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Patch: Making an Oscillator and Synth Drums
Making an Oscillator
In this patch we’ll use Channel A of the
Shaped Dual EnvVCA
as an oscillator. Flip the
Rise
and
Fall
switches of Channel A to
Fast
. Patch the ENV
A
output
jack to a mixer. Engage the
Cycle
button to
begin oscillation. Channel A’s
Level
sets the volume. You can change the pitch by adjusting the
Rise/
Fall
sliders. If both sliders are approximately at the same position and
Shape
is in the center, you’ll get
a triangle wave output. If one slider is substantially higher or lower than the other, the output will
resemble a ramp or saw wave. For pulse wave shapes, you can take the signal from the
EOR
jack
instead of
ENV A,
and then adjusting the sliders separately will change the pulse width. Adjusting the
Shape
slider on Channel A will change the timbre.
Making a Kick Drum
To make a kick drum sound, first use the sliders to set the pitch of Channel A low enough so that you
can’t hear sound. If there’s some clicking, that’s OK. Now we will modulate the pitch by patching
ENV B
to Channel A’s
Time
CV
jack. Set Channel A’s
Rise
and
Fall
CV attenuverters to be fully CCW. Turn on
Channel B’s
Cycle
button or fire triggers into Channel B’s
Trigger
jack to hear the pitch of Channel A
modulate. Adjusting the
Level
knob on Channel B will change the amount the pitch rises; typically for a
classic analog kick sound, the knob should be around 1 or 2 o’clock. The
Rise
and
Fall
sliders of
Channel B will adjust the attack and decay. A typical drum will have a sharp attack and slower decay, so
start with the
Rise
slider and switch at
Fast,
and the
Fall
slider and switch in the middle positions. The
base pitch of the drum can be fine-tuned with Channel B’s
Offset
knob.
An exponential modulation curve makes a more extreme kick drum sound. Try adjusting Channel B’s
Shape
slider to the left and notice how the drum has more “punch”.
Page of
13
24
Cycle
AR
ASR
Cycle
AR
ASR
Rise
Fall
Shaped Dual EnvVCA
Time
Time
Follow
VCA CV
VCA CV
In
Audio B
Audio A
Out
In
Out
Lin 5V
Lin 5V
OR
Shape
Rise
Fall
Slow
Fast
Med
Slow
Fast
Trig
Cycle
Offset
Level
EOF
Fall
Rise
Shape
Shape
Follow
ENV A
ENV B
Shape
Fall
Rise
Slow
Fast
Med
Slow
Fast
Trig
Cycle
Offset
Level
EOR
A
Cycle
on if not using
external trigger
To mixer/output
amp
Cycle
on
Both switches
set to
Fast
.
Rise
and
Fall
sliders
control attack and
decay of kick drum
Rise
and
Fall
Sliders set the
base pitch and
timbre
Rise/Fall
CV
fully to the left
Rise
switch to
Fast
.
Fall
switch to
Med
.
Level
controls
amount of
modulation
Level
controls
volume
From external trigger
source (gate
sequencer, clock, …)
Shape
changes
timbre
Optional: Move
Shape
slider towards
expo for more punch
Offset
at center.