At the dawn of electronic music, as the experimental nature of a new-fangled instrument called the synthesizer was in the ascent, musicians that embraced this new technology were confronted by a problem; how to describe these new sounds?
As the polymaths at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, were acquiring a reputation for creating new and interesting sounds (initially using tape-based methods, before migrating toward synthesizers) the call for a form of cataloguing system was essential.
Being the BBC department that supplied sounds for shows such as Doctor Who and Blake’s 7, one sound was becoming particularly commonplace - the ‘Laser Zap!’
The BBC didn’t have the monopoly on these sounds though. Star Trek also featured many-a-zap, with subtly different ‘zaps’ being required, depending on your phaser setting, or species of alien…obviously!
It didn't take long for electronic artists to embrace and mutate the idea of the zap, and use it in a musical context.
You could employ a laser zap with a long sweep, as a form of electronic cymbal crash. But, if you sharpened up the decay of the envelope, it suddenly became a heavy duty sound, with snare or electronic hi-hat potential.
That’s certainly what Kraftwerk thought in 1981, when the track Numbers (from Computer World) made its inspirational splash.
The insistent use of Hi Q, in a form of stereo hi-hat battle became a much copied production detail, influencing hip-hop, R&B and rap, as demonstrated on Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, and 1, 2 Step by Ciara ft Missy Elliot.
But how did the zap migrate from its association with Klingons, to its more common description of Hi Q? That's all down to the way we create the sound.
There are a couple of ways of acquiring this sound, but the most notable version, which we are going to recreate here, relies explicitly on the filter section of a synth, particularly the resonance, which is also described in some circle circles as Emphasis or just plain ‘Q’.
When dealing with a filter, there are two main components which we tend to regularly control. The first is the cutoff frequency, which in the context of a low pass filter (which is what we will need here) is the element that filters out upper harmonic content from a wave form, such as a saw or square wave. This allows the lower frequencies to pass through unfiltered. The point of frequency where this filtering occurs, is dependent upon the position of the cutoff fader or pot.
The resonance control, which normally resides alongside the cutoff, creates a form of accentuation and feedback, which in many filter designs results in a form of self-oscillation. This pure sinusoidal sound, is what we are after. Or, to put it another way, set our resonance control to a Hi Q.
But the story doesn't end there - the sweeping sound is generated using modulation.
Ideally, we will need a synthesizer which provides us with two envelopes. Just about all synths that offer two envelopes will default to one envelope for amplitude/volume, with the second envelope modulating the filter cutoff. It's this second envelope, and particularly the decay phase, that is going to do the heavy Hi-Q lifting.
The even better news is that we can adjust the decay phase to seamlessly move from electronic cymbal crash or laser blast, to a sharp Hi Q. Hence, it pays to choose your host synthesizer well. Most software synths will be able to do a passing facsimile, but any synth with snappy envelopes, and an aggressive filter, is going to do the best job.
In vintage hardware, several synthesisers offered the perfect Hi Q potential, with the SCI Pro-1 and ARP Odyssey being stylish contenders. The popularity of the Minimoog, both then and now, makes it the ideal partner.
We are going to use Cherry Audio’s Miniverse software plugin for our example, but most plugin synths will offer the capacity to create something very similar.
Step 1: As our Hi Q is entirely dependent upon the filter, we can start by switching off the oscillators. If the synth you are using does not employ switches, just turn the volume of the oscillator(s) down, or select a wave such as white noise, as this will be less prominent within the overall sound.
Step 2: Next, we move over to the filter section, where we need to shift the cutoff frequency to a relatively low position. The exact position of the cutoff pot or fader will be entirely dependent upon the synth you are using, so try placing it in the lower 25% and this will offer a starting point. At the same time, increase the resonance/emphasis/Q to its maximum.
Step 3: We need to set the amount of modulation, which is being applied to the cutoff, from the filter-assigned envelope. Locate the relevant pot or fader, and set to a reasonably high value, possibly the maximum.
Step 4: Adjust the filter envelope settings, to the quickest attack available, with a very short decay. Remember, the decay time is the element that will dictate the snappiness of the sound. If it's long, we are into laser zaps again, but keep it short, and we have a patch that can be used rhythmically. It is also essential to place the sustain level at zero.
Once you have applied the settings to the envelope, you will probably need to revisit the cutoff frequency and modulation amount controls. Trigger your sound from a pad or keyboard, and adjust these elements to suit your sound and track.
Step 5: Depending on the synth you are using, you may find that a very low pitched hum occurs, at the end of the sound, if you play and hold. This is the sound of the filter, continuing to be audible at a very low frequency/pitch.
It is easy to eliminate, with the use of the amplitude envelope; make sure that the sustain control is turned all the way down, and play around with your attack and decay times, to get the best result. They will need to be in a similar position to the filter envelope’s attack and decay phases.
Now you have your sound, it's time to place it in your track, and there are many production settings where this can be deployed.
If you want to think of your Hi Q as more as a hi-hat sound, simply play a hi-hat rhythm, and it will quickly add some momentum to your track. If you want to go full German techno, use two versions of the same sound, with one panned hard-left, and the other hard-right. You can also use a stereo delay, to get similar results.
You can also change the decay settings to mimic sounds more like an electronic snare, or even lower the cutoff frequency control, to create a superb electronic kick.
Of course, you can also apply many different style of effect, and Hi Qs absolutely love a bit of overdrive, so try dirtying up your signal to add real aggression.
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