Hi, friends! I am Constant Z. I want to share info on layering as requested by lots of people. In particular - layering synths. I do this in all of my tracks and believe me I know what I'm talking about with my latest tune "Tell Me" making almost 700 000 Spotify streams to date. So let's start.
Usually, my synths consist of three layers - bass, top, and click. To produce all of those I use Massive. To my taste, this synthesizer is capable of virtually anything.
When making bass I usually go with 2-3 oscillators routed through the lowpass filter. To that filter, I will add an envelope and shape it so sound gets kinda plucky. The biggest thing for me when making bass is to have one oscillator with pure SINE. It is very important to give you meaty subs.
The top can be virtually anything - I'll just experiment and try lotta sounds that I've designed before, adjust them till it sounds good. Cut off the lows above 130 hz so it doesn't interfere with subby part of your bass.
Click. This is so simple, powerful and yet often underestimated tool by producers. Especially at the start. Just pick a noise oscillator, adjust the envelope and layer it on top. It will give soo much more presence to your sour. I prefer brown noise in Massive. It makes attack analog and usually fits my taste.
That's all the science behind the whole thing. Rest just takes experimentation and ears. Remember - the biggest things you need is dedication and practice. I believe everyone is capable of making amazing music, it just takes some time and effort. Good luck!
If you find this article helpful - check out my group, where I share free monthly sample/preset packs and post articles every week:
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Submitted December 04, 2016 at 02:25AM by Constant_Z https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/5gdzgn/what_you_need_to_know_about_layering/?utm_source=ifttt