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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/9494144

I’m looking for some help in recreating the main synth patch for “A Warm Place” by Nine Inch Nails (can be heard in the linked video) using a software synth.

I think one of the main components to the patch is some kind of organ voice but beyond that I’m a bit lost as to what I should try. I’m pretty new to creating synth patches, but I learn best by experimenting and trying to reproduce things I know I like. I’m not looking to recreate this sound perfectly, but if anyone here could offer some guidance on how to achieve a roughly similar sound, or even just a good place to start, I’d really appreciate it.

I’m mainly using ZynAddSubFX but don’t mind trying out other software.

  • eezeebeeEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    Can you be more specific about which synth? I think I hear at least 2 different pads and a lead.

    Zyn is very capable, but also more complicated than most other synths, and afaik doesn’t have wavetable capabilities (though I could be wrong). I would recommend getting Vital which is free/ has an optional paid expansion. It’s very similar to Serum so you can copy patches manually pretty easily too.

    https://vital.audio/

    For the ambient pads I suggest watching this tutorial to start - I hear a lot of movement in the first pad similar to what he achieves here: https://youtu.be/ImWJixBPZj0?si=lLPUY8Kk34_qRVgS

    In my limited experience, the answer to most “how to make this sound” is “detuned and unison on a saw” with varying amounts of filtering and envelope.

    • gid@lemmy.worldOP
      2·
      1 year ago

      Thank you for the suggestions! I’m trying to recreate one of the pads - the more ‘organ’ sounding one. The other more ambient pad sounds to me like it’s actually a guitar played with some form of tremelo picking/strumming, with a lot of reverb and delay.

      • eezeebeeEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        Yeah that guitar thing came to my mind as well when listening. I missed the part about the “organ” in your post the first time.

        I hear it now, and when I look up “how to synth an organ” the first result says just regular sine waves. I made a patch of 3 sine waves at different octaves, added unison (more voices) and a little detune, then a lowpass filter, and it sounds pretty close. Some optional effects I find help are chorus, reverb, and another lowpass filter.