Making Psy Trance with FM8 Part 4: Psy Pad

This is the final episode in this month’s members only series, and Jonny kicks down some great knowledge and insights throughout this lesson. This particular sound has a nice edge to is, so it will work nicely in a mix with the other sounds that have been made in this tutorial series. With just the right amount of detuning and a perfect balance of waveforms, this pad is well-formed in the FM Matrix before any changes are made anywhere else in FM8. Of course, you can take a few moment at this point to customize it to your own liking so it better fits in your project.

Once the core sound has been set up in the FM Matrix, we can move into the Master window. Here the total number of Unison Voices is increased to five. They are then spread out via the Detune and Pan parameters, making this pad much wider and more interesting. Some Analog and Digital Quality is added for more character, grit and the slightest touch of extra movement.

Now that the sound has been developed, the envelopes can be set up to ensure the right delivery and development over time. Although Operators D-F only need the Release paramater extended a bit to avoid any unwanted clicking, the envelopes for Operators B and C will need more work. To set up a sustain region in the envelope curve, you will need to add a new break point by right-clicking where you want it to be placed. Once done, you can then shape this region to your liking and it will add a nice rhythmic element to the pad when notes are sustained – Perfect for Psy Trance music!

At this point, the basic sound is set. Now the Filter and Pitch envelopes can be tweaked to add more interest and movement. In this example a pitch bend is added through the pitch envelope that repeats when a note is sustained. You can also introduce some effects to help the pad fit your project better. A Phaser, Reverb and Chorus/Delay are all added in the video, which work together to extend this sound quite a bit and also help to make it seem much larger. Overall, this is a great fit for the project that has slowly been coming together throughout the series. Make sure you experiment with each one of these sounds to make them your own and help them work in your projects!

Cheers,
OhmLab