[PS] Lead Sculpting - Jordan Rudess Liquid T Lead

[Luca_Capozzi]

Hi folks,
i'm proud to inform you that our fourth Lead Sculpting issue, this time written by me, is now online for your fun and profit :)
This time we have covered JR Liquid T Lead, analyzing this sound and trying to reproduce it on our boards.

Check it out at www.progsounds.com message board, under Articles -> English section.

Preview Demo:
Download MP3 Now!!! (http://www.lucacapozzi.net/files/JRFull.mp3)

Cheers,
Luca

[hephiroth]

man i tried doing this on my karma, and although i got a cool lead sound, it still doesn't have that characteristic JR tone...is it even possible to capture that tone on the triton/karma series? or is it just a pipe dream...?

it's like that character you get just by hitting one note that's SO hard to emulate, but that has so much to do with the sound of that lead...

-jeff-

[Luca_Capozzi]

Since I don't own yet a triton/karma I can't tell you if is possible or not to achive such character.. but we can try :) The difficult thing is to shape various layers. This is why i've put sound sample for each layer. Every synth have its own way to do sounds even if they share same basics (subtractive at most).
Btw, I thing that usable results can be got on a triton/karma :) i'm curious to hear those results.

Luca

[hephiroth]

hmm...yeah i did my best to try to shape each layer right...except the one thing i was confused about was adding the distortion to each layer...because the only way i can think of doing that is with an insert or master effect...the only problem is that once you pull that program into a combi, it gets stripped of all effects...so then i tried just waiting til the combi stage to added a different distortion to each layer as insert effects, then i added the st. chorus and st. delay as master effects, but that still didn't sound right, even though each layer sounded pretty close to the mp3's you guys posted...

then, i tried playing around with the mix between the 4 layers (i was trying to make the "lite" lead cuz i didn't have a whole lot of time...maybe i'll try the 8-layer one later), and also the master EQ, and got a bit better results, but still not really close to the right tone...and then i tried linking some of the distortion effects together and routing each layer through 2, 3, or 4 of the distortions, and it got a bit better sounding, but still not really the right tone...

maybe part of the problem is, on the triton/karma series, there is an EG...which i think is envelope grid? i don't know, but it's where you set like the attack, break time, delay time, sustain level, release, etc...and they have a Filter EG and an Amp EG. Now, the article included some instructions for the Amp EG, but what about the Filter EG? should that be left as is? Actually, there's a pitch EG, too...? Maybe I'm asking for too many details and not being enough of a "tweaker," but I guess I'm tired of trying to play around with shit to get this lead sound...it's SO hard to achieve...and I guess I'm not the greatest programmer out there...haha

anyway, i'll keep trying, but anymore input from anyone would be really appreciated...you're right, this lead is really awesome for basically any purpose, which is why it's so desirable...ah, maybe one day...

-jeff-

[Cary]

man i tried doing this on my karma, and although i got a cool lead sound, it still doesn't have that characteristic JR tone...is it even possible to capture that tone on the triton/karma series? or is it just a pipe dream...?
-jeff-

I tried a while ago too, with the same results. A couple really cool leads but not the characteristic tone. I think it was Tusker who said something like this a long time ago...(I'm paraphrasing)...you try to make a korg sound like a kurz, you get a sound that sounds like a korg trying to sound like a kurz.

That being said, maybe we should compare notes?

[Luca_Capozzi]

Too much words :) Show your results so we can discuss how to improve them.

Luca

[Luca_Capozzi]

Here are another demo :)

Axiom's Full version (8 layers - Modular G2X) (http://www.progsounds.com/forum/files/leadsculpt/4/JRFull.mp3)

Enjoy,
Luca