Snare synthesis

dcsux · 2013-11-17T20:45:02.000Z

Hi guys,
Has anyone got any good tips for snare synthesis on the A4?

I’ve read through all the SOS synth secrets pages on snares and whilst being very interesting, I have only been able to translate some of it to the A4. A lot of it is about frequency ratios and frequency shifters, which I’m not too sure how to imitate on the A4.

I’ve managed to construct a pretty basic snare using the noise and the instant attack envelopes with a curved decay of between 20-24 (Env 11).
I’ve also played with introducing a tuned element with Osc 1 & 2.
Modulating the Osc pitch with an LFO cranked to the max rate sounds ok.
The chorus can add some nice twang too.

I’ve made some things that I think are as good as any of the demo sounds from Elektron, but I’ve not managed to create anything I’m really happy with yet though.
I heard a demo (I think it was Void?) with some really nice snappy snares. I couldn’t believe it was the A4 tbh.

If anyone’s got any pointers for top notch analog snares out of this thing I’d be most grateful.

Cheers

Tommy

void · 2013-11-17T21:10:19.000Z

can’t share any sysex right now, but found a pic in my dropbox:

out.jpg1024×3304 899 KB

it should be the values for this snare: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/50830178/snare.wav
(the gallery on this forum downscales the image, but if you right-click/save-as you get full resolution)

ENV2 destination 1 = filter 2 resonance
LFO1 destinations are OSC1/2 levels respectively…
the values don’t need to be super exact, just twerk it to taste :]

there’s also a cheesy groove example using this snare haha: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/50830178/kaese.mp3

dcsux · 2013-11-17T22:03:57.000Z

Awesome, thanks!
I’ll give that a whirl later.

avantronica · 2013-11-18T00:19:24.000Z

[quote=“” dcsux""]
Awesome, thanks!
I’ll give that a whirl later.
[/quote]

yeah, hmm, good luck guessing what those knobs were set at !!!

nice snare though !

DR_Strangeknob · 2013-11-18T02:02:21.000Z

Dope.

dcsux · 2013-11-18T08:40:13.000Z

[quote=“” avantronica""]

[quote=" dcsux"]Awesome, thanks!
I’ll give that a whirl later.
[/quote]

yeah, hmm, good luck guessing what those knobs were set at !!!

nice snare though ![/quote]
Ha! Yes, as I found trying to quickly dial that in before bed last night.
It’s a good starting point from which to experiment though
Didn’t want to be COMPLETELY spoon fed anyway…

PlayRecords · 2013-11-18T10:36:25.000Z

Top idea with the picks… Gives a solid idea of the ballpark and you tune to ear…

L

twardowski · 2013-11-18T13:21:12.000Z

that’s really great!

also Welsh’s Synthesizer Cookbook provides a pretty nifty catalogue of tuned and non-tuned drums.

however, i don’t know about you, but i’ve been struggling to get a decent handclap with little success so far. any advice on that?

whet · 2013-11-18T17:21:18.000Z

Thats the best snare ive ever heard from the A4 .

chad · 2013-11-18T18:17:27.000Z

""dcsux"":

Hi guys,
Has anyone got any good tips for snare synthesis on the A4?

When using the Noise gen as a major part of your Snare Sound try assigning the “S&H” as a modulation destination from either an ENV or LFO. This allows some play with the decay of the noise, you can get results that vary from loose to very snappy.

I’ve also preferred the Band Reject Notch filter for sweeps on snare sounds.

mistakem · 2013-11-19T11:27:14.000Z

my a4 snares always sound so bad, like a combination of white noise and a fridge door slamming

Synthpatic · 2018-03-16T19:53:06.344Z

It doesnt work so well on my AK
does anyone got some snare tricks for it?

matB · 2018-03-16T20:02:06.986Z

asking for ban

Synthpatic · 2018-03-17T15:19:31.055Z

Hi everyone i just bought an analog keys and i am very happy with it but i can not create any good snares.
I didnt build a lot of snares in general on synths so maybe i do some simples mistakes but i can nt get a good high end for it.
i would like to have a 808 like snare with a little bit more base.
Is it possible to layer sounds in one track? would be nice for a drumtrack.

Thanks for any advices