| Hey aash, Transforming your presets into unique sounds for house, techno, and electro isn't as hard as it sounds. In this edition, we look at simple tweaks you can do on your presets to make your tracks sound different. We break it all down for you, showing how to adjust parameters, add effects, and use modulation so you can sound different.
🎵 Preset TweaksFilter Settings- Cutoff Frequency: For deep techno bass, keep it low (100-200 Hz). For bright house leads, go higher (2-4 kHz).
- Resonance: Add 10-20% to introduce a nice squelch, perfect for acid house or adding character to techno.
- Filter Type: Switch between low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass filters to drastically change your sound.
Envelope Shapes- Attack: Short attack (1-5ms) for techno kicks; slow attack (300-500ms) for house pads.
- Decay: Quick decay (50-150ms) for plucks and bass, longer decay (200-300ms) for electro stabs.
- Sustain and Release: Lower sustain (0-20%) and moderate release (100-200ms) for dynamic sounds.
- Waveform Selection: Sawtooth waves for gritty techno leads; sine waves for clean house basses.
- Detuning: Slight detuning (5-10 cents) can thicken your sound, adding richness especially for electro leads and pads.
🎛️Adding EffectsReverb- Decay Time: 2-4 seconds for lush house pads, 1-2 seconds for tight techno stabs.
- Pre-Delay: 10-30ms to add clarity and space.
- Mix Level: 20-40% for subtle reverb; 50-70% for more atmospheric effects.
Delay- Time: Sync to your track’s BPM. 1/4 note for house, 1/8 note for techno.
- Feedback: 30-50% for depth without cluttering.
- Mix Level: 15-30% to balance delay with the dry signal.
Modulation Effects- Chorus: Depth of 20-40% and rate of 0.5-1 Hz for widening house pads and leads.
- Phaser: Rate of 0.1-0.5 Hz and depth of 30-50% for sweeping electro effects.
🎚️Modulation TweaksLFOs (Low-Frequency Oscillators)- Assign to Filter Cutoff: Sync to project rate (1/4 or 1/8 note) with 10-20% depth for rhythmic movement.
- Assign to Pitch: Small depth (2-5%) for subtle vibrato effects on electro leads.
Envelopes- Modulate Oscillator Mix: Fast attack (10ms), medium decay (300ms) for dynamic blending.
- Modulate Effects Parameters: Assign to reverb decay or delay feedback to automate evolving sounds.
🎹Video TutorialAre you a musician? Watch this video to learn how to use samples to blend any genres 🎶
🎵More from our BlogSynth Playground: Underrated (and free) VSTs
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