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Creative Sound Design In Cubase: Part 2 | Audio

Hear For Yourself By John Walden
Published January 2022

These audio files accompany my second Cubase sound-design workshop, which you can read in SOS January 2022 here:

www.soundonsound.com/techniques/creative-sound-design-cubase-part-2

Cubase 0122 Audio Example 01.mp3

This audio example illustrates the steps used to develop the lead sound described within the text of the main article. It is divided into six sections as follows:

  • (a) the original sample of the single electric guitar note;
  • (b) the raw sample after being dragged and dropped into the Sampler Control panel but without any editing of the Sampler Track parameters (it is played back with an 8-bar arpeggiated pattern with varying MIDI velocity);
  • (c) the sound after the waveform locators have been placed and the Amp envelope applied (using the same 8-vbar MIDI note pattern and with some reverb and delay added for context);
  • (d) as for (c) but with the Filter envelope adjustments applied as described in the main article;
  • (e) as for (d) but with the Pitch envelope adjustments applied as in the main article;
  • (f) as for (e) but with the addition of an instance of Cubase’s Distortion plugin to add further character to the sound.

Cubase 0122 Audio Example 02.mp3

This audio example illustrates the steps used to develop the pad sound described within the text of the main article. It is divided into six sections as follows:

  • (a) the original sample of the single electric guitar note;
  • (b) the sound played back using a short MIDI phrase after the playback portion of the waveform has been selected, a loop range created, and an initial Amp envelope applied;
  • (c) as for (b) but with a simple Filter envelope applied;
  • (d) also as for (b) but using a different set of Filter parameters that make use of LFO1 to further modulate the filter cutoff;
  • (e) as for (d) but with a Pitch envelope added;
  • (f) as for (e) but with a slower attack time defined within the Amp envelope.

Cubase 0122 Audio Example 03.mp3

This audio example illustrates the use of the Lock Parameter Settings button within the Sampler Control panel’s toolbar. It contains five sections:

  • The first three take the Sampler Control settings used for the final version of the lead sound in Audio Example 01 and, in each case, the only change is that a different source sample has been dragged-and-dropped into the Sampler Control panel to replace the original guitar sample. No other changes have been made.
  • The final two sections are examples of exactly the same sort of sample replacement but using the Sampler Control settings for the final version of the pad sound in Audio Example 02. In each case, these show the potential for quickly developing new sounds within the Sampler Track.