Trap Sounds and Production with FM8 Part 3 - The Rise and Lead

We start off by working on the riser synth, which will add a lot of the tension and build up of energy in the project. As you can see in the video, it is actually a quite simple sound. The core of this riser synth is all about finding the right waveforms, a touch of modulation from Operator C, some feedback on the individual operators to sharpen things up a bit and then balancing the separate tones to sound as one. Then the Master window is set up to increase the total number of unison voices to four, set the synth to run in monophonic mode, add detuning, spread the voices out via the pan parameter and introduce some analog and digital quality. The operator envelopes are set up to ensure the right delivery and development of sound over time. Shape the sound to your taste with EQ, etc and then set up the pitch envelope. That’s it!

Now we can start on the lead synth element. This is a fairly simple square-saw synth, with a filter in place to allow for modulation over time. The synth is set to run in monophonic mode on the Master window, and the total number of unison voices is increased to eight. It is detuned significantly and then the voices are spread out using the pan feature. This widens the sound greatly! Analog and digital quality are added for character and then it’s off to set up the operator envelopes. Shape the sound with some EQ and add a dash of reverb, set up the pitch envelope to get the riff going and this sound is done!

Cheers,
OhmLab