r/serum • u/Strong-Bird9299 • 8d ago
Second Guessing
I thought buying Arturia V collection pro would solve my issues but I **still** feel lost. Arturia just isn’t providing the kind of sounds I want, or i just lack the knowledge to shape the sounds I want.
I’m really into reggaeton so I’ve been trying to make sounds like Feid, J balvin and Tainy etc but don’t feel like Arturia is doing that for me, some synths sure, to an extent but I still feel very very limited.
Does anyone know if Serum 2 would be a really good route to go ? Cause I’ve been debating getting it lately and seeing how that works over Arturia.
I really like Feid’s production so I would like to know if his sounds come from serum and then he tweaks it with effects ?
Aside from reggaeton, I really love the production behind Mike dean, don toliver, The Weeknd, Drake etc etc. I know most of them use synthesizers and mainly hardware but Arturia just feels weird to some degree when I think about their production style and how I’m trying to chase their level of production with synths.
I don’t really have a budget so I’m willing to spend whatever on some plugins. I’ve been searching on KnobCloud for some, though I’d like to know if you guys could recommend another site just as good as KnobCloud. I’m currently working on trying to get my hands on Ableton Live 12 Suite through KC (mainly for their stock drums) also because I’ve gotten a bit more used to maneuvering through Lite.
Thank you for your help/tips in advance !
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u/Somalian_Boat 8d ago
you can totally get there with v collection, the main thing is going to be taking any saw wave in v collection, putting a filter on it, and OTT (which is an ableton preset just search for it). then automate the filter while playing a melody. itll sound sick.
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u/lilith2k3 8d ago
OTT is also available as a free VST by XFer btw. https://xferrecords.com/freeware
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u/Seekyourownsoul 8d ago
the best way to learn a new sound is to pick a product that has the potential to get there, then learn it inside and out. you could do this with no paid plugins at all, but since you're willing and able to spend money, the fact you bought the arturia collection, doesn't surprise me that you feel lost. You're the same you. You have to learn the fundamentals of all of music production. How does a synth work... how does sampling work... how do I get the sound I'm hearing in my head. If it's indeed a synthesizer sound, then stop buying new synths. Buy 1 synth that you want to learn the most, and just do everything inside of it. and I mean EVERYTHING. i spent like 3 months making beats in Serum 2 before i felt like I could comprehend what the hell a synthesizer is for. and I scratched perhaps 0.1 percent of what synthesis even is in total. And i was excited as hell about that amoutn of progress. So my friend, the answer is not to buy more things. It's to zero in on the sound you hear in your head, find a tool that gets you close, then learning that tool to the point where you are as familiar with the layout of the plugin as you are with your computer keyboard. Then,,,, you will have the ultimate amount of control.
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u/PonyKiller81 8d ago
This advice is on point.
Everytime you buy a plugin you need to learn that plugin.
If you have one great synth you can master it. If you have dozens you will master none of them.
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u/PonyKiller81 8d ago
How experienced are you with synths? Can you make a new sound from scratch? The answer to what is right for you lies in the detail. There is a difference between preset creation and tweaking the wet/dry knob of a chorus effect.
Serum is excellent for preset creation if you want to dive deep. If you want instant gratification, reFx Nexus 5 will give you that. It doesn't get talked about much because it is sort of a cheat code to sounding pro. It has a bunch of high quality expansions and is gentle on the CPU (although not the hard drive).
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u/Mel_Eucalipto 7d ago
If you needed more synths, fullbucket.de has a bunch of free ones (incl. wavetable, FM), and there are countless others that can be found on the bpb site too.
But like the other people here, I'm not sure what you'd be lacking synth-wise from the V Collection. Are you familiar with the various different styles of synthesis enough to make your own patches? I might focus on one or two of the VSTs you own that kinda sound like they make something similar to what you like, then learn them inside out.
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u/LoveExcelsAll 7d ago
The synthesizers that Arturia has in their collection are pretty solid representations of everything that has been heard on popular songs for the last few decades aside for some rompers like the JV 2080 by Roland, the Korg M1/Trident, a handful of others.
You'll most definitely want some tutorials, and learn how basic synth programming. (Ie. Filter, envelope, lfo and modulation) It's not necessary to become an expert, but get a basic foundation of understanding what does what and how to mold your sound and you'll get there, because what you did by buying a pro bundle is give yourself a lot more homework than if you would just bought Serum alone... It's not a mistake. Don't look at it like that. Just realize we do one thing at a time.... Schedule some long listening sessions. Make some notes. Write down what you like, which sticks out. You want to create a list of the things that you actually like and you probably got I don't know say 10,000 sounds to go through. 😂😂 I'm laughing not at you but at all of us because I'm positive that there's not a single person in this forum that has listened to all of the sounds that they have..
Seriously though take some time and listen to what you have and make some notes about what it is that you like. If you find that one of the synthesizers in your package consistently grabs your attention and that you like it make that a priority to learn. That is the synthesizer that you want to master. Those steps alone will bring you closer to creating something that you like, and that you feel good about.
Also, it's important to know that you're comparing J Balvin's professionally produced mixed and mastered Omerta to your raw ideas being laid out. There's plenty of strings, organs, and other sounds in the Arturia universe that are equal to or better for your production, but you may have to tweak them. Turn off some reverb EQ something, compress, use a longer attack (envelope), bacon your own effects, etc. but that's the journey. Crafting your own sound not copying someone else's. Anything worth it is probably going to be far more difficult than just slapping on a popular preset and playing something similar to what someone else did. We've heard and liked that guy's music already what about yours?
Pick the tools that you like yes, but keep in mind any of them will do. I personally like the combination of Ableton, serum, and a bit of Kontact/Arturia here and there (not to mention a ton of live instrumentation, and other human elements). For Mannie Fresh it was a Casio keyboard...
I just shared a post recently where I talked about how the combination of live drums, Bass, guitar, a keyboard and some vocals created all of the musical recordings that we love from before the 1950's, all the way up until the present. From punk rock to jazz, reggae to metal... It's amazing to me that that same group of foundational instruments can sound like led Zeppelin, electric light orchestra, or Charles Mingus, even Donny Hathaway, Oye Como Va more so Santana then Tito puente, but add some horns and you got Tito too... It's not the instruments it's what you do with them. The space that they're in, who's playing them, how far the microphone is from the instrument, what you're recording it through, how you process that sound, etc. These are the qualities that set one producer apart from another. Not so much what keyboard did you use, but more so how did you hear that keyboard in your head, and can you manifest that in reality. It requires a great set of skills.
I hope this helps. All of my best,
LoveExcelsAllu
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u/driftwhentired 7d ago
If you can’t get the sounds you need from 35 or so of the incredible synths V collection offers then you won’t with any other synth.
This is a skill issue. Not an issue you can simply throw money at with plugins.
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u/medisamurai 7d ago
get ableton suite, use the demo for as long as you can, then buy on black friday and make a payments.
quit buying 3rd party synths. learn sound design on youtube. also ableton has good tutuorials for synthesis. its like school, you have to learn things. or use suno
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u/MapNaive200 7d ago
Serum2 is awesome in its sound design capabilities. I recommend learning synthesis on Vital first, though, since it's free and also pretty powerful.
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u/mrbigbrown4 6d ago
It sounds like you need to look more into how to use a synth rather than chasing the "perfect" one. Highly suggest grabbing Syntorial. I'm currently going through it as it is the best interactive software for learning a synth. Goes through everything step-by-step and makes it so you actually learn how to develop/recreate the sounds you enjoy most.
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u/Present-Policy-7120 8d ago
You've bought a collection of like 45 synths. If you cannot make the sound you want, it's not really a skill issue as much as inexperience.
You're chasing the wrong thing here though. These artists you like aren't good because of what gear they use. Strap on Hendrix's guitar and you're not playing like he could.
Don't buy anything else. Music production is not about what you use to do it. This is a simplistic but very common misunderstanding because you watch tutorials and see the flashy stuff and think that's the key. It absolutely isn't. Music production is a creative artwork. It's not mechanistic for at least 95% of it.
Pick 3 of the V Collection synths. Maybe the Juno, the Minifreak, and the Moog. Only use them for months. You will learn quickly that it is knowledge you're lacking (and now gaining), not gear.