Warm / Euphoric, Deep/Tech-House Pads

[___jdv.]

Hey guys,

for at least a weak now I have intensively tried to recreate this very common pad or rhodes sound but I just can't get it to work.

Examples:

Swayzak - Make up your mind (album edition)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Auj8zdDxA

This is what I've been working on the whole damn time. They sound very smooth and it feels as if there is hardly any movement in these pads but that exactly gives em that cool feel. Also I can't get them as wide AND present as in this track for some reason.

Swayzak - Speedboat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-nUVuR0QM4

also pretty cool pads.


Deep88 - Summer just can't wave goodbye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIMMoTJp_Mk

(These are very smooth and the automations in this track are killa. I wouldn't mind if someone can tell me how the pads are automated later in the track. ADSR envelope filter maybe???)


I searched for youtube vids. I searched this forum. I searched the whole internet but I can't get decent info on this kind of sound even though it's so common.

I'd really appreciate your input. Peace

[Dektro]

Maybe you should let us hear an example of what you've made. Use lot's of chorus, reverb and filter automation and you'll get there. Also detune your oscillators a bit to get this wider sound.

[MichaelMay]

Its that hard mate. Firstly, the sound is generated by a Rhodez or Wurlitez or any similair electric piano. So find yourself an instrument or vsti with electric piano sounds and play 7th chords, or maybe to your liking. Basically this comes down to playing an interval of 7 notes between the first and the last. So for example C-E-G-B. If you want to program such an chord by hand in a synthesizer, make sure you have many voices playing triangles or saws combined with an sinewave to make it deep. Set the tuning to either one 7th and the other just 0 or make one osc 4 and the other 7...or use thirds(+3) with the expalined 7th chords!
gl

[MichaelMay]

Its that hard mate. Firstly, the sound is generated by a Rhodez or Wurlitez or any similair electric piano. So find yourself an instrument or vsti with electric piano sounds and play 7th chords, or maybe 9ths to your liking. Basically this comes down to playing an interval of 7 notes between the first and the last. So for example C-E-G-B. If you want to program such an chord by hand in a synthesizer, make sure you have many voices playing triangles or saws combined with an sinewave to make it deep. Set the tuning to either one 7th and the other just 0 or make one osc 4 and the other 7...or use thirds(+3) with the expalined 7th chords!
gl

[AK]

Do you know some of the old digital synths have killer pad sounds and half of the damn presets are swamped with efx which make them sound good even just out of the box.

The DX7 is famous for its deep EP sounds and EP pads but some of those truly rich, thick and wide pads can be found with synths like the Roland JD990 and others like the Kurzweil K200 etc etc

These machines can be got for peanuts these days and if you really want some of that lushness, I'd consider grabbing something. This is definitely one area where digital is way ahead of analog that's for sure.

I'd mention software but I really don't know any great software stuff these days.

[sorgenkind]

swayzak use a lot the little yamaha FB01, a FM module which goes dirt cheap nowadays.
google for some infos about it, a nice module, i use it quite a lot. a nice digital synth.

[aticatac]

This is just a rough guess, but I think the pads in the deep88 song is an Access Virus, at least the filter sounds very similar. A nice tune, btw...

[pafufta816]

you won't like this but.... there is no such thing as an accurate or realistic synthesized rhodes sound. the closest you can get would involve playing sine waves through tube distortion, but even then it won't be close to the rhodes.