Hi ~
It’s been nearly a year since I first got started with Synth V, now I’m getting more curious about how people apply finishing touches to their projects. I know this usually involves adding reverb or other effects.
I don’t really have much knowledge about audio editing so I feel like I don’t really know what I’m looking for. For example:
A song has some type of vocal distortion or glitchy sound, I’d like to replicate this but I don’t know what I’m looking for in software.
or
A song sounds like a choir singing in a church, I know I’d need to look into reverb but I can’t understand what exactly those parameters change and I can’t get the right amount of reverb.
etc,etc,…
The only program I ever used is Audacity when I was a teenager making nightcore edits . I have access to FL studio too but I get really lost in there and can’t do a thing.
I know I’ll have to learn more to achieve the results I want, so I’m definitely not expecting some magical tool.
I’m hoping some of you with more experience are willing to share what software you like to use and if you have some go-to effects you use a lot.
The term you’re looking for is “mixing” and it’s a much broader skillset than simply using SynthV, that is to say there’s a lot more to learn.
The good news is that there are a lot of tutorials for FL Studio and as a DAW it comes with almost all the tools you’ll need.
Try to take it slow and remember that each step of the process (compression, EQ, reverb, etc.) is a separate topic on its own, and will require separate learning. Searching “FL Studio tutorial” won’t help you as much as “vocal compression in FL Studio” will.
But also don’t be afraid to use presets. Focus on learning one thing at a time and keep the rest simple at the start, then expand your knowledge across multiple projects rather than trying to do it all at once.
You can refer to this topic for some more discussion on mixing:
Yep - mixing. It’s a huge topic!
(“Editing” is more like - correcting errors in timing and pitch)
For questions like “what is this distorted/glitchy effect?” It’s best to link an example. Someone might know how to create the effect you’ve heard.
For things like “I don’t understand how to use reverb”. First, get a reverb plugin, move one knob at a time, and listen to the result. “Playing around” is a great first step.
I only started learning how to use a DAW (=Digital Audio Workstation) recently myself. It does take some learning. I don’t think using Audacity alone will get you there. FL studio is a full DAW, so that should work for you. I think the most recommended DAWS are:
Pro Tools: Sorta the industry standard, but really really expensive
Logic: Also quite popular but exclusive for Mac/Apple users
FL (former Fruity Loops): sorta EDM/DJ focussed, but can do it all too. Very colorful.
Cubase: Often used by film/TV score composers
Studio One: By Presonus. Also a complete one
Reaper: This one is the cheapest and there are many free plugins available on the internet, I read.
There are probably others, but all of these are full DAWs. Not every version will have all the bells and whistles, though. You can buy instruments and effects separately, for them. Like the popular Melodyne for vocal correction.
What I have used with the vocals I got from Synth V has been:
Mixing: changing the volume, to fit in with the music and other voices. Like Claire said, that is a pretty big thing in and of itself. Really important, that. The voice has to blend in with the music, still be audible, all that.
Adding some reverb (or delay). This should be fairly easy to do, if you have VST’s with ‘presets’. Just try a few of those and see which one you like. They will typically have a description. Just check the ‘mix’ button so you can still hear the original voice as well.
Time-stretching: Sometimes, the voices from Synth V don’t quite sit nicely in the beat/groove and then making smile surgical adjustments to the audio (dragging it left or right a bit) can make a big difference. You can sometimes even try to have the DAW do that automatically by using ‘quantize’.
Equalizing (EQ): Changing how much low/high/mid the voices have. The Synth V voices are pretty even, but you may still want to increase presence or high a bit, depending on your production.
Compression: This can ‘reduce’ peaks’ and lift the general volume level of audio. Can help make it sound more ‘tight’. Synth 5 voices are reasonably even, mostly, but they can sometimes have significant volume differences, even so. Like… Solaria when she goes from low to full high bellow.
. I have access to FL studio too but I get really lost in there and can’t do a thing.
