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This is an example of one way I've learned to make sub bass and sine kicks (remarkably close to an 808 kick, if you want it to be) using the modular synthesizer. This is in reference to an exchange I just had with Rej here: http://singlecellsoftware.com/node/6486
You need two things really:
1. a single note dropping in pitch very rapidly.
2. a HIGH PASS (not low pass) filter set to the lowest possible frequency (because of a limitation in caustic you can't adjust the filter precisely in the lowest bass frequencies, although this is not really a problem for this purpose - see link above). The wikipedia article about the Roland 808 drum machine states that the classic sustained kick sound (much like the caustic preset) was a sine wave (Correct, but they neglected to mention it's dropping in pitch) through a low pass filter (NO WAY, incorrect, and if you don't believe me, try it yourself).
You can't hear that the 808 kick (and most sub kicks) are dropping in pitch for several reasons: short duration, of course, but mainly because they are pitched so that as they drop they PASS THROUGH THE POINT OF RESONANCE CREATED BY THE HIGH PASS FILTER. A low pass would do the opposite, magnifying the infrasound and inaudible frequencies as well. The spike of bass created by the note hitting that resonant spot creates the thump of the bass drum. The filter does a triple duty - in addition to the resonance, it also eliminates the infrasound from eating up headrooom, and renders any remainder of the dropping pitch inaudible, as the volume is increasingly attenuated..
Now I wouldn't try this without a limiter behind it (in addition to the final limiter).
In the caustic file, I have set up a very basic sub kick generator which I used, in the past ten minutes or so, to make and export all the kicks (except for the original 808 kick) in the beatbox occupying slot two. If you look at them in the editor you'll see that none are quite the same, but a couple come quite close to the 808's waveform.
The point of this is that if you make your own homemade subs and kicks, and decide the sound isn't right for your song, you don't have to go find another sample, you go make the sound you want.
The generator is straightforward - one low note dropping in pitch via an almost instantaneous decay envelope run to it's pitch modulator (on the back).
This trick works in other octaves, as well as in the other direction, of course to make different sounds. So have fun, make noise, and if you figure anything out I haven't mentioned, please come show me! (:
Do it in the modular.... You need the fast slope decay option for both the pitch, noise, and amp env's..... unless of course you're talking about extra salami and banana peppers on that sub...
um...that's exactly what I did. I had a few beers before writing that - sorry if the post was unclear. If you max out the tempo, you can do the same thing in other synths pretty easily with portamento, but I haven't found any advantage therein. Modular is definitely king.
¿que onda, pachuco?
Cool. I'll try this out later on. Thanks for the info.
Hey donutwater, off-topic but does your alias come from this comic?
Really cool, Rev!
Thanks!
I had fun playing with this and now I know how to make my own kicks....
So, I added an LFO to the Modular.... I put it on the FM and also on the mod of the Decay Filter. .... Lots of new results by moving the dials on the LFO around in both cases.... Check it out. (Added another modular to demonstrate both styles)
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Also, added a saturator here. Play on c3... had results changing the attack on DSAR , can get more thump and tom like sounds, too.
Anywho
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Okay, first: Holy crap, I thought this one was just going to get buried; thanks for reading and trying it out, Ian! I downloaded your caustic files, and I'll have time to check them out this afternoon.
Second, to update what I originally said, the high pass filter in Caustic does not go all the way down to 20 hz, although Caustic itself has no problem playing sub bass. both the parametric and the multi-filter can amplify sub-bass and infrasound even (I've seen it with a spectrum analyzer) but the the high pass will start rolling off decibels somewhere around 50 hz (still pretty low bass). So when I need even lower boom booms, I resample these kicks in the pcm and use the octave and semi knobs to lower my sample (remember when making the original that it's going to be played at a slower tempo) This is what I did on the new version of the phoenix which you may not have seen because I accidentally posted it in the collaberations forum.
¿que onda, pachuco?