Electro, gothic, noise, darkwave from the Side-Line
silikonanswer
offlineMember
Hi,
I am listening to the classic X Marks the Perdwalk Abbatoir re-release (thanks to Infacted for the classic series!) and in my ears it sounds like the basses are mostly FM. They are sharp, nasty and hard as nails. It sounds totally different to those analog trancy :-P presets many bands use today. I really like this aggresive old sound!
Rest assured you're not the only one:)
well yeah the FM sounds more cyber too :D
dodd
offlineTACOS!
Not necessarily.
F242 used the Yamaha DX7 which is FM but they also used a lot of subtractive synths.
Nitzer Ebb's That Total Age was totally made on a SH 101, which is also subtractive and no one can deny that those basslines are dope!
It's true that lots of the EBM greats have used FM but saying that EBM was solely based on FM synthesis is a bit of a stretch since what you essentially need to make a good bassline is a mono synth with a good synth engine like the SH101, moog and etc
rontgen forest
offlineMember
Abbattoir is sitting right in the drawer next to me. "Sharp, nasty and hard as nails" is a perfect description.
spahn
offlineMember
"Sharp, nasty and hard as nails" - sounds like a NIN bootleg
Rogue Process
offlineMember
I must admit I'm a big fan of really aggressive FM sounds. Although I've definitely heard classic EBM bands using subtractive/analog synths, too. Both have their own advantages IMHO.
UH417
offlineMember
Not exactly.
Nitzer Ebb releases are loaded with Oberheim sounds.
TheCDG
offlineMember
That is definitely a bold statement to make. Although probably quite true, as back when EBM was conceived the supersaw was probably not invented yet... If it was, it was probably not used that often or it cost like £2000000000 to get a synthesizer that would do it well.
soillodge
onlineTech Moderator
XMTP as well as many of the bands back then used a ton of analogs like the Sequential Circuits, the Roland, Korg, and Moog beasts, not to mention the liberal use of lo-fi samplers- Akai, Ensoniq, and EMAX. Saying that EBM is based on Frequency Modulation Synthesis is overzealous and inaccurate.
Another thing to consider is that a lot of todays bands are focused in virtual synths. These synths have a limited range considering other forms of actual synthesis which can powerfully produce frequencies that we actually can not hear but effect the overall tone of the final sound. Bands make up for this range of tone with more volume, which is why so many of todays bands sound incredibly compressed.
`michael
dodd
offlineTACOS!
@ soillodge
Another thing to consider is that a lot of todays bands are focused in virtual synths. These synths have a limited range considering other forms of actual synthesis which can powerfully produce frequencies
Can you provide examples?
The reason I ask is because I always used (and had interest in) only hardware synths, I purchased Komplete 5 a few weeks back and I'm amazed at how Absynth can combine subtractive, FM and sample-based synthesis to make patches. So that, to me at least, is not limited at all.
The reason why most of today's band who use Soft Synths suck is because they do half-assed jobs with good tools.
soillodge
onlineTech Moderator
It's that age old analog vs digital sound discussion. Digital virtual instruments are limited by the range of the soundcard output. An analog system does not have these same limitations. And the age old debate is that the things done to sound outside our range of hearing actually change the sound that we hear. Which is why people tend to feel analog sounds are "warm", and capture something that cannot be replicated by a digital emulator.
I used to be like you myself, and honestly I do use VST's + hardsynths. I like to use broken/flawed sounds to get my feeling across. But I do recognize the limitations of my gear and attempt to place things in such a way that they accent each other and work together to form a solid dynamic range. But truth be told, get the best VST synth and an old analog beast side by side through an amp. The analog is going to produce a solid frequency from one end of the audio spectrum to the other. The VST or VA Synth is going to get artifacts or degrading tones somewhere along the line. This is usually compensated for with FX or added volume, end result being audio fatigue in my opinion.
You also are correct, most bands just hit the preset engine and let it fly, never understanding the depths that any one synth can go.
`michael
silikonanswer
offlineMember
I think Nitzer Ebb mixed sometimes FM + Analog to give more punch. And everyone is right, all the above bands used also old equipment which was not FM. What I was trying to say is that bands should use all their weapons in their arsenal and not only relly on analog.
UH417
offlineMember
Ebb filtered their beats through a DX7 sometimes, yes.
the supersaw existed before roland coined the name.
take a prophet 10, detune 10 saw wavs and play em in unison. fatter than any roland supersaw.
now, someone give me a prophet 10, or better yet a prophet t8.
personally, i'll never participate in a analog vs digital debate.
"a poor craftsman blames his tools" and all
if something sounds good to me, it sounds good.
i've got digital and analog kit.. plan on building a modular and plan on getting more digital pieces as well... man i'd love a microwave xt shadow.
well for my EBMish riffs I mix analog, moog and fm sounds as well as my favorite: weird ass noises :D
Sumez
offlineHuge member
I make all my music from samples off the sound effects in Quake 1
didn't trent reznor do the music for one of the quake games?
silikonanswer
offlineMember
Sumez sometimes lees is more :-) Good approach
heretic909
offlineMember
At Berklee they had Oberheim Xpanders for us to use, and you could definitely get EBM sounds out of that thing. Would love to be able to afford one of those things. I also bought a DX7 a couple months ago and am looking forward to getting that plugged into my setup. Need to get some projects finished first before I sit down and delve into that thing.
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