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A rising synth effect

1

You don’t need an expensive software super-synth to create interesting and dynamic sounds – out-of-this-world effects can be produced with even the simplest of virtual instruments. We’re going back to our own classic Alpha CM for this one. Click the folder icon to the left of the patch name display.

4

Set the LFO waveshape to Sawtoo (Sawtooth) and turn Sync Mode off. We’re going to use this to modulate the filter cutoff level. Next, set the first line of the Modulation Matrix to LFO1 0.5000 Filter Cutoff.

2

Load the z_init patch using your host’s patch browser. This initialises the synth’s parameters – now we can program it from scratch. Start by turning the Mix knob all the way to the left so that you can only hear Oscillator 1.

5

Play a note and you’ll hear the rhythmic movement created by the modulated filter. We want the LFO rate to change over time, so let’s modulate its speed with the filter envelope level. We do this by setting the second line of the Modulation Matrix to read Filter Envelope 1.0000 LFO Speed.

7

At the moment, the patch just plays a sustained note. We can use the LFO to modulate the pitch as well – set the third row of the Modulation Matrix to read LFO1 36.00 Osc 1 Pitch. This modulates Osc1’s pitch by three octaves.

3

Set both of Oscillator 1’s waveshapes to Square1, with the first set at 32¨ and the second at 16¨. This gives us a simple sound that we can process with the filter. First, though, we need to set up the LFO, which is going to create the burbling analogue effect.

6

We want the LFO speed to increase slowly, so set the Att (Attack) in the Filter panel to around 3 o’clock. When you play a note, the filter modulation rate should gradually increase. To make the effect more percussive, turn the Resonance up to almost full – this will boost the level of the audio at the filter cutoff frequency.

8

Turn the LFO’s Att level all the way up so that the effect gradually fades in. All that’s left to do now is fine-tune the patch. The 24dB filter setting has a bigger sound, though using the BP filter results in spacier, more proggy tones. Adjust the LFO Speed and filter Cutoff, Decay and Sustain controls to taste.