How To Use FM To Add Attack To Vocal Samples

Using short bursts of frequency modulation as a sample kicks in is a great way to add bite and attack and help them stand out. Find out how it works in this short video.  

There's much more to producing vocals for EDM than just putting a singer in front of the mic. In this short video from the course Dance Music Sound Design 203: Vocals Advanced, Adam Pollard aka Multiplier lets you in on one of his trade secrets - using FM envelopes to add attack to vocal parts. 

The secret here is to configure an ADSR filter envelope to apply modulation only to the very first part of the sample, which has the effect of adding bite and attack to it as it comes in, but leaves the rest of the sample unaffected. Adam demonstrates the effect of increasing the amount of time the FM is applied for, so you will see the different kinds of results you can get with this neat trick. Check out the other videos in the course for much more on producing dance music vocals!

Watch the full course Dance Music Sound Design 303: Vocals Advanced in the AskAudio Academy here.

Dance Music Sound Design 303: Vocals Advanced

In EDM, vocals are manipulated and processed in an infinite number of ways. Using a variety of editing and processing techniques, top producers are able to completely transform vocals, and give them a whole new personality ... and even transform them into leads, pads, basses our SFX if they wish!

In this course, EDM expert Adam Pollard (aka Multiplier) shares all his secret techniques to help you take your vocal sound design skills to that next level. You discover creative uses of resampling. You find out how Frequency Modulation can be used to turn vocals into aggressive lead sounds. You learn about the often overlooked interpolation settings, and how it can be used creatively. There’s also a section on stereo imaging, one on creating custom wavetables, and another one on audio repair. Using all kinds of audio and MIDI plugins, Adam shows you that when processing vocals, the only limit is your imagination!

This 23-tutorial advanced course is guaranteed to give all EDM producers something to shout about! Dive deeper into the art of vocal processing with Multiplier … and get inspired!

Watch the full course Dance Music Sound Design 303: Vocals Advanced in the AskAudio Academy here.

Hollin Jones was classically trained as a piano player but found the lure of blues and jazz too much to resist. Graduating from bands to composition then production, he relishes the chance to play anything with keys. A sometime lecturer in videographics, music production and photography post production, Hollin has been a freelance w... Read More

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