Making synths sound old/from 90's like Aphex, BoC, etc.?

So I've been spending the past week or two trying to figure this out. I want to get a synthesizer to sound like it's from the 90's or like BoC or something (specifically VSTs). Songs from BoC and Aphex have synthesizers that have this kind of old, tape quality to them. I'm trying to recreate that. The only thing I've noted so far is that adding a slight pitch LFO can make it sound kind of like BoC. But I'm more focused on the quality of the sound, not the sound itself. I'm attaching a file of a synth I tried my best to sound like the synth at 2:20 of...

When I listen to mine, it sounds like it's right in your ears and harsh, but Aphex sounds much more nicer, softer, and not so directly in your ears I guess you could say. I realize mine sounds nothing like Aphex, I just don't know what step I should take next. So how can I achieve that particular quality of sound? Thanks to any and all help.

fffffff.mp3 116.37 kB · 79 downloads

Edited May 5, 2013 by reid458

Having a second oscillator playing the same pitch just slightly detuned will help for sure. I'd wager a big part of that sound is analogue hardware. What software are you using? You could experiment with various analogue modelling vsts and try and find one that sounds right. Others here might be able to recommend a suitable one.
Tape or tape modelling would help to, but I'd guess it's more down to synth choice.

Same goes for bocish pads, but more emphasis on pitch modulation via slow lfo and tape wow and flutter. You could try recording your tracks to cassette or vhs tape and stretching physically abusing them a little and then re-recording it if a proper reel to reel or tape delay is inconvenient.

There was a good thread here on lush pads that had some good ideas in it. I'll try and hunt it down.

Edit: http://forum.watmm.com/topic/71647-advice-on-creating-warm-ambient-pads/

Edited May 5, 2013 by DerWaschbar

whoops

Edited May 5, 2013 by david

IMO focus on technique, not gear.

 

"Today on a computer with like the plug-ins you can sound exactly like the old synths, it's more that most people don't know how to sound like that, so, that's why some people say 'oh you can hear it's coming from a computer' and they think it always sounds like that, a computer you know, but it's not the case it's about the technique, how you use it. And also like modern virtual analog synthesizers, you know, you don't hear any difference with the old stuff."

 

-Legowelt

Danny is correct :)

¯\(シ)/¯

¯\(シ)/¯

Use this:

 

  Quote

 

But I'm more focused on the quality of the sound, not the sound itself.

 

 

why the fuck would you want to go for the sound quality of boc is beyond my understanding, but here you go.

 

1. Don't mix. Don't use eq. Don't use compressors. Don't use anything that changes the quality, loudness, color or stereo position of the sound except choruses and reverbs (see point 2). Only thing you are allowed to do is control the pan of individual instruments, but only if you make it exteremely one sided so it's annoying as fuck.

 

2. Reverbs, choruses, flagers. Use lots of reverb, reverb on reverb. Then use chorus. Use flanger on the main beat loop that is repeated for 8 minutes without changing, it will make it more variated, that's what boc do. DON'T EVER use reverb or chorus as a mixing tool, use it only to get extreme sound effects and that authentic quality of boc.

 

3. Rerecord. Your stuff will sound too good even if you do the above steps. Play it back trough phone, rerecord it, record it on tape and put it on vinyl and get it back to digital with a shitty a/d converter. Use reverb on top if it sounds too bad.

 

4. It should be obvious but I'll just say it. Don't master. You can make it sound half decent with mastering. Don't. You are allowed to normalise it on audacity, but don'f forget to decrease the overall loudness by 10db after you do that, otherwise it will be too loud, you don't want to sound like skrillex do you.

Alesis reverb

what Adam said

I'd recommend to forget trying to sound like that Aphex Twins band.

This is completely backwards.

Rather find your own way of working, and your own sound.

 

so yeah, what Adam said.

 

A thing you could do is to experiment with obsolete technology. Get an old tape-based answering machine for free maybe and record into that, or maybe go real crazy and obtain an old film projector to see what can be done with its optical sound sensor?

 

If you're lazy though, an old tape deck and just fiddling with the input levels will be fun also.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Guest

put your laptop in the oven at 170 for 20 minutes, this should help give it a warm analogue sound

Well I've gotten a lot of feedback, and I appreciate it all.

 

To the person who was wondering why I would want to sound like BoC quality... Well I understand the quality of electronic music is so much better today than it was in the 90s. But that's kind of the problem. If you go back to milkman compared to my clip, mine just sounds real shitty. There's a certain kind of softness and niceness to the old sound, which is why I'm going after it. It's kind of about the style of the music.

 

So to the person that said I should make my own sound and not try to copy Aphex, I wouldn't say I'm trying to copy Aphex exactly. I just want to get the old sound because I think the good quality sounds shitty.

 

To the person who quoted Legowelt, I would have to agree. However, I guess I would need to some direction. Because it's not just like I'm using some crappy Fl Studio VST or something. I'm using what many websites have referred to as a really good analog sounding VST (Minimogue VA). I've used this VST a lot and have tried what seems like everything on it, but I feel that there is no way to get it to really sound analog.

Would you guys recommend buying an real analog synth? Not for sounding BoC, but to sound like an actual synth and not just from a computer? Because I feel like I'm trying to milk VSTs for more than what they are.

Edited May 5, 2013 by reid458

  On 5/5/2013 at 8:45 PM, reid458 said:

 

To the person who quoted Legowelt, I would have to agree. However, I guess I would need to some direction. Because it's not just like I'm using some crappy Fl Studio VST or something. I'm using what many websites have referred to as a really good analog sounding VST (Minimogue VA). I've used this VST a lot and have tried what seems like everything on it, but I feel that there is no way to get it to really sound analog.

 

 

I think the problem might be that some people attribute things to analog synths that have nothing to do with analog synths.

 

Lemme just save some time here and cut straight to the chase:

 

I love my SH-101 dearly and I can say with no uncertainty that the TAL-BASSLINE (freeware) vst is pretty damn close. Only under extreme rigor (e.g. filter sweeps) will you find huge differences.

 

Now, I've never owned a Minimoog but I would hazard a guess that that Minimogue vst is alot closer to the real thing than you think it is.

 

The one thing that vst's definitely lack is that they don't at any point pass through transistors, so I would say maybe look into a saturation vst. Or maybe get something like a GAP Pre73 preamp and reamp your vst's through that.

Edited May 5, 2013 by LimpyLoo

Okay, I'll check that out. And has anyone tried FM virtual synths? I've heard Aphex uses a lot of FMs on songs like Alberto and Flim

Edited May 5, 2013 by reid458

  On 5/5/2013 at 9:15 PM, reid458 said:

Okay, I'll check that out. And has anyone tried FM virtual synths? I've heard Aphex uses a lot of FMs on songs like Alberto and Flim

 

FM synthesis is a crazy can of worms.

 

 

"Flim" can totally be acheived with subtrative synthesis. I would say the same for "Alberto Balsalm."

FM7 is apparently ridiculously close to the DX7, soundwise.

"Flim can totally be achieved with subtractive synthesis." - How exactly would I go about doing this? There are things like subtractive synthesis which I understand what they are and how they work, but I don't know how I would actually go and do it.

  On 5/5/2013 at 9:50 PM, reid458 said:

"Flim can totally be achieved with subtractive synthesis." - How exactly would I go about doing this? There are things like subtractive synthesis which I understand what they are and how they work, but I don't know how I would actually go and do it.

 

okay I think you need to, like I said before, focus on the technical aspect--in this instance, learning about subtractive

--and not worry about the gear.

 

The Minimogue vst uses subtractive synthesis, btw. As do most synths.

 

 

Once your chops are up you'll stop worrying about gear as you'll be able to make whatever you use do your bidding.

Edited May 5, 2013 by LimpyLoo

Yeah, you're right. I may have to experiment with tapes and stuff. Because I think it's pretty clear to me now that achieving the quality of sound I want doesn't have much to do with VST or not. Thanks for your help LimpyLoo

Oops I think I misread your post.

 

 

Well look, let's take the chords from "Flim."

 

 

It sounds to me like a squarewave, with a very plucky amplitude setting (but maybe a soft-ish attack setting), a LPF set so you get a very dark sound, and lots of hall reverb.

 

I've been known to recreate Aphex Twin sounds from time to time so lemme know if you want me to demonstrate.

maybe come up with a good idea for a melody or beat and then worry about texture afterwards instead of setting out to ape something someone else did better 20 years ago

Yeah definitely LimpyLoo! I would love that.

 

And autopilot, I have no problem with melody and actually making a song or something. I am now at that point of texture.

Edited May 5, 2013 by reid458