Using Sound Design Techniques in FXpansion Tremor

In this free tutorial, Berklee College of Music professor and Berklee Online course author and instructor Loudon Stearns explores some sound design techniques in FXpansion Tremor.

This synth is great for those "outer worldly" sounds that really can't be defined in words, but sound awesome in an electronic music context.

Tip 1: Use noise and do most of your work with a filter an FX. A simple noise oscillator with a quick amp envelope can provide some great snappy sounds, maybe a hat sound. Just adding FX to that, like the "Mod Filter" is a great way to add some character to just noise. The Flanger too, great possibilities with a high feedback. And then Ring Mod is a great way to get an original timbre.

Tip 2: Create a big dramatic drop with the oscillator by modulating Pitch over a wide range with some envelopes. Modulating the "Peak" parameter on the Oscillator creates a really interesting "filter sweep" with an unusual texture.

Tip 3: A filter in high resonance can turn a bell-tone into a snappy FX sound. Modulate resonance and filter cutoff carefully to create a wide variety of wobble and growls. And, don't forget to use velocity to create some important variations in your sounds.

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About Loudon Stearns
Loudon Stearns is an associate professor at Berklee College of Music, a course author and instructor at Berklee Online, and an active media-artist. Within the Contemporary Writing and Production department at Berklee College of Music he prepares students to work as independent composers and producers in a technology-laden music industry. Online, he focuses on the latest electronic music styles and music-technology innovations, showing students how to analyze contemporary styles and use the latest music technology in their own works. An innovator in both education and art, Loudon authored a Massive Open Online Class, "Introduction to Music Production," that has provided high-quality free education to hundreds of thousands of students, received an award from the University Professional and Continuing Education Association for "Excellence in Teaching" and received the "Excellence in Media Art" award from the Emerson College Visual and Media Art department.

Holding a Bachelors of Music in Contemporary Writing and Production and Bass Performance from Berklee College of Music, and a Master of Fine Arts in Media Art from Emerson College, Loudon pulls from a broad range of skills in the creation of his own multi-media performances that include live music, projection-mapping, dance, visual art and interactivity. Of particular interest is using the entire world as a performance space by using internet streaming to coordinate numerous performers and audiences on vastly different parts of the globe. The technical and aesthetic challenges of this type of performance are new and exciting and require the sort of broad skill-set that Loudon has developed through his extensive institutional and self education in music, sound, performance, motion graphics, photography, programming, and construction.