One of the many joys of working at Sweetwater is the deep connection we have with the manufacturers and distributors of the instruments we sell. Because of this relationship I’m often granted the opportunity to create a bank of presets for synthesizer and effects prototypes. Recently, some Sweetwater visitors expressed interest in learning how I went about making sounds for a prototype instrument that often has very little documentation and sometimes comes with no sounds at all. So I thought I’d share my answer with our Synth Tricks readers.
Creating a Custom INIT PROG
On every device I program, I create my own custom INIT PROG. After assessing all of the parameters of a synth or effect, I design a preset that’s a starting point for all of my work. Years of experience has taught me that starting from anything more than a blank slate causes trouble as I get further into a patch. It’s always best to know that any parameters I haven’t used are completely available to me, and that there are no unknown connections that will wreck the sound if I dismantle them.
Typical INIT Settings
All oscillator waveshapes are set to saw and at the standard octave. All oscillator volumes except the first are set to silence. All filters are set to be fully open with no resonance, and all modulations depths are set to zero. All envelopes are set for instant on, full sustain, and instant release. Velocity is neutralized so that it doesn’t affect any parameter. LFOs are set to triangle and at a typical vibrato speed. Effects are set to a basic chorus, and delay or reverb, and then their wet/dry ratios are set to fully dry.
Search for the Sound
Starting from my INIT, I sweep through each waveform, whether it’s an analog/digital oscillator or
a sample keymap, while listening for something that grabs my imagination. If it’s a sample-based keyboard with hundreds of samples, I scan through the manual (if I have one) to find the list of all the keymaps and print them out. Then I grab my box of various-colored highlighter markers and start the audition process. I assign each type of sound possibility a different color, such as orange for organs, blue for basses, pink for complex effects, etc. This makes it so easy later to build a sound or add a layer to a sound.
Finding the Sweet Spots
Next, I usually choose a single parameter to explore. For the sake of an easy example, let’s use pulse width modulation. The first thing I do is manually move the parameter from its minimum to its maximum value while listening for “sweet spots” in between. Sometimes the whole range is a sweet spot but, often, the best results come from a narrower range within that sweep. Then, by ear, I find the center of that sweet spot and leave it at that value. Now that I have a center of the sweet spot, I assign an LFO to modulate that parameter and set the LFO depth such that I like the entire range that it’s moving up and down. If the effect is something I want control over, I might assign the mod wheel or aftertouch to change the depth of that LFO modulation.
This process is repeated until I have a satisfactory number of parameters, each moving between a desirable minimum and maximum value using velocity, aftertouch, LFOs, envelopes, sequencers, and other controllers.
Adding Effects and EQs
If it’s a sample-based keyboard, I often duplicate the finished layer and pan one hard left and one hard right. While listening carefully with headphones, I’ll detune the first layer slightly flat (between -7 and -3 cents) and the second layer slightly sharp (between +3 and +7 cents) to create a huge stereo field. Effects are then added to make the sound even more interesting. If an EQ is available, I try to boost interesting elements, and attenuate anything that bugs me.
Hi, my name is…
And finally, I come up with a name for my creation. Typically, you have 16 or fewer character paces available so it can be a challenge to find a name that gives the best possible clues to the player on how to play this preset. Then the presets are put into an order that makes each one sound fresh and unlike the previous preset.
Good luck starting your own sonic creations!