There are other synthesis methods like subtractive, additive, and AM synthesis, which all have their perks and caveats. Plugins like Massive, 3xOsc, chipsounds and Dirty Harry use wavetable synthesis to make sounds. However most WT synths make up for this by encompassing a lot of on-board effects and filters. Wavetable synthesis relies on using pre-defined waveforms, and therefore some people can tell what synth was used to make a sound (a la Modern Talking and Polysaw synths in Massive - easy to pick out). Plugins like Native Instruments's FM8 and Ableton's Operator use FM synthesis to create sounds. However it usually has a clinically clean sound associated with it, and usually the internal distortion is too clean and soft (this can often be fixed with external distortion effects, like Ohmicide or Fast Dist, however). It uses a lot of modulation-based work for making sounds - tweaking a certain knob can uncover a whole new sound, often. With these criteria we can start to see which synthesisers and what synth methods are suiting dubstep.įM Synthesisis always good for getting a vocal sound (the classic "bitcrusher"/"yoi-yoi" sound, usually). Sometimes has a "vocal"/"vowel" sound in the instrument. Often has some form of constant and synchronised modulation on one of the parameters - a filter, pwm, the volume, etc., Now that we know this, let's define what a "dubstep bass" actually is: So, all VSTs have their features that make them stand out from others, ergo making them better for some forms of music. In fact, I use a lot of 3xOsc and Operator in lieu of Massive and FM8 for my music!īut FM8 does FM synthesis, which makes comparing it to 3xOsc or Massive equal to comparing apples and plums. However, both use wavetable synthesis, so are both comparable and can be used for similar things. But why do it when you could just use Massive?). But with the help of it's unique brand of inbuilt automation, one person could create and sequence a simple synthesised drum beat in the one VST, whereas the same thing would not be as possible in 3xOsc by default.Īnd how about the classic and infamous Modern Talking bass? 3xOsc could never really accomplish this, as it can't play the Modern Talking waveform (one could sample it, though, into 3xOsc's custom waveform feature. Now for an example of the latter both Massive and 3xOsc can all make simple sounds with three oscillators and simple on-board envelope control. There's no problem with that personally I like using external effects in comparo to internal ones! But that's just me, and that's why I'd prefer to make a reese in 3xOsc than Massive. With 3xOsc, however, we may need to end up using external filters. Massive can do this with built-in filters and a simple EQ.
We could go one step further and add a lowpass filter and EQ up the low end to help it sit in the bass register better. Take two/three saws, detune two/one of them. Making, say, a very simple jungle reese bassline is accomplishable in both synths. Both are triple-oscillator synths with changeable waveforms. At the same time, and due to their different interfaces, all these different VSTs can also make slightly different sounds that others can't.įor an example of the former, let's use two popular VSTs - Native Instruments's Massive and FL Studio's built in tool 3xOsc. However most VSTs can do the same things. However some have different interfaces and workflows to others. All VSTs do this in one way, shape, or form.
A VST pretty much makes simple sounds and changes them with effects and modulation.We all know that.