Pads are everywhere!
Shimmer pads, Warm pads, Bright pads, Dark pads, Blah, blah, blah...
Name any modern worship song, and you're guaranteed to find a few pads in the mix. But where did this obsession with pads come from?
Are they over-used?
The video below video covers the basics of what pads are, and their purpose in worship music, yes. But it also subverts those norms and gives you tips on how you can replace them and avoid the cliche.
With these concepts you can
- add depth and character to worship songs
- breathe new life, and freshen up any song your team plays a lot
- and you'll find new inspiration in your playing - exploring new sounds while you continue to fill that "pad space"
All the sounds I use in this video are part of our first Ultimate Exclusive Sound Library, Daylight Strings.
This new, exclusive library is only available in Sunday Keys Ultimate and features some of the most beautiful string sounds we've ever created. If you don't have an active Sunday Keys License, these Ultimate Exclusives add an incredible new value to the Ultimate License.
Click here to discover Sunday Keys for the first time and find out if it's right for you.
If you already have a Sunday Keys Standard License, you can upgrade to Ultimate within your account on our site. Just choose "Upgrade Options" there and follow the steps.
I have an iPad Pro but the app is playing sounds
long overdue
I thought pads pre-date CCM worship. I believe they were called “slow synth” patches in our older Roland and Korg analog synth keyboards and were used in secular and Christian music from the 70s, 80s, 90s.
“Manipulative” seems very misguided, very inappropriately judgemental. Every tool in your musical toolbox serves a specific purpose. I am grateful for all of the tools in the musical toolbox!