Mastering​ ​of​ ​Synth​ ​1

Intro​:
Hello,​ ​I​ ​am​ ​Composing​ ​Gloves.​ ​This​ ​series​ ​is​ ​aimed​ ​at​ ​the​ ​producer,​ ​composer,​ ​lover​ ​of​ ​sound
who​ ​wants​ ​to​ ​learn​ ​sound​ ​design.​ ​This​ ​course's​ ​aim​ ​is​ ​a​ ​level​ ​of​ ​genuine​ ​competency​ ​with
synthesis.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​have​ ​exercises​ ​and​ ​even​ ​tests.​ ​You​ ​will​ ​be​ ​expected​ ​to​ ​produce​ ​and​ ​design
sounds.​ ​Exercises​ ​are​ ​completely​ ​necessary​ ​to​ ​the​ ​development​ ​of​ ​this​ ​skill,​ ​do​ ​not​ ​skip​ ​them.

If​ ​you​ ​do​ ​every​ ​exercise​ ​and​ ​pass​ ​every​ ​test​ ​then​ ​you​ ​will​ ​have​ ​a​ ​skill​ ​that​ ​will​ ​carry​ ​over​ ​into​ ​all
your​ ​productions​ ​and​ ​bring​ ​real​ ​value​ ​to​ ​what​ ​you​ ​do.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​more​ ​than​ ​just​ ​using​ ​sounds
someone​ ​else​ ​made,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​the​ ​freedom​ ​to​ ​think​ ​in​ ​sound,​ ​to​ ​create​ ​what​ ​comes​ ​to​ ​your​ ​mind
and​ ​truly​ ​hear​ ​in​ ​your​ ​head​ ​what​ ​can​ ​happen.

Goal:​​ ​To​ ​achieve​ ​a​ ​level​ ​of​ ​Mastery​ ​over​ ​Synth​ ​1.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​thought​ ​long​ ​and​ ​hard​ ​about
what​ ​it​ ​really​ ​means​ ​to​ ​master​ ​a​ ​synth.​ ​It​ ​means​ ​you​ ​know​ ​the​ ​total​ ​limits​ ​over​ ​the​ ​synth,​ ​you
can​ ​bring​ ​all​ ​its​ ​capability​ ​to​ ​the​ ​forefront,​ ​there​ ​are​ ​no​ ​compromises​ ​in​ ​mastery,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​had​ ​to
you​ ​could​ ​create​ ​the​ ​synth​ ​yourself.​ ​My​ ​aim​ ​for​ ​you​ ​is​ ​a​ ​practical​ ​degree​ ​of​ ​mastery.

Why​ ​Synth​ ​1?

Its​ ​Free.​ ​Easy​ ​as​ ​that.​ ​I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​help​ ​everyone​ ​and​ ​I​ ​may​ ​do​ ​other​ ​synths​ ​later,​ ​but​ ​my
goal​ ​is​ ​to​ ​really​ ​help​ ​the​ ​very​ ​beginner​ ​and​ ​beginners​ ​usually​ ​don’t​ ​have​ ​a​ ​whole​ ​lot.

Tools​ ​I​ ​expect​ ​you​ ​to​ ​have:

1. A​ ​DAW​ ​with​ ​stock​ ​effects.​ ​I​ ​will​ ​be​ ​using​ ​FL.

That's​ ​it.​ ​Not​ ​a​ ​very​ ​high​ ​bar.​ ​XD​ ​You​ ​may​ ​see​ ​me​ ​grab​ ​things​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​own.​ ​I​ ​will​ ​try​ ​to​ ​avoid
this​ ​but​ ​I’m​ ​not​ ​gonna​ ​cut​ ​corners​ ​either.​ ​If​ ​I​ ​grab​ ​something​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​a​ ​stock​ ​effect​ ​I​ ​will
explain​ ​why​ ​I​ ​am​ ​grabbing​ ​that​ ​particular​ ​plug.

Things​ ​I​ ​expect​ ​you​ ​to​ ​know:

1. Know​ ​your​ ​way​ ​around​ ​your​ ​DAW,​ ​I​ ​provide​ ​a​ ​tutorial​ ​series​ ​for​ ​FL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSrCLI3nhEY&list=PLOMuI-j1vRxTCD6Hm3cyEU0w
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2. Basics,​ ​I​ ​have​ ​a​ ​series​ ​covering​ ​exactly​ ​what​ ​I​ ​mean​ ​by​ ​this​ ​called​ S ​ ound​ ​and​ ​Synth
Basics:​ ​While​ ​I​ ​will​ ​be​ ​revisiting​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​topics​ ​here​ ​any​ ​prior​ ​knowledge​ ​will​ ​be​ ​an
advantage.

Methodology:
 I​ ​have​ ​explained​ ​components​ ​of​ ​synths​ ​so​ ​many​ ​times.​ ​It's​ ​clear​ ​to​ ​me​ ​this​ ​is​ ​not​ ​the
answer​ ​alone.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​also​ ​seen​ ​so​ ​many​ ​tutorials​ ​that​ ​do​ ​not​ ​explain​ ​enough​ ​or​ ​give​ ​meaningful
practice.​ ​So​ ​I​ ​will​ ​take​ ​the​ ​following​ ​approach:

I​ ​will​ ​have​ ​a​ ​chapter​ ​based​ ​on​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​concept,​ ​rooted​ ​in​ ​theory.​ ​Each​ ​video​ ​will
explain​ ​an​ ​aspect​ ​of​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​with​ ​particular​ ​principles​ ​in​ ​mind.​ ​Things​ ​will​ ​be​ ​progressive,
with​ ​exercises​ ​along​ ​the​ ​way.​ ​I​ ​will​ ​explain​ ​theory​ ​but​ ​require​ ​its​ ​application​ ​before​ ​we​ ​move​ ​to
​ ase​ ​sounds​ ​in​ ​synth
the​ ​next​ ​topic.​ ​Lessons​ ​will​ ​not​ ​stay​ ​within​ ​Synth​ ​1,​ ​meaning​ ​we​ ​will​ ​form​ b
one,​ ​but​ ​will​ ​processes​ ​and​ ​mix​ ​them​ ​further​ ​many​ ​times.

I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​set​ ​a​ ​new​ ​standard​ ​in​ ​online​ ​education​ ​and​ ​hope​ ​to​ ​achieve​ ​it​ ​with​ ​this​ ​method.

Chapter​ ​1
An​ ​approach​ ​to​ ​Sound

Before​ ​we​ ​just​ ​start​ ​turning​ ​knobs​ ​and​ ​making​ ​noise​ ​we​ ​have​ ​to​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​what
synthesis​ ​is,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​basics​ ​methods​ ​to​ ​it.​ ​Synthesis​ ​means​ ​“to​ ​put​ ​together”.​ ​Synthesis​ ​is​ ​to
take​ ​many​ ​things​ ​and​ ​make​ ​one​ ​thing​.​ ​A​ ​synthesizer​ ​is​ ​a​ ​device​ ​composed​ ​of​ ​many​ ​devices.

Functions​ ​of​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​a​ ​Synth:

1. Sound​ ​Generation
2. Sound​ ​Processing
3. Control​ ​Regulation

These​ ​basic​ ​components​ ​bring​ ​us​ ​to​ ​what​ ​we​ ​really​ ​need​ ​to​ ​understand,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​the​ ​philosophy
of​ ​sound.​ ​Anyone​ ​can​ ​hit​ ​keys​ ​and​ ​turn​ ​knobs​ ​till​ ​they​ ​get​ ​something​ ​cool,​ ​but​ ​it's​ ​the​ ​people
who​ ​know​ ​which​ ​knob​ ​to​ ​turn​ ​that​ ​get​ ​exactly​ ​to​ ​where​ ​they​ ​want​ ​to​ ​go.

When​ ​approaching​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​we​ ​must​ ​ask​ ​yourself:

1. What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​this​ ​sound?
2. How​ ​important​ ​is​ ​this​ ​sound?
3. What​ ​will​ ​the​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​this​ ​sound​ ​be?

If​ ​you​ ​can​ ​answer​ ​these​ ​questions​ ​then​ ​you​ ​are​ ​ready​ ​to​ ​ask​ ​these:
1. What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​best​ ​method​ ​to​ ​create​ ​this​ ​sound?
2. What​ ​processing​ ​will​ ​I​ ​need?
3. What​ ​are​ ​the​ ​requirements​ ​of​ ​this​ ​sound?

Let's​ ​break​ ​this​ ​down,

1.​ ​What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound.

There​ ​is​ ​functional​ ​sound,​ ​meaning​ ​sound​ ​with​ ​a​ ​purpose.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​call​ ​someone's​ ​name,​ ​you
have​ ​a​ ​purpose​ ​for​ ​it.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​call​ ​it​ ​at​ ​a​ ​regular​ ​interval​ ​a​ ​new​ ​purpose​ ​is​ ​evident,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​call​ ​it​ ​in​ ​a
whisper​ ​or​ ​a​ ​shout,​ ​more​ ​purpose​ ​is​ ​evident.​ ​We​ ​as​ ​people​ ​seek​ ​purpose​ ​and​ ​function.

A​ ​waterfalls​ ​sound​ ​may​ ​evoke​ ​an​ ​emotion,​ ​or​ ​a​ ​car​ ​screech​ ​may​ ​cause​ ​you​ ​to​ ​be​ ​alarmed.
Having​ ​purpose​ ​in​ ​your​ ​tracks​ ​makes​ ​them​ ​relatable.​ ​It’s​ ​like​ ​you’re​ ​saying​ ​something.​ ​Tracks
with​ ​no​ ​purpose​ ​are​ ​often​ ​misguided​ ​with​ ​unclear​ ​reasoning.

There​ ​is​ ​also​ ​non-Function​ ​sound,​ ​and​ ​level​ ​in​ ​between.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​not​ ​be​ ​learning​ ​non-functional
sound.

2.​ ​How​ ​important​ ​is​ ​your​ ​sound?

Importance​ ​in​ ​sound​ ​is​ ​monumental​ ​if​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to​ ​interact​ ​with​ ​your​ ​audience.​ ​A​ ​sound
representing​ ​a​ ​bomb​ ​that​ ​killed​ ​millions​ ​will​ ​move​ ​people,​ ​while​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​of​ ​footsteps​ ​can​ ​bring
horror,​ ​or​ ​delight.​ ​But​ ​it​ ​makes​ ​little​ ​sense​ ​to​ ​have​ ​footsteps​ ​be​ ​more​ ​important​ ​than​ ​a​ ​singer,​ ​or
a​ ​lead​ ​sound​ ​go​ ​beneath​ ​a​ ​pad​ ​sound​ ​without​ ​good​ ​reason.​ ​Consider​ ​the​ ​importance​ ​in​ ​your
sound.

3.​ ​What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​your​ ​sound?

What​ ​you​ ​think​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​will​ ​be​ ​like​ ​and​ ​what​ ​others​ p ​ erceive​ ​it​ ​to​ ​be​ ​will​ ​be​ ​very​ ​different.
You​ ​can​ ​make​ ​good​ ​guesses​ ​at​ ​this​ ​but​ ​never​ ​know​ ​exactly.​ ​Allow​ ​room​ ​for​ ​others​ p ​ erception​ ​of
your​ ​work​ ​and​ ​let​ ​it​ ​alter​ ​yours.​ ​Did​ ​what​ ​you​ ​intend​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​to​ ​mean​ ​come​ ​across​ ​properly​ ​to
the​ ​listener?

After​ ​we​ ​have​ ​considered​ ​these​ ​three​ ​questions​ ​we​ ​simply​ ​must​ ​select​ ​methods,​ ​tools,​ ​and​ ​set
reasonable​ ​standards.

A​ ​General​ ​Overview​ ​of​ ​Components

I​ ​selected​ ​Synth​ ​1​ ​because​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​single​ ​page​ ​synth!​ ​You​ ​can​ ​see​ ​all​ ​the​ ​controls​ ​at​ ​once!​ ​I​ ​want
to​ ​give​ ​you​ ​a​ ​broad​ ​perspective​ ​of​ ​this​ ​synth​ ​and​ ​how​ ​synths​ ​work​ ​in​ ​general,​ ​we​ ​will​ ​go​ ​into
details​ ​as​ ​they​ ​are​ ​needed​ ​in​ ​the​ ​lessons.​ ​Having​ ​this​ ​broad​ ​overview​ ​will​ ​work​ ​with​ ​any​ ​other
conventional​ ​synth​ ​as​ ​well.

A​ ​Synth​ ​will​ ​establish​ ​a​ ​signal​ ​flow.​ ​Signal​ ​flow​ ​is​ ​how​ ​the​ ​synth​ ​generates​ ​signal​ ​(our​ ​sound)
and​ ​effects​ ​it.​ ​By​ ​changing​ ​the​ ​signal​ ​flow​ ​you​ ​can​ ​accomplish​ ​radical​ ​changes​ ​in​ ​sound.​ ​Synth
1​ ​is​ ​not​ ​the​ ​most​ ​flexible​ ​in​ ​this​ ​standard,​ ​but​ ​that's​ ​fine.​ ​Its​ ​built​ ​like​ ​a​ ​typical​ ​synth​ ​with​ ​many​ ​of
the​ ​component​ ​put​ ​in​ ​a​ ​fixed​ ​order.

Typical​ ​signal​ ​flow​ ​is​ ​usually

Oscillator​ ​(sound​ ​generation)​ ​ ​ ​Envelope​ ​ ​ ​Filters​ ​ ​ ​FX​ ​ ​ ​Out​ ​to​ ​DAW
This​ ​is​ ​a​ ​very​ ​simple​ ​signal​ ​flow.​ ​Synths​ ​like​ ​NI​ ​Massive​ ​or​ ​Image​ ​Lines​ ​Harmor​ ​offer​ ​extensive
control​ ​while​ ​other​ ​engines​ ​like​ ​Reaktor​ ​literally​ ​let​ ​you​ ​take​ ​close​ ​to​ ​complete​ ​control.

(Add​ ​pictures)
A​ ​brief​ ​overview​ ​of​ ​each​ ​general​ ​components​ ​in​ ​Synth​ ​1:
1. Oscillators​ ​-​ ​Generates​ ​“Sound”
2. Amplifier​ ​(Envelope)​ ​-​ ​Controls​ ​the​ ​“loudness”​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​over​ ​time.
3. Filter​ ​-​ ​Removes​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​sound
4. LFO​ ​(Low​ ​Frequency​ ​Oscillator,​ ​not​ ​audible)-​ ​Changes​ ​other​ ​settings​ ​over​ ​time.
5. Effect​ ​-​ ​Various​ ​Effects
6. Equalizer/Pan​ ​-​ ​Allows​ ​for​ ​us​ ​to​ ​change​ ​the​ ​“balance”​ ​of​ ​our​ ​sound.
7. Tempo​ ​Delay​ ​-​ ​Creates​ ​a​ ​delay​ ​(thinking​ ​shouting​ ​into​ ​a​ ​canyon)
8. Chorus/Flanger​ ​-​ ​A​ ​Delay​ ​Based​ ​Effect​ ​famous​ ​for​ ​its​ ​blurring​ ​effect​ ​(and​ ​many​ ​others)
9. Voice​ ​-​ ​Control​ ​over​ ​the​ ​number​ ​of​ ​notes​ ​we​ ​can​ ​play​ ​and​ ​how​ ​it​ ​plays​ ​them
10. Arpeggiator​ ​-​ ​Takes​ ​note​ ​data​ ​and​ ​redistributes​ ​it
11. Wheel​ ​/​ ​Midi​ ​-​ ​Changes​ ​how​ ​synth​ ​1​ ​Interprets​ ​external​ ​data​ ​from​ ​a​ ​Midi​ ​Controller

Those​ ​are​ ​all​ ​the​ ​components​ ​with​ ​a​ ​large​ ​title.​ ​The​ ​creative​ ​processes​ ​generally​ ​follows​ ​the
signal​ ​flow​ ​initially,​ ​you​ ​get​ ​an​ ​OSC​ ​(oscillator)​ ​going​ ​and​ ​start​ ​filtering​ ​and​ ​effecting​ ​it,​ ​but​ ​then
you​ ​decided​ ​that​ ​a​ ​different​ ​OSC​ ​would​ ​sound​ ​better,​ ​you​ ​then​ ​tweak​ ​your​ ​filter​ ​and​ ​back​ ​and
forth​ ​you​ ​goal​ ​honing​ ​in​ ​on​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​you​ ​want.

That's​ ​the​ ​general​ ​components,​ ​these​ ​components​ ​reveal​ ​the​ ​workflow​ ​the​ ​designer​ ​had​ ​in
mind.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​largely​ ​a​ ​subtractive​ ​synthesis​ ​based​ ​synth.​ ​It​ ​lacks​ ​any​ ​additive​ ​capabilities,​ ​and
RM​ ​and​ ​FM​ ​are​ ​fixed​ ​in​ ​a​ ​small​ ​place​ ​at​ ​the​ ​start​ ​of​ ​the​ ​signal​ ​flow.​ ​This​ ​means​ ​the​ ​synth​ ​will
obviously​ ​not​ ​be​ ​good​ ​at​ ​creating​ ​sound​ ​similar​ ​to​ ​samples.​ ​Instead​ ​we​ ​should​ ​aim​ ​for
subtractive​ ​based​ ​sounds.

Lesson​ ​1
The​ ​Init​ ​Patch
Up​ ​first​ ​is​ ​the​ ​good​ ​ol​ ​sine​ ​wave!​ ​We​ ​will​ ​be​ ​working​ ​with​ ​this​ ​as​ ​our​ ​base​ ​for​ ​some​ ​time,​ ​but
before​ ​we​ ​do​ ​we​ ​need​ ​to​ ​set​ ​up​ ​an​ ​initial​ ​patch.

The​ ​Initial​ ​Patch:​ ​Possibly​ ​the​ ​most​ ​important​ ​patch​ ​you​ ​will​ ​ever​ ​have,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​the​ ​blank​ ​slate
you​ ​start​ ​from.​ ​It's​ ​your​ ​white​ ​canvas​ ​on​ ​which​ ​you​ ​will​ ​start​ ​painting.​ ​There​ ​are​ ​2​ ​ideas​ ​in​ ​sound
design​ ​for​ ​this:

1. Start​ ​with​ ​all​ ​buttons​ ​and​ ​knobs​ ​in​ ​default​ ​positions​ ​(positions​ ​we​ ​typically​ ​expect​ ​them​ ​to
be​ ​in​ ​when​ ​they​ ​are​ ​off​).​ ​This​ ​allows​ ​us​ ​to​ ​start​ ​from​ ​the​ ​same​ ​spot​ ​creatively​ ​and
become​ ​comfortable​ ​with​ ​a​ ​particular​ ​way​ ​to​ ​navigating​ ​the​ ​synth.​ ​You​ ​may​ ​consider
setting​ ​up​ ​init​ ​patches​ ​with​ ​various​ ​configurations​ ​ready​ ​to​ ​go.
 2. Start​ ​on​ ​an​ ​existing​ ​patch.​ ​Why​ ​re-invent​ ​the​ ​wheel?​ ​This​ ​will​ ​also​ ​cause​ ​you​ ​to​ ​stumble
across​ ​tricks​ ​other​ ​use.​ ​Presets​ ​are​ ​not​ ​bad.​ ​They​ ​increase​ ​workflow​ ​and​ ​let​ ​you​ ​see
other​ ​ways​ ​similar​ ​effects​ ​can​ ​be​ ​done.​ ​You​ ​will​ ​want​ ​to​ ​build​ ​your​ ​own​ ​library​ ​of​ ​presets.

Synth1​ ​has​ ​many​ ​settings​ ​on​ ​already​ ​that​ ​we​ ​will​ ​need​ ​to​ ​turn​ ​off​ ​for​ ​a​ ​typical​ ​init​ ​preset.
Generally​ ​we​ ​want​ ​only​ ​one​ ​OSC​ ​on.​ ​So​ ​we​ ​need​ ​to​ ​turn​ ​the​ ​mix​ ​knob​ ​all​ ​the​ ​way​ ​to​ ​the​ ​left.

Next​ ​up,​ ​we​ ​have​ ​all​ ​our​ ​FX​ ​on!​ ​Something​ ​we​ ​really​ ​don’t​ ​want​ ​for​ ​our​ ​sound.

Click​ ​the​ ​On​ ​button​ ​to​ ​turn​ ​these​ ​off.

At​ ​this​ ​point​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​should​ ​be​ ​at​ ​its​ ​basic​ ​level​ ​with​ ​only​ ​a​ ​single​ ​OSC​ ​running​ ​out.​ ​An​ ​init
patch​ ​could​ ​start​ ​with​ ​saw​ ​if​ ​you​ ​like​ ​but​ ​I​ ​prefer​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave.

That's​ ​it!​ ​No​ ​we​ ​must​ ​save​ ​our​ ​new​ ​init​ ​patch.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​use​ ​this​ ​patch​ ​as​ ​a​ ​starting​ ​place​ ​often.
In​ ​Synth1​ ​the​ ​saving​ ​procedure​ ​is​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​of​ ​an​ ​ordeal.​ ​First​ ​we​ ​must​ ​set​ ​a​ ​file​ ​path.​ ​Click​ ​the​ ​OPT
button​ ​at​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​of​ ​synth​ ​1.

You​ ​Should​ ​get​ ​this​ ​lovely​ ​window.​ ​Then​ ​Click​ ​browse​ ​and​ ​create​ ​a​ ​Synth​ ​1​ ​folder​ ​for​ ​your
presets.
You​ ​should​ ​have​ ​an​ ​updated​ ​file​ ​path.
Now​ ​we​ ​can​ ​save​ ​our​ ​patch​ ​to​ ​the​ ​folder​ ​we​ ​created.​ ​Hit​ ​WRITE​ ​at​ ​the​ ​bottom​ ​of​ ​the​ ​screen.

The​ ​name​ ​is​ ​fine​ ​and​ ​click​ ​OK.

THAT'S​ ​IT!​ ​You're​ ​done!​ ​Now​ ​check​ ​your​ ​work​ ​first!​ ​Open​ ​another​ ​synth​ ​1.​ ​Your​ ​first​ ​patch
should​ ​be​ ​the​ ​initial​ ​patch​ ​we​ ​made!​ ​If​ ​it​ ​is​ ​not​ ​then​ ​go​ ​back​ ​and​ ​make​ ​sure​ ​you​ ​set​ ​up​ ​the​ ​folder
correctly.

Lesson​ ​2
The​ ​Sine​ ​Wave,​ ​Intro​ ​To​ ​Synthesis
​ aveforms.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​assumed​ ​you​ ​know​ ​what​ ​a
We​ ​are​ ​going​ ​to​ ​be​ ​doing​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​talking​ ​about​ w
waveform​​ ​is​ ​from​ ​sound​ ​and​ ​synth​ ​basics.

When​ ​we​ ​use​ ​waveforms​ ​we​ ​can​ ​think​ ​of​ ​them​ ​in​ ​several​ ​ways.
1. Static​ ​sound.​ ​A​ ​sound​ ​unto​ ​themselves.​ ​The​ ​goal.​ ​The​ ​genre​ ​Chiptune​ ​exemplifies​ ​this.
The​ ​sound​ ​does​ ​not​ ​seek​ ​to​ ​become​ ​something.​ ​Chiptune​ ​Music​ ​Example
2. A​ ​changing​ ​component.​ ​Morphing​ ​Pad​ ​sounds​ ​and​ ​other​ ​sounds​ ​use​ ​this​ ​mode​ ​of
thought.​ ​Its​ ​also​ ​used​ ​frequently​ ​as​ ​a​ ​composition​ ​tool.​ M ​ odular​ ​Synthesis​ ​Jam​,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​an
entire​ ​song​ ​from​ ​one​ ​synth!​ ​This​ ​is​ ​just​ ​one​ ​example,​ ​this​ ​mode​ ​of​ ​thought​ ​can​ ​be​ ​found
in​ ​any​ ​genre.
3. A​ ​layer.​ ​A​ ​single​ ​piece​ ​of​ ​a​ ​larger​ ​spectrum.​ ​Sine​ ​waves​ ​have​ ​some​ ​typical​ ​layer​ ​rolls.
Orchestration​ ​is​ ​the​ ​art​ ​of​ ​layering.​ ​Protectors​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Earth​​ ​by​ ​Two​ ​Steps​ ​From​ ​Hell.
These​ ​3​ ​modes​ ​of​ ​thought​ ​are​ ​not​ ​static.​ ​They​ ​can​ ​move.​ ​In​ ​advanced​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​we​ ​may
take​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​with​ ​many​ ​layers​ ​and​ ​peel​ ​it​ ​back​ ​one​ ​by​ ​one​ ​until​ ​you're​ ​left​ ​with​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave.
The​ ​pure​ ​frequency.

The​ ​red​ ​lines​ ​on​ ​the​ ​side​ ​are​ ​the​ ​sounds​ ​spectrum.​ ​Each​ ​one​ ​represents​ ​one​ ​frequency.​ ​If​ ​we
removed​ ​all​ ​but​ ​one​ ​we​ ​would​ ​have​ ​a​ ​transition​ ​from​ ​mode​ ​3​ ​to​ ​mode​ ​1​ ​and​ ​it​ ​makes​ ​for​ ​a​ ​much
more​ ​interesting​ ​experience.​ ​Challenging​ ​the​ ​role​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​helps​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​your​ ​intent​ ​across.
For​ ​example,​ ​let's​ ​say​ ​you’ve​ ​got​ ​a​ ​large​ ​number​ ​of​ ​synths​ ​all​ ​playing​ ​the​ ​same​ ​line,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​is
one​ ​synth​ ​in​ ​the​ ​many​ ​you​ ​have​ ​playing​ ​that​ ​you​ ​enjoy​ ​more​ ​than​ ​the​ ​others.​ ​You​ ​can​ ​decided
to​ ​filter​ ​the​ ​others​ ​out​ ​in​ ​various​ ​ways​ ​to​ ​take​ ​the​ ​listener​ ​to​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​you're​ ​most​ ​proud​ ​off.
Here​ ​virtual​ ​riot​ ​kinda​ ​goes​ ​in​ ​the​ ​opposite​ ​direction​ ​in​ ​his​ ​track​ ​init​.

I​ ​do​ ​this​ ​in​ ​my​ ​track​ ​“​Work​ ​All​ ​Day​”​ ​but​ ​in​ ​the​ ​opposite​ ​direction,​ ​I​ ​add​ ​sounds​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​the​ ​full
power​ ​of​ ​my​ ​final​ ​sound​ ​at​ ​the​ ​climax​ ​of​ ​the​ ​chord​ ​progression​ ​there​ ​is​ ​a​ ​clear​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​direction
as​ ​a​ ​result.

Another​ ​example​ ​is​ ​in​ ​my​ ​track​ ​“​Into​ ​the​ ​Deep​”​ ​in​ ​which​ ​you​ ​hear​ ​a​ ​piano​ ​morph​ ​into​ ​another
piano​ ​changing​ ​the​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​space​ ​from​ ​far​ ​to​ ​close.
Here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​tutorial​ ​explaining​ ​this​ ​specific​ ​example:​ ​Creating​ ​Atmosphere

These​ ​3​ ​modes​ ​are​ ​not​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​truly​ ​grasp​ ​what​ ​our​ ​building​ ​blocks​ ​can​ ​do​ ​for​ ​us.​ ​Sound​ ​can
be​ ​broken​ ​into​ ​3​ ​fundamental​ ​components.​ ​These​ ​are​ ​the​ ​things​ ​that​ ​make​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​what​ ​it​ ​is.
1. Frequency
2. Phase
 3. Amplitude
Using​ ​only​ ​these​ ​3​ ​things​ ​you​ ​can​ ​make​ ​any​ ​sound!​ ​However,​ ​a​ ​total​ ​breakdown​ ​of​ ​these​ ​pieces
is​ ​not​ ​everything​ ​we​ ​need​ ​for​ ​sound​ ​design.​ ​Instead​ ​I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​show​ ​you​ ​something​ ​even​ ​more
incredible.​ ​The​ ​6​ ​aspects​ ​of​ ​sound,
1. Tonal
2. Atonal
3. Flux
4. Nonflux
5. Long
6. Short
That​ ​is​ ​it.​ ​Pause​ ​and​ ​consider​ ​the​ ​magnitude​ ​of​ ​what​ ​I​ ​am​ ​claiming!​ ​I​ ​am​ ​saying​ ​all​ ​sound​ ​is
made​ ​of​ ​these​ ​3​ ​elements,​ ​and​ ​all​ ​sound​ ​can​ ​be​ ​describe​ ​by​ ​this​ ​6​ ​adjectives!​ ​Thats​ ​a​ ​massive
step​ ​forward​ ​in​ ​how​ ​we​ ​can​ ​look​ ​at​ ​sound!​ ​Every​ ​sound​ ​you​ ​ever​ ​make​ ​or​ ​hear​ ​is​ ​some
combination​ ​of​ ​these​ ​6​ ​aspects!​ ​These​ ​are​ ​far​ ​more​ ​useful​ ​for​ ​us​ ​because​ ​now​ ​we​ ​can​ ​take
techniques​ ​and​ ​put​ ​them​ ​into​ ​these​ ​fundamental​ ​categories.​ ​If​ ​we​ ​want​ ​a​ ​more​ ​tonal​ ​sound,​ ​we
can​ ​use​ ​a​ ​technique​ ​that​ ​preserves​ ​or​ ​introduces​ ​tonality.​ ​This​ ​naturally​ ​happens​ ​as​ ​you​ ​get
better​ ​at​ ​sound​ ​design,​ ​but​ ​to​ ​deliberately​ ​know​ ​this​ ​information​ ​is​ ​an​ ​incredible​ ​advantage.

To​ ​take​ ​it​ ​a​ ​step​ ​further​ ​we​ ​could​ ​combine​ ​this​ ​with​ ​the​ ​5​ ​components​ ​of​ ​music
1. Sound
2. Structure
3. Harmony
4. Theme
5. Rhythm

So,​ ​combining​ ​the​ ​6​ ​aspects​ ​of​ ​sound,​ ​with​ ​the​ ​5​ ​components​ ​of​ ​music​ ​with​ ​the​ ​3​ ​fundamental
components​ ​of​ ​sound​ ​and​ ​the​ ​3​ ​modes​ ​of​ ​thought​ ​we​ ​create​ ​a​ ​system​ ​of​ ​analysis​ ​useful​ ​to​ ​us.
We​ ​should​ ​give​ ​it​ ​a​ ​fancy​ ​name​ ​right?​ ​Something​ ​like​ B​ urgessian​ ​analysis​,​ ​or​ ​Gloves​ ​Analysis​,
or​ ​just​ ​structural​ ​analysis​.​ ​The​ ​last​ ​one​ ​seems​ ​the​ ​most​ ​practical,​ ​but​ ​is​ ​already​ ​taken​ ​by​ ​music
theory.​ ​=)

Burgessian​ ​analysis​ ​will​ ​allow​ ​us​ ​to​ ​find​ ​important​ ​properties​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sound,​ ​consider​ ​their​ ​mixture,
decided​ ​the​ ​technique​ ​we​ ​should​ ​use​ ​in​ ​obtaining​ ​the​ ​sound,​ ​and​ ​consider​ ​its​ ​application.​ ​I
cover​ ​the​ ​5​ ​components​ ​of​ ​music​ ​in​ ​“​An​ ​approach​ ​to​ ​beat​ ​writing​”​ ​and​ ​will​ ​not​ ​be​ ​going​ ​over​ ​it
specifically​ ​here.​ ​The​ ​point​ ​of​ ​analysis​ ​is​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​system​ ​that​ ​gives​ ​us​ ​useful​ ​information​ ​about
something.​ ​We​ ​do​ ​not​ ​normally​ ​exhaust​ ​the​ ​full​ ​potential​ ​of​ ​this​ ​system,​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of
information​ ​would​ ​be​ ​overwhelming!

Now,​ ​onto​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave.​ ​We​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​use​ ​Structural​ ​Analysis​ ​to​ ​reveal​ ​the​ ​functions​ ​of​ ​the
Sine​ ​wave​ ​as​ ​it​ ​relates​ ​to​ ​sound.​ ​For​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​it​ ​makes​ ​the​ ​most​ ​sense​ ​to​ ​start​ ​with​ ​its
components​ ​as​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​fundamental​ ​waveform.
I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​give​ ​you​ ​a​ ​very​ ​brief​ ​glimpse​ ​into​ ​sound​ ​theory.​ ​Nothing​ ​too​ ​crazy​ ​but​ ​a​ ​small​ ​look​ ​at​ ​it
helps​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​with​ ​understanding​ ​what​ ​we​ ​are​ ​dealing​ ​with.

When​ ​I​ ​say​ ​fundamental​ ​(or​ ​elementary)​ ​waveform​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​should​ ​get​ ​special​ ​attention.
This​ ​wave​ ​can​ ​be​ ​generated​ ​by​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​different​ ​techniques.​ ​A​ ​very​ ​smart​ ​man​ ​named​ J​ oseph
Fourier​​ ​proved​ ​you​ ​can​ ​take​ ​any​ ​signal​ ​(in​ ​our​ ​case​ ​a​ ​sound)​ ​and​ ​break​ ​it​ ​into​ ​a​ ​bunch​ ​of​ ​sine
and​ ​cosine​ ​waves.​ ​A​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​(also​ ​called​ ​a​ ​sinusoidal​ ​wave)​ ​is​ ​actually​ ​generated​ ​through​ ​a
trigonometric​ ​function​ ​called​ ​Sine,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Cosine​ ​is​ ​like​ ​the​ ​Sine​ ​wave​ ​only​ ​it​ ​has​ ​a​ ​90°​ ​phase
shift.​ ​(It​ ​has​ ​to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​circles​ ​and​ ​triangles​ ​and​ ​stuff​ ​you​ ​would​ ​need​ ​a​ ​math​ ​class​ ​for).

The​ ​red​ ​is​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​and​ ​the​ ​blue​ ​is​ ​a​ ​cosine​ ​wave.​ ​This​ ​illustration​ ​is​ ​a​ ​little​ ​weird,​ ​because​ ​a
cosine​ ​wave​ ​should​ ​be​ ​at​ ​1​ ​at​ ​zero​ ​but​ ​they​ ​are​ ​just​ ​showing​ ​the​ ​phase​ ​shift.​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​wanna​ ​bog
you​ ​down​ ​in​ ​complex​ ​maths​ ​(which​ ​is​ ​where​ ​this​ ​would​ ​head)​ ​but​ ​I​ ​just​ ​want​ ​you​ ​to​ ​understand
that​ ​this​ ​wave​ ​is​ ​a​ ​big​ ​deal​ ​in​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​more​ ​than​ ​just​ ​sound.​ ​Also​ ​a​ ​word​ ​of​ ​caution:​ ​It’s​ ​not​ ​correct
to​ ​say​ ​everything​ ​is​ ​just​ ​sine​ ​waves,​ ​it's​ ​more​ ​correct​ ​to​ ​say​ ​everything​ ​can​ ​be​ ​broken​ ​down​ ​into
a​ ​summation​ ​of​ ​sine​ ​and​ ​cos​ ​waves​ ​of​ ​various​ ​amplitudes.​ ​In​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​we​ ​don’t​ ​say​ ​cosine
waves,​ ​instead​ ​we​ ​just​ ​regard​ ​it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​with​ ​a​ ​90​ ​degree​ ​phase​ ​shift.​ ​Other​ ​branches​ ​of
sound​ ​design​ ​are​ ​very​ ​closely​ ​related​ ​to​ ​advanced​ ​mathematics,​ ​I​ ​may​ ​bring​ ​it​ ​up​ ​if​ ​it​ ​is​ ​relevant
(but​ ​don’t​ ​worry​ ​I​ ​will​ ​give​ ​an​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​conceptual​ ​explanation​ ​as​ ​well).

So​ ​our​ ​breakdown​ ​of​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​are
1. Frequencies​ ​-​ ​a​ ​pure​ ​frequency.​ ​You​ ​actually​ ​have​ ​never​ ​heard​ ​a​ ​“true”​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​for
some​ ​pretty​ ​specific​ ​math​ ​reasons​ ​(​explanation​).​ ​But​ ​you​ ​have​ ​heard​ ​things​ ​that​ ​are
close​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave.​ ​The​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​this​ ​is​ ​only​ ​a​ ​single​ ​frequency​ ​means​ ​that​ ​if
we​ ​ever​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​reinforce​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​of​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​(the​ ​lowest​ ​frequency​ ​that​ ​is
responsible​ ​for​ ​what​ ​we​ ​perceive​ ​as​ ​pitch)​ ​then​ ​we​ ​will​ ​call​ ​upon​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​or​ ​a
waveform​ ​close​ ​to​ ​it.
 2. Phase​ ​-​ ​Typically​ ​starts​ ​at​ ​the​ ​zero​ ​crossing,​ ​clicks​ ​result​ ​when​ ​not​ ​aligned​ ​correctly​ ​and
no​ ​envelope​ ​is​ ​applied​ ​to​ ​smooth​ ​the​ ​sudden​ ​demand​ ​for​ ​your​ ​speaker​ ​cone​ ​to​ ​magically
teleport​ ​to​ ​a​ ​value​ ​without​ ​any​ ​values​ ​in​ ​between.​ ​(E ​ xplanation​​ ​in​ ​the​ ​case​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sine
sub​ ​bass)​ ​this​ ​is​ ​actually​ ​a​ ​really​ ​useful​ ​technique​ ​for​ ​plucks​ ​and​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​other
sounds​ ​and​ ​is​ ​something​ ​synth​ ​one​ ​is​ ​good​ ​at.
3. Amplitude​ ​-​ ​How​ ​loud​ ​each​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​can​ ​be.​ ​(this​ ​is​ ​slightly​ ​oversimplified​ ​and​ ​wrong
for​ ​technical​ ​reasons,​ ​but​ ​in​ ​the​ ​end​ ​we​ ​can​ ​view​ ​it​ ​like​ ​this​ ​and​ ​be​ ​ok​ ​for​ ​nearly
everything​ ​we​ ​want​ ​to​ ​do)

So​ ​that​ ​is​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​theory,​ ​and​ ​there​ ​is​ ​actually​ ​WAY​ ​more​ ​we​ ​could​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​but​ ​it​ ​would​ ​get
in​ ​the​ ​way​ ​at​ ​this​ ​point.​ ​These​ ​principles​ ​are​ ​talked​ ​about​ ​in​ ​far​ ​more​ ​depth​ ​in​ ​Sound​ ​and​ ​Synth
Basics​ ​if​ ​you​ ​need​ ​a​ ​refresher.

For​ ​now​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​this​ ​understanding​ ​is​ ​to​ ​make​ ​exceedingly​ ​clear​ ​that​ ​a​ ​sin​ ​wave
has​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​enforce​ ​any​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​spectrum​ ​if​ ​we​ ​give​ ​it​ ​the​ ​proper​ ​amplitude,​ ​phase,​ ​and
frequency,​ ​because​ ​sound​ ​can​ ​be​ ​broken​ ​down​ ​into​ ​sin​ ​waves.​ ​This​ ​can​ ​be​ ​taken​ ​further​ ​with
other​ ​waveforms,​ ​especially​ ​when​ ​combined​ ​with​ ​flux.
This​ ​also​ ​greatly​ ​clarifies​ ​why​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​oscillator​ ​even​ ​exists.​ ​Which​ ​we​ ​will​ ​checkout​ ​in​ ​the​ ​next
lesson.

Consider​ ​these​ ​additional​ ​insights​ ​from​ ​others:

- Well​ ​made​ ​video​ ​about​ ​sound​ ​from​ ​a​ ​physics​ ​perspective​ T ​ he​ ​Coolest​ ​Things​ ​Sound
Waves​ ​Do
- The​ ​Overtone​ ​Series​ ​and​ ​Timbre​s​ ​very​ ​well​ ​made​ ​video​ ​explaining​ ​why​ ​some
instruments​ ​sound​ ​different​ ​than​ ​others.​ ​It​ ​also​ ​covers​ ​topics​ ​we​ ​will​ ​be​ ​looking​ ​at​ ​in​ ​the
coming​ ​lessons.
- Intro​ ​to​ ​Synthesis​ ​1​ ​-​ ​The​ ​Building​ ​Blocks​ ​of​ ​Sound​ ​and​ ​Synthesis​​ ​-​ ​Classic,​ ​have​ ​to
include​ ​this​ ​by​ ​law​ ​of​ ​the​ ​universe.
I​ ​know​ ​there​ ​is​ ​more​ ​out​ ​there,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​feel​ ​there​ ​is​ ​something​ ​else​ ​I​ ​should​ ​include​ ​here​ ​then
shoot​ ​me​ ​an​ ​email​ ​or​ ​comment​ ​on​ ​the​ ​appropriate​ ​YT​ ​video.

`
Exercises:
1. In​ ​these​ ​3​ ​tracks,​ ​what​ ​is​ ​the​ ​mode​ ​of​ ​thought?​ ​List​ ​why​ ​you​ ​think​ ​it’s​ ​that​ ​mode​ ​of
thought.

- Kink​ ​Boiler​ ​Room​ ​London​ ​Set​​ ​just​ ​get​ ​a​ ​vibe​ ​for​ ​the​ ​main​ ​mode​ ​of​ ​thought,​ ​listen​ ​to​ ​the
whole​ ​thing​ ​if​ ​you're​ ​cool.
- Bob​ ​Dylan​ ​-​ ​North​ ​Country​ ​Blues​​ ​listen​ ​from​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​perspective,​ ​we​ ​are​ ​not​ ​concerned
with​ ​the​ ​song​ ​writing​ ​as​ ​much​ ​right​ ​now.
- As​ ​Shadows​ ​Fall​​ ​by​ ​Peter​ ​Gundry
 2. I​ ​have​ ​prepared​ ​for​ ​you​ ​a​ ​project​ ​file​ ​-
In​ ​this​ ​file​ ​I​ ​have​ ​3​ ​instances​ ​with​ ​synth​ ​1.​ ​Each​ ​instance​ ​is​ ​simply​ ​labeled​ ​“Color​ ​___”.​ ​Simply
try​ ​fading​ ​in​ ​and​ ​out​ ​each​ ​color​ ​finding​ ​a​ ​balance​ ​of​ ​sound​ ​you​ ​like.​ ​Come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​automation
and​ ​create​ ​an​ ​experience.​ ​Basically,​ ​take​ ​this​ ​from​ ​a​ ​chord​ ​progression​ ​to​ ​a​ t​ rack.​ ​Stick​ ​to
simple​ ​volume​ ​automation​ ​at​ ​first,​ ​then​ ​experiment​ ​with​ ​synth​ ​1​ ​if​ ​you're​ ​comfortable​ ​with​ ​it,​ ​and
try​ ​adding​ ​plugs.​ ​I​ ​also​ ​have​ ​a​ ​notepad​ ​VST​ ​on​ ​the​ ​master​ ​channel​ ​with​ ​questions​ ​for​ ​you​ ​to
consider​ ​and​ ​several​ ​more​ ​challenges.

3. General​ ​Questions​ ​-​ ​Don’t​ ​skip​ ​this.​ ​Taking​ ​the​ ​time​ ​to​ ​go​ ​back​ ​if​ ​you​ ​forgot​ ​the​ ​answer
and​ ​really​ ​commit​ ​it​ ​to​ ​memory​ ​is​ ​vital​ ​to​ ​having​ ​genuine​ ​improvement.

1.​ ​What​ ​are​ ​the​ ​three​ ​modes​ ​of​ ​thought?

2.​ ​List​ ​the​ ​3​ ​components​ ​of​ ​sound​ ​and​ ​what​ ​each​ ​of​ ​them​ ​are​ ​for.

3.​ ​What​ ​is​ ​Fourier​ ​analysis​ ​used​ ​for?

4.​ ​T/F​ ​It​ ​is​ ​correct​ ​to​ ​say​ ​that​ ​all​ ​sound​ ​is​ ​made​ ​of​ ​sine​ ​waves.​ ​Explain.

5.​ ​What​ ​is​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave?

Remember​ ​all​ ​answers​ ​or​ ​examples​ ​if​ ​I​ ​felt​ ​so​ ​inclined​ ​are​ ​included​ ​in​ ​the​ ​answer​ ​document​ ​that
comes​ ​with​ ​this​ ​book.

Lesson​ ​3
The​ ​Sub​ ​Oscillator

Pitch,​ ​Tonality​ ​and​ ​You

Today​ ​we​ ​are​ ​going​ ​to​ ​check​ ​out​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​oscillator​ ​from​ ​the​ ​mode​ ​of​ ​thought​ l​ ayers​ ​(from​ ​lesson
2)​.​ ​What​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​oscillator​ ​is,​ ​is​ ​very​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​understand.​ ​In​ ​fact​ ​we​ ​could​ ​make​ ​anything​ ​that​ ​can
make​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​function​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​oscillator,​ ​but​ ​it’s​ ​not​ ​unusual​ ​to​ ​see​ ​a​ ​section​ ​for​ ​sub
specifically​ ​especially​ ​in​ ​additive​ ​synths.

Why?​ ​What​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​oscillator​ ​does​ ​is​ ​in​ ​most​ c​ ases​ ​is​ ​generate​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​between​ ​80​ ​and​ ​30
hz.​ ​That's​ ​it.​ ​You​ ​may​ ​wonder,​ ​“Why​ ​have​ ​an​ ​oscillator​ ​specifically​ ​for​ ​this?!​ ​Why​ ​not​ ​just​ ​have
another​ ​full​ ​fledged​ ​oscillator?”​ ​(which​ ​it​ ​basically​ ​is​ ​because​ ​it​ ​can​ ​produce​ ​other​ ​spectrums​ ​as
well).
In​ ​order​ ​to​ ​truly​ ​understand​ ​the​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​oscillator​ ​section​ ​(or​ ​taking​ ​an​ ​oscillator​ ​and
restricting​ ​its​ ​role​ ​to​ ​that​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sub)​ ​we​ ​must​ ​ask​ ​a​ ​question.

What​ ​gives​ ​sound​ ​its​ ​pitch?

You​ ​have​ ​probably​ ​heard​ ​a​ ​trumpet​ ​and​ ​a​ ​flute.​ ​However​ ​I​ ​beat​ ​you​ ​have​ ​never​ ​confused​ ​a
trumpet​ ​sound​ ​for​ ​a​ ​flute​ ​sound.

I​ ​also​ ​beat​ ​you​ ​can​ ​tell​ ​if​ ​the​ ​trumpet​ ​sound​ ​is​ ​playing​ ​the​ ​same​ ​note​ ​as​ ​the​ ​flute​ ​sound
(disregarding​ ​octave​ ​equivalents).​ ​Here​ ​are​ ​two​ ​instruments​ ​that​ ​sound​ ​incredibly​ ​different,​ ​yet
they​ ​have​ ​the​ ​same​ ​pitch?!​ ​How​ ​can​ ​this​ ​be?

Here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​video​ ​explaining​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​this:​ ​What's​ ​the​ ​difference​ ​between​ ​Frequency​ ​and​ ​Pitch?
Thus​ ​the​ ​idea​ ​of​ ​timbre​ ​(pronounced​ ​“Tam-Ber”)​ ​is​ ​brought​ ​up.

This​ ​is​ ​the​ ​timbre​ ​of​ ​a​ ​trumpet​ ​playing​ ​a​ ​G6.
Here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​the​ ​timbre​ ​of​ ​a​ ​flute​ ​also​ ​playing​ ​a​ ​G6.
Free​ ​Analyzer​ ​Video

Earlier​ ​we​ ​talked​ ​about​ ​how​ ​any​ ​sound​ ​can​ ​be​ ​broken​ ​down​ ​into​ ​many​ ​frequencies.​ ​In​ ​audio​ ​we
use​ ​what's​ ​called​ ​the​ ​Discrete​ ​Fourier​ ​Transform​​ ​to​ ​do​ ​this,​ ​abbreviated​ ​DFT.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​just
accept​ ​that​ ​this​ ​works​ ​as​ ​the​ ​explanation​ ​is​ ​not​ ​easy.​ ​When​ ​we​ ​do​ ​a​ ​DFT​ ​to​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​we​ ​find
that​ ​certain​ ​patterns​ ​appear.​ ​The​ ​one​ ​we​ ​care​ ​about​ ​is​ ​a​ ​frequency​ ​called​ ​“The​ ​Fundamental”.
This​ ​frequency​ ​is​ ​the​ ​lowest​ ​and​ ​loudest​ ​frequency​ ​in​ ​the​ ​spectrum​ ​which​ ​is​ ​a​ ​range​ ​of
frequencies​ ​resulting​ ​from​ ​the​ ​DFT.

In​ ​the​ ​flute​ ​and​ ​trumpet​ ​pictures​ ​above​ ​notice​ ​how​ ​the​ ​lowest​ ​tones​ ​in​ ​both​ ​instruments​ ​are
loudest​ ​and​ ​as​ ​the​ ​frequencies​ ​get​ ​higher​ ​the​ ​amplitude​ ​decreases.

Flute​ ​Trumpet​ ​:​ ​Audio​ ​Example

The​ ​fundamental​ ​also​ ​happens​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave!​ ​Our​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​pitch​ ​comes​ ​from​ ​this
frequency.​ ​If​ ​a​ ​tuba,​ ​trumpet,​ ​synth,​ ​clarinet​ ​and​ ​singer​ ​all​ ​create​ ​the​ ​same​ ​note​ ​it’s​ ​the
fundamental​ ​frequency​ ​they​ ​all​ ​have​ ​in​ ​common.

AUDIO​ ​EXAMPLE

All​ ​the​ ​other​ ​frequencies​ ​in​ ​each​ ​instrument's​ ​sound​ ​can​ ​have​ ​variations​ ​in​ ​them​ ​(they​ ​are​ ​NOT
random​ ​variations,​ ​a​ ​far​ ​cry​ ​from​ ​it.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​get​ ​into​ ​it​ ​when​ ​we​ ​approach​ ​harmonic​ ​series),​ ​but
the​ ​fundamental​ ​must​ ​be​ ​the​ ​same​ ​(or​ ​an​ ​octave​ ​equivalent)​ ​for​ ​it​ ​to​ ​sound​ ​like​ ​the​ ​same​ ​note.
An​ ​octave​ ​equivalent​ ​is​ ​simply​ ​a​ ​ratio​ ​of​ ​2​ ​to​ ​a​ ​frequency.​ ​So​ ​if​ ​one​ ​frequency​ ​was​ ​100​ ​Hz,​ ​then
we​ ​would​ ​hear​ ​200​ ​Hz​ ​as​ ​an​ ​octave.​ ​This​ ​doubling​ ​is​ ​why​ ​we​ ​use​ ​Base​ ​2​ ​in​ ​audio.​ ​This
understanding​ ​is​ ​important​​ ​and​ ​I​ ​am​ ​going​ ​to​ ​assume​ ​you're​ ​comfortable​ ​with​ ​logs​ ​as​ ​it​ ​relates
to​ ​audio,​ ​but​ ​if​ ​you're​ ​not​ ​here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​video​ ​where​ ​I​ ​explain​ ​it​ ​in​ ​a​ ​way​ ​that​ ​requires​ ​only​ ​knowing
how​ ​to​ ​multiply​ ​and​ ​divide​ ​to​ ​understand:​ ​Logs​ ​for​ ​Audio

I​ ​know​ ​it​ ​seems​ ​like​ ​something​ ​you​ ​can​ ​just​ ​skip,​ ​but​ ​really​ ​understanding​ ​logs​ ​really​ ​is​ ​very
important​ ​for​ ​an​ ​intuitive​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​the​ ​overtone​ ​series.

Knowing​ ​this​ ​we​ ​can​ ​now​ ​see​ ​why​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​oscillator​ ​exists!​ ​Its​ ​to​ ​reinforce​ ​the​ ​fundamental
frequency!​ ​This​ ​is​ ​its​ ​most​ ​basic​ ​purpose.​ ​However,​ ​giving​ ​your​ ​fundamental​ ​some​ ​extra​ ​juice
can​ ​lead​ ​to​ ​mixing​ ​problems​ ​and​ ​music​ ​theory​ ​problems​ ​as​ ​well!​ ​There​ ​are​ ​also​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of
staples​ ​in​ ​which​ ​this​ ​particular​ ​technique​ ​are​ ​useful.

Because​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​essentially​ ​creates​ ​a​ ​more​ ​powerful​ ​fundamental​ ​or​ ​changes​ ​where​ ​the
fundamental​ ​is,​ ​it​ ​therefore​ ​causes​ ​our​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​pitch​ ​about​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​to​ ​change.​ ​The
louder​ ​and​ ​lower​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​is,​ ​the​ ​rounder​ ​and​ ​boomier​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​will​ ​become
depending​ ​on​ ​the​ ​range​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​is​ ​in.
Tutorial​ ​EXAMPLE​​ ​of​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​reinforcement​ ​in​ ​various​ ​ranges​ ​and​ ​also​ ​other​ ​waveforms.

If​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​low​ ​range​ ​this​ ​description​ ​fits​ ​well,​ ​if​ ​it​ ​is​ ​in​ ​a​ ​mid​ ​to​ ​high​ ​range​ ​then​ ​we​ ​are​ ​in​ ​less
danger​ ​of​ ​a​ ​boom​ ​(however​ ​it's​ ​not​ ​really​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​at​ ​this​ ​point​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​should​ ​exist
80ish​ ​hz​ ​or​ ​below).​ ​We​ ​can​ ​reinforce​ ​a​ ​sound's​ ​tonality​ ​with​ ​the​ ​subbass.​ ​Keep​ ​in​ ​mind​ ​there
are​ ​less​ ​Hz​ ​in​ ​the​ ​lower​ ​octaves​ ​of​ ​the​ ​spectrum​ ​due​ ​to​ ​the​ ​logarithmic​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​pitch​ ​(covered
in​ ​that​ ​video​ ​I​ ​know​ ​you​ ​watched​ ​and​ ​took​ ​the​ ​time​ ​to​ ​understand).​ ​When​ ​combined​ ​with
whatever​ ​tuning​ ​system​ ​you​ ​are​ ​using​ ​this​ ​can​ ​periodically​ ​create​ ​a​ ​problem​ ​where​ ​we​ ​cannot
obtain​ ​a​ ​fundamental​ ​that​ ​actually​ ​sounds​ ​in​ ​tune​ ​with​ ​our​ ​sound.​ ​Trust​ ​me,​ ​you’ll​ ​know​ ​when
you​ ​have​ ​found​ ​such​ ​an​ ​issue.​ ​The​ ​way​ ​to​ ​deal​ ​with​ ​this​ ​is​ ​either​ ​change​ ​the​ ​sounds​ ​you​ ​are
using​ ​in​ ​the​ ​upper​ ​spectrum,​ ​as​ ​their​ ​spectrums​ ​may​ ​be​ ​giving​ ​your​ ​ear​ ​the​ ​expectation​ ​of​ ​a
different​ ​fundamental​ ​and​ ​thus​ ​the​ ​one​ ​you​ ​have​ ​is​ ​“out​ ​of​ ​tune”​ ​or​ ​you​ ​can​ ​mess​ ​with​ ​a​ ​pitch
offset​ ​until​ ​you​ ​find​ ​something​ ​that​ ​sounds​ ​about​ ​right​ ​(however​ ​this​ ​will​ ​only​ ​work​ ​for​ ​a​ ​small
range​ ​because​ ​of​ ​the​ ​logarithmic​ ​nature​ ​of​ ​pitch).​ ​Sooooo,​ ​basically​ ​it​ ​sucks​ ​if​ ​you​ ​run​ ​into​ ​this
issue.

Video​ ​Explaining​ ​What​ ​I​ ​Mean

This​ ​also​ ​has​ ​major​ ​effects​ ​in​ ​music​ ​theory​ ​as​ ​this​ ​can​ ​essentially​ ​alter​ ​what​ ​sound​ ​acts​ ​as​ ​the
lowest​ ​voice​ ​thus​ ​altering​ ​the​ ​inversions​ ​of​ ​chords!​ ​Beware!

Video​ ​Example​ ​of​ ​what​ ​I​ ​Mean

Music​ ​theory​ ​series​ ​(I​ ​will​ ​not​ ​be​ ​explaining​ ​basic​ ​music​ ​theory​ ​in​ ​these​ ​lessons​ ​as
much):​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JBjYLGspk8&list=PLOMuI-j1vRxSVE6HUVLyjSyL6q
xa_TU2e

Next​ ​we​ ​have​ ​the​ ​conundrum​ ​of​ ​a​ ​missing​ ​fundamental​ ​(and​ ​second​ ​harmonic)!​ ​As​ ​sorta
indicated​ ​above,​ ​our​ ​ear​ ​has​ ​an​ ​expectation.​ ​Our​ ​ear​ ​gains​ ​a​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​what​ ​is​ ​the​ ​correct
frequency​ ​and​ ​what​ ​is​ ​the​ ​correct​ ​note​ ​based​ ​on​ ​other​ ​sounds​ ​around​ ​your​ ​note.​ ​There​ ​is​ ​a​ ​very
specific​ ​series​ ​called​ ​the​ ​Harmonic​ ​series​ ​(which​ ​we​ ​will​ ​really​ ​dive​ ​into​ ​later)​ ​that​ ​our​ ​ear​ ​has
come​ ​to​ ​expect.​ ​Its​ ​everywhere​ ​to​ ​some​ ​extent​ ​with​ ​the​ ​exception​ ​of​ ​noise.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to​ ​hear​ ​a
close​ ​to​ ​ideal​ ​representation​ ​of​ ​this​ ​series​ ​just​ ​listen​ ​to​ ​a​ ​Saw​ ​wave.​ ​That​ ​is​ ​the​ ​series!​ ​If​ ​a
sound​ ​strongly​ ​resembles​ ​this​ ​series​ ​(the​ ​saw​ ​wave​ ​basically)​ ​the​ ​our​ ​sense​ ​of​ ​the​ ​pitch​ ​of​ ​the
instrument​ ​will​ ​increase​ ​in​ ​accuracy!​ ​This​ ​is​ ​because​ ​our​ ​brain​ ​will​ ​use​ ​the​ ​series​ ​around​ ​it​ ​to
help​ ​it​ ​determine​ ​what​ ​is​ ​the​ ​fundamental.​ ​That's​ ​right,​ ​your​ ​brain​ d ​ ecides,​ ​aurally​ ​speaking,
what​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​will​ ​be.

Video​ ​Example
However,​ ​what​ ​if​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​is​ ​missing​ ​from​ ​this​ ​series?​ ​Well,​ ​that​ ​is​ ​where​ ​things​ ​get
weird.​ ​Your​ ​brain​ ​is​ ​soooooo​ ​good​ ​at​ ​recognizing​ ​this​ ​series​ ​that​ ​it​ ​will​ ​actually​ ​adjust​ ​and​ ​insert
the​ ​fundamental​ ​for​ ​you!​ ​Thats​ ​right​ ​even​ ​though​ ​the​ ​frequency​ ​is​ ​totally​ ​gone​ ​you​ ​will​ ​still
perceive​ ​the​ ​pitch.​ ​You​ ​will​ ​know​ ​some​ ​frequencies​ ​are​ ​missing​ ​alright,​ ​but​ ​your​ ​perception​ ​of
pitch​ ​remains​ ​untouched!​ ​There​ ​are​ ​2​ ​circumstances​ ​you​ ​must​ ​understand​ ​for​ ​use​ ​in​ ​a​ ​track,​ ​the
first​ ​being​ ​a​ ​static​ ​removal​ ​and​ ​the​ ​second​ ​being​ ​a​ ​layered​ ​removal​.

A​ ​static​ ​removal​ ​is​ ​when​ ​you​ ​make​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​in​ ​such​ ​a​ ​way​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is​ ​simply​ ​missing​ ​the
fundamental.​ ​As​ ​done​ ​in​ ​the​ ​video​ ​example​ ​I​ ​linked​ ​above.​ ​I​ ​am​ ​going​ ​to​ ​extend​ ​up​ ​1​ ​more
harmonic​ ​as​ ​well.​ ​So​ ​we​ ​are​ ​missing​ ​the​ ​first​ ​frequency​ ​(the​ ​one​ ​we​ ​held​ ​responsible​ ​for​ ​pitch)
and​ ​the​ ​second.​ ​The​ ​reason​ ​we​ ​remove​ ​the​ ​next​ ​harmonic​ ​is​ ​the​ ​series​ ​starts​ ​off​ ​as,

fundamental​ ​ ​ ​Octave​ ​(so​ ​same​ ​note​ ​basically)​ ​ ​ ​Octave​ ​plus​ ​a​ ​5th!​ ​(a​ ​totally​ ​different​ ​note)

So​ ​if​ ​we​ ​removed​ ​these​ ​2​ ​frequencies,​ ​but​ ​kept​ ​all​ ​the​ ​others​ ​in​ ​the​ ​harmonic​ ​series​ ​what​ ​note
would​ ​we​ ​hear?​ ​An​ ​octave​ ​plus​ ​a​ ​fifth​ ​up?​ ​Or​ ​our​ ​original​ ​note?​ ​Surprisingly​ ​it's​ ​our​ ​original
note!​ ​The​ ​emphasis​ ​of​ ​a​ ​series​ ​has​ ​given​ ​our​ ​note​ ​a​ ​pitch​ ​it​ ​would​ ​not​ ​normally​ ​have!​ ​The
further​ ​we​ ​move​ ​away​ ​from​ ​this​ ​series​ ​the​ ​more​ ​likely​ ​we​ ​are​ ​to​ ​lose​ ​pitch,​ ​so​ ​some​ ​distortion​ ​or
filter​ ​techniques​ ​applied​ ​to​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​like​ ​this​ ​can​ ​cause​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​to​ ​suddenly​ ​sound​ ​grossly
out​ ​of​ ​tune​ ​(you​ ​will​ ​experience​ ​your​ ​fair​ ​share​ ​of​ ​this​ ​as​ ​you​ ​do​ ​more​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​especially
FM).​ ​If​ ​you​ ​do​ ​enough​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​you​ ​will​ ​probably​ ​find​ ​you​ ​have​ ​to​ ​adjust​ ​notes​ ​up​ ​or​ ​down
by​ ​some​ ​weird​ ​offset​ ​because​ ​suddenly​ ​the​ ​tuning​ ​changed,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​is​ ​the​ ​reason​ ​why!​ ​You
have​ ​messed​ ​up​ ​the​ ​balance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​implied​ ​fundamental.​ ​Instruments​ ​such​ ​as​ ​the​ ​bassoon​ ​have
sounds​ ​like​ ​this.​ ​Please​ ​note​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​doesn't​ ​have​ ​to​ ​be​ ​completely​ ​gone,​ ​it​ ​just​ ​needs
to​ ​be​ ​reduced​ ​in​ ​amplitude​ ​such​ ​that​ ​it​ ​no​ ​longer​ ​does​ ​its​ ​normal​ ​job.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​really​ ​an​ ​additive
synth​ ​technique,​ ​but​ ​can​ ​be​ ​implied​ ​here​ ​through​ ​the​ ​use​ ​or​ ​non​ ​use​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass.​ ​Through
this​ ​method​ ​we​ ​can​ ​obtain​ ​nasally​ ​textures​ ​or​ ​hollow​ ​sounds.​ ​Synth​ ​1​ ​does​ ​posses​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to
do​ ​static​ ​removal​ ​through​ ​a​ ​filtering​ ​technique​ ​(though​ ​it​ ​is​ ​very​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​achieve​ ​usable
results).

Video​ ​Example

The​ ​second​ ​scenario​ ​is​ ​layered​ ​removal.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​when​ ​filters​ ​comes​ ​into​ ​play.​ ​Filters​ ​are​ ​a​ ​later
topic,​ ​but​ ​a​ ​filter's​ ​job​ ​is​ ​to​ ​remove​ ​frequencies​ ​in​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​way.​ ​A​ ​layered​ ​removal​ ​is​ ​when​ ​you
let​ ​the​ ​listener​ ​hear​ ​your​ ​entire​ ​sound​ ​then​ ​remove​ ​frequencies​ ​from​ ​it​ ​slowly.​ ​In​ ​this​ ​case​ ​the
harmonic​ ​series​ ​almost​ ​doesn't​ ​matter​ ​at​ ​all!​ ​The​ ​listener​ ​has​ ​already​ ​heard​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​in​ ​full,
and​ ​thus​ ​the​ ​pitch​ ​is​ ​fixed​ ​in​ ​their​ ​mind,​ ​however,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​let​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​go​ ​on​ ​like​ ​this​ ​for​ ​long
enough​ ​without​ ​the​ ​aid​ ​of​ ​a​ ​harmonic​ ​series​ ​the​ ​listener​ ​will​ ​acclimate​ ​to​ ​the​ ​new​ ​spectrum​ ​and
the​ ​tuning​ ​will​ ​shift.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​why​ ​every​ ​time​ ​someone​ ​uses​ ​a​ ​high​ ​pass​ ​filter​ ​we​ ​still​ ​hear
everything​ ​in​ ​tune.

Audio​ ​Example​​ ​-​ ​S3RL​ ​-​ ​Pretty​ ​Rave​ ​Girl​ ​(Hands​ ​Up​ ​Edit)​ ​-​ ​High​ ​Pass​ ​Filters​ ​are​ ​everywhere
yet​ ​we​ ​hear​ ​all​ ​the​ ​right​ ​notes.
Now​ ​it​ ​should​ ​also​ ​make​ ​sense​ ​why​ ​this​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​oscillator​ ​can​ ​produce​ ​other​ ​spectrums​ ​as
well!​ ​It's​ ​so​ ​we​ ​can​ ​use​ ​this​ ​implied​ ​pitch​ ​and​ ​also​ ​so​ ​if​ ​we​ ​don’t​ ​require​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​for​ ​this
then​ ​we​ ​have​ ​another​ ​oscillator​ ​at​ ​our​ ​disposal.​ ​So​ ​we​ ​should​ ​send​ ​a​ ​filtered​ ​signal​ ​(one​ ​with
only​ ​the​ ​first​ ​few​ ​frequencies​ ​present)​ ​to​ ​the​ ​low​ ​end​ ​of​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​for​ ​reinforcement​ ​rather​ ​than
a​ ​sterile​ ​sine​ ​wave.​ ​This​ ​will​ ​guide​ ​our​ ​ear​ ​and​ ​mind​ ​a​ ​little​ ​better.​ ​What​ ​spectrum​ ​you​ ​use​ ​for
this​ ​depends​ ​on​ ​the​ ​sound,​ ​and​ ​if​ ​you​ ​already​ ​have​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​sounds​ ​down​ ​there​ ​than​ ​a
single​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​may​ ​be​ ​more​ ​than​ ​enough.​ ​The​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​filter​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​separately​ ​is​ ​not
provided​ ​in​ ​synth​ ​one,​ ​so​ ​if​ ​we​ ​intend​ ​to​ ​use​ ​this​ ​technique​ ​we​ ​will​ ​have​ ​to​ ​create​ ​a​ ​instance​ ​of
it.

Consider​ ​what​ ​others​ ​have​ ​to​ ​say:

Deadmau5​ ​and​ ​Steve​ ​Duda​​ ​-​ ​Mastering​ ​and​ ​Routing​​ ​While​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​video​ ​is​ ​great​ ​I​ ​time
stamped​ ​it​ ​to​ ​start​ ​at​ ​the​ ​part​ ​relevant​ ​to​ ​the​ ​sub.​ ​Just​ ​for​ ​some​ ​additional​ ​perspective.

Consider​ ​what​ ​Slynk​ ​has​ ​to​ ​say​ ​:​ ​How​ ​to​ ​make​ ​your​ ​sub​ ​sound​ ​great​ ​on​ ​any​ ​system

Seamlessr​ ​-​ ​Sub​ ​Separation

Pyramid​ ​Will​ ​Marshall​ ​-​ ​A​ ​well​ ​made​ ​clear​ ​video.

These​ ​are​ ​all​ ​talked​ ​about​ ​from​ ​mostly​ ​a​ ​mixing​ ​perspective.​ ​Honestly​ ​this​ ​perspective​ ​is​ ​beaten
to​ ​death​ ​on​ ​YouTube​ ​and​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​new​ ​producers​ ​get​ ​distracted​ ​by​ ​it.​ ​Generally​ ​that​ ​is​ ​the​ ​way
people​ ​are​ ​taught​ ​about​ ​sub​ ​bass,​ ​but​ ​we​ ​are​ ​interested​ ​in​ ​it​ ​more​ ​from​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​design
perspective​ ​and​ ​the​ ​potential​ ​is​ ​has​ ​to​ ​impact​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​and​ ​song​ ​in​ ​more​ ​than​ ​just​ ​mixing,​ ​just
keep​ ​that​ ​in​ ​mind.​ ​Sometimes​ ​mixes​ ​and​ ​tones​ ​are​ ​totally​ ​compromised​ ​because​ ​people​ ​are
taught​ ​to​ ​cut​ ​out​ ​certain​ ​sounds​ ​removing​ ​fundamentals​ ​all​ ​over​ ​changing​ ​how​ ​chords​ ​sound,
and​ ​how​ ​to​ ​mix​ ​feels.​ ​Let​ ​your​ ​ears​ ​be​ ​your​ ​guide​ ​but​ ​remember​ ​we​ ​are​ ​making​ m ​ usic​ ​not
mixes.​ ​Basically,​ ​don’t​ ​get​ ​distracted​ ​by​ ​getting​ ​a​ ​mix​ ​ ​to​ ​fit​ ​everyone's​ ​definition​ ​of​ ​what​ ​you
should​ ​do​ ​over​ ​making​ ​good​ ​music.

Applications​ ​of​ ​Sub​ ​Bass​ ​Kick​ ​Renforcement

A​ ​long​ ​time​ ​use​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​is​ ​kick​ ​drum​ ​reinforcement.​ ​The​ ​idea​ ​is​ ​that​ ​a​ ​kick​ ​is​ ​largely​ ​a
sine​ ​wave​ ​(this​ ​is​ ​false​ ​for​ ​many​ ​kicks​ ​but​ ​many​ ​EDM​ ​kicks​ ​follow​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​type).
Here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​more​ ​typical​ ​Hip​ ​Hop​ ​kick:
Here​ ​is​ ​an​ ​EDM​ ​Kick

Notice​ ​the​ ​HUGE​ ​sine​ ​wave?

This​ ​technique​ ​can​ ​work​ ​well​ ​for​ ​the​ ​kicks,​ ​it​ ​will​ ​just​ ​require​ ​different​ ​small​ ​adjustments.​ ​I​ ​am
going​ ​to​ ​show​ ​you​ ​a​ ​more​ ​basic​ ​form​ ​of​ ​this​ ​technique.​ ​The​ ​original​ ​technique​ ​is​ ​actually​ ​more
complicated​ ​because​ ​it​ ​requires​ ​being​ ​able​ ​to​ ​trigger​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​anytime​ ​a​ ​kick​ ​occurs​ ​on​ ​the
track.​ ​Instead​ ​we​ ​will​ ​just​ ​do​ ​a​ ​version​ ​that​ ​we​ ​will​ ​layer​ ​in​ ​with​ ​the​ ​kick​ ​with​ ​the​ ​knowledge
before​ ​hand​ ​of​ ​when​ ​the​ ​kick​ ​will​ ​occur.

So,​ ​the​ ​basic​ ​idea​ ​is​ ​if​ ​we​ ​can​ ​generate​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​at​ ​the​ ​proper​ ​frequency,​ ​we​ ​can​ ​use​ ​it​ ​to
layer​ ​in​ ​with​ ​our​ ​kick​ ​and​ ​give​ ​it​ ​some​ ​extra​ ​juice.​ ​A​ ​kicks​ ​pitch​ ​actually​ ​changes​ ​over​ ​time,
something​ ​we​ ​are​ ​going​ ​to​ ​ignore​ ​at​ ​this​ ​point.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​still​ ​get​ ​very​ ​usable​ ​results.​ ​We​ ​also
need​ ​to​ ​change​ ​how​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​turns​ ​on​ ​and​ ​off.​ ​It​ ​must​ ​match​ ​the​ ​kicks​ ​amplitude​ ​contour
meaning​ ​how​ ​the​ ​kicks​ ​volumes​ ​turns​ ​on​ ​and​ ​off.​ ​A​ ​kick​ ​has​ ​a​ ​powerful​ ​snap​ ​at​ ​the​ ​start​ ​and
then​ ​tapers​ ​off.​ ​As​ ​you​ ​can​ ​see​ ​in​ ​the​ ​images​ ​above.​ ​We​ ​are​ ​not​ ​worried​ ​about​ ​the​ ​snap​ ​at​ ​the
start,​ ​as​ ​these​ ​are​ ​a​ ​burst​ ​of​ ​higher​ ​frequencies,​ ​we​ ​are​ ​only​ ​concerned​ ​with​ ​the​ ​periodic​ ​part​ ​of
the​ ​waveform.​ ​The​ ​unique​ ​way​ ​the​ ​kick​ ​starts​ ​is​ ​called​ ​the​ t​ ransient​ ​and​ ​is​ ​incredibly​ ​hard​ ​to
replicate.​ ​A​ ​transient​ ​is​ ​defined​ ​as​ ​a​ ​moment​ ​of​ ​excited.​ ​Any​ ​time​ ​our​ ​audio​ ​suddenly​ ​peaks​ ​is​ ​a
transient.

Samples​ ​have​ ​their​ ​own​ ​terms.​ ​The​ ​start​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sample​ ​is​ ​called​ c​ hiff.​ ​It​ ​contains​ ​the​ ​unique​ ​way
the​ ​instrument​ ​starts.​ ​After​ ​that​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​things​ ​can​ ​happen.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​case​ ​of​ ​a​ ​kick​ ​it​ ​can​ ​vary,
but​ ​we​ ​are​ ​only​ ​concerned​ ​with​ ​kicks​ ​that​ ​are​ ​followed​ ​by​ ​a​ ​periodic​ ​(repeating)​ ​waveform.​ ​We
will​ ​supplement​ ​the​ ​periodic​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​wave​ ​from​ ​with​ ​our​ ​sine​ ​wave.

If​ ​our​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​came​ ​in​ ​immediately​ ​we​ ​would​ ​compromise​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​of​ ​the​ ​chiff​ ​and​ ​augment
the​ ​sound​ ​of​ ​the​ ​kick​ ​in​ ​a​ ​more​ ​noticeable​ ​way.​ ​This​ ​isn’t​ ​always​ ​bad,​ ​but​ ​for​ ​what​ ​we​ ​aim​ ​to​ ​do
it’s​ ​not​ ​a​ ​goal.

Here​ ​is​ ​an​ ​example​ ​of​ ​an​ ​added​ ​sub​ ​changing​ ​the​ ​chiff,​ ​and​ ​one​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not.​ ​I​ ​also​ ​demonstrate
the​ ​effect​ ​of​ ​changing​ ​the​ ​phase​ ​of​ ​the​ ​added​ ​fundamental​ ​can​ ​have​ ​upon​ ​the​ ​chiff.

This​ ​is​ ​also​ ​useful​ ​for​ ​kicks​ ​that​ ​perhaps​ ​have​ ​a​ ​sloppy​ ​low​ ​end.​ ​We​ ​can​ ​remove​ ​the​ ​low​ ​end
through​ ​an​ ​EQ,​ ​and​ ​then​ ​supplement​ ​it​ ​with​ ​a​ ​far​ ​cleaner​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​custom​ ​built
squeaky​ ​clean​ ​kick.

Let’s​ ​do​ ​it!​ ​(the​ ​video​ ​linked​ ​above​ ​demonstrates​ ​this​ ​portion)

First,​ ​pick​ ​a​ ​kick​ ​sound.​ ​Select​ ​one​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​too​ ​long​ ​(so​ ​no​ ​big​ ​808’s)​ ​but​ ​has​ ​a​ ​periodic
portion.​ ​Here​ ​is​ ​the​ ​kick​ ​I​ ​selected:
Send​ ​it​ ​to​ ​a​ ​mixer​ ​track​ ​and​ ​with​ ​an​ ​eq​ ​and​ ​shave​ ​off​ ​the​ ​low​ ​end.​ ​Find​ ​a​ ​nice​ ​solid​ ​spot​ ​where
the​ ​low​ ​end​ ​is​ ​still​ ​sorta​ ​there,​ ​but​ ​clearly​ ​reduced​ ​in​ ​amplitude​ ​so​ ​that​ ​you​ ​can​ ​merge​ ​it​ ​with
your​ ​sine​ ​wave.

This​ ​kick​ ​had​ ​a​ ​particularly​ ​dirty​ ​low​ ​end​ ​so​ ​I​ ​removed​ ​most​ ​of​ ​it.

Next​ ​grab​ ​synth1.​ ​Use​ ​the​ ​default​ ​patch​ ​we​ ​set​ ​up​ ​in​ ​lesson​ ​1.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​need​ ​to​ ​do​ ​2​ ​things.​ ​One
is​ ​find​ ​a​ ​note​ ​that​ ​resonates​ ​with​ ​our​ ​kick.​ ​I​ ​found​ ​D#2​ ​to​ ​work​ ​really​ ​well,​ ​you​ ​may​ ​need​ ​to
adjust​ ​the​ ​tuning​ ​of​ ​synth​ ​1​ ​to​ ​really​ ​zone​ ​in​ ​on​ ​the​ ​proper​ ​frequency.
The​ ​second​ ​is​ ​to​ ​adjust​ ​the​ ​envelope​ ​of​ ​our​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​so​ ​it​ ​can​ ​match​ ​the​ ​amplitude​ ​contour.

We​ ​will​ ​really​ ​dissect​ ​this​ ​later.​ ​For​ ​now​ ​we​ ​are​ ​concerned​ ​with​ ​the​ ​D​ ​knob​ ​(decay)​ ​and​ ​A​ ​knob
(attack).​ ​These​ ​control​ ​how​ ​fast​ ​our​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​turns​ ​on​ ​or​ ​“attacks”,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​decay​ ​knob
controls​ ​how​ ​long​ ​it​ ​takes​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​to​ ​turn​ ​off.​ ​Also​ ​turn​ ​the​ ​sustain​ ​off​ ​because​ ​the​ ​sustain​ ​will
keep​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​ringing​ ​at​ ​that​ ​volume​ ​and​ ​we​ ​want​ ​it​ ​to​ ​fade​ ​away​ ​not​ ​ring​ ​out.​ ​You​ ​will​ ​be​ ​able
to​ ​make​ ​more​ ​decisions​ ​about​ ​these​ ​knobs​ ​later​ ​but​ ​for​ ​now​ ​they​ ​are​ ​fine​ ​where​ ​they​ ​are.
Because​ ​we​ ​are​ ​not​ ​going​ ​to​ ​use​ ​the​ ​release​ ​knob​ ​we​ ​need​ ​to​ ​be​ ​careful​ ​about​ ​how​ ​long​ ​our
note​ ​is​ ​for​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave.​ ​The​ ​longer​ ​the​ ​decay​ ​the​ ​longer​ ​it​ ​will​ ​ring.​ ​Set​ ​the​ ​decay​ ​of​ ​your​ ​note
by​ ​ear​ ​after​ ​you​ ​have​ ​selected​ ​your​ ​pitch.​ ​Pitch​ ​and​ ​length​ ​have​ ​this​ ​funny​ ​relationship.
Generally​ ​speaking​ ​we​ ​want​ ​to​ ​set​ ​pitch​ ​before​ ​length,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​doesn’t​ ​always​ ​happen​ ​that​ ​way
(usually​ ​I​ ​end​ ​up​ ​adjusting​ ​this​ ​2​ ​or​ ​3​ ​times​ ​anyways).

Now​ ​we​ ​can​ ​set​ ​the​ ​attack​ ​knob.​ ​For​ ​reasons​ ​explained​ ​above​ ​a​ ​fast​ ​attack​ ​will​ ​alter​ ​our​ ​chiff,
while​ ​a​ ​slower​ ​attack​ ​will​ ​alter​ ​the​ ​periodic​ ​part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​waveform​ ​and​ ​an​ ​even​ ​slower​ ​attack​ ​will
cause​ ​us​ ​to​ ​hear​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​as​ ​a​ ​separate​ ​sound!​ ​This​ ​is​ ​a​ ​phenomenon​ ​known
as​ ​masking,​ ​in​ ​our​ ​case​ ​a​ ​combination​ ​of​ ​temporal​ ​(transient)​ ​and​ ​frequency​ ​masking.​ ​I​ ​cover
this​ ​in​ ​my​ ​critical​ ​listening​ ​series​ ​here:​ ​Masking.​​ ​Masking​ ​is​ ​SUPER​ ​important​ ​to​ ​get​ ​sounds​ ​to
blend​ ​in​ ​a​ ​natural​ ​way.​ ​So​ ​all​ ​we​ ​are​ ​doing​ ​basically​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​ideal​ ​mask​ ​for​ ​our​ ​two
sounds​ ​so​ ​they​ ​merge​ ​together​ ​and​ ​sound​ ​like​ ​one​ ​comprehensive​ ​sound.

Take​ ​some​ ​time​ ​to​ ​try​ ​out​ ​various​ ​attack​ ​value​ ​now​ ​with​ ​the​ ​added​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​masking!

You​ ​may​ ​have​ ​noticed​ ​that​ ​your​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​suffers​ ​from​ ​clicking​ ​and​ ​popping.​ ​You​ ​may​ ​also​ ​have
what​ ​sound​ ​like​ ​rough​ ​movement​ ​(bandpassed​ ​noise)​ ​when​ ​your​ ​volume​ ​changes​ ​on​ ​your​ ​sine
wave.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​due​ ​to​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​complication​ ​with​ ​digital​ ​audio​ ​and​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​other​ ​phenomena,
rather​ ​than​ ​get​ ​into​ ​here​ ​I​ ​will​ ​direct​ ​you​ ​again​ ​to​ h
​ ere​,​ ​where​ ​I​ ​specifically​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​it.
Now​ ​try​ ​this,​ ​with​ ​a​ ​fast​ ​attack​ ​affect​ ​the​ ​chiff​ ​of​ ​the​ ​waveform.​ ​Then​ ​change​ ​the​ ​fundamentals
phase​ ​and​ ​see​ ​what​ ​happens.

Sometimes​ ​results​ ​are​ ​very​ ​noticeable​ ​because​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​of​ ​the​ ​kick​ ​is​ ​also​ ​very​ ​strong
but​ ​many​ ​times​ ​this​ ​is​ ​a​ ​very​ ​subtle​ ​effect​ ​or​ ​even​ ​has​ ​no​ ​effect!​ ​It​ ​just​ ​depends​ ​(freely​ ​adjust
the​ ​eq​ ​cut​ ​we​ ​made​ ​earlier​ ​to​ ​get​ ​more​ ​noticeable​ ​results).

While​ ​we​ ​are​ ​on​ ​the​ ​subject​ ​of​ ​phase​ ​I​ ​want​ ​to​ ​caution​ ​you​ ​about​ ​running​ ​your​ ​sounds​ ​through
plug-ins.​ ​Some​ ​plug-in​ ​color​ ​your​ ​sound.​ ​This​ ​just​ ​means​ ​they​ ​will​ ​change​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​in​ ​some
way.​ ​A​ ​plug​ ​that​ ​has​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​color​ ​(not​ ​always​ ​a​ ​good​ ​thing,​ ​in​ ​fact​ ​in​ ​some​ ​situations​ ​it​ ​is
normally​ ​a​ ​bad​ ​thing)​ ​is​ ​Image-Lines​ ​Maximus.​ ​I​ ​will​ ​spare​ ​you​ ​the​ ​details,​ ​but​ ​essentially​ ​it​ ​has
to​ ​do​ ​with​ ​how​ ​the​ ​plug-in​ ​take​ ​the​ ​spectrum​ ​and​ ​filters​ ​it​ ​for​ ​processing.

I​ ​say​ ​this​ ​because​ ​you​ ​will​ ​more​ ​than​ ​likely​ ​use​ ​a​ ​number​ ​of​ ​additional​ ​plugs​ ​after​ ​to​ ​give​ ​it​ ​that
extra​ ​little​ ​shine,​ ​and​ ​even​ ​after​ ​that​ ​you​ ​will​ ​then​ ​mix​ ​and​ ​master​ ​it.​ ​Open​ ​an​ ​instance​ ​of​ ​this
plug​ ​and​ ​run​ ​a​ ​kick​ ​through​ ​it.​ ​You​ ​will​ ​find​ ​your​ ​kick​ ​may​ ​sound​ ​very​ ​different​ ​(granted​ ​if​ ​you
expect​ ​to​ ​run​ ​it​ ​through​ ​a​ ​plug​ ​in​ ​without​ ​it​ ​sounding​ ​different​ ​then​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​know​ ​why​ ​you​ ​opened
the​ ​plug-in​ ​in​ ​the​ ​first​ ​place!)​ ​You​ ​may​ ​even​ ​get​ ​fancy​ ​and​ ​try​ ​to​ ​activate​ ​linear​ ​phase​ ​filters
(found​ ​in​ ​the​ ​drop​ ​down​ ​menu).​ ​Many​ ​people​ ​falsely​ ​think​ ​linear​ ​phase​ ​will​ ​fix​ ​it​ ​(because
teachers​ ​in​ ​production​ ​schools​ ​are​ ​talking​ ​about​ ​math​ ​and​ ​dsp​ ​they​ ​don’t​ ​actually​ ​know​ ​and
then​ ​their​ ​students​ ​going​ ​around​ ​saying​ ​false​ ​stuff​ ​backing​ ​it​ ​up​ ​with​ ​the​ ​“I​ ​went​ ​to​ ​school​ ​for
this”​ ​bullcrap)​ ​but​ ​it's​ ​not​ ​the​ ​phase​ ​shift​ ​of​ ​the​ ​filters​ ​at​ ​all​ ​that​ ​cause​ ​this​ ​problem​ ​in​ ​this​ ​case,
rather​ ​it's​ ​the​ ​type​ ​of​ ​filter​ ​used!​ ​IIR​ ​and​ ​FIR​ ​filters​ ​have​ ​completely​ ​different​ ​problems​ ​which​ ​I
give​ ​plenty​ ​of​ ​examples​ ​of​ ​here​​ ​and​ ​explain​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​here.​ ​Just​ ​something​ ​to​ ​be​ ​aware​ ​of.

So​ ​there​ ​you​ ​have​ ​it!​ ​A​ ​pretty​ ​thorough​ ​explanation​ ​of​ ​kick​ ​reinforcement,​ ​granted​ ​later​ ​we​ ​will
also​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​toss​ ​gates​ ​and​ ​so​ ​forth​ ​into​ ​the​ ​mix​ ​and​ ​even​ ​approach​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​kick​ ​with
nothing​ ​but​ ​a​ ​synth.​ ​Granted​ ​many​ ​sample​ ​packs​ ​and​ ​already​ ​processed​ ​the​ ​living​ ​crap​ ​out​ ​of
your​ ​kick​ ​so​ ​a​ ​little​ ​bit​ ​of​ ​mixing​ ​with​ ​these​ ​things​ ​in​ ​mind​ ​usually​ ​is​ ​all​ ​you​ ​need,​ ​but​ ​if​ ​your
recording​ ​some​ ​drums​ ​you​ ​will​ ​find​ ​these​ ​concepts​ ​to​ ​be​ ​very​ ​useful!

The​ ​Separate​ ​Sub

The​ ​separate​ ​sub​ ​is​ ​not​ ​ubiquitous​ ​throughout​ ​all​ ​genres​ ​but​ ​is​ ​still​ ​another​ ​common​ ​use​ ​of​ ​the
sub​ ​bass.​ ​Seamlessr​ ​covers​ ​the​ ​concept​ ​very​ ​well​ ​in​ ​his​ ​video​ ​listed​ ​in​ ​the​ ​consideration​ ​list​ ​of
this​ ​lesson.​ ​The​ ​basic​ ​idea​ ​is​ ​that​ ​many​ ​times​ ​low​ ​ends​ ​have​ ​a​ ​little​ ​more​ ​going​ ​on​ ​than​ ​we
really​ ​want.​ ​So​ ​the​ ​answer​ ​to​ ​this​ ​is​ ​to​ ​filter​ ​it​ ​out​ ​and​ ​then​ ​layer​ ​in​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​we​ ​create​ ​separately.
This​ ​will​ ​then​ ​give​ ​a​ ​clarity​ ​we​ ​could​ ​not​ ​otherwise​ ​obtain.

This​ ​comes​ ​with​ ​some​ ​caution.​ ​If​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​is​ ​has​ ​a​ ​large​ ​range​ ​of​ ​notes​ ​then​ ​cutting​ ​your​ ​low
end​ ​on​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​can​ ​become​ ​tricky.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​make​ ​a​ ​static​ ​eq​ ​cut​ ​removing​ ​some​ ​of​ ​the
fundamental​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​but​ ​then​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​plays​ ​a​ ​higher​ ​note​ ​above​ ​the​ ​frequency​ ​cut​ ​off
point​ ​you​ ​can​ ​wind​ ​up​ ​with​ ​timbral​ ​shifts​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​like.​ ​(there​ ​are​ ​more​ ​technical​ ​reasons​ ​as
well,​ ​but​ ​most​ ​producers​ ​don’t​ ​know​ ​enough​ ​to​ ​care​ ​about​ ​them,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​chord​ ​inversion
problems.​ ​Ain’t​ ​nobody​ ​got​ ​time​ ​for​ ​dat!).​ ​In​ ​genres​ ​like​ ​dubstep​ ​it​ ​is​ ​almost​ ​expected​ ​to​ ​have​ ​a
separate​ ​sub,​ ​while​ ​other​ ​genres​ ​like​ ​DnB​ ​may​ ​be​ ​more​ ​subtle​ ​about​ ​how​ ​to​ ​implement​ ​the​ ​tone
or​ ​may​ ​even​ ​prefer​ ​a​ ​muddy​ ​low​ ​end!

This​ ​is​ ​generally​ ​a​ ​technique​ ​for​ ​more​ ​synthetic​ ​sounding​ ​tracks,​ ​but​ ​there​ ​are​ ​weird​ ​cross
breeds​ ​out​ ​there​ ​where​ ​the​ ​“separate​ ​sub”​ ​ends​ ​up​ ​becoming​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​bass​ ​line​ ​itself!

Check​ ​it​ ​out​ ​it’s​ ​pretty​ ​smooth.

Some​ ​of​ ​the​ ​more​ ​subtle​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​techniques​ ​involve​ ​methods​ ​of​ ​incorporating​ ​it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​part
of​ ​the​ ​original​ ​sound​ ​and​ ​only​ ​processing​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​spectrum.​ ​These​ ​will​ ​be​ ​talked​ ​about​ ​in
context.

Mixing​ ​tends​ ​to​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​this​ ​thing​ ​cause​ ​it's​ ​often​ ​far​ ​too​ ​loud,​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​worry​ ​very​ ​much
about​ ​levels​ ​while​ ​being​ ​creative​ ​and​ ​lets​ ​that​ ​happen​ ​during​ ​mixing,​ ​however​ ​I​ ​do​ ​mix​ ​a​ ​little​ ​to
encourage​ ​creativeness.​ ​It's​ ​a​ ​fine​ ​line,​ ​and​ ​beginners​ ​often​ ​support​ ​the​ ​“I​ ​mix​ ​as​ ​I​ ​go”​ ​idea
usually​ ​with​ ​a​ ​skewed​ ​idea​ ​of​ ​what​ ​mixing​ ​actually​ ​is​ ​and​ ​why​ ​a​ ​separate​ ​step​ ​for​ ​it​ ​is​ ​important.
It's​ ​ok​ ​for​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​to​ ​be​ ​rhythmic​ ​and​ ​fit​ ​in​ ​and​ ​out​ ​of​ ​the​ ​track,​ ​in​ ​rhythmic​ ​genres​ ​huge​ ​long​ ​sub
bass​ ​lines​ ​would​ ​ruin​ ​everything.​ ​While​ ​other​ ​tracks​ ​they​ ​are​ ​fundamental​ ​to​ ​the​ ​atmosphere.
Zomboys​ ​“​Young​ ​and​ ​Dangerous​”​ ​has​ ​excellent​ ​examples​ ​of​ ​both.​ ​Listen​ ​carefully​ ​at​ ​the​ ​drop
for​ ​the​ ​sub.​ ​You’ll​ ​also​ ​find​ ​endless​ ​videos​ ​of​ ​people​ ​telling​ ​you​ ​how​ ​to​ ​make​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​“sound​ ​good
on​ ​any​ ​system”.​ ​Be​ ​Careful​ ​who​ ​you​ ​listen​ ​to,​ ​there​ ​are​ ​some​ ​videos​ ​filled​ ​with​ ​misinformation
based​ ​on​ ​Dogma​ ​but​ ​there​ ​are​ ​also​ ​good​ ​ones​ ​out​ ​there​ ​to!​ ​They​ ​are​ ​usually​ ​specific​ ​to​ ​a​ ​genre.
I​ ​listed​ ​some​ ​of​ ​these​ ​in​ ​the​ ​consideration​ ​section.​ ​Sometimes​ ​it​ ​makes​ ​sense​ ​to​ ​have​ ​a​ ​little
more​ ​than​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​down​ ​there​ ​in​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​so​ ​it​ ​comes​ ​through​ ​on​ ​smaller​ ​speakers​ ​that
don’t​ ​support​ ​such​ ​low​ ​frequencies.​ ​When​ ​we​ ​do​ ​this​ ​we​ ​generally​ ​want​ ​to​ ​follow​ ​the​ ​harmonic
series.​ ​However,​ ​it​ ​only​ ​makes​ ​sense​ ​to​ ​do​ ​this​ ​if​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​is​ ​important​ ​to​ ​the​ ​track.​ ​In​ ​a
deep​ ​house​ ​track​ ​this​ ​could​ ​be​ ​very​ ​important,​ ​but​ ​then​ ​you​ ​can​ ​ask​ ​“how​ ​many​ ​people​ ​listen​ ​to
deep​ ​house​ ​over​ ​small​ ​speakers?”​ ​Answer:​ ​like​ ​freaking​ ​nobody​ ​that​ ​likes​ ​deep​ ​house.​ ​Tracks
that​ ​already​ ​have​ ​busy​ ​low​ ​ends​ ​like​ ​dubstep​ ​and​ ​so​ ​forth​ ​generally​ ​don’t​ ​need​ ​anything​ ​else
competing​ ​for​ ​the​ ​low​ ​end.​ ​So​ ​just​ ​keep​ ​in​ ​mind​ ​you're​ ​treading​ ​waters​ ​that​ ​are​ ​specific​ ​to​ ​the
situation,​ ​style​ ​and​ ​tune!​ ​Don’t​ ​just​ ​go​ ​around​ ​adding​ ​harmonics​ ​to​ ​every​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​in​ ​every​ ​song
because​ ​someone​ ​told​ ​you​ ​it​ ​was​ ​a​ ​good​ ​idea.​ ​Heck,​ ​some​ ​songs​ ​need​ ​no​ ​extra​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​at​ ​all!

I​ ​have​ ​included​ ​a​ ​project​ ​file​ ​in​ ​which​ ​the​ ​challenge​ ​is​ ​to​ ​add​ ​a​ ​separate​ ​sub​ ​to​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​in​ ​a​ ​way
that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​obtrusive​ ​to​ ​the​ ​sound.​ ​There​ ​are​ ​2​ ​examples,​ ​one​ ​is​ ​more​ ​chill​ ​and​ ​requires​ ​you​ ​to
write​ ​a​ ​bass​ ​line.​ ​The​ ​other​ ​is​ ​a​ ​section​ ​of​ ​dubstep.​ ​You​ ​task​ ​is​ ​to​ ​get​ ​dat​ ​bass​ ​as​ ​clean​ ​as
possible​ ​while​ ​also​ ​enhancing​ ​the​ ​beat.

Mixing​ ​dangers
1. A​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​sounds​ ​like​ ​the​ ​low​ ​end,​ ​don’t​ ​add​ ​it​ ​if​ ​it's​ ​not​ ​needed!​ ​-​ R
​ ole​ ​of​ ​Sound​ ​in​ ​a​ ​Beat
2. Make​ ​room,​ ​consider​ ​panning​​ ​and​ ​volume​​ ​to​ ​all​ ​your​ ​sounds​ ​before​ ​eq​ ​and​ ​other
options.
3. Check​ ​your​ ​ADSR​,​ ​often​ ​times​ ​the​ ​release​ ​time​ ​on​ ​a​ ​sub​​ ​can​ ​be​ ​the​ ​source​ ​of​ ​the​ ​issue.
4. Consider​ ​normally​ ​forbidden​ ​techniques​ ​in​ ​thinner​ ​tracks​ ​(such​ ​as​ ​the​ ​deadly​ ​verb​ ​on​ ​the
sub​ ​or​ ​basically​ ​any​ ​delay​ ​based​ ​effect)
5. Consider​ ​Sidechain​ ​vs.​ ​Ducking​​ ​vs.​ ​Creating​ ​a​ ​whole​ ​in​ ​the​ ​spectrum
6. USE​ ​THE​ ​FADER​ ​TO​ ​ADJUST​ ​THE​ ​SUB​ ​if​ ​you're​ ​using​ ​eq​ ​on​ ​your​ ​sub​ ​then​ ​you​ ​don’t
need​ ​one​ ​unless​ ​it's​ ​for​ ​treating​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​deadly​ ​techniques.
7. Sub​ ​is​ ​one​ ​of​ ​those​ ​things​ ​that​ ​suddenly​ ​eats​ ​headroom​ ​like​ ​a​ ​monster​ ​if​ ​you​ ​mix​ ​at​ ​a
bad​ ​monitoring​ ​level​ ​(meaning​ ​your​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​the​ ​bass​ ​is​ ​skewed).​ ​You’ll​ ​find​ ​in
mastering​ ​that​ ​your​ ​track​ ​sounds​ ​totally​ ​smashed,​ ​so​ ​double​ ​check​ ​your​ ​mix​ ​at​ ​various
levels​ ​and​ ​the​ ​level​ ​you​ ​think​ ​your​ ​audience​ ​will​ ​be​ ​listening​ ​at!​ ​Consider​ ​how​ ​bass​ ​will
be​ ​affected​ ​through​ ​the​ ​mastering​ ​process.

Exercises:
1. Reinforce​ ​the​ ​kick​ ​drum​ ​in​ ​this​ ​track​ ​with​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​bass.​ ​Add​ ​a​ ​Bass​ ​to​ ​the​ ​track​ ​as​ ​well.​ ​Try
each​ ​waveform​ ​with​ ​filtering​ ​and​ ​comment​ ​your​ ​best​ ​result.
2. Mix​ ​the​ ​following​ ​track​ ​making​ ​room​ ​for​ ​the​ ​sub​ ​bass.
3. Add​ ​a​ ​reinforced​ ​frequency​ ​or​ ​spectrum​ ​to​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sounds​ ​in​ ​this​ ​track​ ​,​ ​try​ ​it​ ​out​ ​on
something​ ​other​ ​than​ ​the​ ​kick.
 4. Video​ ​test​ ​-​ ​A​ ​series​ ​of​ ​sounds,​ ​which​ ​ones​ ​were​ ​missing​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​and​ ​what
type?
5. Video​ ​Test​ ​-​ ​General​ ​Waveform​ ​Test
6. General​ ​Questions
Questions​ ​3-1
1. What​ ​are​ ​the​ ​2​ ​ways​ ​fundamentals​ ​are​ ​removed?
2. Does​ ​removing​ ​the​ ​fundamental​ ​change​ ​our​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​pitch?
3. T/F​ ​adding​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​does​ ​not​ ​affect​ ​our​ ​chords.
4. What​ ​are​ ​2​ ​common​ ​uses​ ​for​ ​sub​ ​bass.
5. List​ ​3​ ​mixing​ ​dangers​ ​with​ ​at​ ​least​ ​one​ ​being​ ​a​ ​generally​ ​forbidden​ ​technique.
6. T/F​ ​linear​ ​phase​ ​fixes​ ​all​ ​phase​ ​problems​ ​a​ ​plug-in​ ​may​ ​cause.
7. What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​start​ ​of​ ​a​ ​sample​ ​called?
(Reminder​ ​answers​ ​can​ ​be​ ​found​ ​on​ ​the​ ​answer​ ​document)

Lesson​ ​4
Applications​ ​of​ ​The​ ​Sine​ ​Wave
We​ ​have​ ​considered​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sub​ ​bass​ ​supporting​ ​role,​ ​now​ ​to​ ​the​ ​real​ ​interesting
part​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​which​ ​is​ ​its​ ​application​ ​without​ ​restriction​ ​to​ ​a​ ​frequency​ ​range,​ ​which​ ​can
be​ ​revealed​ ​much​ ​more​ ​clearly​ ​with​ ​the​ ​6​ ​aspects​ ​of​ ​sound.

The​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​is​ ​a​ ​tonal​ ​sound​ ​when​ ​remaining​ ​static,​ ​but​ ​easily​ ​posses​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​move​ ​into
FX​ ​and​ ​atonality​ ​if​ ​pitch​ ​is​ ​automated​ ​or​ ​flux​ ​is​ ​increased.​ ​Short​ ​sine​ ​waves​ ​create​ ​those​ ​sweet
percussive​ ​hit​ ​leads,​ ​while​ ​longer​ ​sine​ ​waves​ ​tend​ ​be​ ​some​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​melodic​ ​lead.​ S ​ oft​ ​and​ ​loud
is​ ​generally​ ​considered​ ​from​ ​2​ ​points​ ​of​ ​view.​ ​The​ ​first​ ​is​ ​the​ ​layer​ ​point​ ​of​ ​view​ ​which​ ​we​ ​have
already​ ​covered​ ​and​ ​second​ ​is​ ​from​ ​an​ ​expression​ ​point​ ​of​ ​view.​ ​The​ ​dynamics​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sounds
are​ ​products​ ​of​ ​the​ ​musical​ ​expressions,​ ​they​ ​are​ ​there​ ​to​ ​increase​ ​the​ ​musicality.

Example​ ​of​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​uses:

Entire​ ​Track​ ​Made​ ​from​ ​only​ ​Sine​ ​Waves
Sine​ ​Wave​ ​Scratch​ ​Effect

The​ ​brings​ ​us​ ​to​ ​2​ ​more​ ​ways​ ​of​ ​seeing​ ​our​ ​sound!​ ​The​ ​first​ ​is​ ​from​ ​a​ ​mixing​ ​perspective,​ ​and
the​ ​second​ ​is​ ​from​ ​a​ ​composition​ ​perspective.​ ​Each​ ​view​ ​contains​ ​sub​ ​categories.​ ​Mixing
includes​ ​things​ ​like​ ​recording,​ ​deciding​ ​which​ ​sound​ ​is​ ​more​ ​important​ ​for​ ​a​ ​particular​ ​“quality​ ​of
sound”​ ​and​ ​so​ ​on.​ ​Mixing​ ​will​ ​largely​ ​be​ ​a​ ​secondary​ ​throughout​ ​our​ ​lessons.​ ​Composition​ ​offers
many​ ​more​ ​fields,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​performance,​ ​influence​ ​on​ ​music​ ​via​ ​harmony,​ ​the​ ​sounds​ ​we​ ​pick
and​ ​how​ ​we​ ​blend​ ​them​ ​and​ ​so​ ​on.​ ​When​ ​doing​ ​sound​ ​design​ ​it's​ ​important​ ​to​ ​have​ ​both​ ​in
mind,​ ​but​ ​composition​ ​should​ ​take​ ​precedence​ ​over​ ​most​ ​mixing​ ​perspectives.​ ​Our​ ​aim​ ​is
music,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​decidedly​ ​in​ ​favor​ ​of​ ​the​ ​composition​ ​mode​ ​of​ ​thought.

ADSR
Two​ ​of​ ​our​ ​fundamental​ ​components​ ​long,​ ​and​ ​short​ ​have​ ​an​ ​almost​ ​direct​ ​relationship​ ​to
something​ ​called​ ​an​ ​ADSR​ ​envelope.​ ​ADSR​ ​stands​ ​for​ ​Attack​ ​Decay​ ​Sustain​ ​Release.​ ​There
are​ ​actually​ ​more​ ​kinds​ ​of​ ​envelopes,​ ​the​ ​most​ ​common​ ​ones​ ​add​ ​stages​ ​such​ ​as​ ​“hold”​ ​while
others​ ​have​ ​specialized​ ​purposes​ ​and​ ​others​ ​still​ ​offer​ ​unique​ ​methods,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​the​ ​morph
options​ ​in​ ​Massive.
We​ ​will​ ​be​ ​focusing​ ​on​ ​just​ ​ADSR​ ​as​ ​its​ ​what​ ​is​ ​available​ ​to​ ​us​ ​in​ ​Synth​ ​1.

What​ ​is​ ​an​ ​Envelope?​ ​An​ ​envelope​ ​how​ ​we​ ​control​ ​something​ ​over​ ​time.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​a​ ​controlling
signal,​ ​meaning​ ​it's​ ​a​ ​signal​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​meant​ ​to​ ​be​ ​heard.​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​consider​ ​the​ ​sprinkler
system​ ​around​ ​your​ ​house.​ ​You​ ​don’t​ ​want​ ​it​ ​to​ ​always​ ​be​ ​on,​ ​so​ ​you​ ​put​ ​a​ ​timer​ ​on​ ​it​ ​so​ ​that​ ​it
only​ ​turns​ ​on​ ​during​ ​certain​ ​times​ ​of​ ​the​ ​day.​ ​The​ ​timer​ ​runs​ ​in​ ​the​ ​background​ ​to​ a​ utomate​ ​the
sprinkler​ ​turning​ ​on​ ​and​ ​off​ ​so​ ​that​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​have​ ​to​ ​worry​ ​about​ ​it.​ ​The​ ​alternative​ ​is​ ​you
setting​ ​an​ ​alarm​ ​to​ ​remind​ ​you​ ​to​ ​go​ ​outside​ ​and​ ​turn​ ​the​ ​sprinklers​ ​on​ ​and​ ​then​ ​another​ ​alarm
to​ ​turn​ ​them​ ​off!​ ​In​ ​audio​ ​these​ ​Envelopes​ ​come​ ​in​ ​many​ ​forms,​ ​for​ ​example​ ​You​ ​could​ ​have
hired​ ​someone​ ​to​ ​turn​ ​your​ ​sprinklers​ ​on​ ​and​ ​off​ ​however​ ​this​ ​is​ ​clearly​ ​less​ ​effective​ ​than​ ​the
timer,​ ​and​ ​so​ ​we​ ​find​ ​that​ ​some​ ​methods​ ​are​ ​better​ ​than​ ​others​ ​in​ ​certain​ ​cases.​ ​You​ ​can​ ​also
adjust​ ​your​ ​timer​ ​in​ ​a​ ​variety​ ​of​ ​ways.​ ​Perhaps​ ​you​ ​have​ ​the​ ​sprinklers​ ​on​ ​for​ ​5​ ​minutes​ ​every
hour​ ​on​ ​the​ ​hour​ ​instead​ ​of​ ​just​ ​30​ ​min​ ​in​ ​the​ ​morning.​ ​Maybe​ ​you​ ​have​ ​your​ ​sprinklers​ ​turning
on​ ​and​ ​off​ ​randomly​ ​probably​ ​indicating​ ​your​ ​timer​ ​is​ ​broken!​ ​The​ ​same​ ​goes​ ​for​ ​the​ ​envelopes
we​ ​have,​ ​there​ ​are​ ​many​ ​ways​ ​to​ ​go​ ​about​ ​creating​ ​and​ ​using​ ​them,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​a​ ​huge​ ​amount
of​ ​ways​ ​for​ ​them​ ​to​ ​send​ ​out​ ​signal.​ ​Each​ ​method​ ​yields​ ​a​ ​valuable​ ​way​ ​to​ ​internally​ ​control​ ​our
synth.

So​ ​what​ ​we​ ​are​ ​dealing​ ​here​ ​is​ ​an​ ​Envelope​ ​Generator,​ ​and​ ​in​ ​our​ ​case​ ​this​ ​envelope​ ​generator
creates​ ​an​ ​ADSR​ ​Amplitude​ ​Envelope.​ ​If​ ​we​ ​could​ ​take​ ​the​ ​ADSR​ ​Envelope​ ​out​ ​of​ ​the​ ​synth​ ​it
could​ ​control​ ​anything,​ ​but​ ​in​ ​Synth1​ ​this​ ​envelope​ ​is​ ​fixed​ ​in​ ​place​ ​only​ ​allowing​ ​us​ ​to​ ​use​ ​it​ ​to
change​ ​the​ ​amplitude​ ​of​ ​our​ ​signal.​ ​Thus​ ​why​ ​it's​ ​labeled​ ​“Amplifier”​ ​as​ ​opposed​ ​to​ ​“Env”​ ​like​ ​in
other​ ​synths.

The​ ​controls​ ​are​ ​very​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​grasp,​ ​but​ ​setting​ ​them​ ​up​ ​can​ ​sometimes​ ​be​ ​an​ ​art​ ​form​ ​unto
itself.
A​ ​-​ ​Attack​ ​controls​ ​how​ ​long​ ​it​ ​takes​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​to​ ​reach​ ​in​ ​maximum​ ​amplitude​ ​from​ ​its
minimum​ ​amplitude​ ​when​ ​we​ ​activate​ ​it​ ​(in​ ​this​ ​case​ ​by​ ​playing​ ​a​ ​note).

At​ ​first​ ​glance​ ​this​ ​knob​ ​seems​ ​very​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​grasp​ ​completely,​ ​you​ ​want​ ​a​ ​pluck​ ​sound?​ ​Simply
use​ ​a​ ​fast​ ​attack.​ ​You​ ​want​ ​a​ ​smooth​ ​long​ ​pad​ ​sound?​ ​Use​ ​a​ ​long​ ​attack.​ ​But​ ​you’ll​ ​run​ ​into
some​ ​interesting​ ​things​ ​with​ ​this​ ​knob,​ ​especially​ ​as​ ​we​ ​add​ ​more​ ​and​ ​more​ ​processing.​ ​I​ ​want
to​ ​point​ ​these​ ​things​ ​out​ ​here​ ​because​ ​they​ ​are​ ​rarely​ ​if​ ​ever​ ​considered​ ​in​ ​most​ ​texts​ ​or
tutorials​ ​and​ ​can​ ​have​ ​a​ ​large​ ​impact​ ​on​ ​how​ ​you​ ​choose​ ​to​ ​use​ ​an​ ​envelope​ ​in​ ​a​ ​patch.

1. If​ ​the​ ​attack​ ​knob​ ​is​ ​set​ ​around​ ​40​ ​-​ ​100ms​ ​you​ ​will​ ​miss​ ​the​ ​chiff​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound.​ ​This
means​ ​if​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​relies​ ​on​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​phase​ ​relationship,​ ​that​ ​relationship​ ​will​ ​be​ ​lost,
further​ ​if​ ​you​ ​run​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​into​ ​a​ ​hefty​ ​nonlinear​ ​distortion​ ​effect​ ​you​ ​may​ ​get​ ​a​ ​vastly
different​ ​sound​ ​out​ ​based​ ​only​ ​on​ ​this​ ​move!​ ​(this​ ​is​ ​unlikely​ ​to​ ​happen​ ​but​ ​can,​ ​EQ’s​ ​are
used​ ​instead​ ​to​ ​deliberately​ ​mess​ ​with​ ​the​ ​spectrum.​ ​Since​ ​many​ ​distortion​ ​units​ ​are
based​ ​on​ ​an​ ​envelope​ ​follower​)​ ​This​ ​can​ ​sometimes​ ​have​ ​large​ ​implications​ ​in​ ​complex
layered​ ​sounds.
2. These​ ​next​ ​comments​ ​have​ ​far​ ​more​ ​impact​ ​on​ ​short​ ​sounds​ ​than​ ​long​ ​sounds.​ ​This
amplifier​ ​is​ ​a​ ​filter!​ ​We​ ​have​ ​not​ ​talked​ ​about​ ​filters​ ​yet,​ ​but​ ​essentially​ ​this​ ​again​ ​points
to​ ​phase.​ ​Filters​ ​induce​ ​phase​ ​shifts​ ​and​ ​envelopes​ ​(in​ ​this​ ​case)​ ​will​ ​also!
3. Finally,​ ​moves​ ​stack.​ ​Setting​ ​this​ ​knob​ ​at​ ​the​ ​start​ ​of​ ​a​ ​patch​ ​may​ ​just​ ​be​ ​a​ ​ballpark
estimate​ ​because​ ​you​ ​haven’t​ ​added​ ​on​ ​the​ ​chorus,​ ​or​ ​that​ ​EQ​ ​yet.​ ​Every​ ​plug​ ​will
induce​ ​its​ ​own​ ​side​ ​effects​ ​(unwanted​ ​things​ ​such​ ​as​ ​quantization​ ​noise​ ​ect..)​ ​on​ ​our
sound​ ​so​ ​going​ ​back​ ​in​ ​patches​ ​where​ ​this​ ​knob​ ​is​ ​important​ ​can​ ​be​ ​a​ ​wise​ ​move.

There​ ​is​ ​much​ ​more​ ​we​ ​could​ ​say​ ​about​ ​the​ ​attack​ ​knob,​ ​but​ ​in​ ​reality​ ​95%​ ​of​ ​the​ ​time​ ​you​ ​use
this,​ ​you​ ​set​ ​it​ ​once​ ​or​ ​twice​ ​carefully​ ​using​ ​your​ ​ears​ ​and​ ​then​ ​move​ ​on.
D​ ​-​ ​Decay​ ​is​ ​how​ ​long​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​will​ ​decrease​ ​in​ ​amplitude​ ​before​ ​it​ ​settles​ ​on​ ​its​ ​sustain​ ​value.

Here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​Chapman​ ​Stick​ ​Bass​ ​note.​ ​It​ ​has​ ​a​ ​very​ ​fast​ ​attack,​ ​a​ ​moderate​ ​decay​ ​and​ ​sustain
with​ ​a​ ​fast​ ​release​ ​that​ ​has​ ​a​ ​very​ ​complex​ ​action​ ​at​ ​the​ ​end.​ ​We​ ​seek​ ​to​ ​only​ ​recreate​ ​the
general​ ​contour​ ​of​ ​the​ ​shape​ ​with​ ​the​ ​envelope,​ ​but​ ​you​ ​can’t​ ​not​ ​develop​ ​an​ ​appreciation​ ​for
the​ ​complexity​ ​of​ ​real​ ​musicians​ ​playing​ ​their​ ​instruments​ ​with​ ​all​ ​this​ ​nuance​ ​in​ ​every​ ​note​ ​while
doing​ ​this!​ ​If​ ​the​ ​sustain​ ​is​ ​all​ ​the​ ​way​ ​up​ ​then​ ​the​ ​decay​ ​will​ ​have​ ​no​ ​effect.​ ​You​ ​can​ ​get
“whooshing”​ ​results​ ​if​ ​you​ ​attack​ ​time​ ​is​ ​longer​ ​than​ ​your​ ​decay​ ​and​ ​your​ ​sustain​ ​is​ ​lower​ ​than
your​ ​decay​ ​because​ ​your​ ​attack​ ​will​ ​suddenly​ ​drop​ ​to​ ​the​ ​sustain​ ​level​ ​as​ ​the​ ​rate​ ​the​ ​decay​ ​is
set​ ​to.

S​ ​-​ ​Sustain​ ​controls​ ​how​ ​long​ ​a​ ​note​ ​hold​ ​and​ ​at​ ​what​ ​level.​ ​The​ ​sustain​ ​directly​ ​affects​ ​the
decay.​ ​Note​ ​acoustic​ ​wind​ ​instruments​ ​typically​ ​have​ ​a​ ​volume​ ​level​ ​that​ ​continues​ ​to​ ​ring​ ​until
the​ ​player​ ​either​ ​runs​ ​out​ ​of​ ​the​ ​breath​ ​or​ ​decides​ ​to​ ​change​ ​notes.​ ​The​ ​player​ ​can​ ​get​ ​louder​ ​or
softer,​ ​something​ ​we​ ​would​ ​not​ ​use​ ​an​ ​ADSR​ ​envelope​ ​for​ ​directly.​ ​To​ ​accomplish​ ​this​ ​we
would​ ​use​ ​additional​ ​automation.​ ​In​ ​instruments​ ​like​ ​piano​ ​the​ ​sustain​ ​is​ ​a​ ​fixed​ ​value,
something​ ​we​ ​cannot​ ​do​ ​with​ ​a​ ​simple​ ​ADSR​ ​envelope.​ ​Because​ ​the​ ​sustain​ ​determines​ ​the
value​ ​the​ ​note​ ​will​ ​play​ ​at​ ​until​ ​we​ ​let​ ​go​ ​the​ ​sustain​ ​will​ ​affect​ ​the​ ​decay​ ​as​ ​already​ ​noted​ ​in​ ​the
decay​ ​section.

R​ ​-​ ​Release​ ​controls​ ​how​ ​fast​ ​the​ ​note​ ​will​ ​fade​ ​away​ ​after​ ​the​ ​you​ ​let​ ​go​ ​of​ ​the​ ​note.
This​ ​stage​ ​is​ ​very​ ​important​ ​to​ ​remember​ ​to​ ​look​ ​at​ ​in​ ​some​ ​types​ ​of​ ​sound​ ​design.​ ​For
example,​ ​a​ ​long​ ​decay​ ​on​ ​a​ ​bass​ ​sound​ ​can​ ​completely​ ​ruin​ ​it,​ ​while​ ​a​ ​long​ ​decay​ ​on​ ​a
atmospheric​ ​pad​ ​sound​ ​can​ ​give​ ​a​ ​reverb​ ​like​ ​effect​ ​and​ ​create​ ​dynamic​ ​expression.

Many​ ​additional​ ​FX​ ​use​ ​envelope​ ​generators​ ​to​ ​guide​ ​them​ ​in​ ​how​ ​they​ ​will​ ​change​ ​the​ ​sound
so​ ​if​ ​we​ ​change​ ​the​ ​contour​ ​of​ ​our​ ​sound​ ​at​ ​the​ ​generation​ ​stage​ ​of​ ​the​ ​signal​ ​chain​ ​that​ ​will
have​ ​a​ ​ripple​ ​effect​ ​through​ ​our​ ​processing.

We​ ​have​ ​two​ ​extra​ ​controls​ ​on​ ​our​ ​particular​ ​envelope​ ​each​ ​affecting​ ​playability.

Gain​ ​-​ ​Gain​ ​controls​ ​the​ ​maximum​ ​level​ ​of​ ​our​ ​instrument.​ ​We​ ​can​ ​view​ ​this​ ​knob​ ​in​ ​2​ ​ways.
1. The​ ​highest​ ​value​ ​our​ ​attack​ ​knob​ ​will​ ​reach.​ ​It’s​ ​more​ ​useful​ ​seeing​ ​it​ ​this​ ​way​ ​in​ ​short
sounds​ ​and​ ​may​ ​come​ ​in​ ​handy​ ​because​ ​of​ ​its​ ​position​ ​in​ ​the​ ​signal​ ​chain.
2. We​ ​can​ ​see​ ​it​ ​as​ ​a​ ​normal​ ​master​ ​gain.​ ​I​ ​discourage​ ​this​ ​view​ ​for​ ​this​ ​knob​ ​because​ ​that
is​ ​what​ ​your​ ​fader​ ​is​ ​for​ ​and​ ​this​ ​only​ ​applies​ ​if​ ​post​ ​processing​ ​is​ ​not​ ​a​ ​concern.

Velocity​ ​-​ ​Velocity​ ​controls​ ​how​ ​the​ ​envelope​ ​responds​ ​to​ ​how​ ​you​ ​hit​ ​the​ ​key.​ ​It​ ​will​ ​scale​ ​the
entire​ ​envelope​ ​based​ ​on​ ​the​ ​velocity​ ​level​ ​of​ ​note.​ ​If​ ​a​ ​note​ ​has​ ​a​ ​low​ ​velocity​ ​level​ ​then​ ​it​ ​will
have​ ​a​ ​low​ ​attack​ ​level​ ​and​ ​all​ ​the​ ​other​ ​levels​ ​(not​ ​lengths!)​ ​will​ ​also​ ​be​ ​altered​ ​accordingly.
You​ ​can​ ​control​ ​the​ ​degree​ ​to​ ​which​ ​this​ ​happens​ ​by​ ​simply​ ​changing​ ​the​ ​amount​ ​of​ ​this​ ​knob.
A​ ​value​ ​of​ ​zero​ ​will​ ​make​ ​every​ ​note​ ​hit​ ​will​ ​the​ ​same​ ​velocity​ ​level.​ ​Velocity​ ​is​ ​a​ ​physics​ ​term
meaning​ ​a​ ​magnitude​ ​(a​ ​scalar)​ ​which​ ​is​ ​speed​ ​in​ ​this​ ​case​ ​with​ ​direction​ ​(usually​ ​an​ ​angle).​ ​In
this​ ​case​ ​it​ ​has​ ​in​ ​mind​ ​how​ ​fast​ ​your​ ​hand​ ​comes​ ​vertically​ ​down​ ​on​ ​the​ ​key.​ ​However,​ ​this​ ​is
still​ ​very​ ​useful​ ​to​ ​us​ ​because​ ​we​ ​can​ ​give​ ​our​ ​notes​ ​velocity​ ​values​ ​increasing​ ​the​ ​musicality​ ​of
the​ ​phrases​ ​we​ ​write.

So​ ​let's​ ​say​ ​you​ ​are​ ​playing​ ​a​ ​note​ ​and​ ​it's​ ​being​ ​sustain​ ​and​ ​then​ ​you​ ​hit​ ​ANOTHER​ ​note!​ ​What
is​ ​the​ ​envelope​ ​generator​ ​supposed​ ​to​ ​do?​ ​Create​ ​another​ ​envelope​ ​for​ ​the​ ​new​ ​note​ ​or​ ​just
have​ ​the​ ​new​ ​note​ ​join​ ​in​ ​with​ ​the​ ​old​ ​notes​ ​envelope​ ​level?​ ​This​ ​problem​ ​is​ ​solved​ ​with
retrigger.
Retrigger-​ ​Retrigger​ ​defines​ ​what​ ​an​ ​envelope​ ​generator​ ​should​ ​do​ ​if​ ​two​ ​notes​ ​overlap​ ​each
other.​ ​In​ ​many​ ​synths​ ​Retrigger​ ​is​ ​hidden​ ​with​ ​other​ ​words​ ​such​ ​as​ ​legato,​ ​or​ ​mono​ ​vs.​ ​poly.​ ​If
you​ ​want​ ​a​ ​new​ ​envelope​ ​to​ ​occur​ ​when​ ​you​ ​hit​ ​a​ ​note​ ​then​ ​you​ ​want​ ​the​ ​envelope​ ​to​ r​ etrigger
for​ ​that​ ​note.​ ​Most​ ​synths​ ​pick​ ​this​ ​behavior​ ​for​ ​you​ ​and​ ​that​ ​is​ ​what​ ​synth1​ ​does.​ ​It​ ​retriggers
for​ ​you.​ ​However,​ ​some​ ​synths​ ​offer​ ​extensive​ ​control​ ​over​ ​these​ ​modes​ ​in​ ​both​ ​polyphonic​ ​and
monophonic​ ​settings.​ ​What​ ​seems​ ​like​ ​a​ ​simple​ ​issue​ ​actually​ ​blows​ ​up​ ​to​ ​be​ ​a​ ​big​ ​mess.
Honestly​ ​I​ ​always​ ​find​ ​talking​ ​about​ ​this​ ​stuff​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​dry​ ​and​ ​so​ ​I​ ​won’t​ ​go​ ​into​ ​every​ ​detail​ ​here​ ​as
I​ ​will​ ​cover​ ​voice​ ​settings​ ​separately,​ ​but​ ​essentially​ ​if​ ​you​ ​want​ ​an​ ​envelope​ ​to​ ​retrigger​ ​then
use​ ​mono,​ ​if​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​use​ ​legato​ ​and​ ​if​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to​ ​be​ ​able​ ​to​ ​play​ ​chords​ ​use​ ​poly​ ​which
forces​ ​you​ ​to​ ​use​ ​retrigger.​ ​Polyphonic​ ​retrigger​ ​is​ ​relatively​ ​new​ ​and​ ​not​ ​common​ ​in​ ​synths,​ ​but
can​ ​be​ ​found​ ​in​ ​some​ ​Kontakt​ ​Sample​ ​Libraries.​ ​Synth​ ​Secrets​ ​beats​ ​this​ ​subject​ ​to​ ​death.

Monarks​ ​Retrigger​ ​options

​​

Also​ ​these​ ​mesmerizing​ ​little​ ​squares​ ​show​ ​you​ ​which​ ​envelopes​ ​are​ ​active​ ​and​ ​how​ ​many
voices​ ​are​ ​currently​ ​sounding.​ ​It​ ​looks​ ​cool​ ​and​ ​is​ ​fun​ ​to​ ​play​ ​with,​ ​but​ ​practically​ ​speaking​ ​the
only​ ​thing​ ​I​ ​can​ ​think​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​good​ ​for​ ​is​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​you​ ​conscious​ ​of​ ​the​ ​CPU​ ​demand​ ​of​ ​your
patch.

Synths​ ​output​ ​sound​ ​constantly​ ​without​ ​an​ ​envelope​ ​so​ ​if​ ​you​ ​ever​ ​run​ ​into​ ​a​ ​modular​ ​synth
don’t​ ​be​ ​surprised​ ​when​ ​it​ ​just​ ​rings​ ​on​ ​and​ ​on​ ​and​ ​on!​ ​To​ ​stop​ ​it​ ​you​ ​need​ ​an​ ​envelope!

Consider​ ​what​ ​Others​ ​have​ ​to​ ​say:

Easy​ ​to​ ​Follow​ ​videos​ ​and​ ​diagrams
Envelope​ ​Generators
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Great​ ​Video​ ​Explanation

​ ​Ok,​ ​so​ ​now​ ​we​ ​have​ ​a​ ​solid​ ​grasp​ ​on​ ​envelopes​ ​so​ ​we​ ​can​ ​progress​ ​to​ ​creating​ ​some
sinusoidal​ ​sounds.​ ​Let's​ ​break​ ​it​ ​down​ ​from​ ​the​ ​bare​ ​bones​ ​and​ ​build​ ​up.

Short​ ​and​ ​Long

Start​ ​with​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave,​ ​then​ ​experiment​ ​with​ ​the​ ​idea​ ​of​ ​a​ ​short​ ​sine​ ​wave.​ ​When​ ​I​ ​say​ ​short​ ​it
can​ ​be​ ​global​ ​shortness,​ ​as​ ​in​ ​the​ ​length​ ​of​ ​the​ ​entire​ ​note​ ​(thus​ ​global)​ ​is​ ​literally​ ​considered​ ​to
be​ ​quick,​ ​or​ ​local​ ​shortness,​ ​as​ ​in​ ​a​ ​particular​ ​aspect​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​is​ ​short.​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​we
could​ ​have​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​with​ ​a​ ​short​ ​attack​ ​and​ ​release,​ ​yet​ ​its​ ​sustain​ ​could​ ​make​ ​it​ ​long.​ ​This
sound​ ​has​ ​local​ ​shortness​ ​in​ ​that​ ​the​ ​attack​ ​and​ ​release​ ​are​ ​fast​ ​but​ ​it​ ​is​ ​globally​ ​long!​ ​Sounds
that​ ​have​ ​local​ ​shortness​ ​in​ ​the​ ​attack​ ​and​ ​release​ ​are​ ​usually​ ​referred​ ​to​ ​as​ ​“tight”​ ​sounds.
They​ ​are​ ​excellent​ ​for​ ​funk​ ​and​ ​because​ ​they​ ​abruptly​ ​stop​ ​and​ ​start​ ​lending​ ​themselves​ ​to
large​ ​contrasts​ ​between​ ​the​ ​background​ ​noise​ ​and​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​itself.​ ​Compare​ ​that​ ​to​ ​sounds
that​ ​are​ ​locally​ ​long​ ​but​ ​are​ ​globally​ ​short,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​the​ ​arc​ ​articulation​ ​on​ ​violins.​ ​These​ ​sounds
are​ ​generally​ ​more​ ​blurry​ ​because​ ​they​ ​fade​ ​into​ ​the​ ​noise​ ​behind​ ​them.​ L ​ isten​ ​to​ ​dat​ ​Funk!

Shortness​ ​and​ ​Length​ ​is​ ​a​ ​scalable​ ​thing,​ ​much​ ​like​ ​size.​ ​The​ ​earth​ ​is​ ​small​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​the
sun,​ ​and​ ​is​ ​huge​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​you​ ​or​ ​I!​ ​When​ ​I​ ​use​ ​the​ ​term​ ​short​ ​or​ ​long​ ​I​ ​may​ ​not​ ​always
specify​ ​my​ ​reference​ ​point​ ​because​ ​I​ ​think​ ​it​ ​is​ ​self​ ​evident​ ​or​ ​it​ ​didn’t​ ​occur​ ​to​ ​me​ ​because
another​ ​concept​ ​occupies​ ​my​ ​thoughts.​ ​In​ ​the​ ​example​ ​above​ ​I​ ​used​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​such​ ​as
the​ ​attack,​ ​and​ ​decay​ ​vs.​ ​other​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​sound,​ ​in​ ​this​ ​case​ ​the​ ​sustain.​ ​The​ ​is​ ​a​ ​common
and​ ​useful​ ​way​ ​to​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​short​ ​and​ ​long.

Short​ ​sounds​ ​lose​ ​perceived​ ​amplitude​ ​after​ ​they​ ​pass​ ​around​ ​the​ ​100-40ms​ ​range​.​ ​(I
really​ ​want​ ​to​ ​use​ ​sones​ ​here,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​the​ ​unit​ ​for​ ​perceived​ ​amplitude​ ​but​ ​I​ ​fear​ ​I​ ​would
confuse​ ​readers​ ​therefore​ ​I​ ​will​ ​use​ ​“perceived​ ​amplitude”​ ​as​ ​a​ ​generalized​ ​approach​ ​but​ ​I​ ​want
to​ ​at​ ​least​ ​mention​ ​there​ ​is​ ​actually​ ​measurements​ ​for​ ​this​ ​stuff).​ ​As​ ​a​ ​sound's​ ​length​ ​is
decreased​ ​past​ ​how​ ​long​ ​it​ ​takes​ ​our​ ​ears​ ​to​ ​perceive​ ​the​ ​frequency​ ​we​ ​lose​ ​the​ ​ability​ ​to​ ​gauge
its​ ​loudness.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​of​ ​course​ ​only​ ​true​ ​for​ ​sounds​ ​that​ ​are​ ​already​ ​short.​ ​Go​ ​ahead​ ​and​ ​try​ ​it.
Get​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​out,​ ​a​ ​kick​ ​drum​ ​is​ ​a​ ​great​ ​example.​ ​Using​ ​an​ ​envelope​ ​shorten​ ​the​ ​sound
gradually.​ ​You​ ​will​ ​find​ ​frequency​ ​content​ ​being​ ​left​ ​out.​ ​Until​ ​you're​ ​left​ ​with​ ​a​ ​tiny​ ​remnant​ ​of
what​ ​used​ ​to​ ​be​ ​your​ ​mighty​ ​kick!

Video​ ​Example:​ ​To​ ​be​ ​Added

This​ ​particular​ ​example​ ​has​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​useful​ ​results.

1. We​ ​can​ ​“naturally”​ ​eq​ ​some​ ​sounds​ ​by​ ​simply​ ​automating​ ​the​ ​volume​ ​envelope,​ ​so​ ​tools
such​ ​as​ ​compressors​ ​and​ ​transient​ ​shapers​ ​should​ ​be​ ​used​ ​with​ ​caution.
2. This​ ​provides​ ​an​ ​excellent​ ​way​ ​to​ ​layer​ ​samples​ ​and​ ​highlight​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​the​ ​spectrum​ ​of​ ​a
sample​ ​throughout​ ​a​ ​track.​ ​For​ ​example​ ​you​ ​may​ ​start​ ​off​ ​your​ ​track​ ​with​ ​a​ ​short​ ​version
of​ ​your​ ​kick​ ​and​ ​hold​ ​out​ ​on​ ​using​ ​the​ ​long​ ​one​ ​until​ ​the​ ​drop.​ ​This​ ​may​ ​be​ ​a​ ​superior
method​ ​when​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​using​ ​a​ ​highpass​ ​filter​ ​because​ ​you​ ​don’t​ ​need​ ​to​ ​worry
about​ ​resonance​ ​boosts​ ​or​ ​phase​ ​shifts​ ​and​ ​you​ ​get​ ​the​ ​sudden​ ​jump​ ​on​ ​the​ ​listener​ ​by
not​ ​revealing​ ​the​ ​low​ ​end​ ​as​ ​you​ ​may​ ​give​ ​away​ ​a​ ​bit​ ​with​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of​ ​a​ ​filter.

Shortness​ ​and​ ​Length​ ​are​ ​often​ ​found​ ​together​ ​in​ ​musical​ ​lines​ ​to​ ​offer​ ​contrast​ ​in​ ​the​ ​song​ ​or
may​ ​be​ ​used​ ​to​ ​create​ ​a​ ​style​ ​of​ ​playing.​ ​The​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​when​ ​remaining​ ​static​ ​has​ ​large
applications​ ​of​ ​bass​ ​which​ ​we​ ​have​ ​already​ ​explored​ ​and​ ​lead​ ​sounds.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​often​ ​combined​ ​with
post​ ​processing.

Dry/Wet
You​ ​will​ ​come​ ​across​ ​a​ ​dry/wet​ ​knob​ ​at​ ​some​ ​point.​ ​In​ ​Synth​ ​one​ ​these​ ​knobs​ ​are​ ​labeled​ ​“Amt.”
for​ ​amount.​ ​Dry​ ​and​ ​Wet​ ​typically​ ​have​ ​acoustic​ ​implications​ ​(distortion​ ​is​ ​an​ ​entirely​ ​different
story).​ ​If​ ​you​ ​were​ ​to​ ​record​ ​a​ ​saxophone​ ​in​ ​an​ ​anechoic​ ​chamber​​ ​and​ ​then​ ​the​ ​same
saxophone​ ​and​ ​a​ ​large​ ​church​ ​you​ ​would​ ​get​ ​2​ ​completely​ ​different​ ​sounding​ s​ axophone​ ​parts​.
This​ ​is​ ​no​ ​surprise​ ​one​ ​recording​ ​would​ ​be​ ​nothing​ ​but​ ​direct​ ​sound​ ​hitting​ ​the​ ​microphone,
while​ ​the​ ​other​ ​recording​ ​(depending​ ​on​ ​how​ ​close​ ​the​ ​mic​ ​is​ ​to​ ​the​ ​flute)​ ​would​ ​have​ ​loads​ ​of
reverberant​ ​sound​ ​hitting​ ​the​ ​mic.​ ​In​ ​sample​ ​library​ ​development​ ​deciding​ ​if​ ​you​ ​will​ ​record​ ​the
natural​ ​reverb​ ​of​ ​the​ ​room​ ​or​ ​use​ ​convolution/algorithmic​ ​reverb​ ​is​ ​often​ ​a​ ​very​ ​important
decision​ ​and​ ​will​ ​impart​ ​a​ ​“sound”​ ​to​ ​the​ ​samples.​ ​Spitfire​ ​is​ ​famous​ ​for​ ​the​ ​sound​ ​of​ ​Air​ ​Studios,
where​ ​they​ ​record​ ​many​ ​of​ ​their​ ​products​ ​and​ ​when​ ​they​ ​finally​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​do​ ​a​ d ​ ry​ ​library​​ ​it​ ​was
quite​ ​a​ ​large​ ​deal.

We​ ​are​ ​not​ ​sampling,​ ​we​ ​a​ ​generating​ ​sound.​ ​This​ ​is​ ​very​ ​similar​ ​to​ ​the​ ​same​ ​ideal​ ​though.
When​ ​we​ ​create​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​as​ ​if​ ​we​ ​somehow​ ​got​ ​the​ ​microphone​ ​infinitely​ ​close​ ​to​ ​the
sound​ ​source!​ ​It​ ​is​ ​a​ ​perfectly​ ​dry​ ​sound!​ ​The​ ​only​ ​places​ ​we​ ​would​ ​run​ ​into​ ​issues​ ​is​ ​the
generation​ ​of​ ​the​ ​wave​ ​and​ ​how​ ​we​ ​listen​ ​to​ ​the​ ​wave!​ ​But​ ​we​ ​don’t​ ​hear​ ​sound​ ​everyday​ ​as​ ​if
we​ ​were​ ​in​ ​an​ ​anechoic​ ​chamber​ ​so​ ​we​ ​to​ ​must​ ​make​ ​decisions​ ​about​ ​how​ ​to​ ​make​ ​our​ ​sound
sound​ ​like​ ​it's​ ​in​ ​an​ ​acoustic​ ​space.​ ​Many​ ​other​ ​FX​ ​available​ ​to​ ​us​ ​will​ ​impact​ ​our​ ​sense​ ​of
space​ ​but​ ​reverb​ ​is​ ​to​ ​be​ ​our​ ​weapon​ ​of​ ​choice​ ​for​ ​now.​ ​We​ ​will​ ​talk​ ​about​ ​the​ ​FX​ ​available​ ​to​ ​us
in​ ​later​ ​lessons​ ​all​ ​I​ ​want​ ​you​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​right​ ​now​ ​is​ ​how​ ​important​ ​the​ ​idea​ ​of​ ​space​ ​is​ ​in
creating​ ​a​ ​sound.​ ​Signal​ ​flow​ ​is​ ​also​ ​of​ ​massive​ ​importance​ ​as​ ​well.​ ​If​ ​we​ ​add​ ​reverb​ ​before​ ​we
run​ ​our​ ​signal​ ​through​ ​our​ ​compressor​ ​we​ ​will​ ​get​ ​much​ ​louder​ ​reverb,​ ​but​ ​if​ ​we​ ​compress​ ​our
sound​ ​and​ ​then​ ​add​ ​reverb​ ​suddenly​ ​we​ ​get​ ​an​ ​entirely​ ​different​ ​quality.​ ​Different​ ​sounds​ ​for
different​ ​genres.

Reverb​ ​Use​ ​in​ ​a​ ​Tracks

Pensados​ ​Place​ ​-​ ​Very​ ​Creative​ ​Reverb​ ​Use

The​ ​Short​ ​Lead

Taking​ ​all​ ​this​ ​knowledge​ ​into​ ​consideration​ ​we​ ​can​ ​very​ ​easily​ ​grasp​ ​how​ ​to​ ​create​ ​a​ ​short
pluck​ ​lead​ ​with​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​and​ ​the​ ​various​ ​reasons​ ​we​ ​may​ ​choose​ ​to​ ​go​ ​about​ ​it​ ​in​ ​certain
ways.

The​ ​steps​ ​themselves​ ​are​ ​incredible​ ​easy.

1. Select​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​(should​ ​be​ ​your​ ​default​ ​patch)
2. Set​ ​a​ ​short​ ​attack​ ​by​ ​ear
3. Remove​ ​Sustain
4. Set​ ​a​ ​release​ ​value​ ​by​ ​ear.
5. Add​ ​verb​ ​to​ ​taste​ ​(A​ ​move​ ​we​ ​will​ ​understand​ ​more​ ​fully​ ​later)

Boom!​ ​You​ ​now​ ​got​ ​a​ ​sweet​ ​pluck​ ​sound​ ​with​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave!​ ​But​ ​now​ ​you​ ​have​ ​many​ ​many
things​ ​you​ ​understand​ ​past​ ​just​ ​doing​ ​these​ ​steps.
1. Consider​ ​its​ ​length,​ ​would​ ​your​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​benefit​ ​from​ ​automating​ ​the​ ​release​ ​not​ ​length
in​ ​a​ ​musical​ ​way?​ ​What​ ​about​ ​the​ ​attack?​ ​How​ ​can​ ​you​ ​consider​ ​global​ ​length​ ​and​ ​local
length?​ ​Do​ ​these​ ​changes​ ​make​ ​meaningful​ ​impacts​ ​to​ ​your​ ​track?
 2. Consider​ ​the​ ​verb.​ ​Does​ ​it​ ​enhance​ ​your​ ​sound​ ​or​ ​create​ ​mud?​ ​Can​ ​it​ ​be​ ​implemented
better?​ ​Does​ ​the​ ​range​ ​of​ ​your​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​(meaning​ ​the​ ​notes​ ​you​ ​used)​ ​make​ ​sense​ ​for
the​ ​track​ ​and​ ​verb​ ​you​ ​picked?​ ​Would​ ​automating​ ​the​ ​reverb​ ​amount​ ​help?​ ​Consider
automating​ ​the​ ​reverb​ ​off​ ​while​ ​automating​ ​the​ ​release​ ​time​ ​up,​ ​this​ ​would​ ​blur​ ​the​ ​line
between​ ​the​ ​reverb​ ​and​ ​the​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​creating​ ​a​ ​more​ ​uniform​ ​sensation​ ​of​ ​sound.

Range.​ ​Range​ ​is​ ​something​ ​I​ ​have​ ​avoided​ ​because​ ​it's​ ​far​ ​more​ ​complex​ ​than​ ​it​ ​looks​ ​at​ ​first.
Range​ ​is​ ​often​ ​decided​ ​by​ ​ear​ ​and​ ​left​ ​at​ ​that!​ ​In​ ​this​ ​way​ ​range​ ​is​ ​extremely​ ​simple.​ ​Yet​ ​range
entails​ ​a​ ​variety​ ​of​ ​psychoacoustic​ ​effects​ ​especially​ ​when​ ​combined​ ​with​ ​length​ ​(let​ ​alone​ ​flux
and​ ​tonality!)​ ​and​ ​also​ ​deals​ ​with​ ​digital​ ​audio​ ​to​ ​various​ ​degrees​ ​depending​ ​on​ ​the​ ​synth
chosen.​ ​All​ ​I​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​point​ ​out​ ​is​ ​spectrum​ ​perception​ ​and​ ​aliasing.

Aliasing
Aliasing​ ​is​ ​the​ ​introduction​ ​of​ ​unwanted​ ​frequencies​ ​because​ ​we​ ​exceed​ ​the​ ​nyquist​ ​limit.
Basically​ ​that​ ​means​ ​if​ ​we​ ​play​ ​very​ ​high​ ​notes​ ​we​ ​will​ ​wind​ ​up​ ​with​ ​low​ ​frequencies​ ​that​ ​don't
exist​ ​in​ ​our​ ​original​ ​signal!​ ​Synth1​ ​actually​ ​doesn't​ ​have​ ​any​ ​problems​ ​with​ ​aliasing​ ​but​ ​I​ ​want​ ​to
mention​ ​it​ ​because​ ​you​ ​will​ ​find​ ​synths​ ​that​ ​do,​ ​and​ ​on​ ​top​ ​of​ ​that​ ​some​ ​synths​ ​claim​ ​aliasing​ ​is
apart​ ​of​ ​their​ ​sound!​ ​Here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​couple​ ​videos​ ​explaining​ ​aliasing​ ​more​ ​fully:
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Good​ ​Explanation

Spectral​ ​Perception
This​ ​is​ ​very​ ​useful​ ​to​ ​us.​ ​You​ ​should​ ​have​ ​noticed​ ​this​ ​effect​ ​from​ ​the​ ​audio​ ​waveform​ ​test​ ​as
well.​ ​Namely​ ​that​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sound​ ​gets​ ​higher​ ​or​ ​lower​ ​our​ ​perception​ ​of​ ​the​ ​spectrum​ ​changes.
Higher​ ​notes​ ​all​ ​tend​ ​to​ ​sound​ ​the​ ​same,​ ​you​ ​could​ ​even​ ​try​ ​something​ ​sneaky,

Write​ ​a​ ​melody​ ​with​ ​either​ ​a​ ​square​ ​or​ ​saw​ ​wave.​ ​Have​ ​a​ ​line​ ​that​ ​ascends​ ​into​ ​an​ ​upper
register​ ​where​ ​it's​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​tell​ ​the​ ​two​ ​apart​ ​and​ ​then​ ​switch​ ​the​ ​waveforms!​ ​Descend​ ​with​ ​the
new​ ​waveform.​ ​The​ ​effect​ ​is​ ​very​ ​smooth​ ​and​ ​can​ ​be​ ​used​ ​to​ ​great​ ​musical​ ​effect​ ​on​ ​all​ ​sorts​ ​of
timbres!​ ​If​ ​two​ ​timbres​ ​are​ ​close​ ​to​ ​each​ ​other​ ​than​ ​this​ ​will​ ​work​ ​to​ ​one​ ​extent​ ​or​ ​another.​ ​Pretty
handy.​ ​Two​ ​spectrums​ ​that​ ​are​ ​not​ ​close​ ​to​ ​each​ ​other​ ​such​ ​as​ ​a​ ​saw​ ​and​ ​a​ ​sine​ ​wave​ ​will
require​ ​a​ ​much​ ​higher​ ​frequency​ ​for​ ​this​ ​to​ ​have​ ​a​ ​smooth​ ​effect,​ ​so​ ​high​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is​ ​not​ ​pleasant
so​ ​other​ ​methods​ ​would​ ​better​ ​serve​ ​you.