1 20 Tips On Synth Programming

26. Mai 2012 10:43:20 http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr99/articles/20tips.htm

Published in SOS April 1999
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20 Tips On Synth Programming
Feature | Tips & Tricks

We've all experienced the burst of creativity that
getting hold of new sounds can bring about - but not being able to
afford new synths and sound modules is also a familiar feeling.
Simon Lowther offers some tips for creating inspirational new
sounds without spending money.
Using the same old tired sounds again and again is frustrating, but it's all too easy to assume that
the only way to get out of the rut is to open your chequebook , when it may be that you're not
exploiting the programming opportunities your existing equipment offers. Programming sounds
can be done by blind twiddling or careful analysis and skilled construction - each approach will
produce a different set of results, and both are valid. If you already have a good selection of bread-
and-butter sounds in your library (as most instruments do these days), you can just enjoy
experimenting and customising.
1. Not all synth parameters have an equal effect on the sound. Some sound-editing parameters
make a huge difference and are easy to get at and understand - you can, for instance, do a huge
amount with just filter cutoff, envelope attack, release, and LFOdepth and amount. Detuning the
oscillators is also very effective for getting a fatter, warmer sound.
2. Some simple ideas for a bigeffect:
adjustingthe filter settings gives the
widest range of newtones. A good
place to start is cutoff and the
modulationsources that affect it,
especially envelope amount, keyboard
tracking, keyboard velocity and the settings of the filter envelope. Another area of interest on
a sample-and-synthesis instrument is the actual waveforms beingprocessed. Have you ever
really stepped throughand listened to all the available waveforms in your synth?
3. When inspiration does strike, or you face situations where you are under pressure to get results
quickly, a bit of prior preparation helps. Some synths come supplied with software sound-editing
templates, including the Korg N5, Waldorf 's Microwave II, and some Yamahas . Of course most
synths aren't like this, so it pays to keep a library of places to start editing from to hand, preferably
with favourite envelope settings and modulation routings assigned to your commonly used
destinations . I find it especially useful to have multitimbral setups preassigned with sounds and
MIDI channels , each given useful relative volumes and effects settings for quickly rolling out new
songs. Once you start to craft an arrangement you can start hacking the template to bits and store
the result with your song data. Try some housekeeping : store edits of your sounds in a separate file
or disk for each project. It's a wonderful feeling when your creativity is not hampered by spending
hours trying to find that missing sound.
4. On those days when inspirationescapes me I need newsounds - but on those days sound-
construction inspirationhas usually gone too! To get around this I combine existing sounds I
like, especially from related synths as they often 'gel' together better. Roland Junos and JXs,
or Korg PCM synths work very well in this context. You can mix and match layers either as a
multi in a Korg or Roland or by importinglayers intoa program withProteus and Kurzweil
synths. Either way, it's a quick and easy way of gettingnewsounds.
5. An arrangement often makes a tune stand out, and sounds are part of this. When programming
for a specific tune or arrangement , don't just concentrate on the strong melodic and bass sounds.
Think in terms of time, as well as tone, and look at longer -term sounds. 'Ambient' sweeps and other
pads can add dimension and space to quite simple arrangements . Make use of evolving sounds -
these are not only useful for New Age meanderings . There have been some great examples in
recent pop tracks.
6. For much music, and especially dance music, the tempo is everything. There are occasions
when the timingof LFOand other modulationsources need to be in keeping withthe music to
stop things from soundingmessy. Dependingon whichsynth you use there may be a setting
for sync'ingthe LFOto MIDI - it may even be worth checking the manual! The Kurzweil K2000
series instruments require you to select MIDI clock as a modulationsource; other synth
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