Pads are to the synth world what the string section is to the orchestra. They primarily occupy a space in the mid-range, adding a rich, tonal bed that ‘pads’ out the mix. Sounds can range from smooth and warm to shimmering, ghostly textures. Thanks to their strong, but often subtle, mid-range presence, they are ideal for mapping out a track’s chord progression and reinforcing the lead.
The simplest pad sounds come from old analogue polysynths like the Roland Jupiter 8. Newer digital synths have a far wider palette for creating exotic textures than the classic analogues, especially wavetable synths, which are ideal for creating interesting moving textures. To make a big pad stack several oscillators in ascending octaves and use subtle amounts of detuning and chorus/ensemble effects on them to create extra width. Saw waves and square waves are both ideal oscillator candidates. Pads tend to fade in (and often out) softly so set the volume attack and release envelopes accordingly.
In Theory - Chord Inversions
When building a chord it’s normal to start with the root note and then place the fifth above. Adding the third in-between – either major or minor – supplies the emotional content. The next step is to experiment with the order of the notes in the chord. Instead of having the lowest note as the root try a different one in the chord, like a G or E in the case of C major. Doing so gives ‘inversions’ of the standard C chord, all of which sound different. Try placing the lead melody note at the top of a chord and then getting creative with the positions of the notes below. Using inversions allows you to maintain common notes when the chord changes, keeping some held down while others shift. Using inversions opens a whole new range of programming options and allow you to escape from the limitations of standard chords into writing territory in which new possibilities abound.
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