DFreqTOPIC - Add More Boom to your Bass with Sound Forge

  • Thread starter Thread starter garrigus
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garrigus

www.garrigus.com
by Scott R. Garrigus, Copyright 2000

Recently someone asked me how they could get that really low bass sound that
you hear these days in a lot of techno or pop music. You know, it's not
quite a bass drum sound, but more like a low thump that really gets your
speakers pumping. Well, believe it or not you can create your own sample of
this type of sound very easily using Sound Forge. Here's how:

1) Select File>New, and choose 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, mono to create a new
window for your sound.
2) Select Tools>Synthesis>Simple to open the Simple Synthesis dialog box.
3) Set the amplitude parameter to 0 dB.
4) Set the Waveform Shape parameter to Sine.
5) Set the Length to 0.100 seconds.
6) Set the Frequency to 50 Hz.
7) Click OK.

Hit the space bar on your computer keyboard to play the sound. Cool, isn't
it? It's also very quick in duration, but that's what you need because
you'll be using it in conjunction with your bass sound.

Now if you'd like to use the sound in your sampling hardware or software,
just save it as a WAV file. Then import the WAV file as a new sample (this
procedure varies depending on your sampling hardware or software) and you're
ready to start triggering your new sound via MIDI.

If you don't have sampling hardware or software, you can also import the WAV
file into your digital audio sequencing software. Let's use Cakewalk for
this example...

1) Select the Track to which you want to import the WAV file.
2) Set the Now Time to the beginning of the project.
3) Select Insert>Wave File.
4) Choose the WAV file and click OK.

Now just use this Track to hold your new WAV sound sample, and simply copy
and paste the sample into another Track so that it coincides with each note
in your bass Track. Now whenever a bass note plays, it will get an extra
boost from your boom sample. Just be careful not to play your music too
loudly, because you're sure to get complaints from the neighbors!

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of the Cakewalk Power! and Sound Forge Power!
books, and Publisher of the DigiFreq music technology newsletter. Learn
about cool tips and techniques for your music software by getting a FREE
subscription to DigiFreq... surf to:
http://www.garrigus.com/scott/subscribe.html
 
50Hz?! Ummm... okay...

Not to suggest that equal temperament is everything in music... but wouldn't it make sense to choose an actual pitch?
 
Hi pg!

Actually, in this case, no. The reason being is that you are trying to give the kick drum a little boost by adding this 'thumping' sound to it. You don't want the sound to interfere with your bass line. It's not melodic in any way. Instead, it gives your tune that 'booming' presence that you find in a lot of hip hop stuff.

Best,
Scott

--
Scott R. Garrigus - Author of the Cakewalk Power! and Sound Forge Power! books, and Publisher of the DigiFreq music technology newsletter. Learn about cool tips and techniques for your music software by getting a FREE subscription to DigiFreq... surf to:
http://www.garrigus.com/scott/subscribe.html
 
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