION · Post by **AUDIO OPERATION** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 2:26 am

Try CONTROL + ALT + DELETE. Or, just push the power button on your computer.

Then there will be no yoga video.

Problem solved.

oddstep · Post by **oddstep** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:03 am

thats one approach. another would be to get a microphone and record 'real', 'organic' sounds. Maybe put these recordings in sampler. In my opinion/experience, using synthesis to emulate real instruments is both a time consuming adventure in high pedantry and ideologically unsound (thats the opinion bit)

logic_user99 · Post by **logic_user99** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:20 am

Reverb, reverb, reverb. And distortion. A little 'crunch' can pull out any number of interesting overtones in a sample that would, at all other ends, be flat or plastic-sounding...

Idonotlikebroccoli · Post by **Idonotlikebroccoli** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:20 am

Record something that isn't electronic. Simple as that

krachtwerk · Post by **krachtwerk** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:30 am

AUDIO OPERATION wrote:Try CONTROL + ALT + DELETE. Or, just push the power button on your computer.

Then there will be no yoga video.

Problem solved.

all those funny people making funny comments here haha.. not

4.33 · Post by **4.33** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:11 pm

use quantize less
use quantize-less
use-quantize-less

cool mantra, huh?

Kozak · Post by **Kozak** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:31 pm

Fm synthesized sounds tend to sound more organic than substractive synthesized sounds.

laird · Post by **laird** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:34 pm

FM, really?

IMO, suggestions of reverb, distortion, and no quantization are good.
Don't loop that drum machine, perform the beat through the whole song. Then if you really must use quantize, use a strength<100%.

Reverb and distortion also dont have to come from a VST plugin. If you have speakers and a microphone, rerecord the sound of your song in your room.

Also, if using an acoustic source in the first place just isn't an option (no friends who can play something?), then consider this trick:

LAYER IT IN. Take your synth line, and sing it. Layer your voice back in so that it is not dominant to the main synth line, but adds a little flavor to it.

Your drum track? Go to the kitchen, pick up some implements, and come back to the studio and record them. Try to perform the same basic rhythm. Again, layer this in with your drum machine, but keep it quieter than the drum machine.

Simply adding several tracks of real claps and real shakers (cat litter, dog food, whatever shakes) can be great!

glamourboy · Post by **glamourboy** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 4:10 pm

that's good advise. i often use organic/sampled sounds to beef up synth lines. been a while since i used kitchen appliances, but as far as i remember an almost empty bag of flour makes an excellent shaker

stringtapper · Post by **stringtapper** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 6:17 pm

The way the word "Ableton" got cut off at "Ab" I thought the question was how to make organic sounds in the key of A-flat!!!

dave dominey · Post by **dave dominey** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 6:56 pm

tension

How to get less "electronic" sounding sounds in Ab

How to get less "electronic" sounding sounds in Ableton.