Recording synths can be one of the most fun but sometimes excruciating experiences. Trying to get just what you want takes years to learn. We have assembled some tips from our years tweaking synths that are simple tips that make a big difference.
1. Split Up The Hands. Often times two hands of keyboard can be a little much in the mix. Record the two hands separately and see if both voicings are needed.
2. Play With The Sustain Pedal. Even on some Instruments you wouldn't expect, this can give you a sound you would never imagine. This can a tiny bit of magic you didn't think of before.
3. Record With A Preset, Tweak It After. One of the things amazing programmers do is get the sound in the ballpark with a preset and then tweak it later on and fine tune all the cool details after the part is recorded.
4. Try A Different Octave. Experiment with the octave the keyboards are played in. The movement up or down an octave can open up a mix and free it of clutter.
5. Watch Your Releases. One of the thing that separates the men from the boys in the keyboard department is being neat with when you let go of the keys. While many can play notes on time, finnesing when you let go of each note is what makes a part really shine.
6. Check Your Image. Many synth patches aren't real stereo. Put your signal in mono and flip the phase on one side and make sure your synth patch isn't take up an unnecessary tracks and DSP.
7. Does It Need To Be Stereo? While many synth patches are true stereo with interesting image variations. Panning every synth in stereo will leave little room in your mix. Bounce or pan some synths to mono as you need to.
8. Use Filters. High pass and low pass filters are two of your biggest friends in getting synths to fit in a mix. Learn to tweak them as best you can for improved results.
9. Record Dry. Many synths can have cheap reverbs and delays on them. If you aren't in love with the effects on a synth patch take it off and apply them in the mix.
10. One Is Enough. One of the biggest beginner mistakes is to layers numerous synths on top of every part. Try to make all of your synths work with just one or two playing each part. Anything more can be a clutered mess.
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