Recording synths can be one of the most fun but sometimes excruciating experiences. Trying to get just what you want takes years to learn. We have assembled some tips from our years tweaking synths that are simple tips that make a big difference.
- Split Up The Hands. Often times two hands of keyboard can be a
little much in the mix. Record the two hands separately and see if both
voicings are needed. - Play With The Sustain Pedal. Even
on some Instruments you wouldn’t expect, this can give you a sound you
would never imagine. This can a tiny bit of magic you didn’t think of
before. - Record With A Preset, Tweak It After. One of
the things amazing programmers do is get the sound in the ballpark with
a preset and then tweak it later on and fine tune all the cool details
after the part is recorded. - Try A Different Octave. Experiment
with the octave the keyboards are played in. The movement up or down an
octave can open up a mix and free it of clutter. - Watch Your Releases. One
of the thing that separates the men from the boys in the keyboard
department is being neat with when you let go of the keys. While many
can play notes on time, finnesing when you let go of each note is what
makes a part really shine. - Check Your Image. Many synth
patches aren’t real stereo. Put your signal in mono and flip the phase
on one side and make sure your synth patch isn’t take up an unnecessary
tracks and DSP. - Does It Need To Be Stereo? While many
synth patches are true stereo with interesting image variations. Panning
every synth in stereo will leave little room in your mix. Bounce or pan
some synths to mono as you need to. - Use Filters. High
pass and low pass filters are two of your biggest friends in getting
synths to fit in a mix. Learn to tweak them as best you can for improved
results. - Record Dry. Many synths can have cheap reverbs
and delays on them. If you aren’t in love with the effects on a synth
patch take it off and apply them in the mix. - One Is Enough. One
of the biggest beginner mistakes is to layers numerous synths on top of
every part. Try to make all of your synths work with just one or two
playing each part. Anything more can be a clutered mess.