My chords have no balls!

[Sk1nZ]

I seem to keep running into the same problem when layering chords and that is the sound seems thin and a bit lifeless. Im using a fair bit of processing like compression, eq, reverb and saturation and trying to choose sounds which are filling up the spectrum but still running into the same problem

Im out of ideas on what im doing wrong so could really do with some feedback on what to try

Please dont pay any attention to the quick chord melody, i just wanted to show the sound..

Any help much appreciated!

 

[Ametrine]

To be honest, that sounds alright to me. I hear some balls in there.

There needs to be a stronger touch of reverb though. Try to add a reverb without much damping and minimal highcut. That'll strengthen the midrange a bit. Also you can pull back on the diffusion a bit too, and take away some color from the reverb, (or whatever term it is), so the bass fades quicker than the highs.

Layer another synth on top that's a bit lighter and airier to compliment that. And once you add in bass or something underneath, it will sound better.

All these tips are just guidelines really, things to try.

 

[JJM629]

Definitely some reverb and maybe a lower note, if we had a backing to go with it we would be able to help more.

 

[kfelk]

Is this a music theory question or a mixing question?

You can make the chords fatter by voicing them further apart. If all of the notes of those chords in that example are close together, try separating further apart using the different octaves on the keyboard. Maybe have a few repeating notes in there to make it fuller too.

In terms of mixing, you may want to through a mild tape saturation on it. I use Reason so sometimes to make a Rhodes patch sound bright and full I throw a saturation preset on there called "70's Lo Fi", and it works pretty nice.

 

[zjohnson17]

Just a tip for creating chords. A good way to give them power from a musical/theory standpoint instead of mixing is to first of all make sure the lowest note of the chord is what it should be. For example in an A minor chord(the first chord in the A minor Scale which is A, C, E), the chord should contain an A as the bass note. Inversions(having C or E as the bass note) definitely have their place sometimes, but for the most part, having A as the lowest note will make it sound more "stable". This is especially true for the first chord in a chord progression or the last. If you have an E major chord followed by an A minor Chord with A in the bass, this will create a "perfect authentic cadence" which is a verrrrry popular style of ending a chord progression since it sounds like the chord progression has gone right back home and is stable again if that makes sense.

Next, I recommend having the next note be the fifth above it(in this case E) and then the octave above it(the next A note). After that, you would pick the next two notes in the chord(in this case A and C. If you needed an A major chord, every note would be the same except for the C would be a C sharp). These two notes could also be different octaves, but having the bass note, the fifth above, and an octave above that(sometimes called a "power chord")gives a solid sounding foundation to the chord.

If you don't play any instruments that might not make the most sense, so feel free to ask any questions!