Synthesizers and Subtractive Synthesis, Volume 2 E-Book

Jean-Michel Reveillac

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 297

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Subtractive sound synthesis is one of the most widely used techniques in electronic music and in many analog synthesizers since the early 1960s. It is based on a simple principle, but its operation is complex, involving many parameters. It can be enhanced by a variety of effects that give the sound its authenticity, and does not simply imitate musical instruments, but can also transcribe noises present in natural soundscapes or generate entirely synthetic sounds. Synthesizers and Subtractive Sound Synthesis 2 presents practical exercises, ranging from the fundamentals to advanced functionalities. Most of the sound effects applicable to subtractive synthesis are covered: vibrato, phaser, reverb, etc. The final chapters deal with polyphony and arpeggiator-sequences.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Preface

Target audience and prerequisites

Organization and contents of the book

Conventions

Vocabulary and definitions

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Subtractive Synthesis: The Beginning

1.1. Exercise 1 – generate sound with a single oscillator

1.2. Exercise 2 – associate an envelope

1.3. Exercise 3 – add a filter

1.4. A little further with Max/MSP, Pure Data and VCV Rack

1.5. Final remarks

2 Subtractive Synthesis: The Fundamentals

2.1. Exercise 4 – adding an envelope to the filter

2.2. Exercise 5 – integrating an LFO

2.3. Exercise 6 – multiple oscillators

2.4. Exercise 7 – noise generator

2.5. To conclude classic synthesis

3 Advanced Subtractive Synthesis

3.1. Exercise 8 – ring modulation

3.2. Exercise 9 – sample and hold

3.3. Sound effects

3.4. Conclusion

4 Duophony, Paraphony and Polyphony

4.1. Exercise 14 – duophony and paraphony

4.2. Exercise 15 – polyphony

4.3. Conclusion

5 Sequencers and Arpeggiators

5.1. Exercise 16 – sequencers and arpeggiators

5.2. Conclusion

Conclusion

Appendix 1: USB Connectivity

Appendix 2: Pure Data Extensions

A2.1. Oscilloscope

A2.2. Activating/deactivating the DSP

A2.3. Virtual keyboard

A2.4. A virtual keyboard patch

Appendix 3: Keyboards and Interfaces

A3.1. MIDI keyboards

A3.2. Audio-MIDI interface

Appendix 4: MIDI Notes, Numbers and Frequencies

Glossary

References

Index

Other titles from ISTE in Waves

End User License Agreement

List of Tables

Chapter 1

Table 1.1. Summary of the different exercises

Chapter 2

Table 2.1. Summary of the different exercises

Table 2.2. Arguments of the different

scale

objects

Table 2.3. Connections to be made on the Reaktor rack

Table 2.4. New connections to make for our multi-oscillator rack

Table 2.5. Some miscellaneous sound effects

Chapter 3

Table 3.1. Summary of the different exercises

Table 3.2. MatrixBrute Matrix Assignments

Table 3.3. Connections between the different modules for exercise 9

Table 3.4. Possible rack configurations

Table 3.5. Parameter of the four all-pass filters (allpass∼)

Table 3.6. Parameters of the eight comb filters (comb∼)

Table 3.7. Connections to be made between the different modules for exercise 1...

Table 3.8. Connections to be made on the VCV Rack for exercise 11 – chorus...

Table 3.9. Connections to make for exercise 12 – flanger

Chapter 4

Table 4.1. Summary of the different exercises

Table 4.2. MatrixBrute matrix assignments

Table 4.3. Connections to be made in the rack

Chapter 5

Table 5.1. Connections to make in the rack

Table 5.2. Required connections

Table 5.3. New connections to make on the VCV Rack

Table 5.4. Main parameters of the 8 STEPS module

Table 5.5. Parameters of the 4 MODS block

Table 5.6. Settings of the QUARP block

Table 5.7. Characteristics of the chord table

Appendix 4

Table A4.1. Corresponding MIDI number, note and frequency

List of Illustrations

Introduction

Figure I.1. The five machines covered in this book. For a color version of thi...

Chapter 1

Figure 1.1. Subtractive sound synthesis with an oscillator. The command signal...

Figure 1.2. Exercise 1 for the Behringer Neutron.

Figure 1.3. Exercise 1 for Behringer 2600 (ARP 2600).

Figure 1.4. Exercise 1 with Max/MSP

Figure 1.5. Exercise 1 with Pure Data

Figure 1.6. Exercise 1 with VCV Rack.

Figure 1.7. Subtractive sound synthesis with an oscillator, an envelope genera...

Figure 1.8. Exercise 2 for the Behringer Neutron.

Figure 1.9. Exercise 2 for Behringer 2600 (ARP 2600).

Figure 1.10. Exercise 2 with Max/MSP

Figure 1.11. Exercise 2 with Pure Data

Figure 1.12. Exercise 2 with VCV Rack.

Figure 1.13. Subtractive sound synthesis with an oscillator, filter, envelope ...

Figure 1.14. Exercise 3 for Behringer Neutron.

Figure 1.15. Exercise 3 with Max/MSP

Figure 1.16. Exercise 3 with Pure Data

Figure 1.17. Exercise 3 with VCV Rack.

Figure 1.18. Easy ADSR management

Figure 1.19. Using a multistate filter

Figure 1.20. Use of a configurable filter

Figure 1.21. Custom waveform

Figure 1.22. Waveform array parameters.

Figure 1.23. ADSR curve

Figure 1.24. ADSR and delays

Figure 1.25. Signals and filters

Figure 1.26. Successive waveforms to obtain a triangular signal

Figure 1.27. Successive waveforms for the sawtooth signal

Figure 1.28. Macro Oscillator and Stabile in a VCV Rack.

Chapter 2

Figure 2.1. Subtractive sound synthesis with an oscillator, two envelope gener...

Figure 2.2. The envelope used by the Minimoog Model D

Figure 2.3. Configuration of the Minimoog Model D to obtain the sound of a Fre...

Figure 2.4. Using the two envelope generators

Figure 2.5. Patch exercise 4 with Max/MSP

Figure 2.6. Exercise 4 using the envelope abstraction object

Figure 2.7. The Envelope.maxpat processing abstraction

Figure 2.8. Exercise 4 with its two envelopes, one for the VCA and one for the...

Figure 2.9. Exercise 4 with the Env. abstraction object

Figure 2.10. The abstraction Env.pd for exercise 4

Figure 2.11. Exercise 4 for the VCV Rack.

Figure 2.12. Subtractive sound synthesis with one VCO, two EGs, two LFOs and a...

Figure 2.13. Minimoog: (a) classic Model D and (b) reissued Model D.

Figure 2.14. Configuring the Minimoog Model D to obtain an oboe sound.

Figure 2.15. Configuring the Minimoog Model D to obtain a heartbeat sound.

Figure 2.16. Configuration of the reissued Minimoog Model D to obtain the voic...

Figure 2.17. Police siren on Novation Bass Station II.

Figure 2.18. Exercise 4a: vibrato and tremolo with Max/MSP

Figure 2.19. Exercise 4b: LFO and MIDI keyboard

Figure 2.20. Exercise 4: two LFOs for a vibrato and a tremolo in Pure Data

Figure 2.21. An LFO for VCA in a VCV Rack.

Figure 2.22. An LFO for the VCO and an LFO for the VCA in a VCV Rack.

Figure 2.23. The SCOPE module control screen has two signals, the VCO output (...

Figure 2.24. The different Reaktor blocks in structure mode.

Figure 2.25. Detail of the SVF and VCA modules on the panel. The different sli...

Figure 2.26. The different Reaktor blocks in panel mode.

Figure 2.27. Electric piano with a Minimoog.

Figure 2.28. An iconic Minimoog bass sound.

Figure 2.29. A very typical Moog bass sound.

Figure 2.30. The

VCOchoice

abstraction used by the patcher

Figure 2.31. The multi-oscillator patcher

Figure 2.32. Sharing two oscillators in Pure Data

Figure 2.33. Details of the Pure Data objects forming the two oscillators and ...

Figure 2.34. Several oscillators with a VCV Rack.

Figure 2.35. Three oscillators for a Reaktor structure.

Figure 2.36. Three oscillators for Reaktor in the panel mode.

Figure 2.37. A patch to simulate storms and wind.

Figure 2.38. The sound of a flute.

Figure 2.39. Patch explosion on the Behringer 2600.

Figure 2.40. The steam locomotive patch using the Bass Station II noise genera...

Figure 2.41. Noise simulator with the Max/MSP

Figure 2.42. White noise, bandpass filter and harmonics

Chapter 3

Figure 3.1. Visualization of a unipolar and bipolar signal with Pure Data

Figure 3.2. Tubular Chimes patch.

Figure 3.3. Chimes with the Arturia MatrixBrute.

Figure 3.4. The VCO 1 > VCO 2 button in the AUDIO MOD zone

Figure 3.5. A gong sound patch.

Figure 3.6. Ring modulation

Figure 3.7. Amplitude modulation and ring modulation

Figure 3.8. Modulated tubular chimes.

Figure 3.9. Ring modulation with the Ring Modulator block.

Figure 3.10. Ring modulation in Panel mode.

Figure 3.11. An R2D2-style patch.

Figure 3.12. A patch using S&H.

Figure 3.13. Sample and hold with Mx/MSP

Figure 3.14. The S&H patcher and its different signals

Figure 3.15. S&H with Pure Data

Figure 3.16. A noise, LFO and S&H rack.

Figure 3.17. A rack using S&H.

Figure 3.18. The bipolar (left) or unipolar (right) toggle icon (of the LFO mo...

Figure 3.19. In the top-left, to the right of PITCH, the Key Tracking icon of ...

Figure 3.20. The S&H rack in Panel mode.

Figure 3.21. A Max/MSP patcher to control the reverb

Figure 3.22. The “SchroederVerb” abstraction used by the patcher

Figure 3.23. A simulated reverb with a delay

Figure 3.24. List of objects present in the EXTRA section

Figure 3.25. Reverb with Pure Data

Figure 3.26. A Pure Data patch using the

freeverb∼

external function

Figure 3.27. Four reverb modules in one rack.

Figure 3.28. Three reverb modules in a Reaktor rack.

Figure 3.29. Rack in Panel mode.

Figure 3.30. A patcher for the chorus effect with Max/MSP

Figure 3.31. The ChorusEffect subpatch of the chorus effect

Figure 3.32. A patch for the chorus effect with Pure Data

Figure 3.33. Chorus and VCV Rack.

Figure 3.34. A patcher for the flanger effect

Figure 3.35. The balance∼ subpatch

Figure 3.36. A patcher using the delay∼ object for the flanger effect

Figure 3.37. Flanger effect in Pure Data

Figure 3.38. Flanger for the VCV Rack.

Figure 3.39. Phaser with Max/MSP

Figure 3.40. Phaser effect with all-pass filters

Figure 3.41. Phaser effect with two delay lines

Figure 3.42. A rack integrating the AS Phaser Fx module.

Chapter 4

Figure 4.1. Duophony with the Behringer 2600.

Figure 4.2. UPPER VOICE output on two different ARP/Korg keyboards.

Figure 4.3. The activated paraphony mode (P1) of the Bass Station II.

Figure 4.4. Paraphony on the Novation Bass Station II.

Figure 4.5. Simple patch for the Behringer Neutron in paraphony mode.

Figure 4.6. Advanced paraphony mode for the Behringer Neutron.

Figure 4.7. Paraphonic sound for the MatrixBrute.

Figure 4.8. A multi-abstraction polyphonic patcher

Figure 4.9. The SoundTri abstraction

Figure 4.10. A polyphonic patcher using the poly∼ object

Figure 4.11. The SoundSaw abstraction

Figure 4.12. A patcher using poly and poly∼ objects

Figure 4.13. A six-voice polyphonic patch

Figure 4.14. The

note

abstraction of the polyphonic patch

Figure 4.15. A polyphonic patch using the

poly

and

clone

objects

Figure 4.16. The

PolySynth

abstraction

Figure 4.17. A polyphonic VCV rack.

Figure 4.18. Switching to four-voice polyphonic mode.

Figure 4.19. Checking the presence of the four available voices on the inputs–...

Figure 4.20. Polyphonic rack with VIZ and SUM modules.

Figure 4.21. A four-voice polyphonic Reaktor Blocks rack.

Figure 4.22. Four-voice polyphonic rack in Panel mode.

Chapter 5

Figure 5.1. ARP sequencer (1976)

Figure 5.2. Korg SQ-1 sequencer

Figure 5.3. Yamaha QY10 (1990)

Figure 5.4. VCV Rack with the SQ3 sequencer

Figure 5.5. VCV Rack with the Hampton Harmonics Progress sequencer

Figure 5.6. Four clock signal generators (LILT by Fehler Fabrik, CLKD by Impro...

Figure 5.7. A VCV rack using the ARP arpeggiator by Hampton Harmonics

Figure 5.8. Rack with a sequencer

Figure 5.9. The sequencer rack in Panel mode

Figure 5.10. The 8 STEPS module

Figure 5.11. Rack with a double sequencer

Figure 5.12. Double sequencer rack in Panel mode

Figure 5.13. The 4 MODS block from the Bento library

Figure 5.14. Setting channel A of the SVF filter block

Figure 5.15. Rack with arpeggiator

Figure 5.16. Arpeggiator rack in Panel mode

Figure 5.17. Simple sequencer with Max/MSP

Figure 5.18. Modifying the choice function of the sequencer notes

Figure 5.19. Advanced sequencer with Max/MSP

Figure 5.20. Arpeggiator with Max/MSP

Figure 5.21. The

arp

data collection (Cmaj chord)

Figure 5.22. Sequencer with Pure Data

Figure 5.23. Arpeggiator with Pure Data

Figure 5.24. Example of content from the

chord

table

Appendix 1

Figure A1.1. The most common types of USB connectors.

Appendix 2

Figure A2.1. Oscilloscope in Pure Data

Figure A2.2. Properties of the

array

object

Figure A2.3. Canvas proprieties of the patch

Figure A2.4. Patch test with the

scope

object

Figure A2.5. DSP activation/deactivation message

Figure A2.6. An example using a virtual keyboard (teclado.pd)

Figure A2.7. VMPK, a virtual MIDI keyboard for a microcomputer

Figure A2.8. The KeyJM abstraction patch, a simple virtual keyboard

Figure A2.9. Notes on an AZERTY and QWERTY keyboard

Figure A2.10. Canvas properties of the patch

Figure A2.11. Example of a patch using the KeyJM abstraction

Appendix 3

Figure A3.1. MIDI keyboards and connections (Aturia Keystep, M-Audio Oxygen Pr...

Figure A3.2. MIDI and USB MIDI audio interface (MOTU Audio Express USB-Firewir...

Figure A3.3. Simple MIDI interface (M-Audio USB Uno)

Guide

Cover Page

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Preface

Introduction

Begin Reading

Conclusion

Appendix 1 USB Connectivity

Appendix 2 Pure Data Extensions

Appendix 3 Keyboards and Interfaces

Appendix 4 MIDI Notes, Numbers and Frequencies

Glossary

References

Index

Other titles from ISTE in Waves

WILEY END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

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Synthesizers and Subtractive Synthesis 2

Application and Practice

Jean-Michel Réveillac

First published 2024 in Great Britain and the United States by ISTE Ltd and John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms and licenses issued by the CLA. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned address:

ISTE Ltd27-37 St George’s RoadLondon SW19 4EUUKwww.iste.co.uk

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030USAwww.wiley.com

© ISTE Ltd 2024The rights of Jean-Michel Réveillac to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s), contributor(s) or editor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ISTE Group.

Library of Congress Control Number 2023951659

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA CIP record for this book is available from the British LibraryISBN 978-1-78630-925-9

Preface

If you want to know if this book is for you, how it is constructed and organized, what is in it, and what conventions will be used, you have come to the right place, this is the place to start.

Target audience and prerequisites

This book is intended for all those who are interested in sound synthesis and synthesizers, whether they are amateurs or professionals, or even musicians, performers or composers.

The information presented in some sections requires basic knowledge of general computing and digital audio.

For some work on microcomputers, you will need to have good knowledge of the operating system (paths, folders and directories, files, names, extensions, copies, moves, etc.).

For exercises based on the VCV Rack and Native Instruments Reaktor Blocks software synthesizers, you will need to know their philosophy, general principles of design and use in order to build a VCV or Reaktor Software Modular Rack.

For exercises related to the visual programming languages Max/MSP and Pure Data, basic knowledge of their interface and the commands of their editors will be necessary.

If you do not feel comfortable with these prerequisites, a set of books and tutorials are mentioned in the reference section of this book, which will help develop your knowledge.

Possession of a synthesizer based on subtractive synthesis will be a plus, especially if it is an ARP2600, a Minimoog, a Novation Bass Station II, a Behringer Neutron or an Arturia MatrixBrute. Software or hardware clones of these machines are also welcome.

Software such as Pure Data or VCV Rack can be downloaded easily and for free, as can software clones of some synthesizers (Minimoog, ARP 2600). Consult the links in the reference section of this book for this purpose.

Organization and contents of the book

This book consists of two volumes:

Synthesizers and Subtractive Synthesis 1: Theory and Overview

.

Synthesizers and Subtractive Synthesis 2: Application and Practice

.

Volume 1 successively presents a preface, specifying the contents and the writing conventions used, and then an introduction followed by five chapters, a conclusion and two appendices:

sound synthesis;

different types of synthesis;

components, processing and tools;

work environment;

CV/Gate and MIDI.

The conclusion, as its name suggests, attempts to assess the current state of subtractive synthesis and synthesizers.

Appendices 1 and 2 provide some additional elements and some reminders. You will find information in the following order:

General MIDI 1 and 2 instruments;

MIDI boxes, mergers and patchers.

Volume 2 presents a preface identical to that of Volume 1, followed by five chapters, a conclusion and four appendices:

subtractive synthesis, the beginnings;

subtractive synthesis, the fundamentals;

advanced subtractive synthesis;

duophony, paraphony and polyphony;

sequencer and arpeggiator.

Appendices 1–4 provide some additional information in the following order:

USB connectivity;

Pure Data extensions;

keyboards and interface;

MIDI notes, numbers and frequencies.

The conclusion sheds light on the contents of the book and a brief overview of the future evolution of sound synthesis systems and software.

At the end of this book, you will find references and a list of internet links.

A glossary is also present, and it will explain certain acronyms and terminology very specific to sound synthesis and synthesizers.

Each of the chapters can be read separately. If concepts that are dependent on another chapter are present, the references to the relevant sections are indicated. However, Chapter 1, devoted to sound synthesis, provides the necessary foundations for understanding the subsequent chapters.

If you are a new reader on the subject, I strongly advise you to read Chapter 1 first; the following chapters will then be clearer.

For everyone else, I hope you will discover new notions that will enrich your knowledge.

Conventions

This book uses the following typographical conventions:

Italics

: reserved for important terms used for the first time in the text, which may be present in the glossary at the end of the book, mathematical terms, comments, equations, expressions or variables.

UPPER CASE: reserved for command names, entry, exit, or connection points, specific functions, modules belonging to the different hardware or software synthesizers used in the exercises. It can also be elements, options or choices within menus present in the interface of a program.

Courier

font: reserved for objects manipulated within the visual programming software Max/MSP and Pure Data.

Notes are indicated by the presence of the keyword:

NOTE.– These notes complete the explanations already provided.

Figures and tables all have a description which is often useful for understanding.

Vocabulary and definitions

As with all techniques, subtractive sound synthesis and synthesizers have their own vocabulary, with words, acronyms, abbreviations, initials and proper nouns not always familiar. This is the role of the glossary already mentioned above.

Acknowledgments

I would particularly like to thank the ISTE team, and my editor Chantal Ménascé, who trusted me.

Finally, I would like to thank my wife, Vanna, and my friends, passionate about the subject, who supported me throughout the writing of this book.

January 2024

Introduction

Where volume one gathered information and theoretical knowledge, this volume brings together practical exercises carried out on hardware or software synthesizers of several categories: wired, semi-modular, or modular.

The equipment chosen is the Behringer 2600 or the ARP 2600, the Minimoog, the Novation Bass Station II, the Behringer Neutron and the Arturia MatrixBrute, for hardware synthesizers. On the software side, the modular VCV Rack and Native Instruments Reaktor complete the list. A large part of the exercises is reserved for the Max/MSP and Pure Data visual programming environments.

Figure I.1.The five machines covered in this book.

I wanted to put my exercises within the reach of as many people as possible by choosing some affordable machines (Neutron, Bass Station II) in terms of cost and two free open-source software (VCV Rack, Pure Data).

As far as software is concerned, this book is not a learning tutorial. I believe the reader will already know the fundamental bases to carry out each of the examples.

As for the equipment, the user manuals for each machine will provide you with the necessary elements.

If you have no experience, refer to the reference section at the end of the book, where you will find various links to access all the documentation and downloadable tutorials.

The exercises are ordered with increasing difficulty, but there is nothing to prevent you from completing them in the order you want. However, the elements already covered are not recalled for each exercise; they are assumed, so you may need to go back to Volume 1 to review some of them.

Depending on their specificities, some exercises do not need to be presented for all synthesizers, hardware, software or languages covered in this book.

Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the key elements of a monodic subtractive synthesizer, oscillator, filter, envelope generator, low-frequency generator and noise generator.

Chapter 3 covers more advanced features, available only on some synthesizers: ring modulation, sample and hold, and sound effects.

Chapter 4 responds to a subject that has long inconvenienced synthesizer manufacturers because its implementation, until the mid-1980s, required sophisticated and expensive electronics, that of polyphony.

Chapter 5 is not really related to subtractive synthesis, but rather to shaping and manipulation tools: sequencers and arpeggiators.

For all exercises, when equipment is used, this is indicated (in cyan for controls and red for everything else) on each of the figures depicting the synthesizer front panel.

To visualize what each parameter does, the user-editable controls are shown in cyan, and controls that the user must position exactly as indicated are in red. The uncolored commands have no influence on the sound reproduction for the given exercise.

For exercises using hardware or software without an integrated keyboard, a MIDI keyboard and an audio interface or a virtual keyboard can be used. Be sure to set them correctly (MIDI channel, port, type of interface, etc.). Appendices 2 and 3 will provide some explanations to novices in this field.

The exercises will sometimes be followed by more advanced work, interspersed with examples using Max/MSP, Pure Data and VCV Rack software. They complement and enrich the exercises by giving you new avenues of research and development.

With these remarks, it is time to get hands-on with the machines, put together modular synthesizers, and open our minds and especially our ears!

1Subtractive Synthesis: The Beginning

To simplify the search, I have summarized in Table 1.1, for each of the exercises in this chapter, the hardware and software chosen and the sections where you can find them.

Table 1.1.Summary of the different exercises

Exercise

Hardware/software

Section

No. 1. 1 VCO, 1 VCA

Behringer Neutron

1.1.1

Behringer 2600 (ARP2600)

1.1.2

Max/MSP

1.1.3

Pure Data

1.1.4

VCV Rack

1.1.4

No. 2. 1 VCO, 1 VCA, 1 EG

Behringer Neutron

1.2.1

Behringer 2600 (ARP2600)

1.2.2

Max/MSP

1.2.3

Pure Data

1.2.4

VCV Rack

1.2.5

No. 3. 1 VCO, 1 VCA, 1 EG, 1 VCF

Behringer Neutron

1.3.1

Max/MSP

1.3.2

Pure Data

1.3.3

VCV Rack

1.3.4

Before starting, it seems appropriate to clarify that the objective of the exercises, in all chapters, is to learn about subtractive sound synthesis in order to understand it better and master it, but also to allow your ears to discover the sensations and the sounds reproduced by each of the signals that you are going to create. What is the point of doing sound synthesis if not to discover new sounds or understand what it means to reproduce a sound, a timbre, or an already existing tone such as that of a musical instrument or a familiar noise? We need to remember to listen rather than hear, pay attention and discover the richness of the sound universe surrounding us by synthesizing our main constituents.

NOTE.– As the exercises are presented, specific comments will not be repeated to avoid overloading the explanations. In case of doubt or misunderstanding, I advise the reader to go back and read the previous exercises to find the explanatory elements that may be missing.

1.1. Exercise 1 – generate sound with a single oscillator

The basics of sound synthesis are to generate sound from an oscillator. A classic configuration contains an oscillator (VCO) and an amplifier (VCA), which can be preceded by an input controller, often a keyboard.

Figure 1.1.Subtractive sound synthesis with an oscillator. The command signals are represented with dotted lines

1.1.1. Behringer Neutron

The Behringer Neutron semi-modular synthesizer (see Volume 1, section 4.1.3) has two oscillators whose signals can be mixed. For this exercise, we will use Oscillator 1 (Oscillator 2 would have worked the same way, as these two oscillators are identical) and a patch cable, on the matrix, to route it to the VCA. The oscillator has five waveforms, available over three octaves.

Figure 1.2.Exercise 1 for the Behringer Neutron.

Instructions and comments are as follows:

connect a MIDI keyboard to the MIDI IN input (on the front panel) and switch it on. Check that the keyboard and the Neutron are placed on the same MIDI channel number (1–16). On the Neutron, the adjustment is made with the DIP switches located on the back;

connect the audio output (OUTPUT) on the back to an amplification system;

switch on the Neutron;

connect the output (OUT) of oscillator 1 (OSC1) with a patch cable to the input (IN) of the VCA (VCA IN) on the input–output matrix to the right; this will route the signal produced by the oscillator directly to the amplifier input;

the controls of oscillator 1 (OSC1) are all accessible. We find the agreement (TUNE), the waveform (SHAPE: mode-tonal, square-pulse, sawtooth, triangle, sinusoid) and the width (WIDTH), which modifies the width of the pulse or the tonal mode when chosen as the waveform and the octave (RANGE – 8’, 16’ or 32’);

the oscillator mix control knob (OSC MIX) must be turned all the way to the left;

the VC BIAS button (influence of the VCA) must be turned all the way to the right to open the VCA to the maximum;

the VOLUME OUTPUT knob can be adjusted to adjust the overall audio output volume to your liking;

the GATE knob of the LFO must be turned all the way to the left; otherwise, it modifies the signal of the mode-tonal and impulse waveforms;

all DELAY, OVERDRIVE, ENVELOPE 1 and 2, SAMPLE & HOLD, SLEW RATE LIMITER and ATTENUATORS knobs should be turned all the way to the left.

NOTE.– Instead of connecting a MIDI keyboard, it is possible to use a virtual MIDI keyboard or the one in some DAWs (digital audio workstations). In this case, the connection is made via the USB-MIDI ports of the microcomputer and the Neutron. For the latter, it is located at the back of the device. Again, the MIDI channel numbers must be identical.

1.1.2. Behringer 2600 (ARP 2600)

The Behringer 2600 is one of the ARP 2600 clones (see Volume 1, section 4.1.1) and has similar, if not superior, functionality to today’s synthesizers. It is semi-modular but has no separate matrix, and the connection points are distributed on each front panel module.

For this exercise, we will need a patch cable connected to the VCA, the other end of which can be moved to obtain the various signals generated by the oscillator since the equipment does not have a waveform selector.

Oscillator 2 was chosen because it has four waveforms; oscillator 3 would have provided the same results, with these two oscillators being equivalent.

The audio output of the 2600 is stereophonic by default, so you can choose to use both channels or just one. The slide control, PAN, manages the left–right balance.

NOTE.– The names of the commands are not always specified on the serigraphy of the front panel of the ARP 600, Behringer 2600, Korg 2600 or other clones. You can refer to these in the figures for each exercise.

Figure 1.3.Exercise 1 for Behringer 2600 (ARP 2600).

Instructions and comments are as follows:

connect a MIDI keyboard to the MIDI IN input on the back and switch it on. Check that the keyboard and the 2600 are set to the same MIDI channel number (1–16). On the Behringer 2600, the adjustment is made using the DIP switches on the back. If you are on an ARP 2600, a KORG 2600, or another clone, use the appropriate keyboard;

connect the one or two audio outputs (L OUTPUT – R OUTPUT) located at the front to an amplification system;

switch on the 2600;

connect, using a patch cable, one of the four outputs, TRI, SAW, SINE, or PULSE to input 1 of the VCA;

the INITIAL OSCILLATOR FREQUENCY, FINE TUNE and PULSE WIDTH controls are active and modify the audio signal. The level 2 control of the MIXER module input controls the output volume. The PULSE WIDTH control, which defines the width of the waveform square, is active if you have chosen the PULSE output of the oscillator;

the LFO SPEED, VIB DELAY, VIB DEPTH and REVERB controls must be set to zero (lower position of the slider);

all oscillator 2 input level controls must be set to zero;

the AUDIO switch of oscillator 2 must be placed on KEYB ON so that the keyboard is active;

the SYNC switch of oscillator 2 must be set to OFF;

the INITIAL GAIN control must be placed at its maximum (uppermost position of the slider) to obtain the optimal gain of the VCA;

the audio signal level control 1 entering the VCA must be placed at its maximum (uppermost position of the slider) to obtain a maximum incoming level;

the PAN control can be placed in the center position to obtain an audio signal of equal intensity on the right and left outputs.

1.1.3. Max/MSP

The Max/MSP exercises in this book have been tested and designed with version 8.5.4, they may also work on different versions but noticeable differences may occur in some cases1.

You will find in this exercise some of the main Max/MSP functions.

NOTE.– In all Max/MSP exercises, we will not use Live objects2 (Ableton) to allow all users to carry out the work.

Figure 1.4.Exercise 1 with Max/MSP

Instructions and comments are as follows:

Waveform

:

radiogroup

object outputting 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 based on user choice (0 for no signal, 1 for sine signal, 2 for sawtooth signal, 3 for triangle signal, 4 for square wave signal);

notein

: MIDI IN acquisition of MIDI notes and information from the keyboard;

+

;

* 12

,

Octave

: allows you to increase or decrease the notes by +/– 2 octaves by multiplying the output of the vertical object

radiogroup

by 12 and adding it to the note number

3

received, visualized by the object

number

connected to the output of the object

+

;

mtof

: converts the MIDI note number to a frequency in hertz;

cycle∼

: oscillator that outputs a sine waveform;

saw∼

: oscillator that outputs a sawtooth waveform;

tri∼

: an oscillator that outputs a triangular waveform;

rect∼

: an oscillator that outputs a rectangular waveform;

Selector∼ 4

: it routes the waveform chosen by the user to the volume control and then the output;

*∼

: audio operator combining two signals, here a frequency signal and a floating number between

0

and 1 for volume management (

0

by default);

Volume

: vertical slider to adjust the volume. By default, it generates values between 0 and 127. Its size is 128, and its minimum output value is 0;

/127.