urk10 Posted February 9, 2002 Share Posted February 9, 2002 How do you guys make a "killer" brass sound? Do you layer some brass patches or use a trumpet sound+a sax sound+a trombone sound? I really need a good brass sound but it always been my weakness.I tend to do more synth brass than a natural punchy sound.Do you use samples or the sound in your device? I don't know if you watch the David Letterman show but if so,Paul Shaeffer use this brass patch which is kind of cool.This is exactly the sound i'm after. If you think you've made a good brass sound, feel free to share your methods. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbobus Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 I seriously think that a brass sound should be as WRONG (!) as possible. The thing is that if you try to imitate it, it will always sound like a bad imitation, at least that's my opinion. Remember the days of Songs in the Key of Life? Why are the synth strings that great? Because they don't sound like real strings. I always use some eighties Prince-like sawtooth bad-ass patches which I tweaked a little on my Yamaha CS6x (original patch was called PowerSynth). I don't know what synth you're using but try to experiment with the saw thing and see how your band pals are reacting... I'm trying to recall this Shaeffer sound but I think my long term memory is f**ked up. [ 02-10-2002: Message edited by: Superbobus ] http://www.bobwijnen.nl Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Originally posted by urk10: How do you guys make a "killer" brass sound? There are a lot of different "killer" brass sounds. Perhaps you can be more specific. It helps to understand the kinds of articulations that brass players can perform. That way, you can create more realistic parts, even if the timbre isn't exact. Arrangement is half of the battle. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urk10 Posted February 11, 2002 Author Share Posted February 11, 2002 I have a new gig coming up and we do a lot of Blues Brothers stuff,so i will need to do an acoustic brass section.So maybe it's would be a sample based sound i guess. Maybe layering trumpet,alto,tenor and trombone all together?Maybe limiting each sound within the same range as the real one?With some EQ and a little reverb?I'll tweak! This is the MIDI gear i have: Yamaha EX5R ,Yamaha CS6R ,YamahaDX7IIFD Korg Triton ,Korg Wavestation/EX ,Korg Wavestation/SR, KorgTR-Rack ,Korg MS2000 RolandJV2080(orch1,orch2,ethnic,vintage,bass&drum,HipHop,SFX,Session) Kurzweil K2000, Kurzweil K2000RS But on the gig i will only bring my K2000 so i will sample the sound in question to fit in one machine. I will tweak and tweak! Why oh why didn't i take the blue pill! [ 02-11-2002: Message edited by: urk10 ] [ 02-11-2002: Message edited by: urk10 ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobro Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Originally posted by Superbobus: I seriously think that a brass sound should be as WRONG (!) as possible. The thing is that if you try to imitate it, it will always sound like a bad imitation, at least that's my opinion. Remember the days of Songs in the Key of Life? Why are the synth strings that great? Because they don't sound like real strings. I always use some eighties Prince-like sawtooth bad-ass patches which I tweaked a little on my Yamaha CS6x (original patch was called PowerSynth). I don't know what synth you're using but try to experiment with the saw thing and see how your band pals are reacting... I'm trying to recall this Shaeffer sound but I think my long term memory is f**ked up. [ 02-10-2002: Message edited by: Superbobus ] hehe, I like that. Still looking for an excuse to do some awful but entertaining parallel-fifths "brass" sounds- you know, bwap-bwa-bwa-bwap-BWAA-BWAAAA and Caesar in a fiberglass breastplate steps to the cardboard throne... A couple of saws and mostly filter and envelope action to make it sound "brassy", I guess that's the most standard yee-olde approach. As far as "realistic", limiting each sound within the range of the real original instruments like a good idea, and voicing each instrument to play a melody and not just jump around to fill in chord tones, which is probably the most common egregious transgression in synthetic orchestral/acoustic music. Also choosing the size of the brass section and sticking to that; it would be kind of disconcerting if the Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps stepped in for one chord in the middle of a Canadian Brass performance (but that would be pretty cool live). -CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 I am currently getting my best sounds by mixing the stock programs from the Roland XV-5080, Studio expansion board, and sampled instruments from their brass and woodwind collection. My XV-5080 is slowly turning into my orchestra/horn section and I have considered setting it up to auto load about 100 meg of orchestra and brass samples on boot-up. The samples are for that touch of realism while the stock programs are for body and punch. Also, the horn section that sound just right for one song sounds totally out of place in others. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john88 Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 Brass samples tend to sound contrived, especialy when they are used in the "brass stab - accent" context. Good old sawtooth synth lead stuff does the trick,(for most) and can be combined with brass samples. Remember, Paul Sheaffer usually has 2 or3(?) brass players in his vicinity and uses his synths to make the brass section sound larger. Those with the least to say always say it the loudest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted February 11, 2002 Share Posted February 11, 2002 I always thought the TR-Rack had some of the better brass sounds, no??? Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Ratte Posted February 13, 2002 Share Posted February 13, 2002 Only synth horn I've had reliable success with is French horns playing long, slow lines with gobs of reverb. Punchy stuff always sounds like garbage, though I did get some useable stuff after literally a week of tweaking by layering a zillion patches on my Kurzweil 2k. And that went to a cassette 4-track, so it was pretty vague anyways. Yeah, go synth all-out. If you try acoustic horns and it sounds fake (and it will), it'll just feel like you're doing no-budget gospel demos on an $80 Casio from K-Mart. Beware. G. Ratte' http://www.cultdeadcow.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbobus Posted February 15, 2002 Share Posted February 15, 2002 hehe, I like that. Still looking for an excuse to do some awful but entertaining parallel-fifths "brass" sounds- you know, bwap-bwa-bwa-bwap-BWAA-BWAAAA and Caesar in a fiberglass breastplate steps to the cardboard throne... LOL!!! http://www.bobwijnen.nl Hipness is not a state of mind, it's a fact of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted February 15, 2002 Share Posted February 15, 2002 Originally posted by Rabid: I am currently getting my best sounds by mixing the stock programs from the Roland XV-5080, Studio expansion board, and sampled instruments from their brass and woodwind collection. My XV-5080 is slowly turning into my orchestra/horn section and I have considered setting it up to auto load about 100 meg of orchestra and brass samples on boot-up. The samples are for that touch of realism while the stock programs are for body and punch. Also, the horn section that sound just right for one song sounds totally out of place in others. Robert I second the nomination. Roland is great for horns and strings. Bonus - zero boot up load time. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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