How do I do this pad shit?!

GoldenGinge

Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Guys I need to learn how to get sounds like this. Can anyone reccomend me some synths or sample packs to check out?


just nice pads and sounds like this in general really. WHERE DO I GET THEM?!
 
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Donnie's pads are indeed sick.. I couldn't tell you exactly how to achieve the sounds but Dave Owen's sounds are usually sampled.. the pad in the tune you posted im guessing is just a sample with an lfo on a low pass filter. < Don't quote me on that tho, he may well have used a synthesizer for the pad. I too would love to know which synths can produce these smooth as fuck sounds though
 
I'm on about the wobbly bit at the start. And just pads in general. But these nice atmosphere and ambient ones. Good for liquid
 
Yes, Rhodes modulated.
If have Reason you can do this in 2 click of mouse plus Midi keyboard by loading NN19 with Rhodes patch or a B4 organ and effect it.
If not on Reason, look for AAS Lounge Lizard Vsti on google or watch this video: http://youtu.be/r8x5mz7yffY
It's my favourite plug to pick up when I need a classic sound like this.
 
Also I'm fairly new to this stuff.

When you say modulate. What sort of modulation should I put on a rhodes to get that nice wobbly effect?
 
I wouldnt rely on sample packs for pads really. You'll be far too limited. Any synth with 3 oscillators is capable of producing these types of sounds, although if I had to choose a couple, I'd go with Rob Papen's Predator, or NI Absynth. Just experiment with different waveforms, have one set +5 semitones, one set at 0 and the 3rd at -7 semitones, this essentially produces a chord. Then play with the ADSR envelopes, with a nice slow attack and release. Add chorus, reverb delay etc etc.
 
Use a synth with just a simple sine wave osc... the key is the attack and release envelopes.. all should be set to fairly high values, say 2-3 seconds
Next up, run it through chorus.. about 40% wet followed by reverb.. you want this to be fairly wet too about 60% with a long decay.
You can add modulation in terms of having notch filters (within the synth itself or in the FX chain) tied to a slow LFO... or you can try more complex wave forms in the OSC.. this should get you started though.
 
The key to a good sounding pad is not so much the sound of an individual note. but mainly the chords.. try some complex chords spanning 2-3 octaves, adding sevenths, ninths, 13ths etc
 
I have found CamelAudio Alchemy (as well as Absynth) to be great sources of inspiration for creating nice, evolving pads.

Ditto what everyone stated about Pad samples...while they may prove to be useful for a quick fix, they're extremely limiting.
 
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