Caiman_Isle Posted November 3, 2019 Share Posted November 3, 2019 Hey all, So I've been trying to get make a synth sound similar to one in the intro to the song, "On the Wing" by Owl City. I provided a link in this post. I have figured out that if I take a synth and go to "modulation" in the audioFX and then apply tremolo and drop the "smoothing" setting down to zero, turn the rate up to around 1/16 and fade the depth in and out, I can get kinda close. But Im missing part of it and can't figure out how to do it. How do I get it to sound like it does in the song where it is almost evolving. It has more than just the tremolo on it. It seems like it becomes a sharper/harsher sound at the peaks of the tremolo but then it backs off and becomes softer, more subdued, more smooth, etc. And what type of synth wave is being used there? sine? square? something else? any ideas of presets or how to make a synth like that? I have NI's Komplete ultimate 10 and all of the logic instruments and synths, so there has to be some way I can make a very closely resembled sound to this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solution Mark R Posted November 3, 2019 Solution Share Posted November 3, 2019 Yes, This effect is beyond what Logic's Tremolo FX can do. I used your request to further explore Logic's 'Step FX' which allows you to select one of three independent step modulators, that can all end up being used all at once. I think I got pretty close to replicating the sound in your video's intro. Here is a link to my project file that contains a Retro Synth patch and the Step FX patch. Owl City Maybe Im Dreaming.logicx.zip Explanation follows: First, the tremolo needs a specific curve like the one shown in the first Step Modulator below. Gate Mix is selected on the right so we are looking at step modulator #1. The blue dots are all connected by lines, which shows that they are all "tied". The first step is on the beat and the remaining steps create the basic tremolo shape. The attack-hold-release envelope (on the right) smooths the steps in a way that is not at first visually obvious. Not much about this is documented in the help files so I gradually learned to think of this attack-release graphic as a speed of transition to and from adjacent steps. We want the first step to arrive at full volume so I used an instant attack rate. The next steps are smoothed between the remaining steps but notice this- if the next step is in a positive direction it will slowly ramp up to the next level, not ramp down like a decay. Remember, this graphic is not controlling a simple envelope generator, it is actually a versatile slew rate processor providing in-and-out ramping control. Because the attack-release speed controls show percentage-of-step, the resulting ramp times end up self adjusting with changes to the step modulator's speed. Uniquely cool! The 2nd Step Modulator is simply panning slowly L-R. The 3rd Step Modulator shown below shows that 'Filter Cutoff' is selected and creates the other evolving brightness effect you asked about. A slow smooth filter sweep. The ramp speed envelopes on the right smooths the ins and outs of each step. I also turned on a tiny bit of flanging to mimic the variation between notes. The end result is close but may not quite as smooth as the original artist patch. It might be good to follow the Step FX with a good light chorus effect. Adjust to taste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caiman_Isle Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 WOW! You nailed it! Thanks so much! Another fun trick in the toolbag for me! I can't thank you enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark R Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Your welcome. That is a great little pulse drone sound there. I forgot to add that I got lucky with the Retro Synth sound. "Bright Strings" was the first patch I tried. All it needed was a slower volume envelope, filter off and less vibrato. Oh, also reduced the stereo spread here so the Step FX plugin's panning would be more focused. You should play with the EQ settings to dial up more top end sizzle, and even try replacing the Retro Synth with other synths in your collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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