Professional sounding leads

by **MPH** » Sun Jul 07, 2019 6:22 pm

Hi,

I'm a producer for about a year now and I want better sounding leads for my Big Room tracks now. I already tried making leads on my own by they don't sound pretty good. I want leads sounding like the drop lead of Throne by Mattn or the leads Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike make.

Has anyone got an advice how to get my leads sounding like the leads above?

Thanks for any advice.

PS: I have Xfer Serum and Sylenth 1

by **Terrible.dee** » Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:30 pm

At first, I thought you were talking about making cables...

....better leads....for .....big...room tracks??

Umm....So I gather that you are asking about synth leads? And want to make "Better" ones than you currently have?

And you want them to sound like your favorite artists?

OK, regardless of what anyone else says THIS is how you create the synth sounds you are looking for...

You get a book or website that you synthesis from the ground up, you start at THE BEGINNING, you learn how a synthesizer works, starting with subtractive and you learn the principals of this instrument...which are the principals of sound its self and will aid you in all your musical endeavors.

You STOP using "Gimmick" synth plugins like Omnisphere, Sylenth or anything that tries to do the work for you, you STOP using presets of any kind.

You will discover soon enough that YOU CAN MAKE WHATEVER SOUNDS YOU ENVISION, you will probably not care about copying other artists sounds, but if you want to it will be easy.

by **cyrano.mac** » Sun Jul 07, 2019 11:03 pm

Terrible.dee wrote:At first, I thought you were talking about making cables...

That makes two of us. At least... :headbang:

by **Eddy Deegan** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:42 am

For some general synthesis guidance, you could do far worse than reference this video on emulating analogue synths by James Wiltshire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCdD7SabVb8

These are tried and tested methods for making powerful sounds and can be applied to leads (indeed pretty much all types of patch) as well as pads.

I want leads sounding like the drop lead of Throne by Mattn or the leads Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike make.

Not being familiar with either I did a couple of youtube searches (if you had been more specific about particular timeframe references in a linked video that would have been helpful) and many of the lead sounds I heard in a few random samples of the videos seem variations of the standard punchy EDM/Rave/Dance lead beloved of many since the 90s. I've used it myself a few times.

Two saw-wave oscillators detuned a few cents against each other will get you much of the way there. Add in a little amplitude modulation, a tiny touch of pitch modulation (preferably with a random modulation source) a short crisp delay with hardly any feedback (and optionally, the merest hint of a short reverb) and you should be good to go.

The video linked above covers the techniques, just apply them to a similar sound but using an envelope with fast attack and a short release. A low pass filter on the open side for most of the time, bringing the cutoff frequency down for the mellow bits.

by **Eddy Deegan** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:49 am

If I've picked on the wrong sound, then of course by all means link to a specific section of video with the sound in question and we can take it from there :thumbup:

by **MOF** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 2:25 am

Get hold of some full lead solder, none of your new environmentally friendly stuff.........oh I see, do what Eddy Deegan said and add more reverb and delays :)

by **Mike Stranks** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 8:43 am

Leads... cables... boards... desks... tubes... valves...

Is there no end to the confusion? :lol:

by **InactiveX** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 9:50 am

Mike Stranks wrote:Leads... cables... boards... desks... tubes... valves...

Is there no end to the confusion? :lol:

So says the man named Mike...

;)

by **Hugh Robjohns** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 9:51 am

...or was it his Twin, Mike? :lol:

by **Sam Spoons** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:37 am

Guitarists use 'leads', sound guys use 'cables', you can see why I'm always slightly confused can't you (or maybe it's my age....... Nurse!)

by **blinddrew** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:44 am

Mike Stranks wrote:Leads... cables... boards... desks... tubes... valves...

Is there no end to the confusion? :lol:

You forgot monitors and keyboards as well. :)

I think I might invent a musical device called a 'mouse' just to complete the set. :D

by **Mike Stranks** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:45 am

This is a Mike:

and this is a mic:

Where's the confusion in that? :)

by **CS70** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:07 pm

Well, a little bit of confusion remains. This is also a Mike.. :D

by **desmond** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 12:26 pm

Mike Stranks wrote:Where's the confusion in that? :)

:thumbup:

by **fruitcake** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:25 pm

I did not know Mike was a condenser!

Hear, hear!!

by **Mike Stranks** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 2:36 pm

Capacitor if you please.... Condensers went out when Noah were a lad... :)

by **Rich Hanson** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 3:56 pm

Too late, resistance is futile

by **Folderol** » Mon Jul 08, 2019 4:10 pm

The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. {not even 42}
Hmmm, what was the question?

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Professional sounding leads