Use These Stereo Imaging Techniques To Create Interesting Synth Pad Textures

Adding movement and effects to your pad sounds can really enhance a track by introducing more life and motion to the body of the music. Here's how to do it in any synth.  

Pads! They can be the bedrock of fleshing out your EDM productions, and indeed many other kinds of music. But there's more to pads than simply nebulous synth sounds. Getting the pads just right is vital if you want your tracks to sound great. In this short video from the full course Dance Music Sound Design 105: Pads Advanced, Adam Pollard explains some of the more advanced techniques you need to know when designing and using synth pad sounds. 

Using the example of Serum (though any synth would work just as well), Adam explains how stereo imaging and specifically more advanced stereo techniques can be used to add life, movement and interest to your pad sounds. By using modulation to control panning automatically, he shows various examples of how to add anything from subtle to extreme panning to enhance the effect. Check out the rest of the videos in the course for much more on advanced pad techniques!

Watch the full course Dance Music Sound Design 105: Pads Advanced in the AskAudio Academy here

Dance Music Sound Design 105: Pads Advanced

This 21-tutorial advanced course continues where the Dance Music Sound Design 105—Pads left off. Using a variety of plugins (including Massive, Serum, FM8, and Icarus), EDM expert Adam Pollard uncovers advanced sound design ideas to help you create unique sound pads.

Adam starts by looking at creative applications of keytracking, velocity, and aftertouch to create more expressive pads. Using advanced techniques, he shows you innovative ways to create long and complex evolving pads. You learn about looped envelopes, randomization, and highly interesting modulation possibilities. You discover how to create an organic pad with out of tuned samples, unique stereo imaging concepts, how to make your pads literally breathe as you release the keys… and all kinds of very cool sound design ideas.

So launch your favorite synth, and learn advanced pad synthesis techniques with sound design expert Adam Pollard!

Watch the full course Dance Music Sound Design 105: Pads 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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