In today’s Synth Secrets we’re cooking up a gritty bass patch that would sound right at home in a jump up D&B track along the stylistic lines of artists like Amplify, Upgrade, or even more recent offerings from the venerable Chase and Status. Several times along the way you’ll probably say “Yeah that sound works” and we could just stop there. But the synth we’re using – u-he’s Zebra 2 – is very deep and it allows us to take sharp turns in sound design as we add different synthesis elements and processing, and that’s what we’ll do. Really though, a seven-step tutorial only hints at the de ..read more

Ambient techno blends atmospheric soundscapes with minimal beats, creating immersive and meditative experiences. In this Synth Secrets, we’ll craft one of the main pillars of ambient techno—pads—from scratch using FabFilter Twin 3 and Pro-R 2. Techno is often synonymous with hard grooves, hypnotic four-to-the-floor drums, and dark clubs. However, as with most electronic music, there is an assortment of associated microgenres. One such is ambient techno. It merges soundscapes with minimal percussion, focusing on mood and texture. Several well-known artists, such as Carl Craig, The Orb, and Aph ..read more

A sine wave is more adaptable than you think. In this tutorial, we're using Zebra by u-he to make a sine wave, the main arpeggio in our track. There’s something about building a good sine wave synth patch that lends a track a kind of mellowness and atmosphere that you can’t get any other way. From the lead in Oakenfold’s classic club trance banger Resurrection to a supporting role in recent dance hall D&B like Wilkinson’s Here For You (the sound appears right about here, the sine wave proves it’s better for more than just sub-bass. In today’s Synth Secrets, we’ll design an arpeggiated and ..read more

Load up Hive by u-he or a synth of your choice, and let's make a hard-hitting drum & bass rave-ready lead from scratch. If you’ve been into drum & bass any time in the last decade, you’ve surely come across a track or a mix by Metrik. His hard-hitting, rave-ready sound has been a crowd favorite for years, and today, we’re going to use u-he Hive to build sounds in his vibe – specifically a lead. The only samples we used were drum hits from Splice’s Noisia sample pack, a distorted guitar from Sample Focus, and some one shots from Ableton’s core library. You can use anything, though, as ..read more

MiniFreak V is a new addition to Arturia's V Collection X. We have the physical counterpart let's load up it's new sibling and try making a synthwave bassline inspired by Com Truise, Kavinsky et al. In 2023, it feels like every day, there is something massive being announced. It's been a whirlwind of gear releases, and Arturia has played its part. The Acid V made our "Best Gear 2023" roundup, and they have since followed it with V Collection X (10). The new collection includes two entirely new instruments, two bottom-up rebuilds, four community-requested modern synths and composition sounds ..read more

We tackle 'A Walk' by Tycho using Hive2 bu u-he. Tycho is known for his ambient and downtempo soundscapes, which effortlessly blend elements of chillwave, ambient, and post-rock. His compositions evoke a dreamlike atmosphere and have garnered him widespread admiration among electronic musicians. 'A Walk' is the opening track from his 2011 album 'Dive' which is full of warm, dreamy synths and Boards of Canada-esque energy. With each track getting tens of millions of streams, the five years it took him to make it, looks like five years well spent. Each step in "A Walk" feels purposeful, a synth ..read more

'Everything In Its Right Place' is the opening tune on Radiohead's Kid A album released in 2000. We show you how to get the sound using Hive 2 by u-he. If you're reading this, you're probably already familiar with the band, album, and sound. However, here's a recap just in case. 'Kid A' is the fourth studio album by Radiohead, released in 2000. It marked a significant departure from their earlier sound, incorporating electronic and experimental elements. The album is known for its haunting and abstract lyrics, creating a sense of disconnection and alienation. It received critical acclaim for ..read more

In this Synth Secrets, we’re using u-he’s Hive 2 to recreate a classic synth effect that’s been used for over 40 years across multiple genres. Today, we will use u-he’s lovely Hive 2 to recreate a classic synth effect that’s been in circulation for more than 40 years, starting in a vintage rock tune and sampled in dozens of house and hip hop tracks. The effect is heard at the very beginning of the Steve Miller Band’s Jungle Love and can be most recently spotted in the fresh house cut I Love It by Phil Greenwood featuring the late great Paul Johnson. During the second breakdown towards the end ..read more

In this synth secrets, we use pitch automation and the analog-emulating qualities of Ableton’s newest synth to craft a bouncy synth stab patch. There’s just something about gliding pitch that works perfectly for chord stabs. It makes them sound full of character, intricate, and simply cool. Ableton’s newest synth Drift has a handy Detune control in its second oscillator, which is ideal for some pitch automation. It sounds even better when layered with the first oscillator that houses the stellar Shape control.  We’ve looked at Drift in previous tutorials to make modulating basslines and ..read more

It's a bonafide techno classic. One of the most iconic tracks from the brilliant Alan Fitzpatrick. Time to take it apart and rebuild the main synth using Hive 2 by u-he. In this installment of Synth Secrets, we will make a rave-ready techno lead heavily inspired by Alan Fitzpatrick’s 'We Do What We Want.' It’s a timeless sound with an old-school vibe that you could create with just about any capable synthesizer and a few effects, but we will be using u-he’s eminently capable Hive 2 and its lovely-sounding onboard effects suite to get just what we want. Set your DAW’s tempo to 126 BPM, use the ..read more