Quote Originally Posted by COL ECSTATIC
Next, raise the reasonance so it begins to self-oscillate then roll back...
He's talking here about the low pass filter - called LP, LPF, VCF, Filter or something similar, depending on your synth. This is a common feature on synths which allows Low Frequencies to Pass through, while eliminating high frequencies.

I could go on for pages here. You might see several different LP filter settings on your synth - like LP 12 or LP 32. This tells you the order of the filter used - how sharp the cut-off is. The 'cut off' point (also called 'Frequency') is the frequency at which the high frequencies start to get cut. Lower this and you start to lose high end detail. Lower it more and you lose the whole character of the sound. Eventually you're left with the most bassy part of the sound - the fudamentals. The higher the order number, the harder the sound you'll get from the filter, put simply. Put in a more complex fashion, it's the characteristics of the cut-off curve measured in dB per octave. Don't worry about this if you don't get it yet! ;)

Resonance (sometimes called 'Q') gives a boost to the frequencies at the cut-off point. Increase this and sweep your cut-off point around. At very high settings you'll get a scream - careful of your ears! This is self-oscillation, if your synth is capable of it (It should be). At lower settings you're simply boosting harmonics and removing others, so you're just changing the character of your sound.

A good bass sound must have a full, deep powerful bass - but also some character given by higher frequencies. You could, for example, use a high resonance and sweep the cut-off point down to the bass region - 100-250Hz ish - and you'd have a big bass sound. However, it would have no higher frequencies - the note information would get lost and it would probably sound out of tune.

It's easier to pick out notes with higher pitched sounds... And other sounds in your mix can kinda pull your bass out of shape with their harmonics.

So, the best way to do this is to use your cut-off with a reasonable res. to 'tune' your bassline to your track. As you sweep the cut-off through the sound, you'll hear certain frequencies stand out... Find the ones which fit the mix and cut through.

Be careful about the sound of the kick drum - this'll be working in the same frequency range, so you'll need to use EQs to make room in each sound for the frequencies of the other to come through.

Or just alternate the kick and the B-line, like most hard trance: kick-whum-kick-whum-kick-whum, etc.

At the same time as sorting out your kick & B-Line harmonics, you can use the EQs (parametric are best for this) to emphasise the parts of the bass (and kick) sound you want to hear. Use it like a less destructive filter - you can make a spike, which is like resonance, and sweep it around to give richer sounds, more attack harmonics, etc. Q, this time, means the width of the spike.

You can also make a dip instead of a spike, and carve away harmonics that sound out of tune, or wrong - or just lower them to change the feel of the sound. Things sound more natural if boosts are made with wide Q settings. Cuts can be pretty clinical without sounding strained... We're making pretty unnatural music, howerver, so do whatever sounds good!

Back to filtering, you can apply an envelope to your filter cut-off. In the same way that the loudness of the sound changes over time with the AMPlitude envelope, the filter cut-off will change with the filter envelope... Read the instructions to find out how to apply the curve of your envelope generator - EG - to your filter. This allows you to add a sweeping growl to your bass with the resonance... Or trun it into a short blip with a fast sweep. Have fun with these sounds! This is how you make your trance leads, pads, etc. as well!

By the way, when you get the 'Effects and processors' book, don't read the chapter on patchbays. And stop reading the chapter on mixing desks when it gets too much. You'll not need that information for a while...

Not until you move over to Logic or Cubase or something. Or start working in an analogue studio. Or get your own desk!

If you can get your hands on Reason, it'll make things easier when you want to try out the techniques outlined in the book.

Finally, in 'Modern Recording Techniques' ignore the bits on tape recording, microphones and the like until you need to use them. Or you just get interested. Pay special attention to the parts of the book that outline how to build your studio... Correct speaker placement and room lay-out is essential!

Let me know if you find this useful, or if any of it is unclear!

Cheers,

Tequila.