> Step by step

3. Designing your first Fathom CM patch

1 Now we have a basic grasp of Fathom CM, let’s patch together our own preset from scratch. Navigate back to the Browser >> Programs >> User folder and load the Init preset we created in our earlier tutorial. Audio components – Oscillators, Filters, Effects and Modulators – are selected from the left-hand menu.

2 Let’s start with an oscillator component. Fathom CM features a host of oscillator types ranging from virtual analogue and additive to ‘draw your own’ waveforms, wavetables and even AM/FM. Drag the Wave Table oscillator into the main central area.

3 Open the Wave Table oscillator’s bottom-left Parameters tab, where you can set up two wavetables and interpolate between them. In the lower area, click on the left wavetable display to full-screen the editor. Click and drag around on the display to draw your own custom wavetable shape. Once done, hit the Exit Wavedraw button to go back.

4 Next, let’s load a bundled wavetable into the right slot. Over on the bottom right, click File to open the Browser, then choose a wavetable from the Wave Tables menu – we opt for Center Wave. You can also import your own wavetables.

5 Close the Browser, then sweep Wave Index around to scan through the table. Now both wavetable oscillators are set up, we can switch Algorithm to Morph, then fade between the left and right wavetables using the Amount knob. Let’s wiggle that with a modulator…

6 Head over to the lefthand side menu, open the Modulators tab, then drag an LFO Draw onto the Wave Table’s Amount knob. Then, up in the right Mod Matrix, drag the mod ring to apply mod depth. The LFO is now modulating our wavetable morph amount.

7 In the Mod Matrix, click the modulator’s icon (a pencil here) to open its editor, then draw in your own custom curve shape to taste. We’ll flip Time Units to Seconds, then adjust LFO Period (ie, rate) to set a suitable speed.

8 Back in the main Signal Flow area, open the top-left Filter tab and drag a Low Pass >> State Variable component in. Connect a cable from Wave Table’s output into the State Variable’s input, then tweak filter settings to your liking.

9 To finish, let’s head into the left Effects folder, drag in some processors, then connect everything together as in the screenshot. This has only been a basic exploration of this incredibly powerful instrument – we’ll be going into more depth in a later issue, so stay tuned.