Trying to create pads

[dicblack]

Hi all,
do any of you create your own sounds on your synths?
where can i get some help with sound creation?
i am trying to create some warm "pad" sounds for r&b music
thanks all

[ssscientist]

The way I first got into programming synths was by finding a sound that was close to what I was looking for and then tweaking it until it was as close as I could get. The things I first tweaked were the amplitude (volume) attack + release and the filter type and frequency.

Historically there were some synths that had the edge on others for pads, but these days most modern synths will let you get great sounds in every category --- Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Alesis -- the JunoD, S03, MS2000 and the Ion/Micron are all roughly in the same price range and each is a very capable synth with excellent presets to work from...

[Atterion]

Originally Posted by ssscientist

The way I first got into programming synths was by finding a sound that was close to what I was looking for and then tweaking it until it was as close as I could get. The things I first tweaked were the amplitude (volume) attack + release and the filter type and frequency.

Exactly. Then once you get close to the sound you want, you move on to finer details, like assigning LFO's to modulate the filter, etc. Without knowing what hardware/software you use, it is hard to give specifics on what you are capable of producing. Here are some links that might help.

Synthesis Basics (2 of the best web pages around for this) :

http://www.sequencer.de/synthesizer-basics.html

http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip...8/2ansynth.htm

[dicblack]

Thanks guys,
I will give those methods a try.
Call me lazy but i wanted to know, out of the synths i'm using are any known better for pad sounds?
Using: roland jv880/jd990/mc909 yamaha tg500/rm1x/cs6x oberheim matrix1000 emu mp7
thanks

[SonicAlbert]

Originally Posted by dicblack

Thanks guys,
I will give those methods a try.
Call me lazy but i wanted to know, out of the synths i'm using are any known better for pad sounds?
Using: roland jv880/jd990/mc909 yamaha tg500/rm1x/cs6x oberheim matrix1000 emu mp7
thanks

Out of that list the first one I'd reach for would be the JD-900, for pads. Then after that maybe the JV-880 and the Matrix 1000. I don't know the CS6x. It depends on what you need for the track, the music idea has to come first and then find the synth that sounds closest to it.

The programming suggestions by ssscientist are right on the money. Start with a patch that is close to what you want, and then tweak it from there. Another fairly simple way to get interesting sounds is to try out different samples. So after you've adjusted the amplitude envelope and filters, then try flipping through different samples. This is really easy to do on a ROMpler.