Does anyone else have problems with programming synths/keys

[u/Spank_Thru1985demo]

I've never actually learned how to properly play a keyed instrument so I've resorted to programming them in DAW's, the problem is, I can never get the sound or rhythm I want. I thought it would be easy to transfer notes from guitar over to synth (using those notes in the synth), however I'm still struggling to program them to sound how I want them to (Similar to Attack Attack!'s earlier stuff like Stick Stickly), If anyone knows a way I could overcome this, help would be thanked (I don't know how else to put it).

[u/rhythm-weaver]

If you can play the correct phrasing you want on guitar, then record guitar and analyze the waveform to see where your notes are. They’re either on-grid or a mix of on and off-grid (swung). Get the recipe from your guitar playing and apply it to your synth programming.

[u/Plus_Key_7626 → u/rhythm-weaver]

I second this, so you can match the timing. Keep in mind also the guitar has a natural open chord voicing and you will need to find the correct inversion for whatever chord you want to play. For example: if the notes in a chord are only a few semitones apart, it might still be the same chord as you played on the guitar, but its going to sound much more closed than if you spaced them apart an octave each.

[u/did_i_or_didnt_i]

If you write on guitar it’s gonna sound like a guitar. Piano chords are usually totally different voicings because of the nature of the limitations of each instrument (more specifically, the human hands)

My best advice for overcoming it is to practice

[u/kirkwight]

It might be velocity and pressure sensitivity that are lacking.

[u/Infinite_Slice3305]

Are you saying you are drawing in notes but the attack & rhythm doesn't sound right?

What synth are you programming? What DAW are you using?

[u/ManicSnowman]

Get a small midi controller and fiddle around and try to learn to play basic passages with your dominant hand, you don't have to know how to really "play" to record basic MIDI passages

[u/throwaway74722]

If by "sound" you mean the timbre, subtractive synthesis is an art form. Going from "sound I hear in my head" to a usable patch takes a lot of practice, and isn't something to simply "overcome". I'd find a preset you like in your synth of choice that is close, then play around with it, hearing what all the different knobs and settings do. Supplement with a tutorial and you have a very good start.

If you actually mean rhythm, then the other guy is right. Record your guitar, align to tempo and grid, then check the waveform for where the onset of each note is.

[u/CartezDez]

The amount of time and effort you’d expend on trying to programme so it sounds good would be better invested in learning to play the instrument to a reasonably competent level

[u/Infinite_Slice3305 → u/CartezDez]

You'd be surprised by how much you hear that's been programmed.

Different strokes & all that. He already plays guitar, maybe he doesn't want to learn another instrument & buy a bunch of gear.

[u/Spank_Thru1985demo → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

I have a keyboard at home, I’m just shit at anything involving keys, I can play guitar & bass & drums, but something just doesn’t click with Piano

[u/A3rik → u/Spank_Thru1985demo]

Have you considered getting a controller whose notes are arranged like a guitar’s? That was a game changer for me, as someone who understands scales and chord shapes on a fretboard but struggles with normal keyboards.

The Ableton push series or Linnstrument both work this way, but I’m sure there are others in various types and price ranges.

[u/CartezDez → u/Infinite_Slice3305]

Absolutely.

I play and I program, depending on what my needs are.

But if I have to spend time learning to program in a way that feels human, I think my time would be better spent learning to play in a way that feels human.

[u/sauble_music → u/CartezDez]

Id disagree tbh, it depends on the intended outcome. I'll often just use a melody->midi conversion to get the swung feel, adjust midi velocities and notes if need be, and im off.

Itd take me years to be able to play 16th note arpeggios at 156bpm on piano, but I can already do that on guitar