Synthesis of Classic Kicks in u-he Diva
The creation of custom percussion is a fundamental pillar in electronic music production. Recently, the specialized portal Attack Magazine has published a technical tutorial that details the sound design process to recreate the iconic kicks of the Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines using the virtual synthesizer u-he Diva. The method dispenses with the use of pre-recorded samples to bet on pure subtractive synthesis, allowing millimeter control over the pitch, envelope, and texture of the sound in techno-oriented productions.
Oscillator and Envelope Configuration
The core of sound design in Diva requires a specific selection of modules. The base configuration requires activating the DUAL VCO module for the oscillators, the HPF PRE high-pass filter, the MULTIMODE low-pass filter, and the envelopes in Analogue mode. At the sequencing level, the tutorial recommends programming a four-on-the-floor pattern on the F#1 note with a short length of 1/16, which facilitates the subsequent adjustment of the decay.
- Oscillator 1 (909 Style): Configured in triangle wave to provide the transient and attack component.
- Oscillator 2 (808 Style): Configured in sine wave to generate the tonal body and bass saturation.
- Modulation (Tune MOD): Set to 'BOTH' mode with the 'SYNC' function activated to avoid phase cancellation between both oscillators.
To transform these continuous waves into a percussive impact, envelope 2 takes control of the oscillator pitch. The Sustain and Release parameters are reduced to zero, while the Decay is set to an approximate value of 32, generating the rapid pitch drop characteristic of a classic analog kick.
Transient Modeling and Phase Stability
The filter is the key tool for sculpting the characteristic 'click' of the 909 model. The technique consists of applying the maximum amount of envelope 2 modulation to the low-pass filter and reducing the cutoff frequency to a value close to 34. Alternating the mix between Oscillator 1 and Oscillator 2 allows the producer to balance the dry impact of the 909 with the saturated resonance of the 808.
The sound of each synthesized kick varies slightly from the previous one because their long decay tails cause interactions with the following ones. To avoid this, export your kick from Diva and simply play the audio in a loop.
— Attack Magazine
Due to the nature of the analog emulation of the u-he software, small phase variations can affect the punchiness on club tracks. Therefore, the standard procedure ends by exporting the consolidated sound to a WAV audio file, ensuring that each hit maintains a uniform punch in the mix. Final processing requires the application of external equalization and compression to sharpen the transient and maximize the presence of the kick in the bass spectrum.
