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I've been experimenting and playing and toying and listening and trashing and trying, and I am having the hardest time in the world coming up with some original patches. I can't seem to work very effectively from scratch. I'm great at looking at some on the wiki and modifying them to see what happens. But from scratch I'm at a complete loss....it's really driving me crazy.
So the question is, what method do you use to approach creating an instrument patch?
I dunno if I have any specific method. I usually have a very clear picture of what sound I want and how to accomplish it. I've been programming synths for some 20 odd years and the gameboy with LSDj comes off as pretty uncomplicated.
I can recommend you make the most of the tables if you want something more original sounding. Try using all sorts of commands there. Envelope, Vibrato, Pitch. (Personally I don't use the dedicated Volume column but rather E commands instead.) Explore different vibrato settings, transpose a single tick...
That's what I can think of from the top of my head.
making sounds is the part i love the most. practice practice play experiment.
if you're still unsure of what you're doing maybe try playing around with simple waveforms in fruity loops, it might help make it clearer in your head with a graphical representation.
I'll either make bunch of crazy patches and then mold those into a track or I'll write a bunch of loops with simple wave forms and then embellish them with more interesting patches later. Either way, like trash can man said, use your tables. They are the only way your going to be able to get any texture in either of the pulse channels. Just throw commands all over the place and see what happens - vibrato, envelope, pulse width and hop are all your friend.
For the wav channel, just experiment. You'll get the hang of it eventually.
first, i write the part out in the phrase screen. then i hit play. then i go to the instrument screen and edit it until it sounds like what i want.
Try and emulate the sound of more traditional instruments - for instance, a string player will typically play shorter notes without vibrato, but if a note is held out, they add it a moment after the initial attack. Volume swells also work well for string type instruments.
Oh yeah and 2nded re: lsdsng.com. there's a lot of cool stuff on there.
I'm on LSDSNG.com, just don't have anything to upload till I finish my kit.
Seeing lots of interesting ideas here. Thanks guys!
Ill start out with an idea of the sound i need, EG Bassy kick, snare, crunchy lead synth. If im having trouble pulling my own sound, scour some forum till you can find someones patch setting, try it out, modify it, get an idea of whats happening and how the sound is being created, then try for yourself.