automation in the sequencer or lfo and envelopes in the synth?

hey there,

i`ve got a question about adding some subtle distortion to bass sounds.

the last weeks i watched the icicle and alix perez masterclasses and tried to built some bass sounds.

my question is, if i have my bass sound in the synth and split the signal in lo/mid/hi (like in the icicle video) and add some effects on these channels but i want f.e. the distortion only at the end of a note (so that it fades in), is it better to do that with automation/envelopes in the sequencer or with lfos and envelopes on filer cut/reso in the synth?

i hope it`s clear what i mean.

The way I would do it is to put the distortion before a filter (lp) and just automate the cutoff, and possibly the reso. Or if the disto had a mix parameter you could sweep that. It's all about fx order, then just messing around for hours.
Peace

the method mono_sono said would work, but i think that would probably mean you would have more work to do in terms of drawing in automation (for the lp filter)

if you programmed the synth to get the desired effect right out of it, its done.
so every key you press you'll hear the subtle distortion /screaming effect, without having to do any else, such as with the lp filter.

lower notes will be slower for the dist to come in and higher notes faster. not sure if you would get the same effect by putting distortion on synth permanently then adding a lp filter insert and automating that?

thanks guys,

@mono_sono:indeed, to find the right order of effects is really important. my problem is definitly the automation. mainly the drawing of envelopes in the daw. ( i use sonar and it`s driving me crazy!)

but i think that would probably mean you would have more work to do in terms of drawing in automation (for the lp filter)

yeah, i hate this drawing in sonar right now.

if you programmed the synth to get the desired effect right out of it, its done.
so every key you press you'll hear the subtle distortion /screaming effect, without having to do any else, such as with the lp filter.

yes, that is why i thought synth programming will give me better results. but i also thought it`s really hard to get there.

lower notes will be slower for the dist to come in and higher notes faster. not sure if you would get the same effect by putting distortion on synth permanently then adding a lp filter insert and automating that?

interesting question will try that!

yes, that is why i thought synth programming will give me better results. but i also thought it`s really hard to get there.

what synth are you using?

if it has some kind of modulation matrix you may be able to link the distortion to an envelope or lfo to get the slight delay you're after.

failing that, perhaps just record some phrases of the bassline with you manually twiddling the distortion... or similar but just lay out the same note (C2 for example) and keep doing it until you nail it. Then you bounce that C2 and throw it in a sampler, and just put the sampler on your bass midi track instead of the synth.

these kind of bass puzzles are why i usually stick to 808s :teeth:

what synth are you using?

if it has some kind of modulation matrix you may be able to link the distortion to an envelope or lfo to get the slight delay you're after.

failing that, perhaps just record some phrases of the bassline with you manually twiddling the distortion... or similar but just lay out the same note (C2 for example) and keep doing it until you nail it. Then you bounce that C2 and throw it in a sampler, and just put the sampler on your bass midi track instead of the synth.

thanks!!!!

oh man, now it`s so clear and simpel to me! the distortion fx in the synth as a destination in the mod matrix! don`t know why i didn`t think of that.

i will try that first thing tomorrow.

i use the zeta+ (1) , sometimes the albino 3 which is also good, but i think the zeta sounds a little better.

making bass sound out of the 808s and 909s is something i have never really tried. i think anstam does that and quiet like this sound.

damn. doesn`t work in zeta (maybe in zeta 2?). you can`t set the distortion fx as destination in the mod matrix. only the decim amount, but thats not what i was looking for.

bah, thats a shame man... i can't remember zeta that well, sorry, been ages since i had that.

(paging all Zeta users!)

just becuase you can't automate the distortion's attack in the synth, there are other ways to achieve it.
like what i was saying below about manually doing it, whilst recording and then bouncing it to put wav in the sampler.
if you lay out a few notes and do it a few times and pick out the best ones. i've done that a few times myself, although more so to save cpu. it will give you pretty much the same result as doing that in the synth

the only disadvantage of this method is the lack of control of the distortion or all fx together but i will try that out for sure, thanks.