I didn't know that people visited the About page of RU-vid channels! But since you are here, let me tell you what Synaptic Schism is about. Synaptic Schism is a musical project, more specifically, my music project. I'm Vlad by the way, nice to meet you.
Every Synaptic Schism track has a music video and you'll only find those here, on the project's RU-vid channel. If you are a fan of the project or a musician, you'll also find content tailored especially for you.
If you want more Synaptic Schism you'll find on... Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/26Mf5Gr5i19FALYdLzKw24 and Twitter: twitter.com/SynapticSchism
Glad you made it this far! If you want to have some fun, write in the comments of one of the videos "I was there and I read it all!"
There's a best level to listen to monitors on in your room, Google it, once you get that level, get a sound level measuring tool that can measure that best listening level you found on Google. Now put your head phone ear pads together with your sound measurement tool in between them. Adjust your interface to get that best / optimal listening level on your measurement tool. Use pink noise as your sound source.
Double drop C is the lowest Odin 3 does. If you want to compare the lowest note or how low other guitars go (DJAA MAASTA goes lower) check this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l0vqd2yBvp0.html
i think the velocities for the odin 3 might be too high in this comparison. but yeah i recently bought it and also am struggling to make it sound good/hoped it would sound better :/
Awesome seeing how to switch articulations in Reaper. I use Studio One, and use the Sound Variations in there, which works really well. But definitely going to explore this in Reaper. P.S. thanks for featuring the DJAA MAASTA in the video :)
A couple of years ago I moved from Reaper to Studio One... Sound variations was one of the reasons! It's an AWESOME feature. In the meantime I moved back to Reaper. I should do a video detailing why. Nothing wrong with Studio One though. Still on my top 2, like Reaper was.
Hey man I`m not sure I quite understand the usage of having the Articulations on the side. Don`t you still have to go under every note and program the specific articulation you want? How do the icons on the side help with doing that faster? I own Axure so if this is something cool I will get onto it. Thank you in advance!
The motivation is separating articulations from tonal content. That way you can move the midi page and keep articulations in view, transpose midi notes and use midi effects without impacting articulations, etc. It isn't especially powerful in Reaper. It's ok but not AMAZING. In Studio One for instance it is an outstanding feature. If you never felt that keyswitches were a problem, great! That means you don't need to worry about it, so just avoid the overhead of maintaining it. I use it because of orchestral stuff and it ended up in guitars and bass also but it is not a super important feature.
Yes, it's possible to combat it. The solution is a lot of manual tweaking. I have a track named John Doe Redux. I got a lot of feedback that I was playing really well and the truth is that everything was programmed. Some people humanize the midi but I never found that very useful. What I usually do is, riff by riff, strum by strum, and manually humanize with subtle articulation changes, tempo changes and effects (if the guitar has them). I didn't do that here as you noticed and to be honest it is a lot of hard work. You have to listen to it and determine what is that a guitarist would do here. I think it's almost impossible for someone who doesn't play the instrument since it doesn't have the feel for it.
It's on my template. Probably the best-sounding library with amp sims I have. Did you watch the Chug Wars video I did? Axure did tremendously well with low chugs. Those knobs for pick attack and chug do wonders.
Olá! :) Estás a falar do Hellrazer, certo? Ainda é a minha guitarra favorita mas acho que vai perder o trono para o Odin 3 porque é muito pior com amp sims.
I think this shows pretty well the difference in clarity for 2 mono left and right dual sample sets, vs just a stereo out, or unfortunatley that not very good djaa mastaa phasing with the haas delay and no dual sample sets. Something I could offer for djaa mastaa. Have 1 instance, but split the audio to 2 tracks left and right. phase flip signal before the guitar amp and then flip it back before the cab on the right or left on one side. This could be enough to get a stereo sound without phasing or mono centering. Would much prefer 2 instances of 2 different mono sample sets or at least 2 different sample sets for left and right stereo out of the plug in. Some tone clarity can be achieved by knowing which notes are pitch shifted for low notes. Djaa has no pitch shifted stuff, they just got bigger strings and recorded super low. But, I could be wrong with this one. Just what I saw promoted. Axure is all pitch shifted under normal drop c, has thinner strings. Odin 2 and 3 have pitch shifted notes under drop F, lowest string is probably thicker. Axe machina is a drop A 7 string and the notes under drop A that are pitch shifted as well. These could factor into how you would dial in a tone imo, if you go for those low notes.
I didn't know that! Thank you for sharing that info. To be honest I was convinced Odin 3 and Axe Machina were not pitch shifted. Good to know! Regarding Djaa Maasta's dual tracking, that is a good idea. I've watched videos with this technique and the results are fine. Hopefully they come with a solution soon.
@@benjaminbovay10 the video I saw wasn't Reaper related but involved reamping the signal. If that's something you can do, I can search for the video but it is not a "in-the-box" solution as far as I know.
@synapticschism so, if you have a utility plug in before the amp that can flip phase. Then you either flip the cab phase in the cab section. Or imo the better option is to separate the cab to a separate instance and use that utility plug in before the cab, and after the amp to flip the phase back. The trick is that the amp will react differently to the signal being phase flipped, and as long as you flip the phase back after the amp. You will have more difference between left and right to create clean stereo, but not run into phase issues and no time delay issues. This is done for live guitar a bunch too, it's a nice way to get a clean stereo guitar from 1 guitar signal.
Thank you. :) I'm happy I could help. I still want to do the review of Axe Machina and Hellrazer and then compare all of them. The work is not finished yet!
Great video, thanks for it! There seems to be some clipping on output or possible loopback from recording the screen / your mic that is altering the sound of II II II II, sort of messing with the ability to judge
Thank you. The mic and DAW tracks are independent. I probably messed up the gain of the channel when editing the video. My apologies, II II II II deserves better! :)
@@Ambitiouz_mindset You can always pitch down. These libraries do pitch their samples to reach lower notes. EDIT: I want to add that Kontakt has a built-in pitch knob at the upper right hand corner of the UI. Which also means that even though Axe Machina only goes down to F#, the sample can be pitched down further. Kontakt pitches down the samples, so, depending on the tone and clarity you're after, can work much better than a pitch effect.
@@antonm_ I didn’t notice the pitch effect on kontakt I’ll give it a go I used the Whammo pedal I own on metal v but I dropped it a whole octave and it just didn’t sounds great but again it could be the amp. I think I’ll try the 111111 amp
Absolute legend! This was amazing I’m going to listen to it a few more times. Like you said oden is incredible but it has too much high end for these sorts chugs
I'm so happy that it helped. I'm happy you guys pushed me to do this because I learned a lot with a very simple test. On the one hand, Odin, as great as it is, isn't great for this. The other one is how well Axe Machina behaved. It's really a pity that it doesn't have more articulations.
I find Odin a di to be so puny like when I try it with an amp sim it sounds trash and I’m not into trash 🤣 I want round low fat chugs. Iv got shreddage hydra but you can’t go double drop c with hydra. Is axure any better than Odin 3?
I think Odin 3 is better but I can't compare it to Shreddage Hydra or previous Odin versions since I don't have those. I'm testing an IR Loader and I'm getting quite good chugs with Odin 3. I can put up a quick short video tonight comparing the chugs of the various guitars, with the same amp and IRs. Would that help you?
@@synapticschism that would be hugely appreciated because I like the idea of axure guitar with that chug knob looks intriguing but some stuff isn’t friendly with amp sims I found Odin 3 to be very bright or something and not a lot of defined when it goes that low. Maybe it’s the amp I use who knows
@@Ambitiouz_mindset the Axure pick and chug knobs add an extra layer on top of the tonal sound. Which amp sim are you using? And one more thing, would slow palm mutes be enough to evaluate the guitars?
Since you have Odin III, Axure and Djaa Maasta I have a question. I'm looking for the best option between the three that fit my needs. I mostly write super heavy low tuned stuff like Thall or Deathcore Downtempo. Between Drop G to Double Drop C and below. I'm looking for the VST that can provide the best Chuggs in priority. I'm looking for massive sounding chuggs : full, round, deep, with a long sustain and an agressive pick attack. Since these 3 go really low, what's the best chugging machine in your opinion ? Kind regards
I haven’t tried djaa or axure but Odin is weak for those chugs imo especially with amp sims it’s got a brootal tone but I love a chug and even the fi falls flat in Odin I’m really interested in axure atm my favourite library’s to date are shreddage hydra and vmetal I’m wondering if any of these even live up to those
@@Ambitiouz_mindset I agree. I have been using Odin II until now. But it seems like we have the same problem, the chuggs sounds weak and thin. From what I've heard Hydra might be a bit more articulate but not that much different. I think that Hydra and Odin fit more the djent and modern metal style. For huge chuggs we might have to look somewhere else..
For really low chugs I'd pick Djaa Maasta. Since the "chugging question" is poking on several comments, I'll try to have a short video comparing the guitars later this evening.
I dont know if the question is human vs AI. I could see the 3 being made by AI for different reasons 1 - feel coorporate, aka souless on purpose 2 - classical and mathematical 3 - popular so a bunch of samples could exist that makes it easier for an AI to decode Then again I could see the 3 being done by human
Hey, my brother! Long time! I'm starting to prepare a video essay around this so I can start disclosing what is going on. There is no AI involved here but I did leave all loops as untreated as possible on purpose. This is part of a larger discussion around creativity, the use of tools, samples, the legality of all of that and whatnot. You are somewhat right about all of them. Maybe not in the way that you'd expect but you didn't miss by much.
This one. Right now I have 5 guitar plugins and in my head all of them serve specific purposes. Keep in mind I still have to write a full track to really understand the pros and cons of my new guitar VSTs but I think Odin 3 is the overall best and Djaa Maasta is the super gnarly low-tone one which means Djaa Maasta would take specific riffs or be used for layering because I don't write in very low tones. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.
@@synapticschism Yes, even though i havent tried it Djaa Maasta yet i agree Odin III maybe be better "overall" but, for low tunning metal songs (like double drop E that both can do) would you preffer Odin III or Djaa Maasta? maybe i feel Odin DI is kinda "thin" sounding(?)
@@SHINDE1RU Djaa Maasta's sound is more gnarly and raw than Odin 3's. That's what Otto Audio does and targets: really low-register guitars. And they do it really well! So to answer your question, if I ever write a really low-tuned gnarly riff, I will choose Djaa Maasta, even though I think Odin 3 is the better overall guitar.
Thank you. :) I never know if I'm sharing what people want to know about, so I try to focus on the experience. Thank you for letting me know I'm on the right path.
I need to check to be 100% sure but IIRC all stereo I did while testing and writing the track came from the amps, both II II II II and Archetype Petrucci. So from the top of my head, it is mono. I will check when I get to my PC and let you know.
@@synapticschism Ok thanks! I know like most recent plugins from Neural DSP have like a "doubeler" function but its not as good ofc as a like "default" stereo guitar. And even though its as simple as duplicate the VST and pan each one, i will find like odd to not have the "Stereo" out of the box these days.
@@SHINDE1RU even the stereo guitars are not that good. It's just not the same thing as double tracking. One interesting that I got yesterday and I'm testing is AXURE. It comes with two identical guitars, which is an interesting take. I'm hoping I can test it early this week.
@@SHINDE1RU FYI I checked it and unless I missed something there's no doubler on the plugin itself. Both doubler effect from Archetype Petrucci and II II II II work well though.
@@synapticschism Thanks! oh wow i didnt know about AXURE. Also maybe you dont know, next week its supposed to be released Odin 3 by Solemntones. Odin 2 is legit so, you know.
Thanks for the review! So glad you are as excited about it as we are. 🔥 We have a full walkthrough here on our YT channel if anyone reading wants to check it's features or hear and learn more about it!
Two Basses is the way! I always have two bass sounds, or sometimes I layer not a bass on top of the bass for definition and fun. That sounds awesome, also that AI Eq did the dang thing, love it!
Yeah, I now have 3 basses from Submission Audio, all different and great, plus whatever patches in synths. I have a couple more if I ever need for non-metal stuff but I have no use for them now. Regarding the EQ, I purchased their smart:EQ on version 2 and it helped me to improve my EQ moves because I was able to understand what their EQ curve was doing. Nowadays I outgrew smart:EQ and don't use it anymore, but I have 3 of their little "pure" plugins (EQ, compressor and unmask). Unmask is just a great tool! EQ and Compressor are to be used just like I did here. Need some to work quickly: done! although I do prefer 1176 and LA2 for compression duties.
Welcome back to Reaper. It has been my only DAW. I use reaticulate extensively but do admit I had to spend a significant amount of time writing my own articulation sets for my libraries the way I wanted to set them up, but once that was done it works flawlessly in my opinion. I have also mapped it to my MIDI controller so can switch in real time if desired (I usually do it after though). If you run into a roadblock it is possible I can give you some minor assistance with it, we probably have different work flows (and I have no idea how well Studio One did this) but I have spent significant time in the rabbit hole of setting it up so might be able to guide you somewhat.
Thank you very much for your offer @rjd7777. I will be documenting my experience with Reaper and if anything is hard with Reaticulate, I'll tag you! :) The quick test I did looked very similar to my experience with it a couple of years ago. One thing I really dislike is the maintenance of the articulations file. I would love to have an editor to do that to the point I considered writing one but I already have too much on my plate.
@@synapticschism You are very welcome, your "mixing 101" series was very helpful to me so trying to return the favor in any small way. I agree an editor would be nice but yes a lot of work. I know there was one developed in the "orchestral template for reaper" project but I haven't dug in to see if it could be utilized outside of that in my own templates. I look forward to your ongoing documentation of your progress / process.
@@rjd7777 I appreciate you, kind Sir! Allow me to reply to your kindness: are there any topics you'd like to watch videos about? I'm trying to maintain a list so that I have always something I can pick to create videos. Let me know!
@@synapticschism Thank you! I have nothing specific at the moment, I am fairly recently retired (i.e. old) and have begun studying / writing orchestration over the last 6 months. Trying to learn all I can, so watching you document this new journey with Reaper will be helpful enough at this time. Cheers!
Great heartfelt video Vlad, I know exactly how you’re feeling. If age is a barrier then what have we all got to look forward to? And what sort of example is that for our children and grandchildren?
Off to a great start! Here's an idea to experiment with, try it, trash it if it doesn't work... Right now, the guitar, bass & synth are al kind of following the same melody. Maybe try adding a second guitar (separate it with the panning of course), and have it do a constant one-note E pedal tone that matches the drum rhythm. Might help fill the sound more? Let me know what you think. 🙂
Just had another idea along the same line...let's say the riff repeats 4 times, maybe do the first 2 without it, and add it the 3rd time through to help the sound build?
Thank you! I'll tell you a sad secret... I was going to do a video on how I orchestrated this but I messed up the mixing session. Surely a lost opportunity.
