Operation Manual

2.1 Tutorial 1. A Simple Analog Synth 22
Construction
• In the Generators section, click-hold on the VCO and then drag it in the construction area.
A VCO module then appears in the construction area. You can select it by dragging the icon
and placing it anywhere you want in the construction area. Note that the module has three
inputs and one output. You can have some information on the use of these inputs and outputs
by positioning the mouse over them on the icon. You can also find basic information on the
currently selected module in the help area located above the construction area.
• Select an Audio Out module in the Outputs folder of the In/Out section and drag it in the
construction area. Note that this module has one input and no output.
• Now we need to connect the two modules together so that the VCO output signal can be sent
to the Audio Out module. Click on the VCO output and move the mouse toward the Audio
Out module and you will see a wire appear in the construction area. Now click on the Audio
Out input and the two modules will be connected as shown in the following figure.
Figure 8: Tutorial 1, step 1
Playing
To play and hear the instrument you need to display the Tassman Player view. In the View menu
choose the Show Player command which will switch to the Tassman Player view. You can now
see the playing interface of the two modules you have connected in the Builder. You can turn off
your new synth by clicking on the switch of the Audio Out module.
You can now play with the VCO. To change the frequency of the sound generated by the
VCO, move the coarse or fine knob. There are many different ways to move a knob. First select
it by clicking on it and, keeping button down, move the mouse upwards or downwards. Once the
knob has been selected, you can also move it by using the arrow keys. To position the cursor in
a particular spot, Shift-click (Option-click on Mac) on the circumference of the knob where you
want it to point. The frequency can also be varied by one or more octaves by using the range
selector.
The color of the sound produced by the VCO depends on the waveform you choose. To change
the waveform, click on the wavetype selector on the right of the front panel and drag the cursor up
and down. You have a choice between four waveforms: sine, pulse, sawtooth, and noise. The sine
wave consists of a single fundamental harmonic and is a very soft sound. The pulse wave is made
by combining a fundamental and the whole harmonics series; this is very rich in tone and is good