8 Sound Design Tips for Analogue Synths
Analogue Synthesizers have been around since the 1920's, and were so huge, they could fill the space of a whole garage - easily. Until the 1960's, only large institutions like universities or media corporations could afford to own & use these devices.
Luckily for us, in the 1960's, engineers like Bob Moog and Don Buchla created synths that were more user friendly, commercially viable - and scaled down in size.
These synths are referred to as analogue synths because they generate sound using real electrical components, which by their nature are analogue in operation , not digital.
This can often lead to a fat, warm, filthy, and very satisfying tone to the ear.
But wait!
What if you don't own a hardware analogue synth? Well, luckily software developers have been trying to emulate analogue synths for decades now, and they do a pretty good job these days.
Therefore, in our guide, I'll be using Ableton's Analog synth because it is accessible to a lot of readers. You can apply these principles to almost any hardware analogue synth, or any other virtual analogue synth plug in.
“I always figured that if I made something that was too popular, that I was doing something wrong and had best move on… I’ve always enjoyed being on the edge.”
Don Bulcha
Let's get to it, and in the spirit of Don Bulcha feel free to take these ideas and then evolve them into your own unique, edgy sound.
Sign up here to get sent the template Ableton Session to go along with the blog!
1 - Huge Detuned Bass
This is my personal favourite trick when using analogue synths, and it’s a sound that always wows me when played through a big PA system in a venue.
Artists like Justice and other noughties electro artists leaned heavily into this sound, and it is a great one for energetic, lively and aggressive sounding tracks.
Osc 1 is an octave higher than Osc 2. Osc 2 is also detuned down, and setting one wave to saw and one to square adds a clash that creates a big, raw sound.
The envelope on the filter and the amp has an immediate attack, does not decay much, then a little bit of release. These settings give an instant impact, and let the sound ring out a little, but not too much.
Unison mode - “Uni” - is on, and set to 40.63, which thickens the sound a lot.
You might have noticed the noise oscillator is on, and set to -19dB. You can’t hear it that well, but when you turn it off, it loses some of that dusty noise we want in this patch.
Finally, some overdrive adds even more drive to the sound, adding that razor edge to a huge patch.
2 - Poly Synth Pad
"It’s important just to follow the moment, when those moments come, and to not be afraid of making mistakes.” - Vangelis
When using the recipe in this article to make patches on your synth, don't forget the above advice from Vangelis. If you go off on a detour from the guide, follow your instinct and you'll make something original you can call your own.
Vangelis is famous for that huge poly-synth pad chord sound, so let's take that for our next inspiration.
When drawing in the chords for this patch, I also put in some bass notes from the chords, 3 octaves lower, to give the patch some oomph.
Saw waves are a great starting point for a 70’s / 80’s style pad, due to their rich harmonics. Osc2 is 1 octave higher, and also slightly detuned for a bit of thickness.
The envelope on the amp comes straight in, but then tails off for that washy sound. The envelope on the filter is similar, but decays slower.
I’ve set a very slow LFO, that modulates the filter freq - this sweeps the filter slowly, adding another wash effect to the sound.
Glide aka “Gli” in on and set to 42%, and this allows the notes to slide into one another.
Finally, I’ve added delay and reverb on the return tracks, and side chain compression that ducks the pad when the kick drum hits.
Enjoying the article so far?
Click below to get lessons & inspiration at our Bi-Weekly Music Maker's Social Club
3 - Jackin' House Bass
This is a deep and bouncy sound I just can't get enough of. It's well rounded, easy to mix, and really propels a track.
You can hear it in records since the early 80's, but my favourite use of this sound is all over the records by contemporary duo Factory Floor.
Like a lot of my bass patches, I love to have Osc1 as a square wave, and Osc2 as a saw wave. They are both rich in harmonics, slightly clash with each other, and lead to a big sound. Osc 2 is 1 octave higher, but because I want this patch to have smoothness and bounce, there is no detuning
The filter envelope is important here - a quick attack and decay give that plucking sound we are after. The amp envelope is similar, but has a bit more release. Playing around with the amp release as this patch runs is quite satisfying for builds.
To add some movement to the patch, vibrato, unison, and glide, are all on, and set to fairly low values. They all add subtle depth and variation to the sound.
The Noise Osc is also switched on, which at low levels emulates the hum and interference you often get on real hardware synths.
Lastly, I added Chorus on a return track - which is one of my favourite tricks and emulates how a Juno Chorus works. if you drop a chorus directly onto the track the synth is on, it takes away from the clear bass sound, so I often find it is best to add it on the return track.
Remember to download your template Ableton set!
"I think obedient music is some of the most boring music in the world.” - John Foxx
4 - Lo-Fi Analogue Snare Drum
With Synth pioneer John Foxx's words ringing in our ears, let's be disobedient to our urges - I bet almost all of you reach for a sample pack when you need a snare drum sound, right?
I do too. But let's rebel against our usual work-flow, and make one ourselves.
Only Osc1 and the Noise Osc are used in this patch. The noise osc is actually more important in this case, giving us the snap of the snare sound. Changing the “colour” setting will brighten or deaden your sound if you turn it up or down. Osc1 is a sine wave, providing us with a tone for your drum.
The filter envelope is very important here, because it creates a shift in tone that mimics what happens when you strike a snare drum. A quick attack and decay are good settings to start with. Regarding the release, you can play around with that to have a boomy snare drum that rings out, or keep it short and snappy with a fast release setting.
Use similar settings for the amp envelope.
5 - That Classic Arpeggio Sound
This sound can give such a classic sci-fi vibe to your track, and it evokes a retro-futuristic vision of the world and space travel.
Daft Punk's 'Discovery" album used liberal amounts of this sound, and when combined with their sci-fi anime visuals, it was a perfect picture.
Osc1 and Osc2 are a saw and square wave respectively, once again giving us that combination for harmonic richness. I've tuned down Osc2 by 2 octaves to add nice amount of bass to the patch.
The amp envelope has a very quick attack and decay, giving us that plucked string sound, and it is good to play around with the release too. More release can make it sound very spacey and cosmic.
The filter envelope decays less, this is because we don't want the filter to react as quickly, because we want time to modulate it with the LFO.
The LFO is set to a slow rate - I find these work best for smoothe modulations over time. It is set to modulate the cut off frequency of the filter, and also the panning of the patch [find this in the amp section]. This gives the pacth even more movement and interest to the ear.
Once again, unison and glide are used to thicken the sound, and add a bit of slide between the notes; and a small amount of the noise Osc is used to add that dusty sound we mentioned before.
Want to Fast Forward your own music making?
Click here to check out our 6 week Track Accelerator Program
6 - Phat 808-style Kick Drum
The kick drum sound from the original Roland 808 drum machine is ubiquitous, and you'll hear it in a huge variety of genres.
Let's inject some originality into the sound by attempting to create our own version of it, which should add a unique touch to your track.
The foundation of this sound is a deep sine wave, so Osc1 is set to sine. Remember to program in a very low note. We don't need Osc2, but we do need the noise osc quietly in the background.
The amp and filter envelope are set to attack quickly for that initial, impactful transient. This decays quickly, but adjusting the length of the release can let you control how long you want the BOOM to ring out.
It's a simple patch, but adding plugins for extra EQ, saturation, and compression can help you shape the sound further. Remember, we aren't exactly trying to copy the sound of an 808 kick, because why would you? You can just use one of the samples out there. This is about making your own version of it.
"These days, If I’m struggling to produce anything, I’ll write a theme tune for a sh***y 1980’s T.V. show I just made up in my head" - Memorex Memories
7 - Synth-wave Bass
Synth-wave is an awesome genre that takes a huge pile of nostalgic inspiration from the 1980's, as Memorex Memories mentions above.
Looking to another decade for inspiration can get you over writer's block, and also help with your sound design too.
Let's look at how to create a 1980's synthwave bass line that would fit perfectly with a reboot of Knight Rider or any other 1980's TV classic.
We want a classic 80's sound here, so I've selected a square wave on both Osc1 and Osc2. This gives an 80's computer game sound because a lot of video game consoles back then only could produce square waves to generate tones. Osc 2 is tuned down 1 octave to add extra bass to the patch.
The amp envelope is set to a quick attack and quick decay - this helps emulate the pluck of a bass guitar string. Our aim is not to get it sounding exactly like a bass guitar, but using this trick definitely makes the sound more believable. The filter envelope is similar, but with a slower decay.
The LFO is set to a slow rate, and used to ever so slightly modulate the pitch of Osc1. This effectively makes it go slightly out of tune, and is a trick called "pitch drift". Hardware analogue gear like synths, and music formats of the 80's like cassettes were susceptible to pitch drift, so emulating it in your daw gives a sense of the era and realism. It's one of my all time favourite tricks!
Finally I have added a VHS emulator plug in I created in Ableton. You can get this if you download the template file, however there are other free to use VHS and Cassette style plug ins out there that you can use to get similarly 80's results!
Sign up here for your free template Ableton session!
8 - West Coast Lead
One of the most legendary hip hop producers ever - Dr Dre - pioneered this sound, and it is a useful lead sound in many genres, even sitting surprisingly well on delicate folk records if mixed well into the back ground!
Sine waves are the core of this sound, so Osc1 and Osc2 are set to sine wave. Osc2 is an octave higher to give that high tone that cuts through the mix, and it is detuned slightly to add interest to the sound.
The amp envelope is set to have a quick attack, medium decay, and medium release. This lets the sound hang above the rest of the track, but not overwhelm it.
Glide is really important in this patch, because we want it to slide between the notes, almost like a theremin. Unison is set to 24.22 to add a bit of weight and thickness to the sound.
Don't forget the magic ingredient - a bit of delay on a return track really brings this sound to life without smothering it.
Enjoyed the Article? - Remember to sign up for the free Ableton Set!
Click here to fast forward your music with our 6 week Track Accelerator Program
Check out this Spotify playlist containing the sounds and artists referenced in the article
References:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_synthesizer
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/arts/music/don-buchla-dead.amp.html
https://www.google.com/amp/s/post-punk.com/the-disobedient-machine-an-interview-with-john-foxx/
https://www.loudersound.com/features/far-out-vangelis-on-the-science-and-power-of-music
Images
Giorgio Moroder with his huge Moog Synth system
From: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/mar/28/giorgio-moroder-his-20-greatest-songs-ranked
Don Bulcha, 1970s
Image from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/18/arts/music/don-buchla-dead.html
Vangelis, 1970s
Image from https://echoes.org/2021/01/19/vangelis-ten-essential-albums-from-an-icon-of-echoes/
John Foxx, 1980s
Image from https://www.electricityclub.co.uk/john-foxx-the-metamatic-interview/
Memorex Memories
Image from https://soundcloud.com/memorexmemories