Smooth Pads / 40 Shebib Sound

Osciller

New member
I know this has been asked / answered before.. But I'm still not quite achieving the sound I want.


I'm trying to get smooth pads (If they are even labelled pads), like you hear in R&B Tracks, and in Drake's (40) Production..

Just that really chilled out, atmospheric type of sound.

I've been trying, but it ends up sounding the same most of the time, and doesn't have that movement that those tracks have.. I'd post some examples but my post count doesn't allow that.. I think you guys get the point anyways.

I feel these are most prominent in R&B, so I'm just asking what are some ways to achieve this, without using presets.. I like to do everything original! Thanks!

Not trying to be spoon-fed.. Just a few general ideas on how you guys have achieved it, to get me moving in the right direction!

Also, sometimes, I'll create a little chilled out pad, with all the high end out, but I'll turn my speakers up to hear it nice, and it gives this like distorted / phased sound, and causes my speakers to sound all weird, like an ear piercing kind of sound.. Even though I take all of the high end out? .. I can turn a Drake song up like this, and my speakers don't do that.. So I don't think it's my speakers.. Which means I'm doing something wrong... Any ideas?
 
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In terms of your second question, what is the effect chain you're using on the pads?
 
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man look up making "deadmau5" presets and dada life n shit on the tube....they got these square/saw pads that u can automate the cutoff on, n when u have a real low cutoff it sounds like a pluck and when you turn it up its a spacey type pad. I got one i made in massive and one i made in sylenth, but i like my sylenth one better.


I know them dudes didnt invent this sound, thats just who i knew to type in to learn to synthesis it.
 
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There was an old thread bout 40's drums and the consensus seem to be he used a low pass filter with a reverb (short) on a lot of his tracks. I'm not sure it's universal with all his beats, but he does it a lot. I've tried it a couple of times and it comes somewhat close. But i do think it has to do with whatever the source drum before he treats it. My 2 cents, hope it helps.

In terms of your second question, what is the effect chain you're using on the pads?

Most of the time just EQ out the top of it.. A reverb, sometimes big, other times small.. Possibly a Chorus, and maybe distortion..

Right now I have this Pad I'm working on.. Pretty simple pad, just two squares basically, with the high end cut out, and some reverb, and in the synth a chorus..

If I lower the sound really low on the mixer, and throw a limiter on the master, to bring the levels up, it gets this buzzing / clippy sound.. And it's not clipping above -0dB at all!

I've tried removing all the effects in the past, and it does the same thing.. But other sounds won't do what it's doing..

I'm using Massive (I doubt that matters?) .. Any ideas? :/


man look up making "deadmau5" presets and dada life n shit on the tube....they got these square/saw pads that u can automate the cutoff on, n when u have a real low cutoff it sounds like a pluck and when you turn it up its a spacey type pad. I got one i made in massive and one i made in sylenth, but i like my sylenth one better.


I know them dudes didnt invent this sound, thats just who i knew to type in to learn to synthesis it.

Yeah, I was going to try that.. Dubstep and House have some pretty epic pads.. Hmm.. Thanks for the tip!
 
EQing normal pads to take away the lows and highs seems to be the easiest way to get his types of pads.
 
YOOOOOOOO turn the volume down in massive bro, youre probably clipping massive if its making that nasty sound but not clipping in the mixer



and yeah like dude above me said that spacey sound is in the mids alone very little highs and no lows of course to keep room for ur bass and kick. n i mean No lows!
 
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EQing normal pads to take away the lows and highs seems to be the easiest way to get his types of pads.

Thank you!

YOOOOOOOO turn the volume down in massive bro, youre probably clipping massive if its making that nasty sound but not clipping in the mixer



and yeah like dude above me said that spacey sound is in the mids alone very little highs and no lows of course to keep room for ur bass and kick. n i mean No lows!

Dude, I believe that was the problem! I still get a little clipping sound when I pull it up too high in the mixer (And the volume still isn't clipping) Is this normal? Not clipping in massive now but still getting that clippyness if I bring it up too high! Maybe I just shouldn't push it so much? ..

You guys are great.. Fast responses! I love it :D
 
yeah bro make sure massive is a good distnace from clippin and do the rest in the mixer. it may just be the sound youve created though
 
yeah bro make sure massive is a good distnace from clippin and do the rest in the mixer. it may just be the sound youve created though

Yeah.
I am getting closer to what I want.. I just feel like it needs to be louder.. But when I take it louder it gets that clippyness.. But not clipping.. Hmm.. And no where near clipping in Massive. Oh well, sounding better than before at least, haha :D
 
Yeah.
I am getting closer to what I want.. I just feel like it needs to be louder.. But when I take it louder it gets that clippyness.. But not clipping.. Hmm.. And no where near clipping in Massive. Oh well, sounding better than before at least, haha :D

have you tried compressing the sound? The loudness should come after ur mix n shit tho...just put a limiter on the master to get the volume u need to create and mix a lil as you go, then do your master plugins and final mix at the end
 
Didn't really try compressing it.. Maybe I should.

And that's what I'm doing.. Mixing it really low, but putting a limiter on the master, and bringing it up.. But it doesn't seem loud enough still, so I bring the level up on the Pad, and it still doesn't clip, but gives a bit of a clippy sound.. Maybe I'm just assuming it's too low, and bringing it up too high.. But it still shouldn't make that sound, should it? I'm doubting it's my speakers, since I can turn other songs up pretty loud, and they don't get that sound.. But maybe I'm wrong.

I guess I'll have to play with it a bit...

I do usually mix as I go though, and just bring it all together in the end :)
 
i cant help u less i heard it haha but idk ur instruments should hit around the -15 and below -15 is kinda high imo
 
i cant help u less i heard it haha but idk ur instruments should hit around the -15 and below -15 is kinda high imo

Thanks for all of your help man! Didn't expect to get such quick replies, and such helpful ones at that!

Also, I checked out your beats.. Nice stuff man! Keep it up!
 
Thanks for all of your help man! Didn't expect to get such quick replies, and such helpful ones at that!

Also, I checked out your beats.. Nice stuff man! Keep it up!

Yeah no doubt, really glad I can help someone. And thanks bro! Same to you.
 
Compression can help, but not as much as the synth settings and the low/h i passing of the pad to fit the song.
 
Compression can help, but not as much as the synth settings and the low/h i passing of the pad to fit the song.

Are there any ways of turning a pad into a synth? by that i mean, eliminating the buildup in most pads.
 
I have similar issues as the OP, what kind of compression would one use for pads of this style? I use logic if that helps...
 
I never compress my pads, because they generally stay at one level by themselves.

I think the most important thing with a pad is the EQ. What i normally do is Cut out at around 800 and bring that down by at least -12db's. That along with some reverb or delay or both, usually seems to do the trick to make it "atmospheric".
 
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