![]() ![]() For example, if the Segments control could be tied to velocity, it would enable the player to produce simpler timbres with low velocities, and complex timbres with high velocities (much like a piano, or most other acoustic instruments).įantastic (free) synths and how to use them: Surge XTĪnother thing I noticed whilst experimenting with this synth is that it gets very harsh, very quickly, and the majority of tones I was creating had a very narrow sweet spot, usually between C1 and C3 above this things could get quite shrill. If it supported velocity sensitivity and parameters could be mapped to the velocity this would allow for more expressive means of play and input. Furthermore, it has a few limitations that I believe hold it back from being truly comprehensive most notably, it's fixed velocity and doesn’t respond to velocity sensitive input. That said, despite Xenos actually proving to be simpler than it seems, it’s probably a little too niche and singularly focused to become an icon. However, one could have said the same about the Yamaha DX7 and FM synthesis (opens in new tab) back in 1983, and that went on to become one of the most iconic synthesisers of all time! Closing thoughtsĪs mentioned above, there’s a lot of jargon surrounding this synth, which may feel new, confusing, and possibly deter you from wanting to spend time with it. Whether it’s major, minor, seventh, ninth, augmented, diminished, or anything else, this patch seems able to greatly enhance the emotions of the chords you’re playing with the addition of pitch-relative overtones. I found myself getting lost in the randomised overtones holding chords for prolonged periods of time and just enjoying what the synth could create. Coupling this with the Gaussian randomisation algorithm, appears to generate overtones and harmonics that flutter and flicker in and out existence. Notice on this patch that the Pitch Width is at a low setting, but the Step is relatively high. I find that increasing the segments can invoke similarities in tone to FM synthesis (when you increase the output level of a modulator). The more waypoints there are, the more timbre is present in the tone. Segments - This controls the overall number of segments (or waypoints) that exist within a wave cycle. It’s best to have a tinker and experiment (assuming you wish to use the global transpose feature). Because this synth is rooted (no pun intended) in randomised pitch fluctuations that are in some areas exponential according to the root note, a half-step tuning adjustment doesn’t always yield a half-step response from the synthesiser. ![]() Root - This is a global transpose, but it’s microtonal and doesn’t behave as you might expect. As a pianist, I find this all rather disconcerting, and like to leave the scale set to Chromatic, however it is a fun way to land upon unintended chord voicings. For example, if you choose the “Major” scale and attempt to play a minor scale, you’ll notice the flats are re-tuned or quantised to their major counterparts. Scale - This is a rather intriguing section that allows you to choose preset scales, which will omit notes according to your chosen scale. It’s essentially an ADSR amp-envelope and a selection of global tuning controls. If you’ve used a few synthesisers, the Global section should hopefully feel very familiar. According to the manual, this has no effect on some of the distribution algorithms. Β - This is a secondary +/- control that works similarly to α, for an additional tier of randomisation. The closer to zero, the less extreme the pitch fluctuations. Α - This controls the response of the pitch distribution and can best be summed up as random +/- pitch variations. Therefore the primary walk tends to sound more controlled and stable (in terms of tuning). ![]() The Primary Walk keeps the randomisations more closely tied to the centreline, whereas the Secondary Walk allows the randomisations to veer further towards the extremities of the parameters. Walk - This has two options Primary and Secondary. The best thing to do is to try them all for yourself to get a feel for what each one does (there is an explanation of how each algorithm behaves in the appendix of the user-manual if you want a little more insight) ![]() The higher this value, the more noise-like the tone becomesīeneath this are further tailoring options that allow you to manipulate some of the more nuanced aspects of the tone.ĭistribution - A selection of different randomisation algorithms, each with their own, distinct flavour. Step - Determines the pitch randomisation in ratio to the pitch range ( Width). Width - Determines how much the tuning will fluctuate around the note (pitch) that’s is playedīarrier - Determines how high/low the waypoints can go (on the vertical axis) ![]()
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