Working with Synths Flashcards
Describe the following:
Subtractive Synthesis
Physical Model Synths
Frequency Modulation (FM) synthesis
Wavetable
Sampler
Subtractive - Generates a complicated sound and “chip away” at it to create the sound we want
Physical - Aims to recreate sounds in the real world.
Frequency Modulation -Comprised of modules that affect one another in a chain
Wavetable - “table of waves” stacked on top and modulating through each other - gives some growl and wavy sounds
Samplers - take a sample and generate sound
Synths are made of 4 general components?
Oscillators - generate the core sound
Filter - affects the timbre of the sound (subtractive synthesis)
*osc and filter are what affect the timbre
Amplifier - gives the sound shape
Envelopes - creating custom settings for the above parameters
What are:
Low pass filter (LPF)
High pass filter (HPF)
Resonance
LPF - this filters out high frequencies (lets the low pass through)
HPF - filters out low freq (lets high pass through)
Resonance - amplifies the highest frequency before the cutoff (of whatever is filtering the sound)
What is LFO
Low Frequency Oscillator
Moves selected parameters at a set oscillation rate
What type of synths are these in native ableton?
Collision
Electric
Impulse
Tension
Operator
Wavetable
Simpler + Sampler
Collision - physical (mallet hits)
Electric - physical (e piano emulator)
Impulse - sampler (usually for drums)
Tension - physical (strings)
Operator - FM synth
Wavetable - duh
Simpler + Sampler - duh but simpler is for one sample, sampler is for multiple
What is
Key and Velocity tracking in synths?
Key tracking - affects parameters whether you play higher or lower octaves
Velocity - affects parameters depending on how hard the note is hit
How to add custom wave tables to Wavetable synth
Select “user” option in the wave selection - and drag in any audio sample
Simpler Instrument Modes
Classic
1-Shot
Slice
Classic - allows polyphonic playing
1-shot - one play of the sample per key stroke
Slice - will slice up the audio sample and play different parts depending on key stroke (esp useful with drum loops)
What is ADSR in synth parameters?
Attack - how fast it takes to hit full volume
Decay - time it takes sound to get from full attack volume to sustain
Sustain - the secondary volume level of synth when you hold a note
Release - how long it takes for the volume of the synth to drop off when releasing a note
How many semitones in an octave?
How many cents in a semitone?
12 semitones in an octave
100 cents in a semitone
What are the 5 basic waveform shapes?
Sine
Sawtooth
Triangle
Square
Pulsewidth
The 3 components of subtractive synthesis
Pitch - the note we year (octave, semitone, fin, coarse)
Tone - the brightness + timbre defined by harmonics (affected by filters “subtracting” frequencies
Volume - ADSR
What is granular synthesis?
Taking tiny grains of sounds to rearrange them into new sounds.
Aka looping a sample and turning it into an oscillator
