Strings And Pads Mixing And Mastering

If vocals and leads are the skyscrapers of our sonic skyline, pads and stings are the supporting landscape. Where they are in the mix is up to you, but remember that with their long release limes and sustained notes, they will fill it up very quickly. Any bass in a pad will detract hugely from a dynamic and groovy bassline, so they're usually best served with bass cut. They also have a tendency to sound a little thin and reedy on their own, so apply layers and chorus – both of which will help them blend into the background.

From time to time, though, a pad will be a pivotal part of the track (in The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony, for example), in which case we'd urge you to remember your automation when things get busy – your pad might sound empty without bass at the start, but you may well need to apply some bass cut when the bassline comes in.

Getting quality string and pad sounds

1. Strings are pretty dull on their own so we add a compressor for volume, a spreader for width, a low cut below 650Hz for clarity, Sonic Maxlmlzer for brightness, and a tremolo effect set to 41% Depth for some stereo movement. We top it off with another compressor.

2. Next we get creative and decide to get the strings with an external source. We insert a gate on our strings, then open a synth and send its signal to the sidechain of the gale, allowing us to open or close the «rings channel rhythmically at will.

3. Playing in a choppy pattern with our sidechain synth results in a choppy string sound. We smooth this out with a little delay and reverb, followed by another low-cut filter. Instead of gating, we can also use a compressor for a pumping effect on the strings.