The Synth Block

biggness

biggness

Power User
I feel there needs to be more discussion in regards to the synth block. I am looking for tips and tricks, do's and don'ts, patches, possible improvements that could be made to it and anything else.

I love the sound of a great tube amp, but I can get just as easily lost playing a unique synth patch. :)
 
+1. I would love to understand more about this. Maybe someone has links they could post?

I always feel in awe of Swedish Chef's amazing sonic concoctions - no idea how he does it...would love to learn.
 
Hi

I love the synth block and use it in a variety of ways. One of the main things I do is to make a totally seperate chain for the Synth block within a patch. I'll then either design one sound that comprises the 3 oscillators or sometimes I will design 3 unique sounds based off each oscillator. I'll also run FX post the synth block for extra tweakability. Then I assign the volume of each oscillator to an external pedal. I use the Boss FS5 and FS6. One switch set to latch so I can trigger an oscillator which has pad-like qualities. The other switches are set to latch and I use them during songs to trigger the other oscillators. This is great when you want to bring in quick sounds during songs live. I'll say attach two paramaters to the one latching switch, so as I press it my assigned oscillator will kick in, but the switch might also trigger the speed of a flanger put after the synth block to increase. You can create crazy sounds this way.

I'll post a patch when I get some time to upload it. Needless to say it can make your patch CPU quite high. Sometimes I combine the synth with my guitar signal for cool sounds as well. But I think the above mentioned way is a great tool for creating extra layers as a guitarist. This would usually take an extra person to do.

Personally I would love to have a MIDI in function for the synth so I can use external midi to run arpeggios etc. If you read up on synthesis, you'll find that the 3 x oscillator in the Synth block coupled with all the FX the axe has, is more than enough to emulate many many synth sounds you'd usually associate with hardware synths of days gone past.

I'm still only scratching the surface at the moment.

Cheers.
 
Thanks Simeon - I will check some of those out.

I too, would love some more discussion on the synth block. I have a few synth sounds that I use occasionally, but I'd love to learn more. A buddy of mine took a class at berklee where they basically had to program analog synths (moog, etc) to sound like instruments in the orchestra. Using the usual dual oscillators, time-based filters, asdr, etc. I'd love to have that kind of knowledge under my belt.

No substitute for getting in there and messing with it, though I suppose. :)
 
No, not really, but there are quite a few resources on line if you do a bit of searching. I also learned a lot from analysing sounds in synths. The logic es-1 is good, because it's a simple analog style synth with two oscillators and a filter. Easy to translate sounds from there into the axe. The mojo for a lot of sounds comes from what you do with envelope, adsr and filtering on top of the basic waveforms. Doubling and detuning will also give you that fat analog sound.
 
verbalkint33 said:
Hi

I love the synth block and use it in a variety of ways. One of the main things I do is to make a totally seperate chain for the Synth block within a patch. I'll then either design one sound that comprises the 3 oscillators or sometimes I will design 3 unique sounds based off each oscillator. I'll also run FX post the synth block for extra tweakability. Then I assign the volume of each oscillator to an external pedal. I use the Boss FS5 and FS6. One switch set to latch so I can trigger an oscillator which has pad-like qualities. The other switches are set to latch and I use them during songs to trigger the other oscillators. This is great when you want to bring in quick sounds during songs live. I'll say attach two paramaters to the one latching switch, so as I press it my assigned oscillator will kick in, but the switch might also trigger the speed of a flanger put after the synth block to increase. You can create crazy sounds this way.

I'll post a patch when I get some time to upload it. Needless to say it can make your patch CPU quite high. Sometimes I combine the synth with my guitar signal for cool sounds as well. But I think the above mentioned way is a great tool for creating extra layers as a guitarist. This would usually take an extra person to do.

Personally I would love to have a MIDI in function for the synth so I can use external midi to run arpeggios etc. If you read up on synthesis, you'll find that the 3 x oscillator in the Synth block coupled with all the FX the axe has, is more than enough to emulate many many synth sounds you'd usually associate with hardware synths of days gone past.

I'm still only scratching the surface at the moment.

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Wow this is my favorite subject. I do very similar stuff to Mr Verbalkint33 and Simeon ie setting the synth in its own independent signal path with effects after it.
I definitely recommend trying the Multi Delay Plex Delay to add some mystique to your synths. Also try using the intelligent harmonizer set to 3rd and 5th and wammo you have diatonic chord pads!
Also try some pitch shifter and rotary and you can get some pretty amazing leslie type organ sounds.

We definitely need to have the Synth Block receive Midi Notes.

I feel that the Synth block is the final frontier. Amp models are great (and sound great) but they are sounds we are all accustomed to whereas the synth allows the guitar to become almost anything. At least that's how I view it.
 
Great thread. I use quite a few of Simeon's patches, but it is quite to fully understand how the various settings lead to the sonic outputs. Still, a good place to start learning.
 
Thanks for the tips. I sat down and fiddled with some knobs and this one reared it's head. It is a textural synth sound that is pitch dependent. Bypass the flangers, pan and filter blocks for different textures. Sounds cool from the E string 5th fret A note, on up. Once you go below that, it takes on a different timbre. If anyone has any tips on how to improve it, please please let me know.

Thanks :)

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Forwitchistan Replubic - by biggness
 
simeon said:
have a look at some of my patches on axechange. some god synth stuff in there

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Analog Horn Ensemble (A) - by simeon

Axe-Change - Download Preset - GR-300 - by simeon

Axe-Change - Download Preset - SuperMoog Filtatron - by simeon

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Moog SuperLead - by simeon

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Minimoog Pad Am - by simeon

if the patch contains an amp, you'll need to reset it

remove the external tied to the volume block if you get no sound
Click to expand...

Wow, finally had a look at these presets this morning - excellent job simeon!! I especially loved the moog-ish ones.

I didn't really have time to dive and and dissect what you did to create them, but I was enjoying the sounds quite a bit. I'm prepared to turn some heads this weekend. :)
 
gdgross said:
Wow, finally had a look at these presets this morning - excellent job simeon!! I especially loved the moog-ish ones.

I didn't really have time to dive and and dissect what you did to create them, but I was enjoying the sounds quite a bit. I'm prepared to turn some heads this weekend. :)
Click to expand...

Yes, Simeon is a FAS national treasure. lol
 
biggness said:
Thanks for the tips. I sat down and fiddled with some knobs and this one reared it's head. It is a textural synth sound that is pitch dependent. Bypass the flangers, pan and filter blocks for different textures. Sounds cool from the E string 5th fret A note, on up. Once you go below that, it takes on a different timbre. If anyone has any tips on how to improve it, please please let me know.

Thanks :)

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Forwitchistan Replubic - by biggness
Click to expand...

Played around with this some more. In the pan/trem block, set the bypass to thru, and then bypass the block, and then bypass flanger2 and engage the filter block. Sounds great for those building staccato lines you find in dance music a lot of the times.
 
the synth block was the main reason I bought the axe 2. There is so much potential for sound design, I think it is only a matter of time before it is further developed...at least, I hope. below is a link to some work I did with the axe, obviously there is a lot of true analog synthesis going on, but the axe def has its place. I look forward to really diving into patch creation now that we have a working version of axe edit=)

https://soundcloud.com/futurluv/eels
 
i did suggest to Adam a while back that we could expand the synth block tremendously if we could modulate one wave form with another. this is the basis of FM synthesis and would open up a door to a whole new world. (think about the sort of sounds that were available on the old DX7). ableton live has a simple synth called "operator" which has four oscillators and they can be connected in a variety of ways. it's capable of producing some pretty amazing sounds. here is an example i made of a simple saw wave being modulated by two other saw waves...if the axe was given this possibility, then it could make sounds like this (and many others!)

http://www.simeonharris.co.uk/misc/saw_mod.aif


oh and here are the audio examples i made of the synth patches i put up on axechange...






there's loads of other stuff you can do. i have patches for strings, taurus bass pedals, oblique ambient stuff, massive synth drones, synth leads... once you get your head around it, it's pretty easy to dial in!
 
simeon said:
i did suggest to Adam a while back that we could expand the synth block tremendously if we could modulate one wave form with another. this is the basis of FM synthesis and would open up a door to a whole new world. (think about the sort of sounds that were available on the old DX7). ableton live has a simple synth called "operator" which has four oscillators and they can be connected in a variety of ways. it's capable of producing some pretty amazing sounds. here is an example i made of a simple saw wave being modulated by two other saw waves...if the axe was given this possibility, then it could make sounds like this (and many others!)



there's loads of other stuff you can do. i have patches for strings, taurus bass pedals, oblique ambient stuff, massive synth drones, synth leads... once you get your head around it, it's pretty easy to dial in!
Click to expand...


Do you have the Taurus Bass and Strings patches up on axechange?

I always appreciated your work as well!
 
no, they're not up there. the taurus is easy to emulate, just use two saw waves detune them slightly and knock them down 2 octaves. put a low pass filter after that's tied to an adsr. you can actually play it with your foot, if your pedalboard sends out midi cc commands... just connect "freq" to an external, turn track off and then figure out the cc values for each note. also tie the external to a volume block, so the notes stop when you take your foot off the pedal.
lots of info on the web about taurus pedals, btw...

strings are more complicated. i used a mixture of different oscillators, detuned by the lfo's to simulate vibrato and sent through some delays and reverb

i may post these up if i get time...
 
simeon said:
no, they're not up there. the taurus is easy to emulate, just use two saw waves detune them slightly and knock them down 2 octaves. put a low pass filter after that's tied to an adsr. you can actually play it with your foot, if your pedalboard sends out midi cc commands... just connect "freq" to an external, turn track off and then figure out the cc values for each note. also tie the external to a volume block, so the notes stop when you take your foot off the pedal.
lots of info on the web about taurus pedals, btw...

strings are more complicated. i used a mixture of different oscillators, detuned by the lfo's to simulate vibrato and sent through some delays and reverb

i may post these up if i get time...
Click to expand...

Simeon, thanks very much for posting this stuff. I have a lot of uses for synth tones but I'm a complete noob when it comes to this stuff. Being able to look at sample patches like the ones you've posted is extremely helpful.
 
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