Synthesis process evidence

RnB main pad 1

I created this pad in Alchemy and use it as a layer throughout the majority of the song. It plays the main chord progression of the song on repeat and sits in the background of the mix. I created this sound by using subtractive synthesis and two different oscillators, one with a saw wave and one with a sine wave. It runs through a low pass filter and has a simple ADHSR. I think this sound works well with this style of music and similar sounds can be heard in other RnB songs.

RnB Main pad 2

I used alchemy and subtractive synthesis to make this sound. It can be heard in the song layering Main pad 1 throughout the verse and intro. This sound also uses 2 oscillators but uses a pulse and a saw wave. The pulse wave is a type of square wave with a brighter and thinner sound due to its different time spent at one cycle. Layered with a saw wave the sound has a rich tone and bright tone. The one of the filter cutoff’s are modulated with an LFO. This brighter works well with the Main pad sound as it adds the higher harmonics that the other sound is lacking.

Pad 3

I created this pad sound using Logics ES2 synthesiser. I used two oscillators to create this sound by layering two triangle waves as the high harmonics roll off quite quick. I then put through a low pass filter which created a round sound. I modulated oscillator 1 for texture. This sound can be heard in the chorus and outro layered with other synth sounds. Using this sound in the chorus and outro ensured that it isn’t overly used and gives the listener a new texture when you get to the chorus in the song. I think it is a subtle yet effective addition to the songs structure.

Lead synth

I created this sound using retro synth. Retro synth is an analog synth emulation which can often be used to create. a warm tone. This sound can be heard in the intro, bridge and outro of the song. It is a very bright sound due to using a saw tooth wave. This sound worked well as chords and as a melodic monophonic sound. This sound is quite unusual for the style of song but In context it works well with the other layers of sounds.

Synth Bass

I created this sound using the ES2 synth and it can be heard in the bridge of the song. It is a heavy hitting bass sound with a hard punch. I used 3 oscillators to create this sound, using a sine wave, a triangle wave and a saw tooth wave. This sound works nicely in the breakdown as it lacked any bass end before I added this sound.

Other sounds

I used a 3 other synth sounds throughout the song for detailing and texture. I mostly used different logic synth preset sounds that I liked. I think the sounds add nicely to the song as most of them are subtle and have limited usage in the song. All of these sounds are used in the outro and some can be heard in the bridge.