Hi All,

This is less an equipment issue as it is a programming question.  I’m working on doing some synth programming for a musical, and I’ve come across an interesting sound I need to replicate, and it’s proving challenging.  What I’m going for is “Hawaiian Guitar”; i.e.- a lap steel slide guitar; a single note melodic line with portamento--almost theremin like.

I couldn’t find a voice that was the effect I’m looking for (does anyone know of one in the Motif library?), so I started experimenting with guitar sounds (I had the best results with “Steel Slide Vel” for obvious reasons).  I added a ton of sustain so there would be no natural decay to the sound, then I started playing with fingered portamento settings, but I couldn’t get consistent portamento, nor could I eliminate the “pluck” in the attack of all notes following the first fingered note.  I tried masking this modified guitar by layering a simple synth lead in a performance at a low volume ("Soft RnB” was the most promising) but it was still makeup on a pig.

I often don’t encounter much programming requiring portamento effects, and when I do they’re generally not trying to create specific acoustic instruments, so I’m a bit inexperienced with those settings and parameters.  I learn best with this stuff by diving in and experimenting, but I’ve been at it for a couple hours and I’m stumped.  I’m pretty good at programming for musical theater, but this patch is giving me a ton of trouble.  Does anyone have any thoughts as to things I could try, or an existing Motif sound I missed?

Could you post an audio reference of what you’d like to emulate?  Or if not, a song name?

Stone

Not sure exactly what you’re going for, but perhaps these will help:
First see http://www.motifator.com/index.php/archive/viewthread/403230/
Then see http://www.motifator.com/index.php/archive/viewthread/432538/

stoneb3: as cliché as the tune is, something like this is what I’m looking for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdTa9MzgF6s.  Just typing “Hawaiian Guitar” into YouTube brings up a bunch of great examples!

5pin: That’s for the help with those posts!  Definitely some seriously valuable stuff there for me to check out and try to put to work.  I’ll experiment tomorrow and see what I come up with!

Thanks for the link. By luck of the draw I was recently trying to recall Bobby Ingano’s name, and there he was. Great player.

5pinDin’s links should get you well on the way, no doubt.

I inquired on the sound/song given some past occasions where I’ve been tasked to recreate short pedal/lap steel passages of a different nature. These I would describe as a root or open note which does not bend while others do. For this I layered in Performance or Song/Mixing mode, limiting note ranges and setting pitch bend as required in the Control Set. This can also be accomplished in voice mode by setting Pitch Bend to zero and assigning Pitch Bend as a Source with Coarse tune as the destination in the Control set, unchecking the desired elements. This proved very effective for my needs and although not applicable to your scenario perhaps it may help someone else following along.

Good Luck and Congratulations on your success.

Stone

jos - 08 September 2014 01:57 PM

the motif series have many sound patches but not a decent hawai guitar sound but iys easy to create a hawai guitar sound icrete a couple in xov sound format check a sound patch demeo here >>

Welcome to the forum.

If you want to attach a .X0V file, first zip it.

There is PR3 007 Pedal Steel - I would think that should be close since a Hawaiian guitar is a pedal steel guitar…

- Stephen Kay
KARMA Developer :: karma-lab.com
Check out the KARMA Motif Software for the XS

jos - 09 September 2014 05:59 PM

well again i see no upload on my last reply post ???  try many times to upload !!! but seems not to work > ps yes i did zipp to small 5.2 MB
but i dont see it grts jos

A file up to 20 MB (having the proper file extension) can be attached. What’s the exact name of the file you attempted to attach, including extension?

jos - 10 September 2014 01:37 PM

sir i try several extensions first xov and next xoa did not work so i made a sound compilation in mp3 format it whas zipped to 5.2 rar .. also non succes !!  i m sure i must do something wrong here ???

There are all kinds of file compression, but only certain file types/extensions are acceptable for attachment to Motifator forum posts.

RAR is not ZIP. ZIP your file if you want to attach it.