5 Ways to Get More Out of Your Synth Recordings

There is no shortage of techniques one can employ to track guitar more creatively. But not so when it comes to synth recording.

Not only is it harder to look cool while playing a synthesizer on stage (you usually just look like you’re trying to wiggle away from a bee) there are also fewer ways to approach studio recording with some kind of novelty.

That said, synthesizers themselves have an even wider array of sound-sculpting options to explore on board. And by all means, this should be your first path of pursuit in developing your own sound. But what about approaching the actual recording of that synth with the same amount of curiosity as your would for guitar?

Trying to wrangle the most creativity out of your particular instrument, whether it’s an old analog board that you’ve been playing for 30 years, or a new digital or hybrid that has only recently been added to your arsenal, is easier said than done, as we all tend to fall into our own routines and patterns.

So, with that in mind, here are five ways to creatively spice up your synthesizer recording sessions that may lead you to some unexpected results. Who knows, maybe even the guitarist in your band (or other musicians on your social media feed) will get jealous.

1. Make Use of that Headphone Output

While almost all guitars have only a single output, almost all synthesizers come with a main output and an extra headphone output. It’s quite easy to overlook the possibilities this one small detail provides. Make use of that extra output or headphone out by recording through pedals or a completely different signal chain. Send it through whatever rack gear you might have lying around; the goal is simply to add another recording chain.

This will give you a second option of sounds to choose from when you go back to your mixing or editing process. You can make this feel a bit more random by purposefully not monitoring the effects pedal chain. By not listening to that particular signal path and instead focusing on the normal recording path, you might find that what you are playing created some unintended results that would have never come about otherwise.

2. Always Record Audio and MIDI at the Same Time when Doing Long Takes.

This seems like an obvious thing to do, but you’d be surprised at how easy it is to forget to do one or the other. This is especially true these days now that so many synthesizers are equipped with MIDI over USB. Simply create a new MIDI track in your DAW of choice, set the input to your synth, and make sure to also arm your audio track.

By recording both MIDI and audio at the same time, not only will you be able to go back and edit any parts of the performance that you find worthwhile, you’ll be able to send that MIDI information back to your synthesizer and have more hands-on control over the sound.

This process can be done ad nauseam and you’ll find that you are able to shape your recordings much more clearly after doing several takes of recording audio and MIDI, sending MIDI back to your synthesizer, and then recording audio again using that edited MIDI information. This process also allows you to send MIDI back out to another synth or instrument, or even a VST, where creative layering can be achieved with your original take.

3. Use Your Own Voice to Come Up with Melodic Ideas

While you don’t necessarily need to have chops these days to be a keyboard player, the ability to be melodically creative is still essential. But some people ignore their greatest melodic tool when composing melodies on a keyboard, and that is your own voice.

Try recording your voice as audio and then using one of the many audio to MIDI tools that are available—Ableton has one built-in that is accessible by right clicking directly on the audio file. Then send that MIDI information to your synthesizer and record the results. By taking your fingers out of the equation, you are approaching recording with a different mindset and unexpected results can easily follow.

This method can also be used by recording any other instrument as well, and then converting that information to MIDI. Guitar, saxophone, whatever you’ve got lying around—that could be the key to approaching your synthesizer in newfound light.

4. Use an X0X-equipped Sequencer for Unexpected Results

Use a drum machine or another instrument that isn’t melodic to sequence your synthesizer and come up with unexpected melodic ideas. There are a multitude of options these days of tools that feature X0X-style sequencing. If you aren’t familiar, this is the type of step sequencing originally found on Roland devices from 30 years ago, like the famous TR-808 and TR-909.

Luckily recordists can get their hands on many updated options, as these fetch lofty second hand prices these days. Updated examples include Roland’s TR-8 and TR8-S (which recently saw a firmware update) and drum machines like Arturia’s DrumBrute and DrumBrute Impact. Any drum machine that has MIDI out, either via DIN jacks or USB, can connect to your synth and by breaking away from thinking about the instrument via the keybed and instead as a sequence of notes, you can record ideas that your fingers wouldn’t ever be able to replicate.

While this technique is often used in house and techno, it can be applied to other BPMs and genres as well.

5. Get Stage Ready Before You Record, Even at Home

Set up your instrument the way that you would set it up on stage for a performance before you record any takes. By getting into the same physical stance that you typically use when sharing your music with crowds, you’ll prepare your mind to be just as ready in a recording situation, even though there’s no audience present and thus no included adrenaline rush.

For a bonus tip, try playing the instrument backwards, i.e. keys facing away from you. This might seem like it’ll be impossible to play accurately, but the goal here is to find new ideas that you wouldn’t have come across otherwise, so let that inhibition momentarily go.

Free yourself from convention and let your ears guide you. Everything is editable in your DAW anyway, so there’s no wrong path. Here’s to some happy accidents!

Leo Maymind is a producer, DJ, and writer living in Los Angeles, CA. He is obsessed with sound, and you can reach him at lmaymind@gmail.com.

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