Dave Smith Instruments Sequential PROPHET X, User Manual, Page: 101 / 172

89 Prophet X User’s Guide Synthesis 101: Synth Bass
Be aware that the Filter Envelope and Amplifier Envelope work in
conjunction, with the Filter Envelope controlling how the filter opens and
closes and the Amplifier Envelope controlling the overall volume shape.
To learn more about the Amplifier Envelope, see page 42.
5. The Filter Envelope’s
release
parameter acts in conjunction with the
Amplifier Envelope. In other words, you can’t hear a long release on
the filter envelope if the amplifier envelope is short! So to hear the filter
envelope’s
release
parameter in action, first set the Amp Envelope’s
release
value to 75.
6. Now repeatedly strike a note on the keyboard as you turn the Filter
Envelope’s
release
knob clockwise and counterclockwise. Notice how
the note fades out faster or slower as you change the
release
value.
Using Unison
You can use Unison to thicken the synth bass sound even more. When
unison
is on, the Prophet X acts like a monophonic synthesizer — only
one note can be played at a time. However, that single note can be
powered by as many as 8 voices, depending on how many you choose
to stack together. (You can stack up to 16 voices if you are in 16-voice
mode.)
To use Unison:
1. Press the
unison
button on the front panel.
2. Repeatedly strike a note on the keyboard as you use Soft Knob 2
(
mode
) to choose the number of voices to stack. The more voices you
stack, the denser the sound.
3. To detune the oscillators while in unison, use Soft Knob 3 (
detune
) to
set the amount of detuning between voices.
Now you know how to create a simple synth bass program using the
most essential synthesizer components of the Prophet X: the oscillators,
the filter, and the envelopes. Using just these three things you can create
an enormous variety of sounds. Keep experimenting with them and if
you like what you’ve created, save the programs in one of the user banks.
(See “Saving a Program” on page 7.)