User Manual

88 Synthesis 101: Synth Bass Dave Smith Instruments
Next, you’ll use the lter to shape the raw sound of the sawtooth wave.
To adjust the lter:
1. Press and hold down a key and turn the lter’s cutoff knob. Notice
how it cuts the high frequencies as you rotate counter-clockwise,
making the sound of the oscillator less bright. If you turn the cutoff
knob fully counterclockwise you’ll lter out all frequencies and hear
nothing.
2. Return the
cutoff knob to its halfway position, play and hold a note
again then turn the resonance knob about halfway up. Notice how the
sound changes as a band of frequencies near the cutoff is amplied.
3. Rotate the lter’s cutoff knob again and you’ll hear a classic resonant
lter sweep. You’re going to use this to create your synth bass.
4. Set the lter
cutoff to a value of 40 (refer to the main display to see its
numeric value).
5. Set the lter
resonance to a value of 100. This is going to give the
synth bass its funky “zap.”
6. Play a note and listen to the sound. At this point you won’t hear
anything because you’ve mostly closed the lter. You’ll need to open
the lter using the lter envelope (so you don’t have to turn the
cutoff
knob by hand).
Now, you’ll use the lter envelope to control the lter sweep.
To adjust the lter envelope:
1. In the Envelopes section, turn the Filter Envelope’s env amount knob
to a value of 50 (refer to the main display to see its numeric value).
2. Play a low note on the keyboard. Instant synth bass!
Notice how the sound has changed. The Filter Envelope is controlling
lter cutoff by the amount you set with the
env amount knob.
3. Continue experimenting with the Filter Envelope’s env amount knob.
Notice how greater env amount settings amplify the effect of the enve-
lope on the lter.
4. Repeatedly strike a note on the keyboard as you turn the Filter Enve-
lope’s
decay knob clockwise and counterclockwise. Notice how it
changes the sound as the note decays faster or slower.