Synth lead sound that isn't cheesy?

[Adieu]

I think it's SUPPOSED to sound like a button-phone ringtone...

 

[Voodoo Marshall]

"I'm mainly looking for that sharp cutting "like a guitar" sound. I love the more atmospheric stuff as well but I have that stuff more dialed already."

Try your guitar w/ an E-bow or similar and run it through an EHX Mel 9, Synth 9 or similar. The fact that it IS a guitar makes all the difference to me.

 

[MFB]

Wow that's pretty wild, I must check that out...

Since it's getting thrown around, might as well just link it; this start at the part where he talks about splicing the chainsaw with his Mayones (99% sure his 9-string was a Mayo), but honestly this whole thing is worth a watch. The long and short of it is that he created the riffs, and then there's basically a database that plays them as the conditions applied to them are met, but those conditions also have different rules applied to them so it alters how the riff plays/which riff will play next/etc...

 

[ShredmasterD]

Bodom/Strato are the cheesy kinds I'm talking about. It just sounds too "synth" and too weak.

Listening to the recs. Also I keep my ears peaked when I listen to synthwave but it needs to cut through massive quad+ tracked guitars and I think a lot of stuff isn't up to that task, even if it sounds good by itself.

I might try stacking some random stuff and hitting it hard with distortion. Maybe add a fifth to make a power chordy thing. And maybe avoid too synthy stuff like simple saw waves. If I could take stuff that sounds more like a guitar di and stack it a bunch of times, maybe detune each part a bit, I feel like that could do it. But I'm not even sure how to do that practically. I have a rompler type hardware synth but it's mostly gotguitars and those won't be dry sounding enough I don't think.

I want it huge, angry and wild. And cutting. Like a guitar but better, idealli

Is it possible? How would you go about it?

Most synth leads/solos I hear in guitar based music sound pretty cheesy and not really aggressive. I think it's often just a distorted saw wave or something similar but not really sure... I'd like something more aggressive but I'm not sure exactly how.

Anybody got tips?

i may be misunderstanding you. are you trying to create synth tones on you guitar or looking for keyboard sounds for leads on a synth?

 

[Dr. Caligari]

i may be misunderstanding you. are you trying to create synth tones on you guitar or looking for keyboard sounds for leads on a synth?

Keyboard! But if it sounds more like a guitar I wouldn't be sad.

 

[Dr. Caligari]

Of course I'm not opposed to doing wacky stuff with my guitar too though!

I checked out that Doom rig btw and it's pretty serious business. It would be cool to do something in that vein but a rig that big is of course not exactly convenient.

 

[ShredmasterD]

Keyboard! But if it sounds more like a guitar I wouldn't be sad.

ah! i see now said the blind man. if you were trying synth via guitar i might have some ideas, but the other way around not as much. Fishman makes a wireless hexpickup you can control a midi synthi with and that way your not locked into the Roland guitar synthesizer ecosystem.

Fishman TriplePlay Bridge Wireless MIDI Pickup

Wireless MIDI Guitar Pickup System for Electric Guitar with Hexaphonic Pickup, Wireless Transmitter, Wireless USB Receiver, and Software Bundle - Mac/PC

www.sweetwater.com

TriplePlay FC-1 Controller - Fishman

www.fishman.com

 

[Winspear]

Probably tough music to listen to for some but I highly recommend a dig through this for inspiration!

 

[DECEMBER]

You mean a synth sound made with a guitar?
eBow!
They sound great, not cheesy. On clean it has a bit of an overdrive sound. With a little drive it's an aggressive synth lead sound.
Run it thru flanger, phaser, delay... You can do a lot with an eBow. My first one lasted 22 years. Finally died and I got a new one this year.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

My go to synth lead is the mini Moog or the Oberheim OB-XA, but I’m and old school RUSH fan.

 

[Lemonbaby]

Keyboard! But if it sounds more like a guitar I wouldn't be sad.

For different synth sounds from the usual suspects (Moog, Oberheim, etc.) my favourite virtual instruments are:

- AIR Music Technology Loom II: very distinct additive synthesis with massive modulation/morph capabilities
- Waves Flow Motion FM Synth: the name says it all, but it's so far beyond what a DX7 could ever sound like

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

Since it's getting thrown around, might as well just link it; this start at the part where he talks about splicing the chainsaw with his Mayones (99% sure his 9-string was a Mayo), but honestly this whole thing is worth a watch. The long and short of it is that he created the riffs, and then there's basically a database that plays them as the conditions applied to them are met, but those conditions also have different rules applied to them so it alters how the riff plays/which riff will play next/etc...

Nah the 9-string was a Schecter Damien that he sold after the first DOOM reboot. He uses Mayo exclusively now but just 7s & 8s