How to make the synth block track better?

Bodde

Bodde

Fractal Fanatic
I am not a big fan of the synth block. Mainly because the tracking is not very good and it is too unpredictable and there are too many glitches.
Today I gave it another try but again I was disappointed. I don't expect it to be as good as a real guitar synth but somehow I think it can function better than this.

some questions:
1) how can I make it track better? tried putting compressor or drive before the synth but that didn't help.
2) how can I make it less sensitive for pick attack? Now when you play soft you hardly hear the synth and when you play strong it is way too loud. Therefore very hard to control the result because it responds so unpredictable to volume.
3) when you hold a single note at halfway the decay I get some stutter/fast glitch effect on some tones (like the G on the D string 5th fret for example).
On some notes also glitchy octaves occur after 1 second or so. Also very unpredictable.

Hope the synth gets some rework in the future. Maybe someone has some tips to make it work better for me?
Or do I have to go ahead for a real guitar synth? I mostly like monophonic vintage synth sounds but with this behaviour the Axe fx synth block is unworkable for me.
 
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It glitches but is no replacement for a dedicated guitar synth. I find it does some monophonic leads cool but I mostly use guitar synths poly-phonically,
playing guitar chords with pads and/or strings underneath.
 
Funny since I've been thinking about the synth block today.

Although it can be (for me that is) used to things like drone I just cannot play the guitar like I want to and have it work good, not even with very careful playing. Just as Bodde states above, very unpredictable.

Well my thoughts today were; is it possible to do a synthblock more like a amp or fx block? Today if I understand it right the pitch is triggering synth block. So once again is it possible to so to speak "model" a synth block like the amp or fx blocks are modeled today? If you get what I mean?
 
For me what works is playing very clean, it's of course a mono synth and when it hears 2 notes, or 1 note and some extra noise etc it will glitch(like most dedicated GTR synths will too). Strings must be in good shape too, very old strings don't track well, guitar must be set up properly, any extra string buzz etc will be a problem with any synth. I think the more anyone plays GTR synths the less glitches you'll have, it takes a while to get used to any GTR synth.
 
thw synth block gets it's pitch info from the main input, but it's envelope info from the block input, so you can stick a drive block in front, set to a smooth tone to increase sustain and reduce glitching. use the noise gate to reduce handling noise, which can cause glitching too.

with a bit of care, you can make it very playable -

 
Thanks Simeon for the tips. Already tried to put a drive block or compressor before the synth block it sure helps (especially for volume control) but not to the extent I would like.

DigitalTube said:
For me what works is playing very clean, it's of course a mono synth and when it hears 2 notes, or 1 note and some extra noise etc it will glitch(like most dedicated GTR synths will too). Strings must be in good shape too, very old strings don't track well, guitar must be set up properly, any extra string buzz etc will be a problem with any synth. I think the more anyone plays GTR synths the less glitches you'll have, it takes a while to get used to any GTR synth.
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Yes I play very clean and dampen all other strings only playing one note at the time of course. Still much too unpredictable. Tried everything to adjust my playing but it is just really really sensitive to volume. Even the slightest volume change results in notes that are too loud and jump out way too much.

Just tried playing one long note (dampen all other strings) and let it ring. After 3 seconds I get this fast stutter effect. Doesn't happen all notes though but always on the same notes. Some other notes produce octave glitches when they die out. I think it performs better with medium speed notes and not so much on fast or really slow notes
I am on the verve of giving up on the synth block. This topic was sort of a last attempt. Just too frustrating. Wish it was better.
 
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My experience has been that when triggered, the note either sounds or it doesn't. How are you getting some synth tones to be louder than others?
 
i suppose it depends on what you want to do with it. if you want to shred with it, then you'll be disappointed. if like me, you're happy playing some melodic leads with it and using it for massive ambient sounds, then it's absolutely fine. the drive block is the trick - especially the output level of the block...too low or too high can cause problems.

this was done with the synth block + other fx in the axe. one single take into a software looper - Along The Glacier's Edge | Simeon Harris

i used a sustainiac and volume on the foot to control the envelope

i've made loads of great sounds with it - fat basses, massive sweeps, horn leads, strings...the list goes on....

some examples made with the Ultra....

https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/moogish
https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/synthy-arps
https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/axe-fx-user-preset-synth-bass
https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/axe-fx-user-preset-synth
https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/axe-fx-user-preset-synth-array
https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/axe-fx-user-preset-groove
 
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Goldtop said:
My experience has been that when triggered, the note either sounds or it doesn't. How are you getting some synth tones to be louder than others?
Click to expand...

Because it responds (too) heavily to your pick attack and dynamics. I don't experience the on/off trigger like you say.

@Simeon: great sounds as usual! I don't want to use it for shredding at all. Mostly for ambient sounds. So it has to really trigger and hold long notes well. Also you don't want any unintended abrupt volume changes when you try to set a spheric mood in a soundscape. Also I use it (or trying to use it) together with my ebow and volume pedal to have long sustaining notes. The same way that you do it with the sustaniac (for example in Along the Glacier's edge). But also with the Ebow it's too unpredictable.
 
remember an ebow will give you tons of input level, so you've got to watch out you don't overload the input to the synth block. it's quite sensitive to level. put a volume block behind the synth block that you control with your foot, so you can adjust the level without affecting what's going into the synth. i can be done....with a bit of fiddling about...believe me! :) a lot of problems you experience will be solved by putting a drive block in front.
 
"rat" drive. dist on 5, level on 7, tone on 5

i sometimes use an amp instead of the drive. get a nice smooth sustaining sound.
 
simeon said:
remember an ebow will give you tons of input level, so you've got to watch out you don't overload the input to the synth block. it's quite sensitive to level. put a volume block behind the synth block that you control with your foot, so you can adjust the level without affecting what's going into the synth. i can be done....with a bit of fiddling about...believe me! :) a lot of problems you experience will be solved by putting a drive block in front.
Click to expand...

Yes, I always place the volume block after the synth and a drive block before the synth. It's not only giving problems with the Ebow but also on 'normal' playing style (I know about the hot output of the Ebow). On some notes I get this stutter effect after 3 seconds when you note decays (in normal playing) no matter what I do, especially on the G on the D string. Other long notes results in these annoying octave glitches. Have spend the whole day trying to make it work.

All above suggestions improve it a little bit but it is just too unreliable for me to use in a live performance.
 
i occasionally get octave fluttering on certain notes, but nothing like you describe. if you attach a patch you're having problems with, i can take a look for you.
 
Would like to attach a patch but I am still on FW5.07 (waiting for FW11 and Axe Edit 3.0 :)) so not sure if that will work. It's not one patch though but every patch I use the synth block in. Or maybe can you post a simple preset that works for you that I can load in FW5.07?

Just tried it with my Vigier fretless guitar with humbuckers (other guitar is a strat). Seems to work a bit better but not totally. At least the stutter effect that I have on strat on the 5th fret on the D string doesn't appear on the Vigier. But still I get some octave glitches with the Ebow. Turning down the tone on the guitar like Yek suggested didn't help either

Do you use the synth after the drive and before an amp or after the amp? and is the amp a driven or clean amp?
 
drive OR amp. before the synth. let me upload something that works for me.

tomorrow.

time for dinner now.
 
i put a drive and amp before the synth. it likes a hot input signal to track well, as has been said before, any volume modifiers need to happen after the synth.
 
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