Operation Manual

Tutorials 21
2 Tutorials
The following tutorials will teach you the basics of constructing and playing synthesizers with the
Tassman. We recommend that you build the different synthesizers from scratch as you go along
the different examples. If you have any problem, you can find the patches described in the different
tutorials in the Tutorials folder under the Instruments folder in the Tassman Browser. The Tassman
comes with many pre-constructed instruments and presets. We strongly recommend that you have
a look at the patches of these instruments for more elaborate examples.
2.1 Tutorial 1. A Simple Analog Synth
In this first example we will build a simple analog type synthesizer. You will learn to:
• Select modules.
• Connect modules.
• Switch to the Player view.
• Use modulation signals.
• Delete modules and wires.
• Monitor the output of an instrument.
• Save an instrument.
Open the Tassman by clicking on its icon or from the Start menu. The Builder contains three
different parts. The main section of the Builder is the construction area on which you will make
your patch. The Browser at the left, contains all the folders needed in Tassman. You will find the
Imports, Instrument, Modules and Sub-patches folders.
The different modules that you can assemble appear on the left in the Browser and are listed
under the different headings of Effects, Envelopes, Filters, Generators, etc . . . Just above the con-
struction area is a help area that will give you basic information on the currently selected module.
Step 1: VCO and Audio Out
Description
We will construct what is probably the simplest synthesizer one can build. The basis of our first
synth is a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator). This module is a wave generator and constitutes
the sound source in our example. To hear the output of the VCO we will connect it to an Audio
Out module, which represents the output of your sound card. This module takes the digital signal
produced by the VCO and sends it to the computer sound card so that it can be heard. It is, in fact,
necessary to have one Audio Out in any instrument you make if you want to hear it.