Many beginning sound designers often set the Sustain Level value to the max value , so the sound doesn ’ t get any quieter over time as it ’ s sustained . This isn ’ t always a bad thing but letting the volume decay down a little bit after the initial attack is a classic technique that helps keep synth pads from building up in the mix that you ’ ll definitely want to master .
You can also apply more drastic effects to leads , arps , and more by dialing in shorter decay times and low or non-existent Sustain Level values . Here these shorter values can result in aggressive , staccato decay perfect for stabs , plucks , and a wide variety of other applications . Again , small changes to these values can make a huge impact , so as you have time feel free to explore and see what results .
RELEASE IT
The last value is all about transitions . The Release Time value determines how quickly a note fades out to nothing after it is released . Real , acoustic instruments have release times that range from very short , like a piano or guitar , to very long , like a bell or cymbal . A poorly dialed in Release Time value can make an otherwise beautiful pad sound completely unusable or can take all the intensity and immediacy out of a quick lead or arp sound .
Many pads benefit from a ‘ just enough ’ approach , meaning Release Times just long enough to cover the transition from one chord to the next . This will ensure your pads are still ‘ articulate ’ and able to handle chord changes without everything running together , while still serving as the glue for your keys parts and band overall .
For all other kinds of synth sounds Release might be the most difficult parameter to prescribe a rule of thumb for , because the range varies so widely . Instead of trying to do so here then , I ’ d instead encourage you to think about real world parallels for the kinds of sounds you hope to create . Think about how long they take to fade out after a note is struck and then experiment to try and replicate that feel within your synth .
ALL YOU NEED IS TIME
I often find myself signing off here with a ‘ just the tip of the iceberg ’ cliche but that feels particularly true for this topic . Deepening your understanding of AMP envelopes and their power to shape your sound is one of the lowest effort - highest reward areas of synthesis to focus on . As I mentioned above , dissecting existing presets is a great way to quickly observe a variety of settings and sounds that can be achieved with different values , so start there if you ’ re not sure what else to do .
From there all you need is a little bit of time , pun intended .
David Pfaltzgraff Founder and Lead Sound Designer at SundaySounds . com , a site that resources worship keys players and guitarists around the world . David currently resides in Des Moines , IA with his wife and two boys . He enjoys volunteering in his church ’ s worship ministry , old synthesizers , and a good super-hero movie .
SundaySounds . com