FL Manual 8 Harmor2 Flashcards
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
What does ENV Section do?
- The ENV panel provides access to the full suite of modulation parameters in Harmor.
- -The ENV editor shows Editor Targets (usually a synthesis control), for each target there can be a number of Articulation parts (modulation sources).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
A quick way to find the articulation envelopes for any parameter is to do what?
- Right-click the target control and select ‘Edit articulator’ from the pop-up menu.
- -The Editor target will be automatically selected in the Envelope editor
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls above the Envelope
Editor targets
-Choose the editor target. ‘Shaping’ category targets have only one part (envelope).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls above the Envelope
Articulator parts
-Edit & or activate any number of Articulator Parts so that the target is modulated by multiple inputs, if desired.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls above the Envelope
Articulator Smoothing (knob) does what?
- Time based smoothing of the output of the envelope.
- -Envelope values are averaged over an integration window. The width of the window is set by the knob.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls on the Envelope
Add a new Control Point, how?
-Position your cursor over the line, or envelope background, and right-click.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls on the Envelope
Reposition a Control Point, how?
- Left-click and drag control points.
- -Hold SHIFT while dragging to lock the vertical position, or CTRL to lock the horizontal position.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls on the Envelope
Delete a Control Point, how?
- Right-click a control point and select Delete.
- -Alternatively, hold ALT and Left-click.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls on the Envelope
Change a Segment Type, how?
-Right-click a control point and select a curve type (the selection applies to the preceding segment), see the control point context menu for more details.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls on the Envelope
Change Segment Tension (Acceleration), how?
- To change the amount of tension, Left-click on the tension handle (the circle located half way between the control points) and move your mouse up/down.
- -Right-click the handle to reset to a straight line. Hold CTRL during adjustments to fine-tune.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
How do the ATT, DEC, SUS, REL Knobs function?
- The ATT, DEC, SUS and REL knobs make RELATIVE changes to the ADSR envelope, snapping back after release
- -While the envelope will appear as it did prior to the change, the envelope will sound according to the relative changes made (as seen in the Hint Bar while the knob is adjusted).
- –Right-clicking the knobs will give options, in particular Create automation clip & Link to controller so automation of envelopes (and LFO parameters) is possible.
- —Similarly, Right-clicking points gives options such as Sustain loop start & Sustain loop end points can be set to loop the envelope during the sustain action.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Many envelopes need to be ______ with the __________________ before articulating the target.
- Activated
- -Switch in the lower-left corner
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Use the horizontal and vertical ___________ for more accurate editing.
-Zoom/scroll bars
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Make use of the ___________ to snap to envelope values.
-SNAP switch (lower-righ
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Notice the background shading, it will usually reflect what?
-Bars, octaves or other useful divisions related to the Articulation target.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
If an envelope is frozen and won’t respond to editing, do what?
-Uncheck the FREEZE switch on the lower right.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelopes can be synced to tempo how?
-By using the TEMPO Switch.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
The Envelope options menu usually contains what?
A list of useful pre-defined envelopes or can be used to save your own.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Drop compatible file types on envelopes and they can be what?
-Auto-analyzed. For example .fnv (envelope state files), .wav, .mp3, ,ogg etc audio files (volume envelope will be extracted and replicated).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls below the Envelope
ADSR modifiers do what?
- These knobs are modifiers for the set envelope.
- -That is, they are designed to be automated. After they are edited/moved, the envelope will snap back to its original appearance but the duration/value of the A, D, S or R target will be multiplied by the value of the knob.
- –You can notice this by observing changes to the Envelope play-position marker as it moves across the envelope.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls below the Envelope
Tempo does what?
Locks the envelope grid to project tempo/beat. Changes in project tempo will affect envelope timings.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls below the Envelope
Global does what?
-Retriggers the envelope, including those playing, with each new note played so all notes share the same envelope phase/timing.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls below the Envelope
Freeze does what?
- Enable this switch to lock the envelope curve to its current setup.
- -This feature is useful if you have finished changing the spline structure of an envelope and want to protect it from accidental edits (it also hides the handles to provide a clear view of the shape).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls below the Envelope
Step does what?
- Enable this option to set the Editor to step editing mode.
- -Drag within the editor to create a ‘free hand’ curve in which a new control point is defined for every step in the timeline.
- –Hold SHIFT while dragging to draw ‘pulse’ lines (straight vertical/horizontal lines only).
- —Note that each new segment created in this mode uses the same tension as the previous segment.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls below the Envelope
Snap does what?
Enable this option if you want the control points to snap to the nearest step in the timeline while dragging.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Controls below the Envelope
Slide does what?
Enable this option to preserve the relative distance between a dragged control point and all control points after it (this option is enabled by default)
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Open state file…
Opens pre-saved Editor state files (envelopes, etc).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Save state file…
-Save an Editor state.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Copy state does what?
Copies the current Editor settings to be copied to another location.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Paste state
Paste the Editor state data in the clipboard.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Copy to Part B / A
Copies the current articulation to the same target in the matching synthesis part.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Undo change xyz
There will be an item in the menu which shows the last action performed, clicking it will undo the action. The last action before the screenshot was ‘enabling’ of the envelope, hence ‘Undo change enabled’.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Undo history shows what?
Shows the editing history since the last reset.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Bipolar LFO tension does what?
- Changes the tension knob effect (below the envelope) .
- -Selected: tension adjustments are made symmetrically around the zero line (bipolar).
- –Deselected: tension adjustments are made relative to the waveform maxima and minima (unipolar).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Flip vertically does what?
Inverts the current envelope.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Scale levels, does what?
Opens the Scale Level tool.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Normalize levels, does what?
-Scales the envelope so the highest and/or lowest levels reach +/- 100%.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Decimate points does what?
-Opens a simple tool that allows manipulation of the number of control points in the envelope (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Filter does what?
Opens the Envelope Filter tool (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file)
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Smooth up does what?
Opens the Smooth Up tool that allows smoothing of the envelope shape (useful in conjunction with Analyze audio file).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Smooth up abrupt changes does what?
Quick removal of ‘spikey’ or sudden changes in the envelope.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Turn all points smooth does what?
Preset filter to quickly filter the envelope.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Create sequence does what?
Opens the Envelope sequencer.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Analyze audio file…does what?
- Creates an envelope that mirrors the volume amplitude profile of the analyzed sound.
- -You can also drop audio files on the envelope and they will be analyzed
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope options menu
Background gradient does what?
Turn the background gradient on/off.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
-Targets are divided into what 3 categories?
- Articulation (modulation destinations)
- -Mapping (keyboard/articulator to target modifier relationships)
- –Shaping (harmonic filter shaping).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
- Each Editor Target can respond to multiple Articulator Parts.
- -Active parts & articulators show with an indicator next to them.
- –For LFO articulation the initial state shows one point (noted below) which can be used to change the amplitude, phase & start-time of the LFO.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
One related and special Articulator part is the Held index mapping What does this do, and what is it useful for?
- Generates ‘index’ values for successively held notes.
- -When the notes of a chord are added in secession (rather than simultaneously) each additional note after the first will have an ‘index’ value 1 unit greater than the last.
- –In practice, the mapping steps 1 grid unit per note.
- —It’s useful with:
- Chords - Where you only want the first note to be bright and later ones to use a lower filter cutoff frequency for example.
- -Legato - If you want the note to which you are sliding to have different values/properties for the Editor target compared to the first.
- –Arpeggiator - Giving control over the values of each note if they are added in secession to create an arpeggiator chord.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Unison Index Mapping allows you to do what?
- Another particularly useful mapping is the Unison index mapping. –This mapping part allows you to pan, pitch, set levels, etc., for each unison voice independently, opening up many powerful synthesis techniques.
- –The horizontal grid changes to reflect the number of unison voices active. When two voices are active the extreme ends are Unison voice 1 (left) and Unison voice 2 (right) respectively.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Unison index mapping examples:
Multi-voice parts
-Set the unison number to set voices active and then use the Pitch > Unison index mapping to independently tune the unison voices to any pitch desired.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Unison index mapping examples:
Dual-voice mode
With a Unison of 2 (with the Pitch > Unison index mapping setting the second voice set an octave below the first) and the Timbre 1 & 2 mix > Unison index mapping set to play a square wave on voice 2, you now have a Saw with a Square 1 octave below at the same time, with only one part.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Unison index mapping examples:
Leslie effect
Use Global LFO phase > Unison index mapping and Panning > Unison index mapping to make a stereo-panning effect.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Random mapping
- Outputs a random value under envelope control.
- -Each time a note is triggered a random value between 0 and 1 (along the horizontal axis) is generated.
- –A corresponding output modulation value is selected according to the envelope value at that point.
- –In this way the vertical range of the envelope sets randomization range and area under the envelope probability that an output value will be generated.
As this is the same system used in Fruity Envelope Controller,
EXAMPLE: The envelope above will generate random output values between 0.25 and 1.0, notice the output values on the left side. 25% of the time the output value will be 0.25 as 1/4 of the envelope is fixed at 0.25. 50% of the time the value will be between 0.75 and 1.0 and the remaining 25% of the time the value will be 1.0 as 1/4 of the envelope is fixed at 1.0. Mathematically probability comes down to areas under the curve, for each output value. If you want simple random numbers between 0 and 1 then create a straight-line envelope from the bottom left corner to the top right.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Harmonic mapping
The following envelopes control the level and phase of partials sent to Harmor’s ‘additive synthesis’ engine.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Timbre harmonic level calibration
- The default (flat) Timbre 1 harmonic level & Timbre 2 harmonic level envelopes generate a Saw and Square wave shape due to a special per-harmonic level calibration.
- -Envelope values are scaled relative to the slope of the Brownian noise spectrum.
- –This allows Harmor to generate the useful Saw waveform using an, easy to draw, flat envelope.
- —Brownian noise is simply a frequency response curve that decreases the amplitude of frequencies in the audio spectrum by -6 dB per octave (in other words a continuous drop of 50% per octave). For example, a frequency of 1000 Hz at 1 unit amplitude will be 0.5 units and by 2000 Hz, 0.25 units at 4000 Hz and 0.125 units at 8000 Hz, etc.
- —-This means each partial in the Timbre harmonic level envelope, that is an octave above the last (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 etc), will be 1/2 the amplitude of the partial an octave below it. But why?
It turns out that a decrease in harmonic amplitude, at the rate of 50% per octave (the Brownian noise profile), is the exact recipe to additively synthesize a Saw wave. Eg. Saw wave = Partial 1 (the fundamental) + Partial 2 * 0.5 + Partial 3 * 0.333 + Partial 4 * 0.250 + Partial 5 * 0.200 + Partial 6 * 0.166 + Partial 7 * 0.142 + Partial 8 * 0.125 + etc. Notice how for each octave (bold partials), the level drops by 50%. It also transpires that filtering the even harmonics (2, 4, 6, 8, etc.) and leaving the odd harmonics (3, 5, 7, 9 etc.), in addition to the 50% per octave Brownian amplitude profile, is the additive synthesis recipe to create a Square wave. This is what the Timbre 2 harmonic level mapping (above) is doing, filtering even harmonics. This envelope is achieved with the (Right-mouse) ‘wave’ control-point menu option set on the right-most control point in the envelope. So now you know how the default Timbre 1 and 2 waveforms are generated. Timbre 1 & 2 harmonic Brownian level scaling avoids the need to program complex level envelope curves in order to synthesize a ‘standard’ Square and Saw wave.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Timbre harmonic level calibration
Just remember that Harmor’s Timbre harmonic level envelope has been pre-scaled to make it easier to get good sounds from the plugin using simple (to draw) partial level mapping envelopes.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
TIPS: While the Timbre harmonic level and phase envelopes can be used to create any waveform, it’s simpler to load single-cycle waveforms on Timbre window 1 by right-clicking it and importing a waveform OR dropping an audio file on it. The file will be analyzed and all the mappings created for you. Remember that Timbre 1 and Timbre 2 share the same phase data (set by Timbre 1 during audio import). Phase is shared as it avoids phase cancellation problems when mixing the Timbre sources.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ENV
Envelope point-transitions
- Generally the Held point type should be avoided when working with envelopes where you need to be precise about the exact harmonics active or inactive at a given point.
- -Better to zoom in on the horizontal axis and use a Single-curve type point. In the example below, Harmonic 20 may not be active in the top panel but definitely will be in the lower panel. In both cases Harmonics 19 and lower will be active while Harmonics 21 and higher will be inactive.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG - Image Synthesis / Resynthesis
The IMG (Image Resynthesis) section can load images OR samples:
Describe Resynthesis mode
- All post-processing and patch changes are referenced to the original sample data.
- -That is, the original sample data is re-analyzed and processed according to the new settings.
- –Maximum detail is used for the frequency & gain planes. As a reminder, Additive synthesis views audio as an evolving frequency spectrum vs amplitude on a moment-by-moment basis. NOTE: Resynthesis mode modulates the phases of partials depending on the source audio and references the original source audio every time the patch is edited. In ‘Image’ mode ‘Harmonic phase mapping’ is calculated across the sound, then fixed and is not changed by subsequent editing. This means resynthesis will maintain a more natural sound with complex post-editing.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG - Image Synthesis / Resynthesis
The IMG (Image Resynthesis) section can load images OR samples:
Describe Image synthesis mode
- Sample data is analyzed and converted to image files, with the advantage you can edit these 2D images in any image editor.
- -There are independent image planes for gain & pitch. You can also import any bitmap.
- –Even if it wasn’t designed to be turned into audio, it might still sound interesting. NOTE: Once a patch has been converted to ‘Image Synthesis’ mode, you can’t revert back to resynthesis mode, the link to the original sample data is lost and the sound is converted to image planes.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG - Image Synthesis / Resynthesis
The IMG (Image Resynthesis) section can load images OR samples:
Working with raw images
- Harmor has 516 partials so an image 516 pixels high can play all partials (1 to 516).
- -Pixel brightness is interpreted as partial level. Black means no partial, white is 100%.
- –A horizontal white line at the bottom of an otherwise black the image, 1 pixel high, will play the first (lowest) partial. A horizontal white line at the top of the image, 1 pixel high, will play the 516th (highest partial).
- —Time is represented by the image-width, although you can change the speed and scaling via the resynthesis controls as shown below. An image less than 516 pixels high is assumed to start from the bottom partial up. An image 20 pixels high will play the first 20 partials.
- —-In short, the difference between the two modes is quality (resynthesis) vs image editing flexibility (image synthesis).
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Scrubbing does what?
- Left or right-click the image editor and drag to scrub-play the sound.
- -You can record this movement from FL Studio 10.0.5 onward using the FL Studio native version (just set FL Studio to record and start scrubbing).
- –NOTE: The VSTi specifications don’t support this. Right-click the image editor to scrub in both pitch (vertical) and time (horizontal), set the speed to 0% first.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG - Image Synthesis / Resynthesis
The IMG (Image Resynthesis) section can load images OR samples:
Describe Resynthesis mode
- All post-processing and patch changes are referenced to the original sample data.
- -That is, the original sample data is re-analyzed and processed according to the new settings.
- –Maximum detail is used for the frequency & gain planes. As a reminder, Additive synthesis views audio as an evolving frequency spectrum vs amplitude on a moment-by-moment basis. NOTE: Resynthesis mode modulates the phases of partials depending on the source audio and references the original source audio every time the patch is edited. In ‘Image’ mode ‘Harmonic phase mapping’ is calculated across the sound, then fixed and is not changed by subsequent editing. This means resynthesis will maintain a more natural sound with complex post-editing.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Clear all
Clears all image planes
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Prepare time envelope
Prepares an ENV > Image time offset > Envelope ready for scratching and time warping
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Create bouncing loop time envelope
Prepares an ENV > Image time offset > Envelope with a bouncing loop envelope enabled, using loop points embedded in the sample.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Slow down within loop region
Slows down the speed within the set loop.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Tune pitch for time offset
Changes ENV > Pitch > Envelope as a function of start time.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Set viewed zone as loop region
Sets the section visible in the window as the Loop Region.
FL STUDIO Harmo - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Set last played zone as loop region
Sets the last section played as the Loop Region
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Tools
Map time offset to last hit key
Sets the ENV > Image time offset > Keyboard mapping so the last key played. To use set the time to the desired part of the image and play a key and use the function. This way you can build up a unique set of MIDI keys to playback (time) positions.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Audio
Analyze audio file
Opens a file browser to load an audio file (.wav, .mp3, .ogg).
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Audio
Convert to image synthesis mode
- There are two modes, resynthesis and image synthesis.
- -When you drop a sample on Harmor it is processed in ‘resynthesis’ mode which references the original sample data for the highest fidelity.
- –When converted to ‘image synthesis’ mode editing flexibility is increased at the expense of fidelity. Trade-offs, don’t you love ‘em?
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Audio
Map audio markers to keys
- Samples with embedded time markers will be mapped to keys using the ENV > Image time offset > Keyboard mapping envelope.
- -Useful for creating ‘slicing/stuttering’ effects in Harmor.
- –NOTE: Playback will continue to the end of the sample starting from each marker triggered if a key is held. To confine playback to the marker regions use the next option:
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options -Audio
Map audio regions to keys
- Similar to ‘Map audio markers to keys’ except playback is limited to the regions defined by markers in the audio file.
- -NOTE: For ‘play to end’ of the sample type behavior use the previous option.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image
Generate random cloud
-Creates a random ‘cloud’ image.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image
Degrade horizontally
-Reduce horizontal resolution
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image
Degrade vertically
-Reduce vertical resolution
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image
Crossfade 10%, 25%, 50%
-Create a cross-fade on the entire image using 10%, 25% and 50% of the width respectively.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Open image file
Opens a file browser to load an image file (.bmp, .jpg, .png, .gif). The image is embedded in the patch, not linked to.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Save as image file
Saves the current image.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Edit image
-Opens the default Image Editor on your PC.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Copy to image clipboard
Copies the current image to the clipboard.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Paste from image clipboard
Pastes the current image from the clipboard.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Clear
Clears the image.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Invert
Inverts the image polarity (creating a negative) so light areas become dark and dark light.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Flip vertically
Flips the image so the top becomes bottom and vice versa.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Plane
Image plane. Select the Frequency, Amplitude or Combined (All) image planes.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Copy/Pase
Copy/Paste images from the image clipboard. Only available when you have used the ‘Convert to image synthesis mode’ from the ‘Image options’ menu.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Oct/Hz
Vertical image scale.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
C (course speed)
Playback speed (course).
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
F (fine speed)
Playback speed (fine).
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
sharp
Image sharpening. Sharper images will have shaper transients. Left is transient sharpening, right is transient sharpening + phasing.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
looping (menu) - How to set a loop?
- To set a loop hold Ctrl + Left-click and drag on the region to loop.
- -The start time will be made coincident with the Loop Start, use the Image time offset knob to disassociate them.
- –Alternatively, use the Image options > Tools ‘Set viewed zone as loop region’ & ‘Set last played zone as loop region’ OR include a loop in your imported sample and it will be autodetected and used.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
One shot
Image plays once.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Loop
Image loops between the loop-points.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
Ping pong
Image bounced back and forth between the loop-points.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
smooth
- Image time offset smoothing sets the time taken to relocate between Image Time Offset positions.
- -The smoothing knob has different behaviors when turned left and right of 12 O’Clock. Left (Always): Smoothing is applied according to the time-constant set, Right (With threshold): Smoothing is only applied for small distances, when the offset is moved over large distances smoothing is ignored.
- –This is useful to smooth out small movements but allows larger ‘quick’ jumps.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
TIME
- Image start time offset.
- -Use this to relocate the start point in the image. NOTE: Left or right-click the image editor and drag to scrub-play the sound.
- –You can record scrubbing in FL Studio 10.0.5 onward using the FL native version of Harmor (just set FL Studio to record and start scrubbing). Pitch = vertical and time = horizontal, set the speed to 0% first.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Selected image plane
LEVEL Section
- These controls affect the volume mapping (brightness) of the resynthesis or image.
- -The frequency image plane at 50% grey = 1, no change to the original level.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image gain (menu)
- Sets how the gain level is interpolated between pixels.
- -Check the preset,’Tutorials and tricks > Image synthesis > Interpolation to learn how the various modes affect the sound.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image gain (menu)
Block, Cap Bell
Various interpolation shapes, set by ear.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image gain (menu)
Linear, Cubic
Various interpolation shapes, set by ear.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image gain (menu)
Rise, Fall
Special interpolations that only allow rising or falling levels.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image gain (menu)
Image gain pixel scale
Image brightness to gain scaling.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image gain (menu)
Image gain mix
- There are separate gain and frequency image planes.
- -This knob blends in the gain information.
- –When set to 0%, all active frequencies active are equally loud.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - FREQ section
These controls affect the frequency mapping (vertical scaling) of the image or resynthesis.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - FREQ section
Image frequency interpolation curve (menu) - Choose from
- Block, Cap Bell - Various interpolation shapes, set by ear.
- -Linear, Cubic - Various interpolation shapes, set by ear.
- –Rise, Fall - Special interpolations that only allow rising or falling levels.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - FREQ section
Image frequency mode (menu) - Choose from:
- Octave, Hz, Wide Hz - Relationship between vertical pixel position and frequency. Hz mode will have the effect of ‘fattening’ harmonics.
- -Unison - Image controls Unison detuning.
- –SCALE - Image frequency pixel scale controls the amount of frequency offset applied to the image/resynthesis, according to (its own envelope, Right-click and select ‘edit articulator’ and) the Interpolation and Mode settings (discussed above). By default turning this to zero will rescale lower frequencies toward the fundamental harmonic relationship with decreasing scaling applied as a function of increasing frequency.
FL STUDIO Harmor - IMG Tab Controls
Image options - Image gain (menu)
FORM - Formant shifting. Formants are frequency peaks/resonances associated with the size of noise-making objects (the human voice, piano, guitar etc). Formant preservation retains the natural sound of transposed samples over a limited range (+/- 600 cents) and so is particularly useful for avoiding the ‘chipmunk’ effect on vocals.
mix - Formant mix.
Resynthesis notes
To resynthesize a sample:
- From the presets select Template > Resynthesis.
- -From the Image options menu select ‘Analyze audio file’ OR drop an audio file on the window.
- –Optional: Convert to image-synthesis mode for more editing freedom (see below).
Resynthesis notes
To resynthesize a sample:
To load stereo samples
- From the presets select Template > Resynthesis.
- -This has the ‘side’ switch on the ADV (advanced) tab selected. Important for loading stereo samples.
- –Load a stereo sample in Part A
- —Reload the same stereo sample in Part B
- —-The A/B fader now acts as a Mid/Side mix control and the stereo sample will play as originally recorded with 50% mix settings.
- —–Optional, link parts A and B so playback relocation etc is synchronized
Resynthesis notes
To resynthesize a sample:
To use image synthesis:
- To edit the sound visually after loading it as shown above, from the Image options menu select ‘Convert to image synthesis mode’ OR
- -Drag an image file from a file browser and drop it on the image window.
- –Click copy above the Image window.
- —Open your favorite image editor and select Paste from its options. The image can now be edited in your editor.
- —–Select copy from in your image editor and Paste it back into Harmor. Now just continue to edit and select copy in your image editor and paste into Harmor. Watch which plane you’re editing as you copy and paste. Frequency or Gain.
- —–NOTE: Images are calibrated to a brown noise profile, the same profile used in Harmor to create a sawtooth wave (i.e a sawtooth is created by a flat line in the Harmonics Editor, the purpose of which is to make it much easier to create traditional and good-sounding waveforms).
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
It’s important to remember that while the engine is additive, operating in the frequency domain, the FX section acts on the what?
-Output of that process and operates in the time domain.
NOTE: The effects unit order can be set on the ADV tab.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Distortion
- Distortion simulates over-driven analog sounds. When this occurs the shape of the input waveform is distorted and this leads to a pleasing (to some) tone.
- -amt - Amount of distortion.
- –asym - Asymmetry of the positive and negative waveform oscillation.
- —wet - Wet (effect) to dry mix.
- —-filter - Low pass filter.
- —–Type (menu) - Choose from: Classic, Flat hat, Cube, Softsat(uration), Rubber, Ribbon & Sincrush. Set by ear.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Chorus
-The Chorus effect results from the interaction of delayed copies of the input sound, that are detuned by a small and continuously varied amount.
–It is called ‘Chorus’ because it can make a single voice sound like that of a chorus of singers (all slightly out of tune relative to each other) and creates a thick and lush texture.
—The effect is similar to Unison but operates across all voices rather than per-voice and is much less CPU intensive. Select from
-Chorus options (menu) - Select from a range of different Chorus styles. Set by ear.
–Order - Sets the number of chorus voices, choose from 1 to 9. —NOTE: Chorus and Unison have a similar sound but Unison is added per note, so uses more CPU. Where possible use Chorus to achieve the effect.
—-depth - Controls the chorus delay modulation. The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth. If this value is zero, the chorus will remain ‘static’ as the delay modulation will stay constant. Setting the ‘Depth’ to higher values will create heavier modulation. .
speed - Frequency sweep-speed. NOTE: The ‘beating’ sound of the chorus depends on the interaction between speed, depth & order.
del - Sets the minimum delay between the chorus voices. The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth
Spread - Stereo spread
Cross - Cutoff frequency of the cross-over filter
Mix - Controls the balance between the dry (middle) and chorused signal (top) and inverted phase chorus (bottom).
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Chorus
Mix
-Controls the balance between the dry (middle) and chorused signal (top) and inverted phase chorus (bottom).
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Chorus
Cross
-Cutoff frequency of the cross-over filter
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Chorus
del
- Sets the minimum delay between the chorus voices.
- -The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Chorus
speed
- Frequency sweep-speed.
- -NOTE: The ‘beating’ sound of the chorus depends on the interaction between speed, depth & order.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Chorus
depth
- Controls the chorus delay modulation.
- -The chorus delay will be swept between delay and delay+depth.
- –If this value is zero, the chorus will remain ‘static’ as the delay modulation will stay constant. Setting the ‘Depth’ to higher values will create heavier modulation.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Delay
- Delay is an echo-based effect.
- -Very short values of the delay time controls can produce a ‘reverb’ like sound while longer time settings are great for left-right ‘ping-pong’ effects.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Delay
Delay feedback mode (switches) - Choose from:
- norm - Delay echoes appear in the same location as the input.
- -inv - Inverted switches the left and right channels in the echoes
- –pong - Ping pong delay bounces L and R channel audio between the speakers. Works in conjunction with the s.ofs (Stereo Offset) control.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Delay
Delay input panning
- Pans the input into the delay
- -Useful where a Ping-pong mode has been selected and you want the echoes to bounce from one side to the other.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Delay
Delay input volume - Input level to the delay.
fb (switch) - Delay feedback damping switch.
filter - There is a high-pass (left) and low-pass (right) slider. When fb is selected they progressively filter the delay echoes.
feed back level - Sets the amount of echo delay fed back into the system.
time - The bi-directional slider sets delay time in measures (top half) and milliseconds (bottom half).
vol - Controls the level of the delay echoes.
fb - Feedback controls the number of delay echoes.
time - Spacing between the delay echoes. The control is tempo synced, watch the Hint Bar while you adjust the time setting (delay values display in beats and beat fractions).
s.ofs (Stereo Offset) - Left/Right ping-pong amount. Move up for right-first, down for left-first bounces.
FL STUDIO Harmor - FX
Reverb - Reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to create a ‘reverberant’ sound. Consider using delay to create the sense of space rather than reverb in a dense musical mix.
Reverb preset (menu) - Select from a range classic reverb presets.
Reverb color (menu) - Select from a range of brightness.
filter low-pass - Changes the high cut-off frequency. Use this to remove high frequencies from the input to the reverb, or to make the room sound duller.
filter high-pass - Adjusts the low cut-off frequency. Use this to remove low frequencies from the input to the reverb.
size - Set the size of the virtual room being simulated.
diff - Diffusion, simulates the complexity of the room. Low diffusion simulates an empty rectangular room. High diffusion simulates irregular shaped and/or rooms with many objects.
dec - Reverb decay time. NOTE: For realistic effects, the Room Size should be adjusted according to the decay time. Small rooms sound better with a short decay time, large rooms sound better with longer reverb times.
damp - Damping is the rate of decay of high frequencies in the room. In real spaces soft furnishings, drapes/curtains carpeting all create higher damping.
Vol - Volume controls the strength of the reverberant sound.
Comp - Select from compression, limiting and distortion effects. Harmor uses the Maximus compression engine.
Compression type (menu) - Compression increases the low-level signals in the sound reducing the dynamic range, and so, making it sound louder or according to the type selector. The Limiting preset prevents the output from Harmor exceeding 0 dB (assuming its Mixer track and Channel setting volumes are at the defaults). When Limiting the Amt control is disabled. The remaining presets offer various compression ‘flavors’ as described by their names. Set by ear.
amt - Control the mix between the dry and effected signal. Top = 100% effected.
L, M, H - Compression level for the Low, Medium and High frequency bands respectively.
NOTE: If the effects chain Harmor feeds into already has compression/limiting then don’t use the internal effect.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
-These controls are under the ‘Advanced’ tab as they generally don’t need to be messed about with by amateurs.
–Since you are reading the manual to see what it all means, that means you!
—If you do decide to fiddle with stuff on this tab, don’t complain to tech support when Harmor explodes in an orange ball of flame.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
Current part
Harmor has identical synthesis parts A and B, the options here relate to the selected (current) part.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
UNIT ORDER
- This shows the order (data flow) for processing the units as shown (top is processed first).
- -Left-click on a synthesis unit to move it down the list or right-click to move it up OR hover your mouse cursor over a unit and roll the mouse-wheel.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
delay
- Note on to play delay.
- -Left in milliseconds, right in measures (tempo based).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
poly rel
- Polyphonic release scaling.
- -Useful for patches that have a long release, that would normally overlap with following notes too much or use too much CPU.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
ramp
- Partial onset relationship.
- -Left is absolute where partials onset from lowest to highest.
- –Right is relative, delaying the lower partials relative to the upper partials.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
declick
- Transient declicking.
- -Effects the attack portion of notes, useful with fast gated envelopes that are causing unwanted clicking.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
auto-gain mode (menu)
- This sets the mode for the Automatic Gain control on the Timbre Section.
- -The Automatic gain control acts similar to an audio compressor preventing clipping caused by high-level partials.
- –Relative vs Absolute levels.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
image / resynthesis
- Select between Generic (255 partials) and High precision (516 partials) used in the audio-to-image resynthesis process.
- -Generic is usually good enough.
- –Image resynthesis allocates 1 pixel per partial vertically and any number required horizontally to represent time at about 174 pixels per second.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
side
- Used when importing stereo samples.
- -Use the ‘Templates > Resynthesis’ patch then drop or import a STEREO sample on Part A then again on Part B.
- –Part B has the switch engaged and the sample is now used in MID/SIDE stereo mode.
- —Part A contains MID and part B SIDE information. When remixed during playback the original stereo sound is heard.
- —-Use the Part A/B slider can be used to change the stereo separation. 0% = Mid sound [mono]. 50% = original stereo sound. 75% = maximum stereo separation. 100% = Side sound [mono].
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
denoise
Removes noise from the image (useful for removing noise from a sample).
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
Global FX ORDER
Change the order of FX units (the top FX unit is processed first). Left-click on a FX unit to move it down the list or right-click to move it up OR hover your mouse cursor over a unit and roll the mouse-wheel.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
Monophonic (menu)
Determines how notes interact. Choose from:
off - You are not seriously looking at the manual wondering what ‘off’ does are you?
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
Monophonic (menu)
kill same
New notes will only kill the same note.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
Monophonic (menu)
kill all
New notes kill any other playing notes.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
Monophonic (menu)
release all
New notes set all notes to the release phase of their envelopes.
FL STUDIO Harmor - ADV
Advanced Controls
Randomness (menu)
- Harmor can add subtle random variation to parameters on a voice-by-voice basis. This is useful for simulating analog gear or human inaccuracies. Choose from:
- -Per voice - Each note has randomizations applied.
- –Per part - Each part (A and B) each part has randomizations applied.
- —Per unison voice - Each voice in the unison effect has randomizations applied.
- —-same for all maps (switch) - The same randomizations are applied to all mappings (envelopes).
Performance vs Quality
threaded (switch) - Allows multi-threading for improved multi-core CPU performance. Switching threading off may, in some cases, improve performance if the host’s multithreading is more efficient than the plugins own.
HQ rendering (switch) - The highest possible quality is applied to all relevant controls when rendering.
partial count - Setting the knob to the left progressively removes high-frequency partials from the synthesis processing and so reduces CPU load at the expense of fidelity or ‘brightness’. Choose between 12 to 516 partials (harmonics) per voice.
safety - Partial safety ceiling. This determines how many partials above the root note are played. 0 Cents and FULL are off.
grain - Envelope granularity. This is how finely envelopes are processed. Finer granularity means smoother changes to sounds at the cost of higher CPU.
Precision - Computation precision. Select from:
Average - Where all computations are made by a team of college-level mathematicians. They like to play ‘Hunt the wumpus’ in their spare time so don’t have much impact on your CPU load.
High - All calculations are completed by university level mathematicians. This team have special needs and consume large amounts of pizza, cola and CPU for various special interest projects.
Perfect - All calculations are done by Isaac Newton, Pierre de Fermat, Carl Gauss & Albert Einstein. This team of ‘prima donna’ mathematicians require vast amounts of CPU (mainly to be resurrected via simulation) and partially because Einstein and Newton are endlessly arguing about space-time. Newton just can’t accept that it’s useful to travel faster than the speed of a horse so Einstein’s mathematics are silly and not relevant. Use of this setting should only be attempted if you have access to CPUs not yet invented.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Formats
Drag & Drop audio Files (WAV, AIFF, WavPack, MP3, OGG, REX1&2):
Onto the oscillator shapes: converts wav to oscillator (1 or 2).
Onto the image editor: import wav for resynthesis. Original file IS linked to, & not embedded in FLPs.
Anywhere or onto the channel button: Harmor will detect whether it’s a single-cycle or long wav (>50ms), & import as an oscillator (the one ‘selected’) or the image.
Drag & drop Images:
Bitmap file (bmp/jpg): imports the image (in image mode, obviously). Original file is NOT linked to, it's embedded. Drag & drop scala tuning files:
Scalar files are supported, drop .scl files onto Harmor. .scl Scala tuning file: imports the tuning file into the pitch envelope. There is also a “just intonation” pitch kb mapping that can be loaded.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Special note colors
The native FL Studio version of Harmor responds to MIDI note colors in the Piano roll as follows:
- Arp priority - Sets the starting note in an arpeggiation.
- Bypass strum - Notes in this color are not included in the strum but played immediately.
- Inverted legato - Invert legato state, mono (slide) override, use in conjunction with MIDI Channel color 1.
- Inverted porta - Invert portamento state, use in conjunction with MIDI Channel color 1.
- Filter frequency - Filter cutoff frequency. The absolute frequency is based on a defaulted (middle) filter freq knob setting. The note does not play on its own.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Making Presets
There are tricks to lowering CPU usage, although most of the CPU-saving settings are on by default.
Images (embedded) or samples (linked to audio files) - will bloat your preset size, so be aware of this when using resynthesis. If you only use a section of a wave, resave the cropped .wav file and use that instead. Remember to share samples (link to the same wavs) with other presets where possible.
Voicing - Harmor the voice ends when the volume envelope has ended. But of course this means that if you want a release part in another envelope, your volume envelope has to have a release as well. NOTE: If the volume envelope has time smoothing, the voice will end once the smoothing has ended, but only if the end point is set to zero (which is generally the case).
Freebies - Some controls don’t eat more CPU if you use it. Local and Global EQ plus Timbre mixing are free.
Blur - One of the biggest CPU eaters is the harmonic blur (vertical), time blur (horizontal) is ok.
Root note - As with Harmless the lower notes generate more partials, and so use more CPU power.
Pitch bend - Also uses more CPU so patches that include pitch vibrato & automation of grittiness. However, if pitch bending is already required by an effect, then it won’t eat more CPU (for the bend that is) to use other effects that require it too.
Mappings (envelopes) - A lot of the mappings are cached, for those the complexity of the map doesn’t matter (it won’t eat more CPU). Cached mappings include - Mod XYZ, Held index, and everything in the (third) “shaping” column in the list.
Templates - Used the saved template presets, one for normal synthesis & one for resynthesis. Resynthesis normally doesn’t need cubic interpolation like image resynthesis does.
Harmonic limiting - You can tell Harmor to reduce the amount of Harmonics using the knob in the quality section, but you can also lower the “ceiling” by using the global EQ map. Example, load “EQ - CPU saver for bass” into the global EQ, it will make Harmor produce less harmonics.
Disable filters - If you don’t use a filter at all, set “custom shape” in both its filter & resonance type (as in filter 2), this bypasses its processing.
Don’t be a noob - Don’t activate something if it’s not really audible. For example, don’t move the harmonizer mix to 1%, if it’s inaudible, it will just waste the CPU.
Long release settings - For strings with a long release, “poly rel” (ADV) is a great CPU-saver. It’s like a soft voice-stealing, it shortens the release of previous voices, quite often the difference won’t be heard at 50%. It will be heard if the older voices are much louder than the new ones, though.
Prism maps - There are several hard-coded and useful prism mappings for various effects.
Find things - The browse button makes the browser jump to envelopes if you’re editing envelopes, or images (or where the loaded sample is) if you’re in the image section.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Sine wave fundamental to harmonic relationships
- The sine waveform has one line at the bottom.
- -It is the fundamental frequency or the fundamental tone.
- –The rest of the spectrum is silent.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Triangle wave funadamental to harmoic relationships
-The triangle waveform has one loud frequency at the bottom and then much less loud frequencies over the rest of the spectrum.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Square wave fundamental to harmonic relationships
- The square waveform has the same number of active frequencies compared to the triangle waveform but all the frequencies has a higher amplitude.
- -They are louder.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Saw wave fundamental to harmonic relationships
-The saw waveform has the double active frequencies compared to the square waveform.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
To create a specific waveform there are three components needed
- Specific frequencies of sine waveforms and amplitude.
- -But that is not all, also the starting point in the oscillation for each frequency is something that also contributes to the characteristics of the sound.
- –The starting point is called the phase.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
In total, we have three elements that make up
a single waveform in Harmor
1.
2.
3.
The number of active partials and the frequency of them.
The individual amplitude of each of the working partial
sine waves.
The phase position of each working active partial.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
The timbre 1 window has a built-in filter. It is called a “Brownian noise filter”.
What does it do?
-It is reducing the amplitude gradually for higher frequencies
Timbre 1 harmonic level Envelope
When you click the timbre 1 window then at the bottom of Harmor you can see the harmonic level data of the imported waveform
Timbre 2 harmonic level
Timbre 2 has its own harmonic data but it shares the harmonic phase data together with
timbre 1.
When we analyze a waveform by right clicking timbre 1 and selecting “Analyze single-cycle waveform…” then the phase data is imported as well and it is shared withtimbre 2.
.
FL STUDIO - Harmor
Timbre 1 & 2 mix
The reason to let the two timbre windows share the same phase is why?
-That this way you can mix between two different sounds without the need to care about phase cancellation.
1) Easy way to make interesting pads out of most any instrument. Turn the FX slider down to around -40% or so.
Set delay and reverb at 100% wet.
2) I sometimes have trouble getting what I want with Reverb in Harmor for w/e reason but some tips to mess with.
A) When combing delay and reverb I find that reverb seems to die off more quickly than I want when I have reverb
placed after delay and I end up with a fading echo that sounds like it has no reverb applied to it as it fades.
If you switch the order in the ADV tab so that reverb comes first then the delay will be repeating the reverb
already played instead of trying to apply reverb to an ever-quieter echo. This will give reverb more presence as
things fade away.
B) To add presence to reverb and/or delay try placing compression after it in the ADV tab. Limiting and
Compression are reactive effects that change based upon the input volume. This means you can get a wide variety
of changes just by changing the pre-fx volume slider. Warning though… Even though limiting and compression are
Fx that are designed to control volume you can still get extremely loud with them active so if you are going to
mess with the pre-fx volume slider you should turn down the post-fx volume slider first.
Adding compression after delay/reverb effects will give them more presence but will not actually extend their
length. It will make them louder for longer then have a more abrupt falloff. Also the more extreme the
compression gets the more playing new notes, or rather anything that adds more volume to the mix feeding into the
compressor, will cause the dry signal to basically kill off the pre-compression FX. This can give unwanted
effects adding unwanted dryness to a mix. It can also be used purposefully to add reflection kinds of effects.
This is fun to use on sounds with constant sustain volumes and no release so that holding the note makes it
sound almost entirely dry then releasing the note/s kicks in the wet signal making really reactive reflections
and such.
C) Harmor’s reverb lacks modulation which can make it rather flat sounding in some instances, especially on
flatter sounds. (I know I have already mentioned this in this thread but just to keep it together ill mention it
again).
To add more versatility to reverb and other FX in Harmor you can copy part A to part B then basically follow tip
number 1 on this post. Turn the FX slider down to around -40% to -50% or so. Set delay and reverb at 100% wet
or thereabouts. But only do this on part B. Then go to part A and set the fx slider to 100% so that its
entirely dry. This makes A your dry signal and B your wet signal. You can then adjust your wet/dry with the AB
slider.
Once this is set up you can then begin adjusting part b in ways that will only affect the wet signal. I find
adding simple vibrato can make a ton of difference to reverb making it fuller and lush. If a sound already has vibrato altering the amount and/or speed can work well. Or you can try modulation modulators such as adding an LFO to control the Vibrato depth. Also adding chorus before or after reverb, or really any kind of moving modulation to anything at all, can liven things up.
The choices are almost endless. My favorites to mess with are pitch lfos, vibrato, clipping and EQ.
An additional method for altering this setup is the wet/dry slot in the FX routing in the ADV tab. This slot basically ignores the fx wet/dry slider on each of the parts allowing all or none of the fx to apply to all parts depending on where it is placed. I most commonly use this to add delay or compression, or both, to bot the A and B parts though you may want to adjust the wet/dry on delay to find a nice happy medium.
D) Dampen in Harmor’s reverb seems to continually reduce the high end on the reverb, working more like real-world
reverb. I find this often kills the reverb’s presence much quicker than I prefer on many airy and atmospheric
sounds. If you are having trouble with this try turning the damp knob all the way to the top so that its turned
completely off then use the highcut slider and the reverb color selector to to get the right kind of EQ.
And to add on to tips B and C you can also set some pre-or-post-reverb compression, not limiter but any of the
other 3 compressors, and use it as a sort of EQ for your FX to add in or remove some frequencies you may
want.
2) I sometimes have trouble getting what I want with Reverb in Harmor for w/e reason but some tips to mess with.
A) When combing delay and reverb I find that reverb seems to die off more quickly than I want when I have reverb
placed after delay and I end up with a fading echo that sounds like it has no reverb applied to it as it fades.
If you switch the order in the ADV tab so that reverb comes first then the delay will be repeating the reverb
already played instead of trying to apply reverb to an ever-quieter echo. This will give reverb more presence as
things fade away.
B) To add presence to reverb and/or delay try placing compression after it in the ADV tab. Limiting and
Compression are reactive effects that change based upon the input volume. This means you can get a wide variety
of changes just by changing the pre-fx volume slider. Warning though… Even though limiting and compression are
Fx that are designed to control volume you can still get extremely loud with them active so if you are going to
mess with the pre-fx volume slider you should turn down the post-fx volume slider first.
Adding compression after delay/reverb effects will give them more presence but will not actually extend their
length. It will make them louder for longer then have a more abrupt falloff. Also the more extreme the
compression gets the more playing new notes, or rather anything that adds more volume to the mix feeding into the
compressor, will cause the dry signal to basically kill off the pre-compression FX. This can give unwanted
effects adding unwanted dryness to a mix. It can also be used purposefully to add reflection kinds of effects.
This is fun to use on sounds with constant sustain volumes and no release so that holding the note makes it
sound almost entirely dry then releasing the note/s kicks in the wet signal making really reactive reflections
and such.
C) Harmor’s reverb lacks modulation which can make it rather flat sounding in some instances, especially on
flatter sounds. (I know I have already mentioned this in this thread but just to keep it together ill mention it
again).
To add more versatility to reverb and other FX in Harmor you can copy part A to part B then basically follow tip
number 1 on this post. Turn the FX slider down to around -40% to -50% or so. Set delay and reverb at 100% wet
or thereabouts. But only do this on part B. Then go to part A and set the fx slider to 100% so that its
entirely dry. This makes A your dry signal and B your wet signal. You can then adjust your wet/dry with the AB
slider.
Once this is set up you can then begin adjusting part b in ways that will only affect the wet signal. I find
adding simple vibrato can make a ton of difference to reverb making it fuller and lush. If a sound already has vibrato altering the amount and/or speed can work well. Or you can try modulation modulators such as adding an LFO to control the Vibrato depth. Also adding chorus before or after reverb, or really any kind of moving modulation to anything at all, can liven things up.
The choices are almost endless. My favorites to mess with are pitch lfos, vibrato, clipping and EQ.
An additional method for altering this setup is the wet/dry slot in the FX routing in the ADV tab. This slot basically ignores the fx wet/dry slider on each of the parts allowing all or none of the fx to apply to all parts depending on where it is placed. I most commonly use this to add delay or compression, or both, to bot the A and B parts though you may want to adjust the wet/dry on delay to find a nice happy medium.
D) Dampen in Harmor’s reverb seems to continually reduce the high end on the reverb, working more like real-world
reverb. I find this often kills the reverb’s presence much quicker than I prefer on many airy and atmospheric
sounds. If you are having trouble with this try turning the damp knob all the way to the top so that its turned
completely off then use the highcut slider and the reverb color selector to to get the right kind of EQ.
And to add on to tips B and C you can also set some pre-or-post-reverb compression, not limiter but any of the
other 3 compressors, and use it as a sort of EQ for your FX to add in or remove some frequencies you may
want.
2) I sometimes have trouble getting what I want with Reverb in Harmor for w/e reason but some tips to mess with.
A) When combing delay and reverb I find that reverb seems to die off more quickly than I want when I have reverb
placed after delay and I end up with a fading echo that sounds like it has no reverb applied to it as it fades.
If you switch the order in the ADV tab so that reverb comes first then the delay will be repeating the reverb
already played instead of trying to apply reverb to an ever-quieter echo. This will give reverb more presence as
things fade away.
B) To add presence to reverb and/or delay try placing compression after it in the ADV tab. Limiting and
Compression are reactive effects that change based upon the input volume. This means you can get a wide variety
of changes just by changing the pre-fx volume slider. Warning though… Even though limiting and compression are
Fx that are designed to control volume you can still get extremely loud with them active so if you are going to
mess with the pre-fx volume slider you should turn down the post-fx volume slider first.
Adding compression after delay/reverb effects will give them more presence but will not actually extend their
length. It will make them louder for longer then have a more abrupt falloff. Also the more extreme the
compression gets the more playing new notes, or rather anything that adds more volume to the mix feeding into the
compressor, will cause the dry signal to basically kill off the pre-compression FX. This can give unwanted
effects adding unwanted dryness to a mix. It can also be used purposefully to add reflection kinds of effects.
This is fun to use on sounds with constant sustain volumes and no release so that holding the note makes it
sound almost entirely dry then releasing the note/s kicks in the wet signal making really reactive reflections
and such.
C) Harmor’s reverb lacks modulation which can make it rather flat sounding in some instances, especially on
flatter sounds. (I know I have already mentioned this in this thread but just to keep it together ill mention it
again).
To add more versatility to reverb and other FX in Harmor you can copy part A to part B then basically follow tip
number 1 on this post. Turn the FX slider down to around -40% to -50% or so. Set delay and reverb at 100% wet
or thereabouts. But only do this on part B. Then go to part A and set the fx slider to 100% so that its
entirely dry. This makes A your dry signal and B your wet signal. You can then adjust your wet/dry with the AB
slider.
Once this is set up you can then begin adjusting part b in ways that will only affect the wet signal. I find
adding simple vibrato can make a ton of difference to reverb making it fuller and lush. If a sound already has vibrato altering the amount and/or speed can work well. Or you can try modulation modulators such as adding an LFO to control the Vibrato depth. Also adding chorus before or after reverb, or really any kind of moving modulation to anything at all, can liven things up.
The choices are almost endless. My favorites to mess with are pitch lfos, vibrato, clipping and EQ.
An additional method for altering this setup is the wet/dry slot in the FX routing in the ADV tab. This slot basically ignores the fx wet/dry slider on each of the parts allowing all or none of the fx to apply to all parts depending on where it is placed. I most commonly use this to add delay or compression, or both, to bot the A and B parts though you may want to adjust the wet/dry on delay to find a nice happy medium.
D) Dampen in Harmor’s reverb seems to continually reduce the high end on the reverb, working more like real-world
reverb. I find this often kills the reverb’s presence much quicker than I prefer on many airy and atmospheric
sounds. If you are having trouble with this try turning the damp knob all the way to the top so that its turned
completely off then use the highcut slider and the reverb color selector to to get the right kind of EQ.
And to add on to tips B and C you can also set some pre-or-post-reverb compression, not limiter but any of the
other 3 compressors, and use it as a sort of EQ for your FX to add in or remove some frequencies you may
want.
2) I sometimes have trouble getting what I want with Reverb in Harmor for w/e reason but some tips to mess with.
A) When combing delay and reverb I find that reverb seems to die off more quickly than I want when I have reverb
placed after delay and I end up with a fading echo that sounds like it has no reverb applied to it as it fades.
If you switch the order in the ADV tab so that reverb comes first then the delay will be repeating the reverb
already played instead of trying to apply reverb to an ever-quieter echo. This will give reverb more presence as
things fade away.
B) To add presence to reverb and/or delay try placing compression after it in the ADV tab. Limiting and
Compression are reactive effects that change based upon the input volume. This means you can get a wide variety
of changes just by changing the pre-fx volume slider. Warning though… Even though limiting and compression are
Fx that are designed to control volume you can still get extremely loud with them active so if you are going to
mess with the pre-fx volume slider you should turn down the post-fx volume slider first.
Adding compression after delay/reverb effects will give them more presence but will not actually extend their
length. It will make them louder for longer then have a more abrupt falloff. Also the more extreme the
compression gets the more playing new notes, or rather anything that adds more volume to the mix feeding into the
compressor, will cause the dry signal to basically kill off the pre-compression FX. This can give unwanted
effects adding unwanted dryness to a mix. It can also be used purposefully to add reflection kinds of effects.
This is fun to use on sounds with constant sustain volumes and no release so that holding the note makes it
sound almost entirely dry then releasing the note/s kicks in the wet signal making really reactive reflections
and such.
C) Harmor’s reverb lacks modulation which can make it rather flat sounding in some instances, especially on
flatter sounds. (I know I have already mentioned this in this thread but just to keep it together ill mention it
again).
To add more versatility to reverb and other FX in Harmor you can copy part A to part B then basically follow tip
number 1 on this post. Turn the FX slider down to around -40% to -50% or so. Set delay and reverb at 100% wet
or thereabouts. But only do this on part B. Then go to part A and set the fx slider to 100% so that its
entirely dry. This makes A your dry signal and B your wet signal. You can then adjust your wet/dry with the AB
slider.
Once this is set up you can then begin adjusting part b in ways that will only affect the wet signal. I find
adding simple vibrato can make a ton of difference to reverb making it fuller and lush. If a sound already has vibrato altering the amount and/or speed can work well. Or you can try modulation modulators such as adding an LFO to control the Vibrato depth. Also adding chorus before or after reverb, or really any kind of moving modulation to anything at all, can liven things up.
The choices are almost endless. My favorites to mess with are pitch lfos, vibrato, clipping and EQ.
An additional method for altering this setup is the wet/dry slot in the FX routing in the ADV tab. This slot basically ignores the fx wet/dry slider on each of the parts allowing all or none of the fx to apply to all parts depending on where it is placed. I most commonly use this to add delay or compression, or both, to bot the A and B parts though you may want to adjust the wet/dry on delay to find a nice happy medium.
D) Dampen in Harmor’s reverb seems to continually reduce the high end on the reverb, working more like real-world
reverb. I find this often kills the reverb’s presence much quicker than I prefer on many airy and atmospheric
sounds. If you are having trouble with this try turning the damp knob all the way to the top so that its turned
completely off then use the highcut slider and the reverb color selector to to get the right kind of EQ.
And to add on to tips B and C you can also set some pre-or-post-reverb compression, not limiter but any of the
other 3 compressors, and use it as a sort of EQ for your FX to add in or remove some frequencies you may
want.
