Most abused synths/tones

[Bitexion]

Yeah, if it wasn't for Jean-Michel Jarre's Laserharp sound noone would have known what a Synthex is now (or back in the 80s for that matter). He's changed all his synths multiple times since the 80s, but the Synthex never leaves the live setup.

[Z]

The poor Elka Synthex came out just in the middle of the new digital revolution and flopped like a fish on land.

So too with the T8, right? In fact, if I understand things correctly, the T8's bombing was the nail in the SCI coffin.

The T8 came out in 1983 and SCI was acquired by Yamaha in 1987. So I doubt, the T8 is to blame.

OK, back on topic now...

Not a synth sound, but a production technique: I cannot stand the bass drum side-chain ducking. It is physically painful to listen to, I get headaches from it.

[c-level]

The poor Elka Synthex came out just in the middle of the new digital revolution and flopped like a fish on land.

So too with the T8, right? In fact, if I understand things correctly, the T8's bombing was the nail in the SCI coffin.

The T8 came out in 1983 and SCI was acquired by Yamaha in 1987. So I doubt, the T8 is to blame.

OK, back on topic now...

Not a synth sound, but a production technique: I cannot stand the bass drum side-chain ducking. It is physically painful to listen to, I get headaches from it.

sidechained kickdrum is simply atonement for all the gated reverb snares and phil collins drums you used in the 80's.

[CS_TBL]

I see this sidechaining/ducking more as a means to emphasize a bassdrum, kinda like how in a film a camera shakes when there's a large impact (explosion, asteroid impact, crash etc.).

[Jaytee]

ORCHESTRA HIT. I've finally stopped hearing it in pop songs. Yes, I am hating on the orchestra hit. It has ALWAYS sounded cheesy and ridiculous.

Man, was the 90s the decade of the orchestra hit or what? Well, the late 80s too...

Hehe, I love orchestra hits, but then I like a lot of early-'90s stupid house.

Surprised no one's mentioned the 909 handclap. That was all over everything dance/house back in the day too. Sure, it serves a purpose, but you can replace it with a lot of different sounds that work just as well. I guess if you're doing drums on a real 909 you're a bit limited in options, but if you're on a sampler/MPC there's no excuse for not grabbing something more original.

I love reappropriating the 808/909 hand clap for use in my music. I tend not to use any other x0x drum sounds, to make sure it's in a different context than usual. It's a great sounding clap, and I love that everyone can immediately recognize it as something they've heard before, but my music otherwise doesn't really sound like anything that used the handclap.

[Sweep]

Not a synth sound, but a production technique: I cannot stand the bass drum side-chain ducking. It is physically painful to listen to, I get headaches from it.

Exactly.

[vin14]

Certain sounds become popular and used a lot for a reason. I wouldn't say any are overused. For a musical sound that's overused in rock/pop, try something that's been around a lot longer than a synth. An acoustic guitar or a piano! While I've no love for the former I'll never grow tired of the latter!

[Bitexion]

Yeah, noone says they're bored of the electric guitar sound, even though it's been around longer than synthesizers

[ZeeOne]

Well, the Les Paul through Marshall tone is getting a bit stale now...

[tekkentool]

It is physically painful to listen to, I get headaches from it.

IS THIS SERIOUS?

[Z]

It is physically painful to listen to, I get headaches from it.

IS THIS SERIOUS?

Yes. For example: I discovered Purity Ring last year on Sirius/XM, I went to Spotify to hear more of ther stuff but couldn't listener to it because of the ducking. I guess music is more compressed on the radio and the ducking effect is less noticeable. Too bad, I was really enjoying what I heard.

[c-level]

It is physically painful to listen to, I get headaches from it.

IS THIS SERIOUS?

Yes. For example: I discovered Purity Ring last year on Sirius/XM, I went to Spotify to hear more of ther stuff but couldn't listener to it because of the ducking. I guess music is more compressed on the radio and the ducking effect is less noticeable. Too bad, I was really enjoying what I heard.

your talking about two different things... ive had spotify overcompress and 'duck' right after a drop and it sounds horrible. purity ring also uses a good bit of sidechain kick-to-bassline ducking? so which is it? both?

[Z]

your talking about two different things... ive had spotify overcompress and 'duck' right after a drop and it sounds horrible. purity ring also uses a good bit of sidechain kick-to-bassline ducking? so which is it? both?

I'm talking about the kick drum side chain ducking that produces the exaggerated amplitude modulation. It is painful to listen to.

[shaft9000]

yes - sidechaining has become even worse than autotune or any other recent bandwagon-atrocity you care to mention

i say HAS BECOME since it has always been known as ducking, and is readily patchable on many modular synths and old compressors as-is.
the thing is people used to use it with restraint, but combined with limiting effects in DAWs where it gets numerically maximized/crushed/blasted - the results usually end up grating and remarkably UN-dynamic.

this is because it swamps the entire f**k mix, and is used by people as - frankly, and i say this with no emotion - it's a mix-crutch.
a way to "bulk-up" the sound without improving the composition of a piece one bit.
consider this -they're cornering it rhythmically, most of the time, and it f**k up any swing potential, for one-
"appropriateness BE DAMNED...let's duck the fukr and make this s**t CUTTING EDGE!!! oh and cut anuther line fer me eh"

it's very much used with similar intent as the oft-over-used 'filtersweep build' that sounded cool in 1994 but by 1998 ? ner...
even worse, "blanket sidechaining", or B.S. as we have so much of now, is a proportionally inverse come-back-from-the-dead evil-er twin of the giant goddamned GATED SNARES of the 80s that you couldn't get away from for years on end(on the radio&MTV) unless you jammed up your ears with soundproofing material.

thankfully i rarely have to listen to the radio anymore, unless i'm in someone else's car or waiting around in a shop for help. if that's what some kids like, fine. they'll move on eventually.
so rampant sidechaining doesn't bother me. but it's not helping any of those tunes become classics any quicker, either.

[shaft9000]

as for synths:

- The Benassi Bass
- Daft Punk's version of Roger Troutman
- the CHORUS button
- the OVERDRIVE/DISTORTION knob
- M1 Universe patch or whatever has that tropical goddamned bird in it LOL
- Moog filter FM as being evocative of something 'spacey' ...it used to be far-out, but today it just sounds like a dork poot-pooting all over his synth
- DX-anything, pretty much
- 303 res-squeals (DUH), MS20 squeals, Moog and OB stings...h**l any synth-sting gets old fast

and.....the worst of them all (drumroll or pulseLFO->VCA please)
- the minimoog lead electric guitar patch.
it's not remotely cool or interesting - it's a wailing cat having it's nards shaven down is what that sound is