Make soft synths sound less two-dimensional

[earl parameter]

a passive DI backwards is probably the cheapest way to get around this. or just turn down the volume a lot and deal with the noise

[Cybert]

reamping probably will improve the sound of the source but not necesarily will solve the 2-D problem, That's sounds more like a Mix-Panning properly issue to me. 3-D or depth (or lack of it) or whatever you want to call it it's all about how the parts are placed on the stereo image, and how the part relates each other in the context of Left, Center and Right.

I would suggest you to work on that aspect first, play with the stereo image, and how the ambiences are appliied, Are those Soft Syths recorded stereo? Are they totally open left and right? Do they need to be like that? How about centering a bit one of the sides, same for the reverbs an delays, Sounds trite but those are the questions I will ask myself if I'm getting in to the 2 dimensional world...
Play with the levels and panning. Also be careful while compressing mixes or maximizing, that's another potential cause of 2-d.

[bickle]

so, maybe I'm going on a tangent here, but I understand 'two-dimensional' less literally: Something like lacking in depth and character. This is, I think, a problem w/ soft synths largely b/c you just need to get air in there, right? I mean, for purely electronic music this may be desirable, but for rock/acoustic/'live' stuff it's generally a bit weird...
So, I won't screw up an amp just running a low-level line signal into it? I don't have a passive DI...

[I'm Painting Again]

So, I won't screw up an amp just running a low-level line signal into it? I don't have a passive DI...

I think we all have done it at one point or another..is it the best thing to put into an amp..probably not..will it sound good..maybe..will it sound bad..maybe..could it damage the gear your hooking together..potentially..but probably not..

[earl parameter]

first let me go back and say that the first thing that should be done is editing the patch. always start by making the source as good as possible whether micing a guitar or drum or using a soft synth. depending on the synth you can always get something better out of it.

i think what your looking for is to just make it less perfect. its the perfect sterility that is putting you off.

i can't say one way or another if low levels alone will solve your problems but i have done it for short periods of time in a pinch without problems. is it possible to destroy something? absolutely. you will usually get a warning of some kind though if you start at nothing and slowly work your way up. and it might also sound like shit. try everything

[snuffinthepunk]

maybe this is a dumb question, but how do I reamp something w/o buying a reamp box?
I've got the same problem w/ the soft synths I use occasionally to compensate for my lack of pricey organs/electric pianos, etc. I'm not opposed to plugins, but plugins on soft synths never adds up to quite 'real' sounding...and these are decent synths at full quality, mixed at 24 bit, etc.
I've got good guitar, bass, and even keyboard amps handy, but I don't want to blow them up - so what's the safe, hopefully cheap way to do this? (my computer can output at -10 unbalanced or +4 balanced, if that helps)
thanks!

maybe send it through one of your monitors and record it?

[joel hamilton]

I am trying to remix a project done in Ableton Live. All the sounds that aren't loops are from the built-in instruments (synth leads, basses, and drum hits mostly). The synth tracks are all very "flat" sounding- they don't jump out at all. Everything sorta sounds bland, and 2-D. Any suggestions for giving each instrument its own personality?

I try and record the elements as if they were "real." Try simply sending the drums, for instance, out through some line amps of some sort, and/or a little compression flavor. Not really for compression per se, but just for a little "bounce." I have recorded reason tracks out through a single stereo tube compressor, all separately, and only changed the input on that compressor... just to get a slight variation in color on the way back in. Subjecting all of the elements to varying amounts of the same color made everything feel more cohesive, and all the elements when stacked back up certainly had more "life." A uniuqe overall character can seem subtle when first setting up the recording chain, then start to reveal itself as you stack up all the elements... Getting a tiny bit of xformer sparkle from each element can add up to a very "glued" bunch of tracks. Totally the way I do it almost every time. Start from that point and then mix like you were mixing a full band... use all the stuff you would normally use.

...thats the way I like to do it...

[Knights Who Say Neve]

With their permission I re-did some the simpler pad parts with my newly purchased Alesis Fusion. This helped a lot. As some of you speculated, much of the problem was with the soft synths sounding bland and 2D. That move alone created enough space and depth that I could spread the remaining instruments around and subtract out clashing frequencies w/eq. Everything was stereo, so I monoized some parts and panned them slightly off center. This left room for the bass line. That I sent to the desk, overloading the desk input for a nice fat distorted sound which was mixed back in with the original. Drums were sent through an RNLA and mixed back in as well.

Interesting experience- part of the problem was that the soft synth tonality isn't that interesting. Part of it was the "one box syndrome" that I've noticed before when people do entire songs on Tritons or Sound Canvases- again, a kind of blandness and lack of personality. I'm hoping they'll buy some hardware synths. Part of it was trying to make *everything* sound huge and stereo and ending up a bit of a mess. It's still a bit messy (too much crappy plugin reverb) but better than it was.

The Fusion is a kick-ass synth, by the way. The FM engine is outstanding.