Is there some sort of super-strong chorus-delay-flanger-sustainer unit or plugin specially created to turn a thin synth "plinkk" into a giant, stadium-filling "bronnggg!"?
In my Yamaha DX7-II days I did this with the synth's "unison detune" sound quadrupling & detuning function. It ate up 75% of the polyphony, but the effect was so huge, the turboed timbre bore little resemblance to the original.
I know that most any multieffect sold since then has some garden variety chorus and delay at least, but is there one that's especially created and optimized to supersize thin synth timbres?
On Jul 4, 10:25 pm, Keoki <ofc....@gmail.com> wrote:
> Is there some sort of super-strong chorus-delay-flanger-sustainer unit > or plugin specially created to turn a thin synth "plinkk" into a > giant, stadium-filling "bronnggg!"?
Yes. It's called a "different patch." You have command of all sorts of full sounds. Find one that's appropriate for your song and use it. If the track is already recorded, record it again. It doesn't matter if the musician who played the track is on tour in Greenland and won't be back for two more years. Nobody will every know he was replaced. <g>
On Jul 4, 4:51 pm, Mike Rivers <mriv...@d-and-d.com> wrote:
> On Jul 4, 10:25 pm, Keoki <ofc....@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Is there some sort of super-strong chorus-delay-flanger-sustainer unit > > or plugin specially created to turn a thin synth "plinkk" into a > > giant, stadium-filling "bronnggg!"?
> Yes. It's called a "different patch." You have command of all sorts of > full sounds. Find one that's appropriate for your song and use it. If > the track is already recorded, record it again. It doesn't matter if > the musician who played the track is on tour in Greenland and won't be > back for two more years. Nobody will every know he was replaced. <g>
Hello Mike,
I know, I could dial up a different patch on my state-of-art 'board, but the reason I asked this question is that I'm trying to give a new life to some early 80's digital synths I also have.
> On Jul 4, 4:51 pm, Mike Rivers <mriv...@d-and-d.com> wrote:
> > On Jul 4, 10:25 pm, Keoki <ofc....@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Is there some sort of super-strong chorus-delay-flanger-sustainer unit > > > or plugin specially created to turn a thin synth "plinkk" into a > > > giant, stadium-filling "bronnggg!"?
> > Yes. It's called a "different patch." You have command of all sorts of > > full sounds. Find one that's appropriate for your song and use it. If > > the track is already recorded, record it again. It doesn't matter if > > the musician who played the track is on tour in Greenland and won't be > > back for two more years. Nobody will every know he was replaced. <g>
> Hello Mike,
> I know, I could dial up a different patch on my state-of-art 'board, > but the reason I asked this question is that I'm trying to give a new > life to some early 80's digital synths I also have.
The quality of your audio interfacing makes a BIG difference. I would recommend a DI unit that has a huge transformer, or a really good DI through a micpre with a Jensen Transformer, or if you have a Manley Massive Passive EQ laying around run your synth through that. I have witnessed more than one keyboardist with your same question buy a Manley Massive Passive or a VoxBox because they impart gravitas to a synth source.
Just patching into the line input of a DAW won't do much for your signal, and the "one size fits all" functioning of some of these things can reduce to timidity what sounds a lot better through an amp. This is especially true if the interface input is electronically balanced. When you compare the costs of your DAW interface and really good DI's/Micpres/EQ's, you might expect the cheaper thing (your DAW interface) is probably making compromises that affect your sound.
Tracking to 2" tape will also fatten up your sound much more effectively than a plugin. Alternately, layer the thing with other synths.
Will Miho NY TV/Audio Post/Music/Live Sound Guy "The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits
On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 19:51:34 -0700 (PDT), Mike Rivers
<mriv...@d-and-d.com> wrote: >It doesn't matter if >the musician who played the track is on tour in Greenland and won't be >back for two more years. Nobody will every know he was replaced.
Keoki wrote: > I know, I could dial up a different patch on my state-of-art 'board, > but the reason I asked this question is that I'm trying to give a new > life to some early 80's digital synths I also have.
I guess now you know why there were early 80s analog synths and early 90s digital synths.
If it's not there to begin with, there's nothing to enhance. You could try some time based effects or perhaps an analog tape simulator which add things that weren't in the original sound, but not likely that you'll turn a "plink" into a "BOINNNNNG" at the click of a mouse.
-- If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers (mriv...@d-and-d.com)
On Jul 5, 12:34 am, Mike Rivers <mriv...@d-and-d.com> wrote:
> If it's not there to begin with, there's nothing to enhance. You could > try some time based effects or perhaps an analog tape simulator which > add things that weren't in the original sound, but not likely that > you'll turn a "plink" into a "BOINNNNNG" at the click of a mouse.
The DX7-II-based unison detune trick which I mentioned did just that. One could take what sounded like an anemic DX harpsichord "plinkk" patch with a long release, turn unison detune on, and bingo - it would turn into a heavy-metal-band-in-a-stadium-like-guitars-bass-cymbal- snare hit, a huge "boinggg!". (With an extra whoosh on the attack too, if OscSync was on.) The original harpsichord timbre would be totally diluted, metamorphosed, colored, obliterated. Yet, all that did this was just a quadrupling of the sound with each copy slightly detuned. This is the kind of effect I'm after. So, if I understood Will correctly, a Manley Massive Passive box would do something like this?
On 2008-07-04 will...@aol.com said: >> > > Is there some sort of super-strong >chorus-delay-flanger-sustainer uni t >> > > or plugin specially created to turn a thin synth "plinkk" >>into a > > giant, stadium-filling "bronnggg!"? >The quality of your audio interfacing makes a BIG difference. I >would recommend a DI unit that has a huge transformer, or a really >good DI through a micpre with a Jensen Transformer, or if you have >a Manley Massive Passive EQ laying around run your synth through >that. I have witnessed more than one keyboardist with your same >question buy a Manley Massive Passive or a VoxBox because they >impart gravitas to a synth source. >Just patching into the line input of a DAW won't do much for your >signal, and the "one size fits all" functioning of some of these >things can reduce to timidity what sounds a lot better through an >amp. This is especially true if the interface input is >electronically balanced. tHere's another idea for you. IF you've a good room and a regular stage amp, run your synth through said stage amp with amp positioned in a good spot in said room. MIc the amp. INstant fatter synth sound, with some room tone added in.
Richard webb, replace anything before at with elspider
> If it's not there to begin with, there's nothing to enhance. You could > try some time based effects or perhaps an analog tape simulator which > add things that weren't in the original sound, but not likely that > you'll turn a "plink" into a "BOINNNNNG" at the click of a mouse.
The DX7-II-based unison detune trick which I mentioned did just that. One could take what sounded like an anemic DX harpsichord "plinkk" patch with a long release, turn unison detune on, and bingo - it would turn into a heavy-metal-band-in-a-stadium-like-guitars-bass-cymbal- snare hit, a huge "boinggg!". (With an extra whoosh on the attack too, if OscSync was on.) The original harpsichord timbre would be totally diluted, metamorphosed, colored, obliterated. Yet, all that did this was just a quadrupling of the sound with each copy slightly detuned. This is the kind of effect I'm after. So, if I understood Will correctly, a Manley Massive Passive box would do something like this?
If you don't need it real-time put the track into melodyne and manually create four detuned tracks and mix it in to taste.
Keoki wrote: > The DX7-II-based unison detune trick which I mentioned did just that. > One could take what sounded like an anemic DX harpsichord "plinkk" > patch with a long release, turn unison detune on, and bingo - it would > turn into a heavy-metal-band-in-a-stadium-like-guitars-bass-cymbal- > snare hit, a huge "boinggg!". > The original harpsichord timbre would be totally > diluted, metamorphosed, colored, obliterated. Yet, all that did this > was just a quadrupling of the sound with each copy slightly detuned.
OK, so you know the trick. Make four copies of the track, detune each one slightly, and mix to taste. I suspect that there may have been some dynamic panning in there as well.
> This is the kind of effect I'm after. So, if I understood Will > correctly, a Manley Massive Passive box would do something like this?
I seriously doubt it. The Massive Passive is an equalizer. Once voice in, once voice out, with a range of frequencies cut or boosted.
-- If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers (mriv...@d-and-d.com)
All parameters not indicated here are at init (default) value. If you play this sound staccato with unison poly, detune 3 then play it without it (in plain Polyphonic key mode) you hear a completely different thing! In unison poly it's a shredding, stadium size, humongous heavy metal band hit. Without unison poly it's a thin, twerpy little harpsichord.
Maybe someone who tries this on a DX-7II (I don't have one) could make a mp3 for the rest to hear it? We are talking total sonic metamorphosis.
