One Synth Challenge #117: ModulAir by Full Bucket (Rellik Wins!)

[Leonard Bowman]

Saffran, if your question is about these specific filters and things I can't help you, but if you are asking about general synthesis I'd be happy to offer some of the places I learned from:
http://synthesizeracademy.com/ explains a lot of the basics of synths, starting from subractive synthesis and diving down to Frequency Modulation and Phase Modulation.
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... ontrollers explains envelopes specifically, and the other "Synth Secrets" articles continue to build on it. It ranges from the basics to how to emulate certain sounds.

Also- the manual for the ARP 2600 is also really useful if you can find it online.
(http://guitarfool.com/ARP2600/Arp%20260 ... Manual.pdf) page 25 of the PDF starts a really useful section about some fundamental patches, ideas for what to connect to what. Those basics can get you pretty far.

I'm probably one of the least qualified people to teach this, but as a recent newbie myself this is how i got started.
Also: VCV Rack is another great synth to learn on: it's a modular concept but you drag and drop "cables" to connect parts, so it's easier to see how one thing affects another.
My apologies for continuously editing this post, I just keep realizing stuff I should have mentioned.

[TheNeverScene]

How someone can come up with a soundscape And drums two days after the announcement is beyond my comprehension.
I've fiddled with it hours every day and can't for the life of me get a drum sound. Not even close.
Yup, i read somewhere that i needed a sine (wave?). Ok, oscillators have that. Then i needed an envelope generator and there is modules for that. But??

Hey Saffran, I've attached a kick patch that might help get you started, and it can be tweaked to make all the drums by changing env values, etc. The pitch on the drum relies on what note you play, obviously. Hope it helps.

[Ranoka]

Quick note to Bjorn: would be great to save an init patch; takes a bit to get a working sound otherwise and plenty of synths allow this. For this one, init to zero is just a little daunting until you understand all the things to do. So far a great synth to play with, so again, thanks. Awesome work!

In the manual it says how to make a default bank, so you could set up a bank to have a custom init patch and that would be loaded on each new instance:

Startup Bank
If you want to use your own FXB sound bank at startup, just save it to the same
location where the ModulAir plug-in is stored and rename it to ModulAir.fxb (case
sensitive!).

[Full Bucket]

Alas, this doesn't work anymore... I forgot to update the manual...

Cheers, Björn

[mmGhost]

Hey Bjorn,
2 things:

• In Logic Pro X, the LPF module creates some really high freq artifacts when turning the knob (automating cutoff) while holding a note down.

• Second, seems I can’t record automation in. I just get a 0 or a 1 when I try to do automation.

Thoughts?

(Using AU with Logic X)

[Saffran]

Hey Saffran, I've attached a kick patch that might help get you started, and it can be tweaked to make all the drums by changing env values, etc. The pitch on the drum relies on what note you play, obviously. Hope it helps.

Thanks. I owe you one.
Now i've moved from "not a chance" to "perhaps" regarding participation.

Still lot to learn.
Thank you Leonard Bowman. I've bookmarked the sites and started to read the manual for the ARP 2600.

[Full Bucket]

Hey Bjorn,
2 things:

• In Logic Pro X, the LPF module creates some really high freq artifacts when turning the knob (automating cutoff) while holding a note down.

• Second, seems I can’t record automation in. I just get a 0 or a 1 when I try to do automation.

Thoughts?

(Using AU with Logic X)

Sorry, seems to work here on Windoze & Mac (Reaper) and I do not own Logic...
Anybody else?

Cheers, Björn

[schiing]

For anyone following my bouts of doubt: Yeah, I decided to ditch the track I originally submitted for this month on page 6.

Luckily I've got a good thing going with a new track, even though that will without a doubt be the most 1980s thing I've ever done.

[doctorbob]

Yeah Terje, go for it … 80's glam/synth influence or maybe some leftover prog rock/disco?

dB

[schiing]

Yeah Terje, go for it … 80's glam/synth influence or maybe some leftover prog rock/disco?

dB

Haha! It's definitely nothing like that. More... workmanlike, I would say. Here's the cover I've prepared for my track as a little teaser.

[Rellik]

This round is seriously wearing me out! ModulAir is so capable of just about anything I can imagine that I'm spending days just patching and patching - honestly the drums I'm synthesizing sound better than what I usually get with samples!

Have a little WIP if anyone's interested (totally opposite of my style for last round) - feeling a little stuck, EDM/IDM-ish stuff is outside my comfort zone, and sooooo labor intensive! http://www.adamlederer.com/junk/laser_nausea2.mp3

My earlier question still stands (unless I missed a response) - anybody know if I'm going to get in trouble for using convolution + built-in impulse responses from free plugins like MConvolutionEZ (no "sample-ey" stuff, just the built-in halls/rooms/early reflections/mics/boxes)?

[Rellik]

Also if anybody finds it useful, here's a rough modified version of midi_note_filter from REAPER that's been saving my life when it comes to OSC drums (down to just 2 params, "key" (filters out all other notes) and "transpose"). http://www.adamlederer.com/junk/midi_note_filter2

For my individual drum sound track template I include this midi_note_filter2 and add its 2 params as track controls, so I can assign each drum sound to a single MIDI note without fiddling with plugins, and have one master MIDI track that broadcasts to all the drums - now all the synthesized sounds are playable like a normal kit!

[574X]

A couple more kick starters here in the ModulAir thread:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=504383&p=7213461#p7213461

[schiing]

[* deleted entry -> new track posted Nov 20 *]

[z.prime]

@Rellik, that is pretty great so far. Wonderful sounds. Colour me impressed; can't wait to hear the final product!

re: convolution -- if you're just using it as a reverb, I think it fits well within the spirit of the OSC and you shouldn't have any problem.

Now I have to go update my Melda FX; I've been looking for a free convolution reverb.