djclueveli
New member
is there any software that lets you design your own sounds from scratch?
design your own sounds
- Thread starter djclueveli
- Start date
could you elaborate a little?? 
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
They're called analog synthesizers. Most of the classic synths are available in software emulations from several different companies. Look up the Mini-Moog, the ARP 2600, and the Prophet5 in software versions, for starters. I like the Arturia version of the 2600 myself.
There are also programs like AnalogBox (www.andyware.com) that don't emulate any particular hardware synth, but rather let you design your own synth sound from generic modules.
Be warned, though, dj. Whichever way you go, you've got a learning curve ahead of you if you're not already fairly familiar with how to string together various oscillators, filters, and modulators in order to make sounds.
G.
R
RAMI
Guest
Programming and playing REAL analog synths, like the ones mentioned by Glen, is an art unto itself. Which is probably why hardly anyone uses them any more. It actually takes time, patience, and talent.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Just like audio engineering?!
Yeah, I grew up and cut my teeth on an original ARP2600. I learned more about both electronics and sound just from messing with that thing than I did from everything else I did put together. I now play a bit with the Artura 2600V software emulation of the 2600. There are a couple of technical mistakes they made in the emulation, but it's a pretty faithful sounding rendition of the original.
But that's why I offered the warning that I did. The problem is, that's the answer to the question dj asked. He was asking to be able to "design sounds from scratch". He wants to synthesize his own sounds, in other words. That takes a bit of learning, practice and expirimentation to be able to do it purposefully. But then again, so does any other musical instrument.
He may as well have said he wanted to create a CD of his own band. And then discovering he'd have to learn all about acoustics, tracking technique, mixing, and mastering in order to do that
.G.
fraserhutch
Flypaper for freaks
There is one thing though, it *is* possible to get up and running fairly quickly with these things, particularly when it comes to modifying preexisting patches. If he wants to design them from scratch, well, very few people actually do that anymore - almost all the guys I know (myself included) program these beasts by modifying and tweaking preexisting patches.
However, if you do have time and patience, it's a fascinating pursuit.
However, if you do have time and patience, it's a fascinating pursuit.
Just like audio engineering?!
Yeah, I grew up and cut my teeth on an original ARP2600. I learned more about both electronics and sound just from messing with that thing than I did from everything else I did put together. I now play a bit with the Artura 2600V software emulation of the 2600. There are a couple of technical mistakes they made in the emulation, but it's a pretty faithful sounding rendition of the original.
But that's why I offered the warning that I did. The problem is, that's the answer to the question dj asked. He was asking to be able to "design sounds from scratch". He wants to synthesize his own sounds, in other words. That takes a bit of learning, practice and expirimentation to be able to do it purposefully. But then again, so does any other musical instrument.
He may as well have said he wanted to create a CD of his own band. And then discovering he'd have to learn all about acoustics, tracking technique, mixing, and mastering in order to do that
G.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
With the original hardware syths, there are no preexisting patches. Yeah, the software versions throw some preset patches in, but the problem is, those don't really help one much at all. All they do is give one a different place to start from.
Remember, a clean slate is just as valid of a "patch" or a starting point as any other. Starting with a "Pink Floyd" patch won't get you any closer to an "ELO" sound than dead silence will - and in fact can start you off in the wrong direction on some settings - if you don't know how to use the various tools the synth has to offer to get you from here to there. The problem/trick is knowing what to do to get from wherever your starting point or patch starts to where you want to be.
The only thing patches are really good for is if you want to use that particular patch sound, or a slightly modified version of it. If you're going to do only that, you'd probably be better off just using a digital sampler synth and not waste your time with analog. If, however you truely want to "design your own sounds from scratch" as dj calims in his OP, then you really need to start with a simple analog waveform oscillator and start building from there.
It actually doesn't take that long to get the basic building blocks down; how a sawtooth wave sounds different from a square wave, how to recognize what ring midulation does and sounds like, the whole idea of ADSR envelope shaping (which should be familiar to anybody running a compressor), etc. It's the talent of being able to hear a sound and mentally "reverse engineer" it - i.e. to figure out a proper basic starting point for building such a sound based upon the properties of the basic building blocks you have in your synth - that takes some practice to get good at. Get halfway decnt at that, and the presets become unnecessary as starting points for something else.
G.
noisewreck
New member
To answer the original question... Yes there are a number of software that will allow you to design your own sounds from scratch.
As SSG mentions, software emulations of analog synths of yesteryear would be a good place to start. Although some of these are rather limited compared to some of the modern monstrocities, they are a good place to get introduced to synthesis... more precisely subtractive synthesis principles.
Once you feel comfortable with subtractive synthesis, you can start exploring other options.
I'd like to expand on the suggestions given so far to other sound design software that's not necessarily meant for synthesis.
For example, you can use any multitrack DAW to import different audio files, mix them together, put them on a bus/group channel and pass them through different types of plugin FX. With judicious use, you can create sounds that in the end sound like nothing what their constituent parts did. Good mangling plugins in the regard are stuff like PSP's Nitro, Antares Filter, and other filtering/distortion plugins... mix these with delay and reverb type stuff and you can come up with some seriously organic sounding stuff that is quite unique. The trouble with this is that the results are usually unpredictable so a lot of time, experimentation and good judgement is required.
You can also go to the completely DIY environments such as Reaktor, Max/MSP, AudioMulch, Plogue Bidule, and if you have the money Kyma, that will open up some serious sonic exploration possibilities... Of these AudioMulch and Plogue Bidule are free, but are not as flexible as the other three. However, the commercial products are increasingly more complex and require aptitude, and patience in dealing with programming concepts and math. Of the "Big Three" Reaktor probably would be the most accessible because it has a vast user library that you can use to start off with, both for direct use as well as dissecting for educational purposes.
So... there are a lot of choices out there, it's up to you how simple or complicated you wanna make and and how much control you want to have over the process.
Sorry for the somewhat haphazard and non-articulate post... I am suffering from a serious cold and can't concentrate much.
As SSG mentions, software emulations of analog synths of yesteryear would be a good place to start. Although some of these are rather limited compared to some of the modern monstrocities, they are a good place to get introduced to synthesis... more precisely subtractive synthesis principles.
Once you feel comfortable with subtractive synthesis, you can start exploring other options.
I'd like to expand on the suggestions given so far to other sound design software that's not necessarily meant for synthesis.
For example, you can use any multitrack DAW to import different audio files, mix them together, put them on a bus/group channel and pass them through different types of plugin FX. With judicious use, you can create sounds that in the end sound like nothing what their constituent parts did. Good mangling plugins in the regard are stuff like PSP's Nitro, Antares Filter, and other filtering/distortion plugins... mix these with delay and reverb type stuff and you can come up with some seriously organic sounding stuff that is quite unique. The trouble with this is that the results are usually unpredictable so a lot of time, experimentation and good judgement is required.
You can also go to the completely DIY environments such as Reaktor, Max/MSP, AudioMulch, Plogue Bidule, and if you have the money Kyma, that will open up some serious sonic exploration possibilities... Of these AudioMulch and Plogue Bidule are free, but are not as flexible as the other three. However, the commercial products are increasingly more complex and require aptitude, and patience in dealing with programming concepts and math. Of the "Big Three" Reaktor probably would be the most accessible because it has a vast user library that you can use to start off with, both for direct use as well as dissecting for educational purposes.
So... there are a lot of choices out there, it's up to you how simple or complicated you wanna make and and how much control you want to have over the process.
Sorry for the somewhat haphazard and non-articulate post... I am suffering from a serious cold and can't concentrate much.
Absynth is cool for generating weird atmospheric alien sounds or something. an Access Virus B is cool too.
noisewreck
New member
Absynth is GREAT for all kinds of sounds from basic bass and synth lead to crazy tripped out weirdness.
For interesting rhythmic atmosperics, load a drum loop in Granular mode, add some LFO modulated filter (preferably using one of the more complex waveforms to modulate the cutoff), then put that through frequency shifter, while you're modulating the pitch with rhythmic envelope loop while you modulate the level of the envelope's breakpoints with another LFO. Put that whole concoction through some delay based effects, and smile... wooot!
For interesting rhythmic atmosperics, load a drum loop in Granular mode, add some LFO modulated filter (preferably using one of the more complex waveforms to modulate the cutoff), then put that through frequency shifter, while you're modulating the pitch with rhythmic envelope loop while you modulate the level of the envelope's breakpoints with another LFO. Put that whole concoction through some delay based effects, and smile... wooot!
djclueveli
New member
thanks for all the help guys. i'm looking more into it now