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Professional sounding leads
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Professional sounding leads
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
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
- MPH
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- Joined: Sun Jul 07, 2019 6:03 pm
Re: Professional sounding leads
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.
....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.
- Terrible.dee
- Poster
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Re: Professional sounding leads
Terrible.dee wrote:At first, I thought you were talking about making cables...
That makes two of us. At least... :headbang:
- cyrano.mac
- Regular
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- Joined: Sun Jun 02, 2019 5:00 pm
Re: Professional sounding leads
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.
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.
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.
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Eddy Deegan - Frequent Poster (Level2)
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Re: Professional sounding leads
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:
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Eddy Deegan - Frequent Poster (Level2)
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Re: Professional sounding leads
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 :)
- MOF
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Re: Professional sounding leads
Leads... cables... boards... desks... tubes... valves...
Is there no end to the confusion? :lol:
Is there no end to the confusion? :lol:
- Mike Stranks
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Re: Professional sounding leads
Mike Stranks wrote:Leads... cables... boards... desks... tubes... valves...
Is there no end to the confusion? :lol:
So says the man named Mike...
;)
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InactiveX - Regular
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Re: Professional sounding leads
...or was it his Twin, Mike? :lol:
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Hugh Robjohns - Moderator
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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound
Re: Professional sounding leads
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!)
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Sam Spoons - Jedi Poster
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Finally taking this recording lark seriously (and recording my Gypsy Jazz CD)........
Re: Professional sounding leads
You forgot monitors and keyboards as well. :)Mike Stranks wrote:Leads... cables... boards... desks... tubes... valves...
Is there no end to the confusion? :lol:
I think I might invent a musical device called a 'mouse' just to complete the set. :D
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blinddrew - Jedi Poster
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Ignore the post count, I have no idea what I'm doing...
Re: Professional sounding leads

This is a Mike:

and this is a mic:

Where's the confusion in that? :)
- Mike Stranks
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Re: Professional sounding leads
Well, a little bit of confusion remains. This is also a Mike.. :D


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CS70 - Jedi Poster
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Re: Professional sounding leads
Mike Stranks wrote:Where's the confusion in that? :)

:thumbup:
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desmond - Jedi Poster
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mu:zines | music magazine archive | difficultAudio
Re: Professional sounding leads
I did not know Mike was a condenser!
Hear, hear!!
Hear, hear!!
- fruitcake
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Re: Professional sounding leads
Capacitor if you please.... Condensers went out when Noah were a lad... :)
- Mike Stranks
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Re: Professional sounding leads
Too late, resistance is futile
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Rich Hanson - Frequent Poster
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Re: Professional sounding leads
The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. {not even 42}
Hmmm, what was the question?
Hmmm, what was the question?
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Folderol - Jedi Poster
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Yes. I am that Linux nut.
Onwards and... err... sideways!
Onwards and... err... sideways!
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