I've tried programming this about 500 times to no avail. I included one of my attempts as an attached filed.
Where I'm struggling:
-The patch in the song sounds like it's filtered & resonant. Trying to replicate the filter just makes the sound too dull, and adding resonance in my synth makes it sound like an acid bass - no good.
-It also has a transient that I attribute to noise; setting the sustain to 0 & the decay fairly fast on the filter envelope was the solution that I found to getting the noise & bass to be plucky. Even then, my patch doesn't have the impact that the original does when it hits the higher notes.
-The lower voice has a 'fatness' to it that makes me think there's chorus or detuned added but I couldn't replicate it nicely.
Annoying issues I've ran into along the way:
-Overtones (particularly the perfect 5th) become accentuated when playing with the pulse width &/or the filtering to where it interferes with the tone of the sound
-The lower voice of the bass patch starts to sound as if it's a semitone or two off due to the pulse width &/or filtering
Any advice on how to proceed? I'd greatly appreciate it!
4 years ago
The first thing I'd change is the filter envelope. Kraftwerk's patch sounds like it's spending more time in the upper range of the filter than yours, creating an overall brighter sound. You can try either making the decay/release longer, or if your synth gives you the option, change the curve of the decay/release stages so that it's either straight or curves upwards.
I also suspect there isn't enough movement in the sound (like you mentioned with chorus or unison) but it's hard to tell without the brightness in place.
As for the attack transient, when the drums come in, it disappears, which makes me think it's possibly a separate layer. Also, it doesn't happen on every note, but reoccurs on the same notes as the pattern repeats. So perhaps it's a separate layer with volume that's modulated by an LFO?
0 4 years ago Reply