Most Dubstep is characterized by wobbly, unstable bass timbres. The technique was made popular with the birth of subtractive synthesizers. However, it has evolved into something way more exotic. There are a number of ways to impose this sort of change. In...
Stacking is an arrangement technique that is often interchanged with the term layering. However, there is a distinction – at least for the purposes of this article. Stacking produces a composite sound made up of similar timbres. Additionally, the timbres are...
An Introduction to FM Synthesis Frequency Modulation synthesis (FM synthesis) is a method for sound creation that generates very complex and unique timbres containing many spectral components. As a matter of fact, the first FM algorithm was invented by John...
This week’s PATCH is a real tough bass. I made it in Massive, but you could make it in just about any synth with at least 3 oscillators that can generate complex waveforms. FX are really important on this one, especially compression and EQ. They help shape the...
There is no denying that kick drums are critical components in today’s electronic dance music. I am sure that many of you probably own different sample banks with various kick drum sounds. However, my goal is to help you understand how to make something of your own...
Funk is a very distinct style of music based on R&B which emphasizes melodic chord progression and brings a strong groove. Old-fashioned funky sounds originating from the ’80s are coming back into modern music production. For this reason, in this tutorial,...