I was wondering, how do famous producers come up with their sounds. Do they just screw around with a vsti’s/hardware, until they get the sound they want? or is there a basic theory behind it ? Because I know there is some basic setup to make an electro house bass line, but what about plucks, piano’s, leads. I looked all over youtube, they just show how they did it, but never explain why they use this waves, that filter, that envelope etc. I would greatly appreciate some insight into this matter !
To build some of the more complex timbres, layering sounds together works well.
As far as not really explaining “why”, typically most people use what works best for them. All depends on what kind of equipment you like to use and your work-flow. There really isn’t any “magic bullet” when it comes to making music.
When I sit down in front of a VST I don’t usually have a sound in mind. I just fiddle around and try stuff until I come up with something that sounds good.
I guess artists get a characteristic sound because they are using similar VST’s every time and go about making sounds a particular way. For example, they may fancy layering saw waves, or using fifths, or like the sound of a certain filter which becomes characteristic of their sound