Hi. I have been using Caustic for a few months now. Just feeling my way through the app, trying to imitate tracks i love, in order to learn the app.
I've watched a fair bit of Brockhard's content on YouTube. Without his videos i don't think i would have persevered. So thank you if you are reading.
One thing i am struggling with, which some of you may be able to help with is finding or creating the right sound.
I don't mean the sound in general but individual instruments.
I have compiled a list of ten sounds with Youtube links if any of you are willing to give me some pointers i'd be very grateful.
I'm aware that j could sample these sounds but that would defeat the object of learning.
I think its best if i split this up into sections rather than 1 long post or it will become tedious for you and confusing for me.
If you want to help but don't have time to listen to them all, then please head straight for sound 5 and sound 6 as these are the main ones. Thanks.
Here are sounds 1 and 2. Get your disco gear on for this one....
0.01-0.32
1) What is the oww oww oww oww noise called? What instrument and or effects do i need to make it please? Or can i make it from scratch somehow?
2) In the same piece, near the same point, there is what sounds like a piano/keyboard going Duh duh, duh duh.
Again, what instrument is it? And instrument type is it please? And what effects do i need to apply please? If any. Or can i make my own sound somehow?
Thanks for reading all this.
Sounds 3 & 4 follow shortly.
None of these are that great, threw them together quick so don't expect much but maybe will help you get started out give you some ideas what to look for.
First one sounds like fairly straightforward pitch drops. Notice in the modsynth the rear pitch knob is turned up high. Then there's a decay envelope going into that input as well as the mod (volume) input. So when a note is played, the envelope is fully open, as it decays both the volume and the pitch drop at the same time.
Sounds like an electric piano of some sort. Many electric pianos (or synths) in the 90's had limited memory so they used a very short piano sample just for the initial attack then the rest of the note was synthesized. Also sounds like a little FM synthesis there, like the old DX-7. I put 2 piano sounds in there and combined a bit of both.
By the way, I'm a huge Brand New Heavies fan, brother sister is one of my favorite groove/funk albums, some serious acid jazz influence on that one I think.
Caustic Song file (optional):
https://soundcloud.com/stoons-1
https://soundcloud.com/st-csound
https://youtube.com/channel/UCGhwmkS1uWmX6mhTIQ0IDsg
Hey thanks for this.
Before I check it out I wanted to tell you that I'm buzzing to discover another BNH fan.
I went to see them on my own at Manchester Academy in either late 1993 or early 1994. (showing my age here lol) It was around the time that Brother - Sister was released. It was such an uplifting gig. They had N'Dea Davenport with them and she looked and sounded incredible. Everybody in the crowd was dancing and loving it.
I really like "Brother Sister" too. It's a very strong album. There is something for everyone on there. "People Giving Love" even ventures into dub reggae territory. I think my favourite on that album is "Spend Some Time". There are some good remixes around as well.
Did you get "Heavy Rhyme Experience"?
A lot of that still sounds fresh today. The only thing I dislike is calling it volume 1, then not doing a volume 2.
Have you ever heard the "Original Flava" version of "Never Stop"? One of the lads sings it instead of N'Dea. I adore N'Dea but I like his version equally. In case you haven't heard it, here is a link....
https://youtu.be/fQaOQgaqTiM
Brand New Heavies always make me feel better.
Changing genre totally here but another "legal high" in musical form is The Prodigy - The Prodigy Experience. I find it impossible to listen to that album and feel sad. I don't normally listen to rave/breakbeats or anything that fast but it makes me grin and I think Liam is a genius.
Ok. Back to Caustic...
Using the C-SFXR Tool, I managed to create something similar to the disco noise but I didn't save it properly and I've not managed to recreate it since.
Well, you said it wasn't great and I'm inclined to agree.
It's so much better than great. It's incredible. You've nailed it. Not only that but you've put it all together. The whole section.
It's a hundred times better than the fart I made on the C-SFXR
Thank you so much. I really appreciate you spending your time to do that.
It really helps me a lot.
I have to confess, I have shyed sway from using the Modular Synth. it's a whole new level of bewilderment.
I've been picking my way through Brockhards tutorials on YT , then he does the Modular Synth and there are like a dozen or so of them. I do intend to go through them but my phone screen is cracked and it's difficult to move the wires around.
Even the drums you have added have taught me a lesson.
I'm so impressed. Thank you.
Sorry, late reply.
I didn't do a great job with the piano sounds but glad you found the rest useful. Took me awhile to get into the modsynth but in the long run it's well worth the time. What you learn from it can be applied to all synths, in and out of Caustic.
The tutorial vid is good, also Brockhard has some nice stuff as you mentioned. I started some but kinda lost steam along the way, maybe at some point I'll follow up. You might find the Understanding Modular Synthesis - Part 1 vid useful in learning to differentiate between control signals vs audio:
https://youtu.be/LB2y5InGM9s
When you start understanding how you can use something like an envelope (ex. the DADSR) or an LFO to control things like the Pitch, it helps you to figure out how to create or recreate sounds you've heard, or imagined.
Here's a simple example, where you can see how different DADSR settings can affect something simple like the pitch. The oscilloscope is a handy tool to visually see how (virtual) control "voltages" are affecting the audio pitch, or FM etc.
Just try playing notes on the keyboard of each modsynth - for some you should hold the note for a few seconds to hear the effect better.
Caustic Song file (optional):
https://soundcloud.com/stoons-1
https://soundcloud.com/st-csound
https://youtube.com/channel/UCGhwmkS1uWmX6mhTIQ0IDsg