Can you identify this instrument/sample?

[Nizhny Tagil]

I'm not sure it's the right area for that. Sorry if it isn't.
Does anybody know what produces the sound right at the beginning?

What's the sound right at the beginning?



It sounds very Far Eastern, somehow.
I remember I had some samples with that sound, but I no longer do.
It seems more like a sampled real instrument than a synth.
Just a curiosity, really, but thanks!

It sounds very Far Eastern, somehow.
I remember I had some samples with that sound, but I no longer do.
It seems more like a sampled real instrument than a synth.
Just a curiosity, really, but thanks!

 

[garww]

That may have started as a instrument sample, but the nature of synthesis is that it's not required. No, it didn't strike me as a Far East Instrument ?

 

[Nizhny Tagil]

That may have started as a instrument sample, but the nature of synthesis is that it's not required. No, it didn't strike me as a Far East Instrument ?

Not a Far East instrument, but that sound reminds me of old anime's music. I don't really know why.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Any far east vibe is probably just coming from the parallel intervals. (hoo...ha!)

If I had to pick a real instrument as a starting point maybe a steel drum? I reckon it's completely synthesised, though.

 

[garww]

Not a Far East instrument, but that sound reminds me of old anime's music. I don't really know why.

I can see that, for sure. But listening to the Chinese State Orchestra on shortwave can do about the same

 

[Nizhny Tagil]

If I had to pick a real instrument as a starting point maybe a steel drum? I reckon it's completely synthesised, though.

I would have said bells, but others said steel drum too, so that's definitely possible.

Any far east vibe is probably just coming from the parallel intervals. (hoo...ha!)

Could you elaborate on that? I don't know what "parallel intervals" are...nor their relation to Eastern music.

I can see that, for sure. But listening to the Chinese State Orchestra on shortwave can do about the same

It's a very generic example, but that's what I hear in it. Anyway, vintage anime had music more based on synths than orchestral instrumentation, really. Not really that lo-fi either.

 

[Steenamaroo]

Could you elaborate on that? I don't know what "parallel intervals" are...nor their relation to Eastern music.

Most likely it's in the patch, rather than played.
Two voices, one of them pitched up a major IV.

That means every time you play a note, you also get the IV above it....Parallel intervals.

 

[Nizhny Tagil]

Most likely it's in the patch, rather than played.
Two voices, one of them pitched up a major IV.

That means every time you play a note, you also get the IV above it....Parallel intervals.

I tried to recreate it myself and realized what you meant.
I couldn't get very close, though.

 

[garww]

If you were to run through all the patches for a synth or VST/i, you probably find something that's a breath away. For me, and I'm no patch wiz ( I struggle finding sounds), I was thinkin' elct piano merged with brass

 

[Steenamaroo]

If you were to run through all the patches for a synth or VST/i, you probably find something that's a breath away. For me, and I'm no patch wiz ( I struggle finding sounds), I was thinkin' elct piano merged with brass

This is true! ^^

I tried to recreate it myself and realized what you meant.
I couldn't get very close, though.

I think, maybe, I'd start with triangle waves, the pitch relationship described above, some gentle high frequency roll off, short decay, and a softened attack.
In addition to that there's a very strong, wet, reverb which sounds like it might only be on the lower melodic line. It's hard to tell.
It actually sounds like it might be a wet reverb an octave above that line but, like I say, very hard to tell.

It's certainly very wide and sounds pretty separated from the main sound.

 

[Nizhny Tagil]

If you were to run through all the patches for a synth or VST/i, you probably find something that's a breath away. For me, and I'm no patch wiz ( I struggle finding sounds), I was thinkin' elct piano merged with brass

That's what I was trying to do, and layering. Synth1 has a million users presets, but nothing really close so far.
I could try recreating a patch from scratch, but I'm almost completely clueless about synthesis (in fact, I use Synth1 because of the amount of presets available).
I'll try your suggestion as well.
I don't usually obsess about single sounds, but sometimes they just grab me. I don't know if others can relate .

 

[Steenamaroo]

Keep trying.
It's the best way to sharpen and pick up skills.

Learning a synth is no different to learning piano.
Having and understanding and knowledge is great, but you can also just push things and learn what sounds they make.

If you're a 100% beginner try to get to grips with ADSR volume envelope and HF cut off. With the sound you're trying to create, those things are important.

 

[garww]

You are probably not talking 1920s anim with a talking mouse, but this cartoon probably was from a era of multiple MONO synths making the noise - the patch. Play around with the ADSR AD part. With any luck, maybe, some one that knows what they are doing will pass through : )

Synth1 is about all one needs

 

[Nizhny Tagil]

Keep trying.
It's the best way to sharpen and pick up skills.

Learning a synth is no different to learning piano.
Having and understanding and knowledge is great, but you can also just push things and learn what sounds they make.

If you're a 100% beginner try to get to grips with ADSR volume envelope and HF cut off. With the sound you're trying to create, those things are important.

I'll start tweaking from there, thanks.
Yes, I've never created sounds on my own, always used presets or manipulated samples. I'm little more than a guitar player, but lately I've been more and more intrigued by synthesis and it feels bad not even knowing how to approximate a sound!

You are probably not talking 1920s anim with a talking mouse, but this cartoon probably was from a era of multiple MONO synths making the noise - the patch. Play around with the ADSR AD part. With any luck, maybe, some one that knows what they are doing will pass through : )

To clarify, by "anime" I mean Japanese anime, usually from the '80s. I don't have one in mind, it was just instinctive to go there in my mind. It could have been a videogame, too.
I probably should have said that sound seemed to fit a product of a particular era of the Japanese entertainment industry, which in my mind is also related to classic synths by Roland, Yamaha, Emu etc.

I'll try tweaking from where you suggest, thanks!

Synth1 is about all one needs

Good to know! I've been spoiled by the presets so far and I wasn't sure it was the best one to actually learn how to program sounds.

 

[Steenamaroo]

I'll start tweaking from there, thanks.
Yes, I've never created sounds on my own, always used presets or manipulated samples. I'm little more than a guitar player, but lately I've been more and more intrigued by synthesis and it feels bad not even knowing how to approximate a sound!

Like anything it can be really complicated but the key components are really simple.

Try to learn the basic components maybe from youtube tutorials and from turning knobs and using your ears.

Listening back to your vid, btw, there's something being modulated on the note attack.
Softening volume envelope attack doesn't quite do it - I think cutoff is being modulated too.
Do you hear that? It's like rolling a wah pedal back quickly on each note.

You'd need a synth that'll reset envelope on key trigger to emulate that.

 

[Nizhny Tagil]

Like anything it can be really complicated but the key components are really simple.

Try to learn the basic components maybe from youtube tutorials and from turning knobs and using your ears.

Listening back to your vid, btw, there's something being modulated on the note attack.
Softening volume envelope attack doesn't quite do it - I think cutoff is being modulated too.
Do you hear that? It's like rolling a wah pedal back quickly on each note.

You'd need a synth that'll reset envelope on key trigger to emulate that.

I'm not sure, I think I hear the attack being softened, but I'm lost with the terminology. The guys on Reaper's forum suggested it could be a filter in a Casio FZ1, I don't know if that says anything to you.
Hopefully it makes more sense when I'm in front of the synth.

 

[garww]

.." usually from the '80s"

I actually kinda remember one anime - good fantasy world adventure

There is probably too much on synth1 to work through

 

[garww]

My junox dll goes back to 2002, but I still like using it.