Music is an array of wonderful sounds, whether they are natural of computer synthesized. Creating sounds and beats for music through a synth (synthesizer) program can be a tricky business. In order to get the best synth sounds possible through synth software or hardware, professionals have used and continue to use a series of tricks and tips to guide them.
A good way to start out with making some new sounds is to use the presets as a base. The preset synth sounds on a synthesizer can have different sounds and sound effects added to them. These include other musical instruments and basic effects like reverb, chorus, and overdrive. Adding these effects one by one allows a musician to hear the difference that the added sounds make allowing them to easily choose the sound most pleasing to them. After trying them separately, a musician may also use more than one effect at a time.
Audio samples and music loops from sound library websites can also be used as a base. Sometimes, however, sampled songs can come through as sounding "dirty" (having extra sounds in the backround). To "clean up" the extra sounds, a low-pass filter can be applied. It should cancel out any high frequency sounds leaving the low-end sound.
When professionals find that their synth patches seem a bit thin or empty, they simply add more voices to the patch. This can be done by turning on some of the synth's oscillators one by one.
There are several options available for rhythmic drum sequencing. Of course, the standard MIDI keyboard, used for a synthesizer, makes for a good tool. The key input's velocity recognition is quite effective. However, the velocity recognition of pad sensors on a MPD is far more superior. Pad sensors do come with one big drawback though. They are unable to endure 50 hours of use, the average music producer's required amount of use.
It is also crucial for musicians to clearly hear the sounds they are working with. Synth sound is best heard over monitor speakers. These speakers are able to pick up the frequency range needed to create the best synth sound possible. Desktop or laptop speakers, on the other hand, fail to get the required frequency range. A less expensive option to monitor speakers is a set of quality headphones. The headphones will work in the short term to mid-term ranges and are excellent for concentrating on specific areas of work when checking for proper sitting.
One other very important thing needed to create high quality synth sounds is creativity. Musicians let their imagination fly and flow with it, and in the end they sometimes wind up landing the next big hit.
Mike is a business consultant and has worked for several companies. In his spare time he enjoys experimenting with music and in particular synth sounds. For more details on any issues raised in the article visit Dance Midi Samples.
