Synth Module
How to Program a Hardcore Dubstep Wobble – Secrets Revealed!
You want to make some big bad bass wobble for you next dubstep track. Ill be going over a few different ways to get that big wobble look, ill be showing you multiple ways to do this and not just using the usualLFO modulator.
So the LFO is one way of getting a Massive dubstep wobble noise but you can get a very similar and more stable wobble by using the envelopes on the filter on your VST. How this works is simple, you get your initial sound (probably a 2 oscillator square wave, slightly detuned, low pass filter etc). Then you set one of your envelopes to trigger the filter cut off, setting the attack in time with the music. This means when you play a note it will start with the filter cut off in a low position and then quickly open the filter exactly like how an LFO would would work but you just get the first open woooow sound rather than a wooowoooowoooow sound like with a LFO. When this method is played with a quick note pattern (short often notes) it sound very similar to an Low Frequency Oscillator.
The Low Frequency Oscillator. This control is probably the main source you will turn to to get your speaker bass wobbling like a true dubstep henchman. These are the main knobs you will find with your LFO
Rate: Controls how slow or fast the cut off frequency is modulated. You can either opt for a in time setting or free setting were you control the timings by hand. There are many arguments for each, but ultimately its up to you. The most common rate for dubstep is the 1/8 or 1/4 settings. A good way to get a wicked variation for dubstep is to have 2 synths one with a 1/8 setting and one with a 1/4 setting and having different rates played per key, so first and second note would be ¼ and the 3rd note a 1/8 setting. This just hypes things up a bit and keep the track fresh.
Amp: This effectively sets the amount of LFOused, a lower setting will mean the cutoff will ttravel less further up to open, and a max amp will mean the filter opens all the way and all the way back to the starting position. to get a nice progression to the track you can automate this setting get deeper as the tracks goes on, perfect for your dub stepping adventures .
Delay: The delay effect is the time before the LFO kicks in after the note is hit. Can be used to create very original sounds combined with other effects.
Sync to note on: Essential this means the LFO will reset on every key press, if its off then playing a different note will make the LFO continue oscillating at its current rate and the note change.
Further, you can combine the 2 effects having a filter envelope for the first part of the sound and then having the Low Frequency Oscillator triggered half a second later using the ‘delay’ setting on the Low Frequency Oscillator (if you have one). This gives a kind of stuttered step in to each note, done right its sound very very Insane indeed especially for dubstep production.
The main thing to remember when engineering music is subtle movements of each control works much better than drastic switches from right to left. All the advanced subtleness of extreme sound creation lies in the finding of the sweet spots of each setting. These are very rarely at either end so be gentle with the machines and you will be rewarded with unique and pleasing (or dis-pleasing if thats your preference) sounds and patches
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