# Looking for the kind of Synthesisers Metal bands use



## Moo (Mar 17, 2017)

Hey guys,
First of all: I'm sorry for the bad title but hence I dont know what the thing I'm looking for is called the title of this thread is kinda clunky 

A while ago I realised what a synth in the background of a metal-track can do and how powerful it is although most listeners won't even know that there's some sort of synthesiser involved. 

A Band called architects use that quite often and I'm wondering where I can find some vsts or synth patches I could use to have a similar "room filling" sound in the background of my tracks.

In this track its pretty obvious:
[Youtubevid]0d-1ZilyKdw[/Youtubevid]

Things I did in the past to get a similar overdub for my tracks:
- Use clean guitar with a lot of reverb and delay
- Use Piano (especially the one that comes with "Olafur Arnalds Composer Toolkit" by Spitifre Audio) with a lot of reverb


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## kamello (Mar 17, 2017)

first of all; 

FFS I love that song way too much

the specific kind of synth you are refering is a pad, my favourite type of synth because, as you say, it can really make some sections sound powerfull 

now on topic; I tend to use (and abuse) of the layers resource a lot, and my favourites options for this have been 

-. Soundtoys Echoboy, which I believe is Acle Kahney (from TesseracT) favourite reverb plugin, it can create very lush atmospheres out of the simplest melodies (and any kind of shimmer reverb would do wonders) 
Tom Searle in particular used a Strymon Bigsky with a Strat and a VOX AC30 for a lot of the layering of the last 2 Architects albums

-. Abysnth, all the Pad presets sounds really really good and you have a bazillion of options. I tend to find something new and interesting every time I boot it up


also, keep in mind that Architects use quite a lot of stringed instruments in some of their songs (think Memento Mori) so an orchestra library can really get you towards the vibe you are seeking.


now, for some shameless self promotion:
If you wish, go on and check the last song I posted here in the forum, I used all the resources I mentioned above while going for a similar vibe

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/showthread.php?t=320357


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## JDC8 (Mar 17, 2017)

Did you try U-he Zebrallete synth? I dont know if you will get the same exact sound, but there are hundreds of really cool sounds. You can also check on this video that cycles thru some of them.

BTW, really cool song @kamello. I listen to it yesterday and really loved it (also browsed some other song in your soundcloud, really nice stuff). I didn't coment because this is my first coment ever in sevenstring =)


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## Fretless (Mar 17, 2017)

I personally use a Korg Kronos, like many other synth players, it's a fully loaded work station that has everything you could ever really need. Others use things like a Nord Lead, DSI Prophet, Micro Korg, Komplete (requires a midi controller), and other various soft or hardware synths.

Massive and Razor are two vst's I use a lot in production, and then I switch to using my Kronos for actual recording.


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## Moo (Mar 19, 2017)

Fretless said:


> I personally use a Korg Kronos, like many other synth players, it's a fully loaded work station that has everything you could ever really need. Others use things like a Nord Lead, DSI Prophet, Micro Korg, Komplete (requires a midi controller), and other various soft or hardware synths.
> 
> Massive and Razor are two vst's I use a lot in production, and then I switch to using my Kronos for actual recording.



Do you have any great massive-presets for that kind of stuff we are talking about? I recently bought Komplete 11 ultimate


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## JohnIce (Mar 19, 2017)

That song sounds like it's a distorted guitar with 100% wet reverb, possibly some kind of shimmer reverb. It might have been played with an ebow. That said, lots of synths can do a similar thing, it's the reverb that matters. I think Kontakt, or something granular like Alchemy, would be a good starting point over more standard synths like Massive.

I think that's the case wih most synths/ambience in metal songs these days, they're more fx than anything. So if this is the type of sounds you're looking for, it's better to find a really nice reverb plugin that you can throw on anything, as opposed to looking for synths. A synth is just a sound generator, they often have built-in effects but usually nowhere near as practical as dedicated plugins.


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## niffnoff (Mar 20, 2017)

Man, I have been so out of the loop on Architects apart from the last album, I am still trying to figure out what synth they used on Hollow Crown. I think literally the tone in question is all reverb and delays to give it that ethereal sound.


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## Moo (Mar 20, 2017)

yeah I've used delay and reverb for that matter for some time now but I thought that there could maybe be a simpler solution to that...

Underneath the verse-riff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93OXn3PTpdA&ab_channel=RedfieldDigital

all over the place: (In the c-section there are several VSTs involved as well)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcOiisTjVTE&ab_channel=RedfieldDigital

Most of the time I used the kemper profile "Use your V. knob" and tweaked it a bit ...


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## MrYakob (Mar 20, 2017)

I saw the title and thought "Hmm like the stuff Architects uses?" was happy to see you link that video 

It's a pretty expensive suite but Omnisphere is a great synth for that kind of stuff


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Mar 20, 2017)

I use the Arturia V-Collection 5, but my music and influences are more old school than the clip example that was shared.


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## JohnIce (Mar 20, 2017)

Moo said:


> yeah I've used delay and reverb for that matter for some time now but I thought that there could maybe be a simpler solution to that...



Well, a synth with a strong FX section could be a simpler solution. Though if you have Komplete, you've got Reaktor right? There's some fantastic free stuff from Boscomac for your kinda stuff, in particular Stellar, Freezbee and Floodverb for FX, and also the Air Piano if you want an all-in-one instrument. All free: http://boscomac.free.fr

I bet if you ran a dry guitar through Stellar and then either of the other two reverbs, you'd have the sound in the Architects song you posted.

The pitched delays in the latest Kemper firmware are of course good too if you haven't tried them, but I don't think there's a reverb in the KPA yet that can do the kind of wash we're talking about here.


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## Moo (Mar 26, 2017)

JohnIce said:


> Well, a synth with a strong FX section could be a simpler solution. Though if you have Komplete, you've got Reaktor right? There's some fantastic free stuff from Boscomac for your kinda stuff, in particular Stellar, Freezbee and Floodverb for FX, and also the Air Piano if you want an all-in-one instrument. All free: http://boscomac.free.fr
> 
> I bet if you ran a dry guitar through Stellar and then either of the other two reverbs, you'd have the sound in the Architects song you posted.
> 
> The pitched delays in the latest Kemper firmware are of course good too if you haven't tried them, but I don't think there's a reverb in the KPA yet that can do the kind of wash we're talking about here.



Thank you!!
The Freezbee is really really nice! Now I just have to figure out a way to controll the "Freeze"-switch by programming. Otherwise I have to record each chord separately


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## Fretless (Mar 26, 2017)

Moo said:


> Do you have any great massive-presets for that kind of stuff we are talking about? I recently bought Komplete 11 ultimate



Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I don't actually save presets. I make each sound for each song specifically. It forces me to work out new ways to make sounds for each song.


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## owenmakesstuff (Mar 28, 2017)

Omnisphere! The amount of options is insane. It's a little overwhelming to sift through but you have some good indication as to where you can start. Lots of noisescapes and ambient pads but a lot of texture synths as well. Easily mixable too. Worth the investment for sure. I use at least one pad on every track I make nowadays.


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