Making 'marshmallow' B-lines?

Ph0nger

Hey everyone - I've been lurking here for quite a while - I love the stuff you guys are producing, and I'm venturing into it as well. I have Fruityloops and Reason, and I want to make my own "whompy", 'marshmallow' bass hits with a synth.

Can anybody step me through settings I should be using to be able to make these distinct bass hits?

Thanks in advance!

Sen

Where in Canada are you PhOnger? I'm in Hamilton, Ontario - there's a bunch of canadian members.

Whompy Blines are all about filtering and envelopes...Fat Zed would be your best bet for an actual technical explaination

How much do you know about synthesis/terminology? It's easier to explain things when we're talking the same language.

Ph0nger

werd, I'm from the west-siiiiiiiiiide! Victoria, BC.

I'm one of only 2 UKG/2-step DJs here on the island, and there is only at most a handful on the mainland.

As for technical terms, I'm fairly well versed. I understand the common terms for everything, and am looking for a basic guide for settings on these synths (settings for carrier and modulator oscilators, etc) and you say it has to do with filters? hit me with all the terminology you got

cheers, EH

Sen

Welcome to the forum then, fellow Canuck!

Enter the Fat One...

First off...making the whompy blines is about lowering the cutoff and getting the rez at the just right point where you can feel it moving air, but not shreading your ears. Try this with a sine wave for your basic jungle sine bass.

Once you've got a basic sound set, you need to modulate it across the bassline (i.e. the notes that are playing) changing the filtersettings (you can automate those so it's easier - you can record knob tweaks in MIDI to get some hands on control as well), the envelope (messing with attack and decay especially), triggering the portamento (for that slide effect) on and off, etc.

It's difficult to say what sounds best, because it has to do with so many factors - your sound, the duration/volume of the notes, the pitch tracking, how you chose to modulate things, etc.

That, and I'm $$$$e at explaining this stuff...I could show you easier, but the language evades me at 2:20 in the am.

Ph0nger

Heh! Cheers, bruv,
thanks for starting me out

I'd mos. def. like to hear what other people have to say about what they use for theirs (that is, unless you're all sampling 'em to hell) and I look forward to participating in these forums more

DJ Fat Zed

For super fatness, you need to start off with the right waveforms.

Single oscillator synths just wont work. You need two oscillators, or preferably three or two plus a sub oscillator. For a dual oscillators try this: On one oscillator set a Pulse wave with PWM set to an LFO. Set the other oscillator to a saw or a square, you can set it to pulse, but only if you can modulate PWM with a different LFO. Modulate the pitch of the second oscillator with a second (or third) LFO. Use a really slow sine waveform and set the modulation depth to about 1/4 a semitone.

The filter should be set to a 24dB/8ve lowpass, 12dB/8ve will work but wont be as fat. Res needs to be about a third of the way up. there's no need to go anywhere near self oscillation because the low frequency will be lost. Set filter cut off pretty low. To get a really nice bass, you need to set some filter modulation parameters. Try positivly modulating the cut off with an envelope generator very subtley so that it just creeps in with a medium attack, no decay is needed and set sustain to max. It should look something like this:

-------------------------------
- -
- -
----- ------

Also set an LFO to modulate the cut off with the depth set to the mod wheel so that you can generate those WOWOWOWOWOW modulations at your fingertips.

If you've set your envelopes right on the filter then all you need for the amplitude envelope is a very basic zero attack, zero decay, full sustain slight release amp envelope.

To add a little touch of excellence to your sound, process it externally with a little valve distortion and mild chorus. I sometime put my B-lines through a marshall stack and record with a valve mic, it just gives it that edge and roughness, while retaining clarity.

DJ Fat Zed

Sorry!!! My diagrams didn't work.

Ph0nger

Cheers m8!

that's the explanation I was looking for

*big up*

Now, I just have to walk through this slowly - I'll let you know if it works out, but now, since it's 2am on the west coast of Canada, I'm off to bed and I'll do this in the morn.

Thanks!

DJ Fat Zed

This sometimes helps for fat basslines...............

Attached Images

 

Sen

Nice one Zed

Lol!

That would *really* help out

Is that your kit?

I should have taken pics of all of mine before I cleared them out.

And yes, the sub osc is definitely a must for really fattening up bass sounds...

Oh, and one other trick is detuning your oscilators by a few cents here and there...so OSC1 is at 0, OSC2 is at +2 and OSC3 is at -2 or something like that - so the pitch is still right, but it's got that nice full sound (this is sort of like adding a bit of Chorus as well)

DJ Fat Zed

detunes are lovely with a low cutoff.

The 2600 is mine but isn't with me yet. I'm looking forward tyo receiving it on friday....ooooh.....I can't wait.

The problem is that so few synths have three oscillators. you can occasionally play two synths at once and process them with the same filter externally.

I've got an EDP wasp and it's little brother the gnat. They've got a neat little feature where you can sync the two together with a cable and the same controls go to each synth, except the gnats just got one oscilator. It really fattens it up though.

Sen

Oh right, I remember those...never picked one up tho...that is a very neat option kinda like a modular without being one.

DJ Fat Zed

It is modular, in that any control or audio can be patched but the signal path is normalled until you change it.

Sen

ah, true true.

Senyo

oh man...ok...trying to convert that knowledge into reason...hmmmm...uhh....brain hurts.....

I need a whole tutorial on bass sounds...

DJ Fat Zed

You should be able to do the same thing in reason using subtractor, preferably two of them linked together. I think it's possible.