Fundamentals of Synthesis

by Cameron Douglas

Acoustic theory


Frequency- Is how a quickly a wave travels in a second. Shorter frequencies create higher pitched sounds whereas longer frequencies have the opposite effect. To create my song I used a range of different frequencies. Knowing the frequency range that different synths were important in the creation of my song.


 Wavelength - The distance in which a wave repeats. Different sounds in my project had different wavelength using the transposition tool I could change the pitch of a sound which would then change the wavelength.

Amplitude - Is the distance between the peak and trough of a wave. The distance affects the perceived volume of the wave. The bigger the distance the louder the sound. When creating my song changing the gain of a track increased the amplitude of the wave.



Harmonics - Is any overtone frequency of the fundamental which is also an integer

Fundamental - Is the lowest frequency created by an oscillator. The fundamental is an important part of creating sounds. When starting all of my sounds I would start with the fundamental frequency and build on it. creating a sound with just the fundamental frequency can cause a sound to not translate on multiple different playback devices because the sound is only covering a small about of frequencies. To combat this I used multiple different harmonics to help create a thicker sound that will sound good on most playback devices.

integer - Is a frequency which is a multiple of the fundamental frequency.
non-integer - Is a frequency which is not a multiple of the integer



Instruments

Drum kit - ex24. When creating my drumkit I used multiple different sounds. The ex24 worked well for making my drum pattern. Another plugin I could have used is the ultra beat however I didn't use this because it is easier to layer multiple sounds on top of each other.

Synth pad
Synth flute
Synth lead
Modulated synth
Most of my synths where made using the es2 because of its wide range of parameters including 3 oscillators and 2 envelops. I also used the polyphonic subtractor synth to create my flute sound.

Envelope
I used an envelope when creating my drum parts. I used this to make my bass drum and snare drum more punchy.

Attack - Is the how time in which it takes for a sound to hit its loudest part.
In log attack time made the transient of the sound come in quicker, making the sound hit harder. Using this technique worked well and helped me to achieve the sound I wanted however by adding this effect to my sound made it sound less natural and organic. Another way I could have got a similar effect is by using a compressor and adjusting the attack. The compressor would have also changed the transients of the sound.


Decay - Is how much time it takes the sound to transition from the initial attack of the sound into the sustain. Adjusting the decay time of the song helped me to create my ideal sound. One example of how I used decay to get my ideal sound is when I was creating my synth pads I turned the decay to a lower number. Doing this made the time in which it took for the sound to go from full volume to the sustained volume. Doing this helped to create a longer sound.

Sustain - The section of the sound where the note is steadily sustained. I also used the sustain on my synth pad. I adjusted the envelope on the es2 so that the amp will have a very long sustain time. This also helped to create the effect of a longer sweeping sound.

Release - The time in which it takes the note to move to silence. One example of how I used the release in my track was when I created my drum part using theEXS24 sampler. When creating my drum kit O adjusted the release time to make it 0. Doing this helped to make my drum sounds end more abruptly. This is the sound I was aiming or when creating it.


Editing Functions of a Synthesiser
 Oscillator - is a device that generates frequencies which can be manipulated to create sounds. I used the oscillator to create all of my synthesised sounds.






Amplifier - A device that increases the amplitude of a sound. adjusting the features of the amplifier helped me to achieve my ideal sounds. I did this was by making the attack of the amplifier higher. This gave the sound a slower fade in.




Filter - A filter is a device that manipulates the frequencies of a sound to attenuate it. I used the filter to create my pads. After creating the right texture I wanted to get the right tone as well. Originally I felt that the Pad was too bright so I used the filter to take out some of the high-end. Doing this made the sound slightly darker and helped me to achieve the texture I wanted.







Low-frequency oscillator - A LFO is a device that generates subsonic frequencies which can be used to manipulate other frequencies. I used an L.F.O when creating my synthesizers. After getting the tone of the sound I wanted, I wanted to add modulation to the patch to give it a more funky sound. I used an L.F.O to do this.

Modulation - Is a device used to alter the properties of a waveform. I used modulation to help me to create my ideal sound. After creating my synth pad sound I used the modulation tool on the synthesiser to add modulation to the sound. I adjusted the parameters of the modulator to get the warped effect that I wanted.






patch-bay - A patch bay is a device used to rout one sound source to another. I used to Patch bay in reason to rewire reason to logic. I used this when creating my flute sound. To do this I first had to create a new combinator instrument in reason using the combinator gave me the option to mix in other instruments and effects later on in the process. After I had created my instrument I sent the combinator outputs to channel 3 and 4 on the reason patch-bay. Once these were patched in I then had to recreate a new aux track in logic and set the inputs to the inputs I selected in reason. Despite the fact that this worked it was also quite a long and complicated process. Another method I could have used to achieve the same result could have been to simply play the instrument on reason and the bounce it out and add it to my logic project. However, the reason why I chose to use rewiring was to give me the option of being able to edit the tracks after I played them.








Preset - is a particular set of controls that have been pre-prepared. One of the ways I used presets in my song was by creating a blank preset using the es2 synth. I created this preset by stripping the synthesiser back to just a sine wave. I did this by remethod worked I also could have used reason to do this because it is a lot easier to get a blank canvas.

Monophonic - Monophonic refers to the layers of voices a synthesizer can create. Monophonic means only one layer. When creating my synthesiser I adjusted the layers of the synth to help me get the sound I wanted.  When making my lead synth sound I used a monophonic sound. I used this sound because I didn't want the sound to be to complex, I wanted a simple sound that could cut through the mix. Using the monophonic button on the es2 helped me to create this sound and I was happy with the result.

Polyphonic - Polyphonic means there can be multiple voices. When making my pad sound I used the polyphonic setting. I did this to give the sound more depth. The adding of voices helped to create more warmth in the sound. Using a polyphonic setting rather than the monophonic setting can make the synth sound thicker and more complex with different tones however this could also be a bad thing if the sound that is desired is simple.


Parameter change - The process of altering and changing parameters in a device.
parameter select/parameter change - The process of selecting parameters in a device. I used Parameter select in basically everything in the track. To change the parameters in a track you must first select them. Here are some examples of times where I selected and changed the parameters within my track. Selecting and adjusting EQ, Selecting and adjusting compression, Selecting and adjusting volume and many more. I used my knowledge of automation to change the parameters of the song automatically. I wanted my synth pad to gradually fade in. I was able to do this by using
volume automation.





Loops - Is a repeating section of sound. I used looping in my drum section. for this section I wanted my drums to be the backbone of my song by keeping a simple beat. After I made my bass and snare drum pattern I used the looping tool on logic to loop this section. Doing this helped me to keep a consistent drum pattern that doesn't change and keeps the rhythm of the song. After using the looping tool I discovered a more efficient way of doing this. Rather than using the looping tool I would simply copy each bar to the next. Doing this meant that I could edit and alter each bar this is not able to be done using the copying tool. one example of how this would be useful is if I wanted to add one extra note at the end of the 4th bar, using the copy and paste method I could just alter the individual track and it wouldn't affect the others.



Sample start and end points/sample looping/sample looping - repeating a section of a sample- The first part of the sample and the last part of the sample. Knowing where a sample starts and ends is very important in creating a perfect loop. A perfect loop is a loop that can play forever without ever going out of time. Knowing where a sample starts and ends is also important because cutting off a sample to early or too late could result in a musically and sonically unpleasant result.


Zones - Is each sample added to the sampler. I used zones when creating my drum patch on my sampler. Using these zones helped me to add effects like reverse and 1 shot to only one sound as opposed to all of them.

Groups - A collection of samples in the sampler. When I put my samples into the sampler I also put them into groups. Putting the samples into groups helped to create more cohesive sounds.



File organisation - The process of organising files. I used file organisation to help me to keep track of all the samples and presets i had in my project. I created folders and put the different sounds and files in there according to relevance. doing this helped me to have a quicker more efficient work flow.    
Multi-sampling - A technique where multiple samples are combined to create one sample

Velocity layers - The different velocity of different sounds. Every sound in my sampler had a different velocity. I did this by changing the velocity of the note after playing it. I did this to helped to build dynamics in my track. Using this technique made the drums sound like they are being played by a real drummer because of the change in velocity.

One-shot -  A sample or parch with one main transient. An example of this is the snare sample I used to create my drum kit. This one shot worked well because it had a quick attack making it perfect for sampling.

Reverse - A tool used to reverse a sample. I used the reverse tool in the outro of my song. I used it to reverse the vocal sample. This tool helped me to achieve the vinal reverse spinning effect that I was aiming for. This tool worked very well however it took me a while to understand how to do it which took time away from me making the song.

Volume - how loud or quiet a sound is (Normally measured in dB). Control of volume was probably one of the most important parts in creating my song. Adjusting the volume helped me to create greater dynamics and create space in the mix. One example of how I used volume to create space in the mix is with my clicking sample. I wanted this sound to sit in the back of the mix so I lowered the volume of the track so that it would be less pronounced in the mix. This technique worked well and helped me to create better dynamics however lowering the volume of a track too much can also make the sound disappear in the mix.







Pan - Is the distribution of sound across the stereo field. Panning was also another way that I created space in my mix. I used the panning tool to push sounds out into the stereo field. I also used panning on the click sound to help to push it into the back of the mix. I panned the click slightly to the let to prevent it from clashing with the other percussion instruments in the mix. doing this helped me to create more space in my mix and also made some instruments like bass and snare more noticeable. The cons of using this technique, however, are that if someone is listing on a mono play-back device this effect will not be as noticeable.






Key words 

When doing this project there where a few key words that where very imperative i learn to be able to communicate using the proper terms.


Modulation - This is a tool used to manipulate the waveform of a sound. This effect can make the sound alternate between higher and lower pitches and frequencies. Examples of types of modulation plugins in logic include, Chorus, Flanger, ringshifter and microphaser. I used way i used modulation in my track was in the synth pads. I used a ringshifter plugin to help to create the 'wavy' sound heard
in the song.







Wet - The word 'wet' is normally used to describe the amount of a certain effect used on a sound. Most plugins will have a dry and wet knob which will make it possible to adjust the plugins effect on a sound. One area of the song where this was particularly helpful was when adding distortion to some sounds. Adding too much distortion can lead to a sound sounding too muddy or gritty. I used a bitcrusher plugin when mixing the bass drum. I just wanted to add a small amount of distortion to bring out some of the warm harmonic overtones in the sound but i also didn't want it to be too distorted.

Dry - Dry is the opposite of wet. This is the term used to describe how much of the original signal is going into the sound. I dry setting helped me to keep the integrity of my sounds with also being able to add an effect to it.



bright- Is a term that refers to the frequency of a sound. Brighter sounds often have a frequency in the high mid and higher frequencies anywhere from the 10k to 20k region. when a sound is brighter it often cuts through the mix better. I thought about this as i was mixing my snare drum samples. I boosted the high mid frequencies. This helped the snare drums to be more pronounced in the mix.

muddy- This is a term used to describe a sound that has a lot of low end presence. Muddy sounds can lead to a mix not sounding clear. One way i tried to combat muddyness in my mix cutting out the frequencies below 35 hz. Although this is in the human hearing rang these frequencies are not very audible and can lead to a low end rumble. This was particularly true with the bass drum samples which had a-lot of  low-end rumble.

peaking - Peaking is a term used to describe a sound that has passed 0db and has started to distort. Peaking was a big issue that i encountered in my mix. I quickly found that i had created my synth sounds with too much gain this meant that they where peaking in the mixer. This was easily fixed by lowering the gain of the synth to bring it down past 0db.