Snoman R. Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys, and Techniques

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basic pluck timbre but it may be worth using the synthesizer’s unison feature

to thicken the sound out further depending on the mix. If this isn’t possible

granular delay can be used in its place to widen the timbre.

TB303 LEADS

Although we’ve already seen the use of a TB303 when looking at programming

basses, they are a versatile machine and are also equally at home creating lead

sounds by simply pitching the bass frequencies up by a few octaves. The most

not-able example of this was on Josh Wink’s Higher State of Consciousness and this

same effect can be recreated on analogue (or analogue emulated) synthesizer.

Only one oscillator is required and this is a sawtooth due to the high number of

harmonics required for it to cut through a mix. The sound should start immedi-

ately on key press, so it requires the amp’s attack to be set to its fastest position

but the decay can be set to suit the type of sound you require (as a starting point

try a medium decay and no sustain or release). Using a low-pass ﬁ lter set the cut-

off quite low and the resonance so that it sits just below self-oscillation. The ﬁ l-

ter envelope is set to a fast attack with no sustain or release, but the decay needs

to be set so that it’s just short of the amp’s decay stage. Filter key follow is often

employed to create additional movement but it’s also prudent to modulate the

ﬁ lter’s cut-off with velocity so that the harder the key is struck the more it opens.

Finally the timbre is run through a distortion unit and the results are ﬁ ltered

with an external or plug-in ﬁ lter to ﬁ nally mould the sound. In some instances,

it may also be worth increasing the ampliﬁ er’s decay so that the notes overlap

each other and then switch on portamento so that they slur into each other

while the riff is played.

DISTORTED LEADS

There are literally hundreds of distorted leads but one of the most popular is the

distorted/phased lead used in many house tracks and, in particular, by Daft Punk

and Tomcraft. The basic patch is created using single sawtooth or if you need it

slightly thicker, two saws detuned from one another by 5 cents. The amp envelope

is set to a zero attack with a full sustain, a short release setting and the decay to

around a quarter. As always, the decay will have the most inﬂ uence over the sound

so it’s worth experimenting with to produce the sound you need. The ﬁ lter cut-off

should be set quite low, while the resonance should be pushed up pretty high to

produce overtones which can be distorted with effects in a moment. The ﬁ lter’s

envelope will need adjusting so that it reacts with the sound, so set the attack, sus-

tain and release to zero and the decay so that it’s slightly longer than the amp’s

decay setting. Ideally, the ﬁ lter’s envelope should fully affect the sound so as a start-

ing point set this so that it fully affects the ﬁ lter and then experiment by reducing

the amount until the basic timbre you want appears.

Distortion and phaser are also applied to the sound, but as previously touched

upon, the distortion should come ﬁ rst so that the subsequent phaser also works

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on the distortion. It is important, however, not to apply too much distortion

otherwise it’ll may overpower the mix and become difﬁ cult to mix. Preferably,

you should aim for a subtle but noticeable effect before ﬁ nally applying a

phaser to the distorted signal. How much to apply will obviously depend on

the sound you require but exercise caution that you do not apply too much

otherwise the solidity of the timbre can be lost. In some cases it may also be

worth applying portamento with a slow rate to enable the sound to slew into

one another which, as a result, brings more attention to the phased effect.

THEREMINS

For those with no idea of what a theremin is, it consists of a vertical metal pole

approximately 12 –24⬙ in height which responds to movements of your hands

and creates a warbling low-pitched whistle dependent on your hand’s position.

The sound was used heavily in the 1950s and 1960s sci-ﬁ movies to provide a

‘ scary’ atmosphere when the aliens appeared but has made many appearances

in lo-ﬁ music. The most notable example of this use in music can be heard on

Portishead’s Mysteron .

These are incredibly simple to create and can be reproduced on any synthesizer

using a sawtooth wave with a low-pass ﬁ lters cut-off parameter reduced until it

produces a soft constant tone. On some digital synthesizers you may need to raise

the resonance to produce the correct tone but most analogue synthesizers will pro-

duce the tone with no resonance at all. This is also the example of one lead where

the ampliﬁ er’s attack is not set at zero; instead this is set at halfway along with the

release while the sustain is set to full. Theremins are renowned for their random

variations in pitch, so you’ll need to emulate this by holding down a key (around

C3) and using the pitch wheel to introduce the variations from waving your hands

around. If the synthesizer has access to portamento then it’s also advisable to use

this to recreate the slow shifting from note to note.

HOOVERS

The hoover sound originally appeared on the Roland Juno synthesizers and has

been constantly used throughout all genres of dance music including techno,

house, acid house, breakbeat, drum ‘n’ bass and big beat. In fact, these still

remain one of the most popular sounds used in dance music today. Originally

in the Juno they were aptly named What the … but due to their dissonant tonal

qualities they were lovingly renamed ‘Hoover ’ sounds by dance artists since

they tend to share the same sound as vacuum cleaners … Honestly …

The sound is best constructed in an analogue/DSP synthesizer as the tonal qualities

of the oscillators play a large role in creating the right sound. Two sawtooth oscil-

lators are used to create the initial patch and these need to be detuned as far from

each other as possible but not so far that they become two individual timbres.

The sound starts immediately, so the amp’s attack is set at zero mixed with a

short decay and release and sustain set to just below full so that there is a small

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pluck evident from the decay stage. The ﬁ lter should be a low-pass with a low

cut-off and a medium resonance setting which is modulated slightly with

the ﬁ lter’s envelope. This latter envelope is set to a medium attack, decay

and release but no sustain, but you need to exercise caution as to how much

this envelope modulates the ﬁ lter, since settings that are too high will result

in a timbre that’s nothing like a hoover. To add the typical dissonance feel

that hoovers often exhibit, the pitch of both oscillators will also need modu-

lating using a pitch envelope set to a fast attack and a short decay. This, how-

ever, should be applied negative rather than positive so that the pitch bends

upwards into the note rather than downwards. Finally, depending on the

synthesizer recreating the timbre it may need some widening, which can be

accomplished by washing the sound in chorus or preferably stacking as many

voices as possible using a unison mode.

‘ HOUSE ’ PIANOS

The typical house piano was drawn directly from the Yamaha DX range of

synthesizers and is usually left unmodiﬁ ed (due to the complexity and pain-

ful experience that is programming with frequency modulation). In fact, if you

want to use the house piano, the best option is to either purchase an origi-

nal Yamaha DX7 synthesizer or alternatively invest in Native Instruments FM-8

VST instrument. This is a software emulation of the FM synthesizers produced

by Yamaha which can also import the sounds from the original range of DX

synthesizers.

Acquiring the FM piano is difﬁ cult on most analogue synthesizers and often

impossible of most digital synthesizers (well apart from the DX range of

course!) because of the quirks of FM. Nevertheless, if you want to give this a go

it can be accomplished by using two oscillators set to sine waves with one of

the oscillators detuned so that it’s at a multiple of the second oscillator. These

are then frequency modulated to produce the general tone. The amp envelope

is then set to a fast attack, short decay and release and a medium sustain with

the ﬁ lter key-tracking switched on. To produce the initial transient for the note

a third sine wave pitched high up on the keyboard and modulated by a one

shot LFO (i.e. the LFO acts as an envelope – fast attack, short decay, no sustain

or release) will produce the desired timbre. As a side note to this, if you want

to produce the infamous bell-like or metallic tones made famous by FM syn-

thesizers, use two sine oscillators with one detuned so that its frequency is at a

non-related integer of the second and then use FM to produce the sound.

ORGANS

Organs are commonly used in the production of house and hip-hop, with

the most frequent choice being the Hammond B-4 drawbar organ. This gen-

eral timbre, however, can be emulated in any subtractive synthesizer by using a

pulse and a sawtooth oscillator. As the sound starts on key press the amp uses a

zero attack with a full sustain and medium release (note that there is no decay

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since the sustain parameter is at maximum). A low-pass ﬁ lter is used to shape

the timbre with the cut-off set to zero and the resonance increased to about

halfway. A ﬁ lter envelope is not employed since the sound should remain

unmodulated; but if you require a ‘click’ at the beginning of the note you can

turn the ﬁ lter envelope to maximum but the attack, release and sustain param-

eters should remain at zero with a very, very short decay stage. Finally the ﬁ lter

key follow should be set so that the ﬁ lter tracks the current pitch which will

produce the typical organ timbre that can then be modiﬁ ed further.

GENERIC LEADS

So far, we’ve looked at some of the most popular timbres used for dance leads

but as previously touched upon, there are literally thousands of combina-

tions available, so what follows is a brief overview of how to produce the basic

patches that can be used as the basic building blocks to further develop upon.

1. As a starting point to trance, techno, big beat and lo-ﬁ leads, mix a saw-

tooth oscillator with a square wave and detune them by at least 3 to pro-

duce a wide timbre. The amp EG is set to a fast attack with no sustain

and a medium release with a short decay. The ﬁ lter’s (usually a low-pass

to keep the body of the sound) cut-off is set low with a medium reso-

nance setting with the envelope using a fast attack, medium decay, low

sustain and no release. The amount the ﬁ lter envelope modulates the ﬁ l-

ters will determine much of the sound, so start by using a high value and

reduce it as necessary. Employ ﬁ lter key follow so that the ﬁ lter tracks the

pitch and then experiment with LFOs modulating the ﬁ lters and pitch. If

the sound still appears thin at this stage, make use of the unison feature

or add another square or sawtooth to produce a thicker sound.

2. As a starting point for hip-hop (assuming that you don’t want to sam-

ple it) and chill-out a triangle wave mixed with a square or saw wave

detuned by 5 or 7 will produce the basic harmonic patch. Using a

low-pass ﬁ lter, set the cut-off and resonance quite low and set the key-

tracking to full. For the ampliﬁ er envelope, use a fast attack with a

medium decay and release and a sustain set just below the decay param-

eter. For the ﬁ lter envelope, it’s prudent to use an attack that’s slightly

longer than the amp’s attack stage, along with a medium decay, low sus-

tain and a release just short of the amp. Sync both oscillators together

and use an LFO to add some vibrato to the ﬁ lter and the oscillators.

3. As a starting point for UK garage, try starting with a square, sine and tri-

angle wave each detuned from each other as much as possible without

them appearing as distinct individual timbres. From this, use a low-pass

ﬁ lter with the cut-off set quite high and no resonance, and set the key-

tracking to full. Use a zero attack, long decay, medium sustain and no

release for both the ﬁ lter and the amp envelopes and modulate the pitch

of the triangle wave with either positive or negative values.

4. The basic timbres that the vintage techno and house sounds were based

around can be easily created on any analogue/DSP synthesizer by detuning

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saws, triangles or square waves by a 3rd, 5th or 7th. The choice of which

of these oscillators to use obviously depends on the type of sound you

require but once elected they should be detuned by an odd amount. The

ampliﬁ er EG is generally set at a zero attack, sustain and release while the

decay is used to shape the overall sound. The ﬁ lter envelope is normally

set to match the amp’s EG, although if you require a pluck in the sound,

the decay should be set slightly shorter than the amp’s decay. The ﬁ lter is

always set at low-pass and a good starting point is to use a high resonance

with a cut-off set about midway. Key follow is employed so the ﬁ lter tracks

the keyboards pitch and it’s quite common to employ a pitch envelope on

both oscillators so that they pitch either up or down while playing.

The data CD contains audio examples of these timbres being programmed.

PROGRAMMING SOUND EFFECTS

Sound effects can play a fundamental role in the production of dance music

as they have a multitude of uses from creating drops and adding to builds to

sitting in the background and enhancing the overall mix. Indeed, their import-

ance in dance music production should not be underestimated since without

them a mix can sound dry, characterless or just plain insipid.

For creating sound effects in a synthesizer, the most important parameter on a

synthesizer is the LFO as this can be used to modulate various parameters of any

sound. For instance, simply modulating a sine wave’s pitch and ﬁ lter cut-off with

an LFO set to S &H or noise waveform will produce strange burbling noises while

a sine wave LFO modulating the pitch can produce siren-type effects. There are no

limits and as such no real advice on how to create them as it comes from experi-

menting with different LFO waveforms modulating different parameters and oscil-

lators. Generally, though, the waveform used by the LFO will contribute a great

deal to the sound effect you receive. Triangle waves are great for creating bubbly,

almost liquid sounds, while saws are suitable for zipping type noises. Square wave-

forms are good for short percussive snaps such as gunshots and random waves are

particularly useful for creating burbling, shifting textures. All of these used at differ-

ent modulation depths and rates, modulating different oscillators and parameters

will create wildly differing effects.

Additionally, if you’re using wave editors you shouldn’t discount their uses in cre-

ating sound effects. Most wave editors today feature their own synthesis engines

that allow you to create and mix raw waveforms that can then be affected and

treated to any plug-in effects you may own. For example, Steinberg’s WaveLab

test signal generator is very similar to an additive synthesizer, allowing you to

create sounds containing up to 64 different layers of waveforms and treat each

individually to different frequency, tremolo and vibrato values. There’s little need

to use this many layers as this will often results in a sound that’s far too complex

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to be used as a sound effect so you don’t have to worry about typing in 64 differ-

ent values for each.

Normally, most sound effects can be acquired from using just two or three

waveforms and some thoughtful and creative thinking. The real solution to

creating effects is to experiment with all the options at your disposal and not

be afraid of making a mess. Even the most unsuitable noises can be tonally

shaped with EQ and ﬁ lters to be more suitable.

To help you along in your experiments, what follows is a small list of some

of the most popular effects and how they’re created. Unfortunately, though,

there are no speciﬁ c terms to describe sound effects so what follows is a rough

description of the sound they produce, but from what we’ve covered so far in

this chapter simply reading about how the effect is created should give you a

good idea of what they will sound like. And, of course, if you’re still not sure,

try creating them to see how they sound …

SIREN FX

The siren is possibly the easiest sound effect to recreate. Set one oscillator to

produce a sine wave and use an amp envelope with a fast attack, sustain and

release and a medium decay. Finally, use a triangle wave or sine wave LFO to

modulate the pitch of the oscillator at full depth. The faster the LFO rate is set,

the faster the siren will become.

WHOOPING FX

To create a ‘whooping effect ’ use one oscillator set to a sine wave with a fast

attack, no sustain or release and a longish decay on the amp EG. Modulate

the pitch of this sine wave with a fast attack and long decay set to a positive

amount and then programme a series of staccato notes into a MIDI sequencer.

Use these to trigger an arpeggiator set to one octave or less so that it constantly

repeats the same notes in a fast succession to create a whoop, whoop, whoop

effect.

ZAP FX

To create a zapping effect turn the ﬁ lter cut-off down to zero and increase the

resonance until it breaks into self-oscillation, creating a pure sine wave. Set

the ampliﬁ er’s attack to a fast attack, sustain and release and a medium decay,

and use these same settings on the ﬁ lter envelope. Set this latter envelope to

fully modulate the ﬁ lter and then use either a triangle or saw wave LFO set at a

medium speed and full depth to modulate the ﬁ lter’s cut-off.

EXPLOSION FX

To create explosive type effects requires two oscillators. One oscillator should

be set to a saw wave while the other should be set to a triangle wave. Detune

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the triangle from the saw by ⫹3, ⫹5 or ⫹7 and set a low-pass ﬁ lter to a high

cut-off and resonance (but not so high that the ﬁ lter self oscillates). Set the

amp’s envelope to a medium attack, sustain and release but with a long decay

and copy these settings to the ﬁ lter envelope but make the decay a little shorter

than the amp’s EG. Use a sawtooth LFO set to a negative amount and use this

to control the pitch of the oscillators along with the ﬁ lter’s cut-off. Finally,

use FM from the saw onto the triangle and play low down on the keyboard to

produce the explosive effects. Notably, the quality of the results from this will

depend on the synthesizer being used. Most digital and a few analogue synthe-

sizers don’t produce a good effect when FM is used so the effect will differ from

synthesizer to synthesizer.

ZIPPING FX

This effect is quite popular in all forms of dance and is created with two oscillators

and an LFO to modulate the ﬁ lter frequency. Start by selecting a saw and triangle

as the two oscillator waveforms and detune one from the other by ⫹7. Use a fast

attack and release along with a medium-to-long decay and medium sustain on

the amp’s EG and using a low-pass ﬁ lter, set the cut-off quite low but use a high

resonance. Finally, set a sawtooth LFO (using a saw waveform that moves from

nothing to maximum) at full depth to slowly modulate the ﬁ lter’s cut-off and, if

possible use an envelope to modulate the LFOs speed so that it gradually speeds

up as the note plays. If this is not possible, you’ll have to increase the speed of the

LFO manually and record the results into a sampler or audio sequencer.

RISING SPEED/FILTER FX

Another popular effect is the rising ﬁ lter, whereby its speed increases as it opens

further. For the oscillator you can use a saw, pulse or triangle wave but a self-

oscillating ﬁ lter provides the best results. Set both the amp and ﬁ lter EG to a

fast decay and release but a long attack and high sustain. Use a triangle or sine

LFO set to a positive mild depth and very slow rate (about 1 Hz) to modulate

the ﬁ lter’s cut-off. Finally use the ﬁ lter’s envelope to also modulate the speed

of the LFO so that as the ﬁ lter opens the LFO also speeds up. If the synthesizer

doesn’t allow you to use multiple destinations, you can increase the speed of

the LFO manually and record the results into a sampler or audio sequencer.

FALLING SPEED/FILTER FX

This is basically the opposite of the previously described effect so that rather

than the ﬁ lter rising and simultaneously speeding up, it falls while simultan-

eously slowing down. Again, set both the amp and ﬁ lter EG to a fast decay and

release with a long attack but don’t use any sustain. Use a triangle or sine LFO

set to a positive mild depth and fast rate to modulate the ﬁ lter’s cut-off. Finally

use the ﬁ lter’s envelope to also modulate the speed of the LFO so that as the

ﬁ lter closes the LFO also slows down. If the synthesizer doesn’t allow you to

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use multiple destinations, you can decrease the speed of the LFO manually and

record the results into a sampler or audio sequencer.

DALEK VOICE

The Dalek voice isn’t just for Dr Who fans as it can be used in place of a

vocoder to produce more metallic style voices that are suitable for use in any

dance genre. This can be accomplished by recording your voice into a sampler

or sequencer and feeding it, along with a low-frequency sine wave, into a ring

modulator. You can experiment with the results of this by changing or using

cyclic modulation on the pitch of the sine wave entering the ring modulator.

SWEEPS

Sweeps are generally best created using sawtooth oscillators as their high har-

monic content gives the ﬁ lter plenty to work with. Start by using two oscillators

both set to sawtooth waves and detune them as far as possible without them

becoming individual timbres and feed the results into a ring modulator. On the

amp’s envelope, use a fast attack, decay and release but set the sustain param-

eter to maximum and then use a slow saw or triangle wave LFO to modulate

the pitch of one of the oscillators and the ﬁ lters. For the ﬁ lters, a band-pass will

produce the best results set to a medium cut-off but a very high resonance (but

not so high that is self oscillates). Finally, use a second saw, sine or triangle

LFO to modulate the ﬁ lter’s cut-off to produce the typical sweeping effect.

GHOSTLY NOISES

To create ghostly noises from a synthesizer use two oscillators both set to triangle

waves. Using a low-pass ﬁ lter set the cut-off quite low but employ a high resonance

and set the ﬁ lter to track the keyboards pitch (ﬁ lter key follow). Adjust the amp’s

EG to a fast attack with a long decay, high sustain and medium release and set the

ﬁ lter’s envelope to a fast attack, long decay but no sustain or release. Finally, using

an LFO sine wave very slowly (about 1 Hz) modulate the pitch of the oscillators

and play chords in the bass register to produce the timbres.

COMPUTER BURBLES

Computer burbling noises can be created in a number of ways but by far the

most popular method is to use two oscillators both set to triangle waves.

Detune one of these from the other by ⫹ 3 cents and then set the ﬁ lter envel-

ope to a medium attack with a long decay with a medium release and no sus-

tain. Do the same for the amp’s EG but use a high sustain and set the ﬁ lter’s

envelope to positively but mildly modulate a low-pass ﬁ lter with a low cut-off

and a high resonance. Finally ensure that ﬁ lter key-tracking is switched on and

modulate the pitch of one, or both, of the oscillators with a noise or sample

and hold waveform. This should initially be set quite fast will a full depth but

it’s worth experimenting with the depth and speed to produce different results.

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SWOOSH FX

To create the typical swoosh effect (often used behind a snare roll to help in creat-

ing a build-up) the synthesizer will need both ﬁ lter and amp envelopes but also a

third envelope that can be used to modulate the ﬁ lter as well. To begin with, switch

all the oscillators off, or reduce their volume to zero, and increase the resonance

so that the ﬁ lter breaks into self-oscillation. Use a ﬁ lter envelope with no decay,

a medium release and attack and a high sustain and set it to positively affect the

ﬁ lter by a small amount and then use a second envelope with these same setting

to affect the ﬁ lter again, but this time set it to negatively affect the ﬁ lter by the same

amount as before. Set the amp’s EG to no attack or sustain but a small release time

and a long decay and use a saw or triangle wave LFO set to a medium speed and

depth to positively modulate the ﬁ lter’s cut-off. This will create the basic ‘swoosh ’

effect but if possible employ a second LFO set to a different waveform from the

previous one to negatively modulate the ﬁ lter by the same amount.

The data CD contains audio examples of these timbres being programmed.

PROGRAMMING NEW TIMBRES

Of course, there will come a time when you want to construct the timbre that’s in

your head but for this it’s important to note that you need to be experienced in

identifying the various sounds produced by oscillators and the effects they have

when mixed together. Also you need to be able to identify the effect positive and

negative envelope can impart on a sound along with the effects produced by an

LFO augmenting parameters. If you have this knowledge then constructing sounds

isn’t particularly complicated and just requires some careful consideration.

Firstly, when you’re attempting to come up with sounds on your own, it’s

important to be able to conceptualize exactly what you want the instrument

to be. This means that you need to imagine the completed sound (and this is

much more difﬁ cult than you envisage!) and then take it apart in your mind by

asking a series of questions such as:

■ Does the timbre start immediately?

■ How does it evolve in volume over time?

■ Is the instrument synthetic, plucked, struck, blown or bowed?

■ What happens to its pitch when it’s sounded?

■ Are there any pitches besides the fundamental that stand out enough to

be important to the timbre?

■ Does it continue to ring after the notes have been sounded?

■ How bright is the sound?

■ How much bass presence does the sound have?

■ Does it sound hollow, rounded, gritty or bright and sparkly?

■ What happens to this brightness over time?

■ Is there any modulation present?

■ What does the modulation do to the sound?

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The answer to all these should be written down on paper otherwise you can

easily loose track and wind up going in another direction altogether. As a more

practical example of how this form of sound design is accomplished, we’ll tear

a sound apart and reconstruct it.

The data CD contains audio examples of these timbres being programmed.

We need to begin by examining a sound and then break it down into its subse-

quent parts. For this we can use the following chart as a general guideline:

General Sound Technical Term Synthesizers

Parameter

Type of sound Harmonic content Oscillators waveforms

Brightness Amplitude of

harmonics

Filter cut-off and

resonance

Timbre changes over time Dynamic ﬁ ltering Filter’s envelope

Volume changes over

time

Dynamic amplitude Ampliﬁ er envelope

Pitch Frequency Oscillators pitch

Sound has a cyclic

variation

LFO modulation LFO waveform, depth

and rate

Tremolo (cyclic variation

in volume)

Amplitude

modulation

LFO augments the

ampliﬁ er

Vibrato (cyclic variation in

pitch)

Pitch modulation LFO augments the

pitch

Sound is percussive Transient Fast attack and decay

on the ampliﬁ er

Sound starts immediately

or fades in

Attack time Lengthen or shorten

the attack and decay

stages

Sound stops immediately

or fades out

Release time Lengthen or shorten

the release on the

ampliﬁ er

Sound gradually grows

‘ richer’ in harmonics

Filter automation Programmed CC

messages or a slow

rate LFO augmenting

the ﬁ lter cut-off