Pads! How does everyone go bout makin em?

[Earjax]

Atm my synthesis is going pretty well, however I completely fail when it comes to creating really atmospheric, thick sounding pads that lighten up the background of a song, for example, check out subscapes time to escape EP, (apart from mr kipling) the pads are amazing! Also you got your classic burials etc, but I know his synthesis is alot more sample based and I don't really want to get that complex I use massive mostly and a bit of alchemy. Any tips you have on EQ-ing and effecting pads would be great as well!
Cheers!

[wub]

• Ok, for a start pads can come from anywhere. Take a melodic sample and stretch it - InstaPad.
• Layering up your pads can work for lushness. Have a pad sample that operates in a lower 'feel', then a medium pad sample with a bit of chorus/reverb for some prescence. EQ them together, then run into a pads bus with some VERY light compression to bring them together.
• Right, moving on. Don't think about them as pads. Write a short synth pattern, then bounce it out and stretch it out. For example, a 4 bar 140bpm synth loop stretched to 32 bars will take on a different feel.
• Use long automation sections to gradually evolve the sound over the course of the sample, or even the tune. Gradually open a filter over 128bars, for example.
• EQing should be subtractive - reduce the pad to fit around the tune. Unless you want the pad to be the lead element/hook, obviously.
• Sidechaining, I'd say either link the pad to the kick bus to make it breathe, or alternatively run a silenced 4/4 kick through the tune and have the output of that affecting the pad.

[lloydy]

Pretty much everything wub said is spot on.
Good source i use for pads is film scores,i sample out sections i like add the samples to absynth then go from there.Paul stretch is really good for stretching out samples and giving them an almost dreamy effect.Film score for 28 weeks later has got loads of stuff in there you can jack for making dreamy pads.You can pretty much use any sample source but i always go for film scores because you can't go wrong if you pick the rite film.

[Earjax]

Thanks a lot wub! really useful stuff there Only other thing would be what sort of waveforms and filters would you tend to use? Theres a film score for 28 weeks later?!?! I'd love that, in the house in a heartbeat was like my favourite piece of film music ever (you know the one that comes in when everything goes to shit and zombs start eating peepls)

[wub]

Only other thing would be what sort of waveforms and filters would you tend to use?

You've overthinking it - pads are by their nature as organic sounding as possible. Try different combinations until you find something that works. Or doesn't work. Experiment.

Theres a film score for 28 weeks later?!?! I'd love that, in the house in a heartbeat was like my favourite piece of film music ever (you know the one that comes in when everything goes to shit and zombs start eating peepls)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Weeks_L ... Soundtrack

[Earjax]

You can never experiment enough Cheers wub, resourceful as always

[jrisreal]

Very precise/detailed automation is key when making some pads. Additive synthesis is great for pads IMO and filter envelopes are a good idea.

[lloydy]

28 weeks later has got one of the best score's i have on my system.

[.onelove.]

Very precise/detailed automation is key when making some pads. Additive synthesis is great for pads IMO and filter envelopes are a good idea.

Such as?

I'm not very imaginative with my automation, seem to always open/closer a filter or drop the pitch every 8/16 bar. What else could you automate?

[wub]

Very precise/detailed automation is key when making some pads. Additive synthesis is great for pads IMO and filter envelopes are a good idea.

Such as?

I'm not very imaginative with my automation, seem to always open/closer a filter or drop the pitch every 8/16 bar. What else could you automate?

Reverb, panning, EQing, filters...combine them, try different sweeps, different speeds. Bounce everything. Pads are the first step towards creating a soundscape. Find what works and what doesn't.

Fuck about, basically.

[jrisreal]

Heres a recent pad sound I made.
Soundcloud
I created 3 sine waves, each at different octaves and did some of that detailed, precise automation on the volume of each and it adds to the interestingness . Then, I added some lower saws and envelope/filtered them, and did the same for a higher triangle. Also chorus is good, and a lot of verb. Then ofcourse, the ol Paul Stretcher. Eq it to taste and mix it into a track. Practice will make your pads a whole lot better...btw I don't even like this sound a whole lot.

[jaydot]

Reverb/chorus/delay, 2 or 3 detuned sine waves mostly for more ambient, square/saw etc for darker pads. Attack is important the longer the better but not ott. Bounce/reverse/timestretch/EQ, but mosty as wub says fuck about

[Trichome]

Heres a recent pad sound I made.
Soundcloud
I created 3 sine waves, each at different octaves and did some of that detailed, precise automation on the volume of each and it adds to the interestingness . Then, I added some lower saws and envelope/filtered them, and did the same for a higher triangle. Also chorus is good, and a lot of verb. Then ofcourse, the ol Paul Stretcher. Eq it to taste and mix it into a track. Practice will make your pads a whole lot better...btw I don't even like this sound a whole lot.

Lovely sound man

[jrisreal]

Heres a recent pad sound I made.
Soundcloud
I created 3 sine waves, each at different octaves and did some of that detailed, precise automation on the volume of each and it adds to the interestingness . Then, I added some lower saws and envelope/filtered them, and did the same for a higher triangle. Also chorus is good, and a lot of verb. Then ofcourse, the ol Paul Stretcher. Eq it to taste and mix it into a track. Practice will make your pads a whole lot better...btw I don't even like this sound a whole lot.

Lovely sound man

Thanks!

[justanotherdj]

[*]Layering up your pads can work for lushness. Have a pad sample that operates in a lower 'feel', then a medium pad sample with a bit of chorus/reverb for some prescence. EQ them together, then run into a pads bus with some VERY light

Just a quick question. How low roughly would you go with a pad frequecy wise? I always have my pads sitting pretty high, also how high would you say is too high?

Cheers.

[wub]

[*]Layering up your pads can work for lushness. Have a pad sample that operates in a lower 'feel', then a medium pad sample with a bit of chorus/reverb for some prescence. EQ them together, then run into a pads bus with some VERY light

Just a quick question. How low roughly would you go with a pad frequecy wise? I always have my pads sitting pretty high, also how high would you say is too high?

Cheers.

Impossible to say. It'd depend on what other elements you have in your tune. Use your ears, basically.

[deadly_habit]

delphonics tune, paulstretch, multisampling and adjusting asdr

[Earjax]

Useful stuff guys, I think this is enough to give me some real good inspiration, its gone into my latest tune and i'll link it once its done

[Bresson]

All about the way you use the notes too. Don't write your chords all in one octave, spread the notes way out across the keyboard and have the pads fill in the lowmids, the mids, the highs, lows (except your sublows), and everywhere, theyre designed to be the glue between all the gaps in your music

[hifi]

long attack long release