Message 32/32
Date: 03-Nov-02 @ 10:22 AM -
RE: Help! My bass sounds crap!
synthesis is like a fine ass hochie mamma. You have to get her in the mood to put out.
you describe a tight bass. That comes with compression. But that is a mastering feature. You said you want to do it from scatch. You also said you have a virus, an A+ synth for bass.
You must unlock the secrects hidden within you synth. I dont have a virus, i have a nova. very comparable, and the rules of synthesis being universal, my rules will apply to your synth.
Here we go.
Osc 1: saw wave
Osc 2: saw wave
Osc 3: your choice wave, but -1 octave (for subs)
Mix your oscillators to find the right balance
Choose a filter: Lowpass or band pass suffice
Osc sych: This is most important. Oscillators can synch to each other or they can not. i find that two in synch and one off synch is cool. experiment.
Pitch: use a LFO or a Pitch envelope to control the pitch differently for each oscillator. Fat basses are fat because of these characteristics.
Use these principles but in no way are they a rule book for basses. Try different things each time and try to remember what does what. Your Em1 is a rom bassed synth and therefore somewhat limited compared to your virus, an anamod. the thickest, meanest sounds will come from the virus.
My best bass to date comes from the nova, A 3 osc bass that i made with all saw waves.
hope to help
saturntheory