Are your synth lines not really cutting
the mustard? Does the top end lack a little fizz, or do you find the
lows to be a touch inconsistent? Then perhaps you should indulge in
a spot of layering....
When people discuss 'layering' up synth
lines, they're usually talking about getting the same MIDI part
playing on two or more synths at the same time. There are plenty of
reasons why you might want to do this, and a few why you wouldn't, and that's what we'll be examining here.
The first, and arguably most common,
reason for layering up your synths is that you want a bigger sound.
If your lead line isn't quite cutting through the mix, then try
doubling it with a fizzy sound, high-pass filtered such that it
doesn't clash too much with the main line (at least above 1 - 2kHz).
In general you should be looking for a fairly subtle effect; take a
simple synth patch, blend it in very quietly, and make sure it's
doing only what's required. The majority of the character of the
sound should be coming from the main synth patch; if you start trying
to get several big and crazy synth lines playing at the same time
you'll only end up in mixdown hell as you try to compress, sort out
phases and automation and volume on several synths simultaneously.
To this end, don't be afraid of using presets or simple sounds for
any synth layers that will secondary to the main sound, although
many producers like to stay away from presets for reasons of
originality, here you're just using it as a tool, to bulk up another
sound. It's the main patch people will be listening to, so just grab
something that works and move on!
Similarly at the low end, many big
synth patches make great bass sounds, but don't quite cut it for
sub-bass. In this case, try high-passing your synth at something
like 150Hz (or perhaps even up to 200Hz if it's getting muddy in your
mixdown) and layering in a straight sine wave for the sub bass.
Again, simpler is better, and a sine wave is perfect for sub bass.
Be sure to make the volume envelope match that of the main synth (or
at least make sure it will sound good on a system, by giving it a
touch of decay and release), add a touch of compression and you're
good to go. It really doesn't need to be any more complicated than
that.
When layering a new synth line to
complement an existing patch, you need to make sure it matches your
main patch in a number of ways; chiefly volume, space and filtering.
If your main patch filters up and down, make sure your layers do
likewise to avoid leaving them high and dry (try sending them all to
a buss and filtering that for simplicity). Send your layers to the
same reverbs for consistency, and if your main patch moves around the
stereo field, then ensure your layers do too. If the volume of the
main patch changes, then reflect this in the layers. Paying close
attention to all these points will help the layers blend in with the
main patch much more than anything else. So many forum heads will
insist that you jump straight in with frequency analysers and
multiband compressors, this is a tricky and complicated way of
solving a problem that can often be avoided!
On the subject of filtering, one common
reason for requiring layering is that when you change filter levels,
the weight of the sound can change with it. For instance if you've
got a chunky bass sound with a resonant low-pass filter on it, then
when the filter cutoff is at a low frequency, the resonance will give
you a boost at those low frequencies. But then when you turn up the
cutoff, the resonant boost moves, great for giving that acid
adrenaline feel, but it doesn't help when you wanted to keep the
low-end weight. So in this case, it's often helpful to double the
synth patch with itself, and have one patch with the filter down, low
passed and unchanging. Then high-pass the other, and you can alter
the filter as much as you like, without affecting the weight of the
patch.
Another area where layering synths can
come in extremely handy is with samples, especially melodic
samples taken off an old vinyl. Typically, these may be badly
recorded, lacking in high or low end (or both) but will usually have
loads of character. So in cases like these, you can use the same
techniques, get an unobtrusive synth patch, programme it to match
the sample, and fold it into the mix as subtly as you can to fill out
the sound. With a little tweaking, you'll end up with a
full-spectrum sample that sounds crisp and finely EQ'd but that still
keeps all the character of the original.
The possibilities of layering up your
synth sounds go well beyond the scope of this article, but this
should give you a few ideas on how to proceed! The golden rules are
to keep it simple, make sure you program the layers in detail to keep
them true to the main patch, and watch out for clashing or
overlapping frequencies. Once you've taken heed of these, feel free
to layer away....
