That ambient Korg pad sound…90s IFX

When I think 90s ambient pads, Korg workstations like the Trinity / Triton immediately come to mind as having some of the best from the era. After spending hundreds of hours with the Korg Triton, I noticed the best motion pads had this FX slotted in #korgtriton #musicproduction #ambientmusic
Korg simply killed it when it came to internal effects. The Korg sound is likely more a sum of all its parts, but with such a powerful FX engine rivaling things like the Quadraverb / DP/4 - it definitely contributed to the sound in a big way.
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thoughtforms
Instagram: tf.dnb
Discord: discord.gg/9zmxCrStAU
Need atmospheric pads / fx samples and presets? I gotcha: thoughtforms.gumroad.com
@0:00 Intro
@0:10 What is this video about?
@1:05 Examples of "that" sound
@2:16 The effect
@3:19 How to use the effect
@5:10 What's the big deal?
@5:42 Your DAW can do it too
@5:55 Chaining it with other effects
@6:10 Effect chain examples
@8:10 The End

[@Joshua_Griffin]

Nice, I'd just done a study on the sound design of Half Life 2 music, and discovered this technique everywhere. Modulated bandpass filters in parallel are massively overused in this genre and create all of that swirling alien texture.

[@HC100_]

Absolutely love that game and its soundtrack, any way I can read your study?

[@Thought-Forms]

Ditto ^ Would love to read your study if possible! Also great callout that I overlooked, the St. Random Filter appears to be utilizing 2 bp filters in parallel

[@Joshua_Griffin]

@@HC100_ ah it is not finished yet unfortunately! The research is part of a much bigger project. I'll let you know though : )

[@Joshua_Griffin]

@@Thought-Forms it is not finished yet unfortunately! The research is part of a much bigger project. I'll let you know though : )

[@Artersa]

@@Joshua_GriffinThat sounds awesome, I’m also interested in reading when you’re done.

[@charliesilverman1132]

Ahhh, The sounds of atmospheric Drum & Bass 96-99 style. Thank you Bro.

[@Thought-Forms]

cheers mate!

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Trinity and Triton are the sounds of the Sega Dreamcast to me ❤️

[@Thought-Forms]

100%! Sample a triton pad into a sampler and instant dreamcast vibes

[@MattGiffin]

Your choice of a sus13 chord for the demos shows a deep respect for the music of this era

[@BasedFrequency]

Proud owner of a triton rack, never letting that thing go! Great vid on the nuance of the pad sounds

[@Thought-Forms]

Cheers mate, and that's what I love to hear! Looking at my Triton in the rack now, same thought...that puppy is never leaving. Do you have the EXB-MOSS expansion in yours?

[@brandontadday6288]

I’ve always wondered how to create those droplet pad sounds. I am definitely gonna have a shot at this when I have the chance. It’s crazy how simple yet effective this effect is!

[@Thought-Forms]

reverse engineering patches has its benefits! give it a shot man, tons of fun

[@Jesoteric]

I have the triton, in plug in form it was literally a life long dream as a broke teenager to one day have a KORG triton, this was as close as I can do for now but regardless it’s a amazing instrument and I absolutely love it, awesome sounds

[@Thought-Forms]

the VST is 90% there, cant go wrong! really is still an amazing synth to this day. lets hope they open up the VST version to user samples in a future update. enjoy mate!

[@nar2cc]

I have only discovered your channel recently, despite knowing near to nothing about the technicalities of music other then my love and taste towards this particular genre, I've found your content very entertaining to watch. Keep up the great work. 👍

[@Thought-Forms]

thats awesome nar2cc! love to see folks of all backgrounds enjoying the content. when you go back and listen to some of those old songs now you'll probably be able to recognize certain things from this video and others. cheers!

[@CCopperpot]

Thank you for respecting our time and not going for the "easy wikipedia filler".

[@caydilemma3309]

This is some real good sauce right here

[@Thought-Forms]

sauce for everyone

[@vitamin.surplus]

Whenever I search for 90s music prod tutorials, I somehow always find my way to your channel. Good stuff!

[@Thought-Forms]

Haha awesome mate, thanks for coming back to catch some more videos. Cheers!

[@NineFourOneMedia]

I've had one Triton or another since it came out, bought a 61 key when they were new. Sold it, now have an 88 key studio + the VST, and I think the thing holds up pretty well considering its age. The pads were always pretty dreamy. Nice breakdown, this was really informative.

[@Thought-Forms]

Love it - still such a capable machine as you mentioned. That 88 key is massive. How is the touch screen on it? I played with an Extreme for a while and went back to a 61-key...couldnt stand the delay. i thought i had read a few other models outside the extreme had an upgraded screen? cheers!

[@NineFourOneMedia]

@@Thought-Forms The touch screen is as I would expect from something of this vintage - pokey and not very precise. I recall my 61 key being the same back in the day. We're spoiled with responsive, modern screens. That being said, I have an Iridium here which is also a step below something like an iPad or a smartphone as far as responsiveness is concerned. Sometimes you have to tap something twice. 🙂 Indeed the 88 key is a beast, currently leaning against a wall since I'm space challenged.

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

​@@Thought-FormsLOL, the 61-key vs. 88-key have NOTHING to do with OS and/or touchscreen responsiveness, as you imply...

[@Thought-Forms]

@@ShallRemainUnknown yup! was referencing the “studio” variant, less the key count. The “extreme” for example has a much faster and responsive screen

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

@@Thought-Forms Studio and Extreme have IDENTICAL processor and LCD/digitizer hardware, check service manuals, sorry...

[@soujorgeferreira]

Great job. Thnx by sharing it.

[@superdisco101]

Thank you so much. I recently got me the korg collection including the triton. While i get my head around it, your tutorials are a godsend.

[@Thought-Forms]

Sweeeeet! You're ready to go for life with that Korg collection, so much good stuff to dive into. Let me know how you like the Triton as you play around with it more

[@joemomma6317]

God I love the triton

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Super! I have this exact filter on my Kross 2, as well as on my Roland Juno-Di (here called Step Filter). Thanks for the tip. I'm glad I can spare money and time ;)

[@Thought-Forms]

Oh no way, the Kross 2 has it built in?? Awesome! Love to see Korg re-using some of these great effects

[@DarkSideofSynth]

It does. It's a synth full of nice surprises.I'm so glad 2 years ago I needed something lightweight and flexible to rehearse with a band, and found this used in a music shop. You can even record what you play directly on the SD card in the synth with very good quality. The amount of IFX and MFX and routing possibilities both on this and the Juno-Di are really great value for the money.@@Thought-Forms

[@BombstractGnome]

I do this on the electribe by sample and hold modulation of the filter. Works great !

[@Thought-Forms]

love it! electribe is a beast

[@NordiusOfficial]

Love the classic maximalist rompiler sound! Great videos man!

[@Thought-Forms]

thanks mate!

[@kcrosley]

Really nice reminder about FX here. Cheers! 🍸

[@philipford6183]

My favourite Triton pad? 'The Ascension' [INT-C 098] (VSTi). It doesn't use the specific IFX you discuss in this video, although it does use Modulation Delay. I have never found a better, fuller, richer, more exquisite, ambient, lush pad sound than this (and, believe me, I've searched). It's particularly effective with dreamy Maj7ths and Min9ths. Shockingly, Korg didn't include 'The Ascension' in their Triton Extreme VSTi. Gutted. I am so glad it was all present and correct in the original Triton VSTi. My 'go-to' for what is to me an irreplaceable pad bed - and I say that as a devoted Omnisphere 2 owner!

[@alexgrunde6682]

I think part of the factor here is the wet/dry mix parameter. On synths where the mix is all wet, this sounds more like a sound effect or has a 70’s/80’s prog rock feel. By letting dry signal through it makes it more of an upper harmonics highlight.

[@Thought-Forms]

well put, and totally agree! have found keeping a good bit of the dry signal in enhances the upper harmonics as you mentioned, then feeding THAT into a delay to further highlight the effect. primo

[@slimrell6927]

Great video! Didn’t know about the bpm sync!

[@Thought-Forms]

best part! cheers

[@ego_share2953]

Dude these videos are right up my alley. Great Work!

[@Thought-Forms]

Awwwww yea! Glad to hear you enjoyed this one. Thanks mate

[@glenesis]

Thanks for this oh so valuable info!

[@Thought-Forms]

cheers mate!

[@MrBlueHaze]

Nicely done

[@jdmjesus6103]

The Triton and Trinity share A LOT, triton is basically trinity plus extras. I know this because i recently made a ctrlr panel for the tr rack after falling in love with it for the same reasons you mentioned (shameless plug, it's free though but only works on Windows atm). The 4 filters per voice and the effects especially, make it what it is. You can get some great sounds out of it with very little effort once you can actually edit it (most parameters are unavailable from the terrible rack controls). I considered making another for the triton rack and after looking through the sysex charts, it's very similar.

[@SectorSevenSlumz]

Hye mate where is this ctrlr panel you did? Nice work! soon to buy one and would love to get stuck into it

[@jdmjesus6103]

@@SectorSevenSlumz there are links on the ctrlr discussions section or from the korg forum. It does not work on mac though apparently, I don't have a mac to test it on either unfortunately. I've only been able to test it on Windows 10, where it works pretty well. Standalone, in reason or ableton. There's an occasional bug where the volume sets to zero on first startup but that's it. Also nice ff7 reference.

[@SectorSevenSlumz]

@@jdmjesus6103 Thanks Jesus! I'm glad you got the reference :) Best game ever haha

[@lunanescence]

thank you once again, you are a godsend.

[@Thought-Forms]

thank YOU luna :)

[@lunanescence]

@@Thought-Forms would be nuts if you could ge t your hands on a korg triton rack and see how it sounds compared to software

[@blooddude]

The Korg classic plugins are absolutely fantastic.

[@hellobendaniel]

Hey man - thank you so much for this! really opened up an exploration of the Triton and immediately inspired. Appreciate you!

[@Thought-Forms]

cheers mate! endless fun and possibility with the Triton. have fun!

[@dwsel]

Great tips! Thank you

[@Thought-Forms]

you're welcome! have fun

[@MattUncertified]

Ah man, it’s like listening to a Bukem Kiss 100 show on loop if you latch a nice chord with any of these sounds. From Underwolves to JMJ to Blame. Beautiful except I now need to justify the cost of buying the plug in or find hardware!

[@Thought-Forms]

Exactly :) Trinity was used pretty extensively by those guys, and the triton being a descendant sounds very similar. if you enjoyed the sounds on this video, preset pack coming very soon. for the triton id say the plugin is a very faithful recreation of the hardware

[@charliesilverman1132]

Nailed it, I knew as soon as I heard it.

[@GizzyDillespee]

I got the same idea from Korg rompler presets. I use 2 fx pedals for it, sometimes - Zvex Ooo-wah, which is a sequenced filter. Zvex made a bunch of sequenced filters with slight differences. But I mostly use the Moog Clusterflux, which isnt a filter, but the stepped S&H LFO gives a similar effect. I often use it in parallel (sending one side of my keyboard's stereo outputs, while the other side goes to a reverb). Both pedals work fine with my keyboards at a reasonable volume, no problem. I also have a Koma FT-201 sequenced filter pedal... but I haven't used it in a while. I should dig that out again. It's also got a d-beam, like Roland gear used to have, to control the filter cutoff (or CV) manually.

[@Thought-Forms]

Oh yea, i remember the d-beam from my mc-909. will have to check some of those fx pedals out, but totally agree, lot of various modulation types you can use to achieve similar sounds. the electrix filter factory seems very appealing too for a rack mount unit, if you've heard of that one

[@ram-4]

This is actually a solid tip. I’ve got the ”silver duo” a.ka a hardware Triton Studio with MOSS + Trinity ProX. Would you mind sharing your custom patches? It’s funny to feel nostalgic (and I am) for that early 00’s sound, because it seems like it was just yesterday.

[@Thought-Forms]

Oh man, double the Tritons! Super cool. Too true, the sound is very nostalgic. Crazy it's 25 years on this thing came out. I got most of my PCGs from "Korghaven" I think it was, where they're still up and downloadable to this day

[@DannyKavka]

​@@Thought-Forms Could you provide a link to there? There's "Kronoshaven", but parts of the website seem to be falling into disrepair, and it's not clear if there are any PCGs there.

[@lullbluetooth]

Filterstep is great for recreating this effect, including randomization

[@Thought-Forms]

will need to check filterstep out! thanks!

[@ned_interrobang]

nice! i have the TR-Rack as well!

[@Thought-Forms]

As much as I love the Triton, the Trinity is just 10% better in sound. Enjoy the tr-rack! Been editing patches on mine via Midiquest, works flawlessly!

[@ned_interrobang]

@@Thought-Forms hardware editors are invaluable

[@davidlandrum]

The Triton is currently on sale (January 2024) on Korg’s website.

[@Thought-Forms]

yes! looks like its $149 currently, still a steal

[@StargateMax]

I love these pads! :)

[@Thought-Forms]

thanks mate!

[@ASH-ou4cg]

There are a few of these cool effects, inside the zoom MS70 CDR pedal.

[@VirtualModular]

Yes! Absolutely top drawer content my man! In the late 90's I had a tiny Korg guitar fx/headpone amp, which was crap apart from one amazing preset called 'aqua', I think. You can guess what it was! A few years ago when I discovered VCV Rack I became slightly obsessed with recreating it in modular, and I got pretty close using bandpass filters modulated with sample and hold. I would call it more of a step filter than an auto filter but yeah basically band pass with random modulation, it's such a cool sound. Worth trying other filter types too if you have a synth or software that can do that, I love it with a resonant phaser. The best thing about using VCV for this is you can make modules polyphonic and copy the signal onto 16 channels, then you effectively get 16 filters all pinging away at once without having to connect them all separately. Great for producing thick, lush textures for sampling.

[@Thought-Forms]

Cheers mate! Im going to have to hunt down that korg fx amp, do you remember what it was called? any preset with "aqua" in the name is going to be top tier :) Some of those results you can throw together in a VCV rack sound like a ton of fun to setup and play around with. i think i actually have it still installed, need to give it a go again - but admittedly i tend to just get overwhelmed by modular stuff pretty quickly

[@VirtualModular]

@@Thought-Forms yeah I think it was the Toneworx Pandora PX1, the original version. It was tiny, about the size of a cassette and really noisy. Not sure what happened to it actually, I think a stoner drummer I knew nicked it, haha! I've seen a few advertised for about 40 or 50 bucks. Modular is definitely a learning curve, I got into it in 2018 so I've had time to learn a few tricks. You just need to experiment and give it time. I'm planning a tutorial with Cardinal, which is basically the same but runs as a VST for free, on how to make textures and sample it. Haven't found the time to record and edit it yet though!

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

The OG Triton hardware can run 7 of these stereo random filters simultaneously, in series, if you want. Plus double filters modulated separately per oscillator, with 21 LFO shapes, including S&H.

[@VirtualModular]

@@ShallRemainUnknown that's impressive, didn't realise it was quite that powerful.

[@JohnLunney]

The sound of Dreamcast.

[@Thought-Forms]

Amen!

[@progressiveoverload7320]

Brilliant insights as always

[@Thought-Forms]

cheers mate!

[@AndroLectric]

I have the microX ❤🤗 Thanks for your videos. Very inspiring 👍

[@Thought-Forms]

microx is a ton of fun, great synth. cheers mate

[@MePeterNicholls]

I love they have the Triton extreme too now. I have it. But I have an actual extreme 88 too. And an 01w. And a Kronos 2. But I digress… where was I? KORG ❤

[@Thought-Forms]

Spot on! Extreme VST is great looking. Mate an Extreme AND 01W is killer. I have a Triton Rack + 01R/W...both compliment each-other incredibly well, was even sampling the 01R into the Triton and combining sounds, so much fun

[@Gosha1992]

Neat, thanks

[@Thought-Forms]

cheers!

[@ZenithMusicNet]

I think the sound likely has its roots in the Wavestation. The TR also has its fair share of brought-over patches, which eventually ended up in the Triton. It's a really nice arpeggio-like and calming sound.

[@Cybercowboy_69]

You're doing the Lord's work ,Sir. Hope you know that. Thank you.

[@Thought-Forms]

god bless

[@Cybercowboy_69]

@@Thought-Forms 😂

[@Devilsou]

If you like that droplet effect, I can only recommend the Hartmann Neuron VST, very difficult to install and make it running, but the amount of shimmers this produce is also exceptional

[@Thought-Forms]

haven't heard of this one, will check it out. thanks mate!

[@offthematrix5310]

Thanks, Now I'll see if I can get a similar effect on the M1

[@Thought-Forms]

cheers! ill need to dig into the m1 and see if possible - was a bit more simplified of an FX system, but still extremely powerful for the time

[@evandiehl520]

Very cool, I thought to also try setting up a bandpass filter modulated by an envelope follower. I bet the Uhbik Runciter plugin would sound great for this effect. So did you also figure out whats creating the underlying tones before they hit the effects section? I'm wondering, how do you make those glassy choirish sort of timbres used all over 90's jungle records?

[@Thought-Forms]

100%! I've configured a similar effect using an env follower as the modulation source and it can have a really nice effect, especially with a very dynamic sound. will have to check out the Uhbik suite. yup, imo comes down to the PCM samples contained in the triton. lot of "vocal" waveform content in the triton that is utilized in the choirish sounds. filtering before FX with some modulation on the OSC level

[@Bittamin]

My man 🎉

[@Thought-Forms]

:)

[@TayWoode]

This sounds similar to the FDSP water effect on my Yamaha EX7 I’m not sure if it’s modelled the same way though

[@Thought-Forms]

Never dug too far into the Yamaha stuff, but reading about the EX7/EX5/EX5R now and seems like a really slick synth. The manual doesnt divulge too much on the FX themselves (outside of the general architecture) - so not able to see what its actually doing....but sounds really cool! May need to try to track one of these down

[@kbuss10]

That's nice video man but have you ever heard of a Korg sound called Monster Lead? it is the signature lead of Derek Sherinian ex dream theater and also some extent to Jordan Rudess who is the current keyboardist. but it was clearly Derek, who started the sound in association with Korg they are both exclusive users of korgs line of modern workstations. there is very little information, only on wayback machine, on how to recreate that sound. I also remember dabbling with these VSTs before the plague, and there was something called monster lead but it wasn't the real deal it didn't really resemble if I remember well. I also read that it has something to do with the special physical modeling engine built into the synth. I basically managed to recreate it with Dune3 vst but it still does not sound like a real thing of course. it's not as fat and organic. if you have any info on this that would be nice. you can hear it for example on sherinian solo live in Tokyo if you are interested

[@Thought-Forms]

I have not! ill have to look into it...just quickly googling, some people said its likely from the Korg Trinity, and he may have had the "moss" option installed. So another potential is that it was done on the Prophecy, or could be done on a prophecy as well. ill keep looking and see what i can find

[@kbuss10]

@@Thought-Forms well thank you for your answer it is mentioned in the Trinity Wikipedia page. I am but they had all the expansions they could. a physical modeling of a plucked string could be very The base of this sound.

[@_P_M_]

I'm just here for the sound candy. Why doesn't Yamaha release a VST of the EX5?

[@Thought-Forms]

That would be incredible. EX5 doesn't get a lot of love in general, I feel

[@sigmawaveproductions]

Can you do a guide on creating those pads used in more dance style music? First one that comes to mind is that “GameCube Demo Disc Music” sound

[@Thought-Forms]

Oh for sure, I have a few videos on my channel that do cover pad creation with the triton, as well as a few more on my patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-make-pads-96392267

[@sigmawaveproductions]

@@Thought-Formsawesome 🤙🏼

[@цица-и4щ]

Warm lush pad 🦊

[@Thought-Forms]

Triton on lush pad duties

[@albee8642]

Spatter not splatter. Correct word usage is important so as not to spread ignorance. Thanks for the video. I love your channel.

[@michaelheath1194]

This was excellent! Thanks for posting as always 😄

[@Thought-Forms]

thanks michael!

[@dyscotopia]

Hmm... So I should be able to emulate this effect by creating another track with a copy of the original pad sound being modulated by a sample and hold shaped lfo controlling a band pass filter. If i had a synth with dual filters like the Uno synth pro x (on my list) I could set one oscillator to a low pass. Filter with a slow attack and long release and the second to a bpf being modulated by the lfo with no attack

[@Thought-Forms]

that should work! either route, and love the idea of switching up the each filter (BP and LP for example)

[@deepzone31]

Fun times. I'll be looking for some sort of equivalent in Logic now. Korg also needs to send you the 10% commission when I buy the VST Triton next month. You are selling the hell out of that thing.

[@Thought-Forms]

Logic should have a stock "AutoFilter" to get you going! Haha, I'll forgo the commission in exchange for a pristine condition Korg Trinity (if Korg is reading this....) You're going to love the Triton. The last great 90s "rompler/workstation" - with so much untapped potential still within it

[@bluefAng]

What is the difference between the Triton and Triton Extreme plugins?

[@Thought-Forms]

triton extreme has a blue skin and adds a "valve tube" emulation setting, outside of that, believe they're are identical

[@nathanlevigraves]

How, if possible, would something like this be replicated on a standalone device such as a mpc one/live/x?

[@Thought-Forms]

as long as whatever tool you're using gives you a bandpass filter to play with + the ability to modulate that filter with an LFO / Sequencer preferably, you should be golden. alternatively is to record in (or draw in via automation) the filter movement manually, using similar movements as the automation would provide

[@nathanlevigraves]

@@Thought-FormsTYSM 🙏

[@philadams9254]

With limited hardware options, this is great, but I prefer to do it myself, separate from the synth, in the digital world, for more control.

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

The Triton DSP fx processors are "separate from the synth" and are all in the digital realm (no A/D or D/A conversion used, full digital dignal path, just like OG hardware was), and there's "D-Mod" control over certain fx parameters, using big mod matrix parameters (LFOs, etc.) or external controllers.

[@brhodes0]

JUNGLIST

[@Thought-Forms]

LETS GO BABY

[@vadimmartynyuk]

You can achieve same sound in any modern daw today by using Korg VSTi 😅

[@JacobAndJamal]

Do you have a list of your favorite Triton Presets ?

[@Thought-Forms]

Anything under the "motion presets" category :)

[@vibetone355]

Can korg triton LE do the same?

[@Thought-Forms]

I believe it has the same IFX system, so should be able to!

[@lanmichaelmix2818]

low pass filter is your friend

[@milk_bath]

Pause

[@Thought-Forms]

100

[@vadimmartynyuk]

Trinity is so much better sounding than Triton

[@Thought-Forms]

not going to lie, i prefer the trinity as well. unfortunately, the tr-rack is a impossible to edit to a high degree without a computer

[@vadimmartynyuk]

@@Thought-Forms I had TR-Rack but sold it due to that reason. its not even possible to save your own presets in the TR-Rack. but the sound is amazing. wish KORG did a VST version of it

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

BS, old myth, no substantiation, just superstition! 😂

[@olivierf.4931]

it's also a very boring and recognizable effect...

[@Thought-Forms]

disagree, but to each their own!