Panels
AudioKit Synth One has six edit panels which allow you to alter parameters which control the sound characteristics of each sound preset. This section provides a high level overview of each panel, and then detailed information about each parameter or control in a panel.
This panel contains some of the most commonly used elements of Synth One. These could also be referred to as the "Performance Characteristics" of a Synth One Preset. When playing Synth One, these controls can radically effect the overall character of the sound Preset being used. For example, adjusting the Frequency Dial (which is also often modified by the MOD slider), often modifies a sound between a high frequency/tinny/sharp sound, to a fatter/rounder/bass-like one.
DCO 1 (Digitally Controlled Oscillator No. 1)
- Waveform Type (Sine, Square, Square 2, Saw): Controls waveform shape/timbre/character.
- Semitones control dial: Controls note value between -12 and +24 semitones.
The Waveform Type zone of each DCO is not simply 4 wavetable shapes to select from, rather it's a dynamic polymorphic waveform slider that allows subtle modification between the available shapes. As you move horizontally across the shapers, you can hear the delicate differences between them as they blend smoothly together.
DCO 2 (Digitally Controlled Oscillator No. 2)
- Waveform Type (Sine, Square, Square 2, Saw): Controls waveform shape/timbre/character.
- Semitones control dial: Controls note value between -12 and +24 semitones.
- Detune control dial: Controls the note detune value between -4.00 and +4.00Hz. This allows DCO 2 to shift softly in pitch which can create everything from pleasing accidental notes, or wildly disturbing shifts in tonal cadence. Perfect for everything from Jazz to Horror Soundtrack music!
Master Volume control dial: Controls the main output level of the current performance Preset.
Waveform Animation Window: Displays an animated waveform of the note(s) being triggered.
Filter
- Type (Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass)
- Frequency
- Resonance
Glide control dial: Controls the amount of "glide" (Legato) between notes. This is most noticeable when the Mono and Legato control switches are activated.
Mono control switch: This on/off control switches between monophonic (single-note) and polyphonic (multiple notes) modes. Typically mono is used for solo/arpeggiated/sequenced sounds where only one note is played at any given moment. When mono is off, multiple, polyphonic notes and chords are the order of the day.
Legato control switch: This on/off switch controls the smoothness of transition between one note and another. When Legato is on and Glide is high, notes will sound like the are "bending" into each other smoothly rather than abruptly. This can be used to simulate a finger slide of a traditional stringed instrument, or even otherworldy like a theremin.
Sub
- Amp
- -24
- Square
Volume
- DCO1
- DCO2
Mix
- DCO 1-2
FM (Oscillator)
This FM oscillator implements what is commonly known as a "classic FM oscillator pair," with one carrier oscillator and one modulator oscillator.
- Amp: Volume control of the FM Oscillator.
- Mod: From a sound designer point of view, modulation index can often be seen as a sort of brightness control. This is an oversimplification, but it may be helpful to think of it that way.
Behind The Scenes:
ƒ(t)=a(t)sin(2πƒct+I(t)sin(2πƒmt))
Noise
-
Amp: Increases/Decreases the amount of (
⚠️ white?) noise added to the current Preset.
Global
- Widen: Acoustically spreads the stereo effect of the current performance Preset.
- Arp/Seq: On/off control for the note sequencer/arpeggiator.
-
BPM (Beats Per Minute): Current tempo for the sequence/arpeggiator. Tap to enter a value, or slide your finger up/down to increase/decrease BPM.
⚠️ (Feature Request: tap repeatedly to set tempo) - Down Arrow: Slows the tempo of the sequencer/arpeggiator down.
- Up Arrow: Speeds the tempo of the sequencer/arpeggiator up.
This knob controls the master volume of a Preset.
Slide up ⬆️ to increase the level (loudness) of a Preset.
Slide down ⬇️ to decrease the level (loudness) of a Preset.
@aure @analogcode /// Question: Are the performance pads assignable to other settings ala volume, fx, etc? ///
While the PAD view, there are two onscreen pads which allow you make live performance adjustments to the current sound. These pads are also a quick way to alter your sound on the fly to see which settings sound best to your ear. As you adjust the location of the pad target (the small orange rounded square in each pad) will follow your finger, you can see the adjustment values in the header, and hear the sound changing if you are holding any notes down. You will know the PAD is working as a "hyperspace simulator" animation plays onscreen as you adjust the sound.
LFO1 (Left PAD)
This PAD adjusts the LFO1 RATE and AMPLITUDE of a preset.
- Horizontal movement (left-right, or X-coordinate) controls the LFO1 RATE from a very slow 8 bar cycle (left) to a very fast 1/64 note triplet cycle (right).
- Vertical movement (up-down, or Y-coordinate) controls the LFO1 AMPLITUDE from 0% (bottom) to 100% (top), controlling the mix level of the modulation.
FILTER (Right PAD)
This PAD adjusts the FILTER RESONANCE and CUTOFF of of a preset.
This hidden Dev/Easter Egg panel was discovered in a matter of days after initial release, and though it's got a bunch of knobs to fiddle with we recommend using it with caution since it's main purpose was to tweak settings and balance sound levels out for our presets. In some ways this panel could be called the Advanced Settings panel, though it feels more like an Easter Egg. Many settings in this panel are saved with the other Preset panel settings, so once you commit to a change, it will stick. Some settings are Global Overrides and change every Preset globally, so be careful using those especially.
Compressors:
- Reverb Input Compressor
- Compressor on 100% wet reverb output before mixing
- Master Compressor (default settings are more like a limiter).
We've carefully set the defaults to minimize distortion and provide a baseline loudness… note that all the sound designers who created the bundled presets used these default settings. Users can change these but it can be a rabbit hole.
DelFCut:
We have a low-pass Butterworth filter on the delay input that tracks the oscillator filter cutoff. It defaults to 0.75. If your oscillator cutoff is 10,000HZ the delay input cutoff will be 7,500HZ. This way the input to the delay will always have a lower cutoff frequency than the oscillator's cutoff frequency. It gives a beautiful separation between the oscillators and delay.
DelFRes:
Doesn't have an effect because we currently have the resonance of the delay input filter set to 0. This setting is reserved for future potential (ab)use.
PreGain:
The input gain for the Master Compressor.
DSPParamHalftime:
Almost all DSP parameters are "smoothed" to reduce artifacts when switching presets, or zippering when consuming UI events. You can make this a fast or sloooooow smooth with this parameter.
Settings (Not saved with Presets):
These are a few variables that we wanted to set apart from the Preset saves in order to control a few Global Parameters and not have to fiddle around while scrubbing through Presets. Can be useful when you're trying to find a certain sound that you need to have Arp/Warble at a particular tempo, or with a specific Reverb/Delay combo. Flip these switches back off when you want the Preset to override these Settings.
LockArpRate:
OFF by default. When enabled: loading a Preset will ignore the Preset's tempo. This is great for when you want to jam at a constant tempo and blaze through Presets. When we add tempo sync (i.e., Ableton Link) we might have to change how this works.
LockReverb:
OFF by default. When enabled: Loading a Preset will ignore the Preset's Reverb settings. We like to use this when we want to record a dry signal across multiple Presets. Useful for adding effects in your DAW, post-recording.
LockDelay:
OFF by default. When enabled: Loading a Preset will ignore the Preset's Delay settings. Again, useful for applying delay in you DAW, after you've recorded Synth One.