Embarrassing things you don't know (synthesis/music related!)

Suicidelane · 2015-01-30T14:26:01.000Z

Re: Envelopes: Think of the initial cutoff value as an offset. If you have a positive ENV Amount, it gets “added” to the initial cutoff value (much like moving the cutoff knob clockwise at the envelope’s rate). The inverse goes for a negative ENV amount - it subtracts from the initial value (i.e. it moves the cutoff knob counter clockwise).
Experiment here: on the A4 AMP page, set VOL to 0, A=0, DEC=INF, S= Max, R=Inf. Press a key - nothing is heard. Go in your ENVF page and set DEST to AMP VOL fully clockwise - now the ENVF controls your voice volume. Much like on an SH101 where you only have one envelope to control filter cutoff and (VCA) volume…

Sync: here is an awesome description of oscillator sync matters… http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~clark/nordmodularbook/nm_oscillator.html

Bwax · 2015-01-30T14:33:05.000Z

Great thread idea, Michael! Thank you.

I’m no synthesis expert by any means. I only know the basics and usually just fiddle around until things sound good. It takes me a while, but I eventually can get to where I want to go. I’ll stay tuned to this thread for the real synth guru advice!

Some things I wonder about but haven’t had the time yet to dig in and learn (or RTFM).

Sync
Sample and Hold
Polyphony modes
On LFOs, SPD vs MUL. I have a hard time determining practical difference. They both just seem to increase the intensity of the LFO effect on the sound.
On some patches, I always struggle with trying to figure out if I should be adjusting the filter cutoff param vs. the envelope amount param. Ha.
Maybe this is not a specific scientific parameter of synthesis, and if it’s outside of the intended scope of this thread, please ignore, but I am always wondering how to use Parameter locks on the A4 to the fullest. On the Machinedrum, using P-locks came naturally to me and it always sounded musical and interesting. On the A4, I am always at a loss as to what to P-lock, plus whenever I start doing it, it always ends up sounding like random bug-noise crap, imo. I have yet to effectively, and musically, use P-locks on the A4.

Sheesh, writing this stuff out and then reading it - I feel pretty stupid. Or maybe just lazy. Or maybe just extremely busy with other life duties and no time to study synthesis. Either way, kind of embarrassing.

orangehexagon · 2015-01-30T14:51:50.000Z

""josker"":

AM → something modulating the volume really really fast, which somehow creates something audible.

FM → ugh, let’s not go there.

I love AM. Usually you’ll think of amplitude modulation as slow modulation that gives dynamics or event over a timeline… think of that as notes on a written piece of music.
Really fast modulation of the amplitude effects the amplitude so fast that it no long is perceived as a timeline event, but as tonal, timbral, frequency information.

Good FM is hard to achieve if you’re after “musical” results. I tend to use a lot of FM on my modular synth for interesting percussion… where “correct musical notes” don’t apply as much. There’s a bit of math involved between the modulated vco and the modulator vco.

This is the best resource I could find on FM – http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr00/articles/synthsecrets.htm

Suicidelane · 2015-01-30T14:54:30.000Z

Bwax: S&H: Its actually fairly simple:

A S&H has two inputs and one output.
Input 1: is a signal input to be sampled. It can be noise, or any other waveform. In your A4 LFO it is one of the early waveform you can select (sine, triangle, square, exponential etc)
Input 2: is the “start to sample Input 1 now” input. Whenever there is a high signal here (can be a pulse, clock etc, A4 trigger), it “samples” the value of input 1 and “holds” that particular value of the input 1 signal at that time.
Output: The value of Input 1 signal held at the time the signal was sampled. The value is held until Input 2 receives the next command to sample.

Oftentimes S&H is only thought of as a random stepped modulation. However, you can Sample and Hold a triangle wave e.g.; then you will get a stair stepped rising and falling value.

On the A4 LFO, put its MOD to “Hold”. Select triangle as a waveform. Program a sequence of same 16th notes. Set DEST to pitch. Increase DEP slowly. You should hear a stepped melody emerge. Increase the SPD, MULT and SHP parameters…

orangehexagon · 2015-01-30T15:13:22.000Z

""Suicidelane"":

On the A4 LFO, put its MOD to “Hold”. Select triangle as a waveform. Program a sequence of same 16th notes. Set DEST to pitch. Increase DEP slowly. You should hear a stepped melody emerge. Increase the SPD, MULT and SHP parameters…

^^^ That’s good advice.

when I’m unsure of what my LFO is doing – I’ll assign it to pitch, because for me, it’s easier to hear all the LFO action – then assign it back to the parameter I actually want to modulate.

ehrek · 2015-01-30T16:52:43.000Z

Great thread, thanks to all contributing, I owe you!

Got me in full-on student mode

poonti · 2015-01-30T17:24:56.000Z

[quote=““orangehexagon””]

josker:

AM → something modulating the volume really really fast, which somehow creates something audible.

FM → ugh, let’s not go there.

I love AM. Usually you’ll think of amplitude modulation as slow modulation that gives dynamics or event over a timeline… think of that as notes on a written piece of music.
Really fast modulation of the amplitude effects the amplitude so fast that it no long is perceived as a timeline event, but as tonal, timbral, frequency information.

Good FM is hard to achieve if you’re after “musical” results. I tend to use a lot of FM on my modular synth for interesting percussion… where “correct musical notes” don’t apply as much. There’s a bit of math involved between the modulated vco and the modulator vco.

This is the best resource I could find on FM – http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr00/articles/synthsecrets.htm[/quote]
Must get up an’ learn those rules. Weather man and the crazy chief. One says sun and one says sleet A.M., the F.M. the P.M. too. Churning out that boogaloo

scrag · 2015-01-30T20:37:47.000Z

Embarrassing thing:

Until quite recently, I thought Walter and Wendy Carlos were a father and daughter who shared an interest in synthesizers.

J_C_Selector · 2015-01-30T23:49:07.000Z

""Zillamatic"":

One thing I really should know more about is compressors. I have a very musical ear but have a hard time discerning between changes on it, can’t say they make much of a difference for me.

Same here exactly !
There was a great post about compressor settings here (or maybe the old forum) which explained them well. It said something like, “attack is like your top end controll” or something.
Anyone remember this and link it for us ?

Tornfrayed · 2015-01-30T23:52:59.000Z

""scrag"":

Embarrassing thing:

Until quite recently, I thought Walter and Wendy Carlos were a father and daughter who shared an interest in synthesizers.

Yea, I hear you but it’s a bit like talking about Fight Club, that one…

XponentOne · 2015-01-31T12:54:31.000Z

Great thread idea!

Im pretty happy with synthesis knowledge, but mixing is a bit of a dark art to me - even though I used to do it for a living for a while. Probably as much because I start losing interest beyond creating patches and jamming, mixing for others is much easier because you arent tempted to go back and mess with the source so much.

Am interested though, who here describes themselves as a musician first, or would you call yourself an engineer or synthesist?

giftown · 2015-02-15T20:22:39.000Z

Here is one that I’m thinking about right now.

Do the types of wires used effect sound to the point I should put much thought into it?

Sometimes I wonder if using a coiled 1/4" cord is worse than a straight one because it’s bunched up. Sometimes I use an old wire from my TV for component video as an audio wire because it has the same RCA style jacks.

Does the length of a wire matter? Does using an 1/8th inch with a 1/4’ adaptor introduce noise where a 1/4’ wouldn’t?

What are your practices with this sorta thing?

Dahlia · 2015-02-16T01:31:46.000Z

Here is my tip on FM. I know it involves a certain math that can be used when you are trying to retain musicality. If you are like me and have no interest in understanding the math but you want to use FM to get unique timbres while retaining pitch/musicality, you need to focus on 3 parameters: 1. FM amount ( obviously ) 2. OSC pitch ( whole pitch changes as well as cents so 4 parameters I guess ) and 3. OSC wave shape

All 3 play an enormous factor when changing only 1 of them at a time. For example, turn FM amount up and lose your pitch. Start changing OSC wave shapes to see if any new shapes bring you back closer to the pitch you want. Use pitch variations as well for the same purpose. You don’t have to start with the FM amount either. Just remember all 3 play a factor when you are “aiming” for something or when you feel like, " Ive messed with the FM and all it did was make my patch sound like shit".

Anyway, hope thats helpful to someone. Perhaps everyone already knows this and this is MY embarrasing complacency!

vos · 2015-02-16T16:52:38.000Z

Not knowing has nothing to do with being stupid. Not knowing and not asking is stupid.
1 .I still don’t get the sync stuff ,but i use my ears…
2 . I know a little bit more now about sample and hold thanx to
SUICIDELANE…
3. Polyphone mode is adjustable in per track . for eatch track u can choose how many voises u need.
4 . LFO’s >>> SPEED = just for speed ( can be Pos. or Neg.= mirrors the LFo ) - MUL = multyplies the speed so whent the speed is 4 - MUL x2 = SPEED 8
8 - MUL x2 = SPEED 16
4 - MUL x16 = SPEED 64 etc…
5 . CUTOFF is a constant value - While the evelope is time -variant - to make the cutoff change over time. On top of the chosen ENV-CURVE you can choose the depth of the ENV. At 0 the ENV has no influence at all- the depth can be positive or negative.( making the cutoff going up or down )

Start with subtle patrameter-locks (ex/: adding a little more ENV -depth every step )

7 . I hope that I don’t explaine it to complex…

Dahlia · 2015-02-16T20:11:48.000Z

Ive always assumed sample and hold is just when you assign your LFO wave type to random. Is this correct?

subq · 2015-02-17T00:22:19.000Z

the thing that’s always bothered me is the whole
TRS, TS, Stereo, Mono, Balanced, Unbalanced
…and mixing (no pun intended) and matching thereof

Infected · 2015-02-17T01:05:28.000Z

I totally feel this way about compression… I’ve watched plenty of YouTube vids about it and still have a hard time hearing the differences between settings when I’m in my humble home studio.

Here’s a quote I found online somewhere. Not sure if it’s “true” but I’ve been going with it till I hear otherwise.

Make your attack and release as fast as possible, turn your ratio and threshold all the way up. This is known as the “million dollar setting” in the pro audio field and is typically used on vocals to capture every detail.

BoomTish · 2015-02-17T01:17:02.000Z

Compression was developed for wildly varying acoustic recordings, its not that suited to electronic music. I believe it was originally invented for mastering when poorly recorded performances varied in volume level. That said, the pumping effect or ducking of compression can be used to improve a drum pattern. Because psychoacoustically you are making the same sound effect that our ears make in protecting itself from a loud sound. We are fooling ourselves into thinking the music is louder than it really is.

B

Dahlia · 2015-04-23T22:50:48.000Z

I’ve recently lost faith in the assumption I help about sample and hold when I started playing with that feature on an Arp Odyssey ( old one ). Not sure what S&H is supposed to be now. More experimentation required!!

hereiamhere75 · 2015-04-24T19:52:21.000Z

my approach to that stuff has been pretty much vice versa.
i had to learn all that parameters for school without having the possibility
to try all of them on actual hardware.
later i recognized that when using that hardware i totally forgot to change
parameters just randomly and listening to it. on different machines you can find the same parameters but the actual audio behaves completely different.
knowing the physics helps a lot to get sounds on purpouse,
but going the naive way helps a lot too.
you can find endless material on these topics in the www or in books
but never forget rule number one: use your ears !