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User`s Manual - Performance Audio

1. 100 12 12 dB in shelf modes Q for HPF mode Anti Alias Off Mode 1 Mode 2 Keyboard Modes Page 39 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Unison Off 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 voice w z ty ERELT oss OTT m RSET SFI Detune 0 100 ae Glide 0 100 wei E Range 100 100 initial pitch 0 Hz 0 initial pitch last OSC pitch oo6 Ring OSC Source 022 OSC WaveDOctave ose OSC2WaveSPW 054 Oscillator portamento 100 initial pitch 4 octaves above keyed pitch 007 003 004 008 009 Source 025 DSC Wave 2 Octav Od OSC1 Fine 010 W ater 02 OS SUctave 042 OSC2 Fine i 7 l s Effects i 011 DSC1 Wave 1 Leve 2 USC Width Me 045 OSCT FM Velocity Rate 0 1 Hz to 1 0 Hz Depth 0 100 Clock off beat synced intervals 012 OSC1 Wave 2 Level 2 NSt2 Pulse widthMo 044 OSC2FM Velocity 013 014 015 OSC1 Wave 031 000 Delay 0 100 up to 0 5 seconds of delay time Feedback 100 Mix 0 100 Fot t lultiplier Rate v 2 Sustain Time 2 Direct OSC2 os oS on LFO MIDI Clock Syn LFO2 Env Mode FOS MIDI Clock Syn Env Amp Attack 2 D ee a e a e a nH D O sy amp LFOT Rate KeyFollow Fos Env Mode oT AAG pea Ti MIDI Mapping Pages ILFO2 Key Follow Mod p m r i LFO2 Attack Eny Amp Attack ILFOS Key Follow Mod Envy 2 Attack 2 5 ock Syni FOS Attach Env 1 Attac elay Depth MIDI controllers 0 127 assignable to any Synthesizer One aan
2. 40 6 100 0 Coop ASR 100 0 4b 45 6 oh Loop WAVE 1 2 Each LFO has 2 wave sources with a selectable waveform wave level and wave phase These controls allow the quick manipulation and mixing of waveforms in each LFO Refer to the OSC Page section for a complete description of the preset waveforms PW controls the pulse width of the square wave when selected Other waveforms also respond to changes in the PW value to produce many other sonic variations This additional capability is unique to Synthesizer One RATE controls the frequency of the LFO The x1 x10 x100 control allows finer adjustment at slower rates The LFO may also be synced to an internal or external clock source at a selectable interval The default sync mode is off not synced KF controls the amount of key follow how much the LFO rate tracks the keyed note pitch KF MODE LFOs can respond to each voice and keyed note pitch individually Poly or all lock to a single rate Mono CYCLE controls LFO looping mode e Once LFO cycles only once e Loop LFO cycles continuously e O H L LFO cycles only once and then continuously as key is released e O H O LFO cycles only once and then once more as key is released e Reset LFO cycles continuous but its state is reset as each key is played Page 21 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual ATTACK controls the rate of attack in the LFO multi mode ASR envelope The sus
3. captured is selected The entire sampled waveform is displayed in the lower plot and the segment used in the actual wave table is shown in the larger waveform display The user can compress or stretch the sampled waveform and then scroll through it to find a suitable portion for the edited waveform using the following controls SCROLL scans the captured waveform data the currently scanned waveform is displayed in the larger waveform display in the Wave Edit page WINDOW selects size of the segment of waveform data from the total captured waveform data to use as input to an edited waveform Its good practice to locate a periodic segment of the sampled waveform to get best results Edge modes help line up the ends of the waveform data and remove glitching The Edge 1 2 3 modes scale the end points of the waveform to zero The Match 1 2 3 modes modify the waveform edges to wrap around in a continuous linear manner Note the Audiosuite Wave Capture plug In must remain instanciated until the audio data is imported into an Edit wave Should the Capture Waveform plug In be de instanciated or if playback is started the imported audio displayed will no longer be available in the Wave Edit Page Use the Apply action to save the captured audio to an Edit Wave Page 26 mcdsp com ood oot oo oo 04 005 006 oo7 008 009 010 i 1 O12 O13 oi4 O15 MIDI Controller Mapping Page Synthesizer One User s Manu
4. ILFOS Key Follow Mod LFOS Attack Conrtoller Mod Targe Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Conrtoller Mod Tar ge OSC1 Fine OSC1 FM Velocity OSC2 FM Velocity i OSC2 Fine i T OSCI FM ve OSC FM velocity OSET Shaper Mode Env 2 Sustain Time CFO Env Pode Envy arp Attack 2 LFOS Env Mode Env 1 Attack 2 Enw Amp Attack Env 2 Attack 2 Env 1 Attack Env Amp Attack 2 En Envy 2 Attack Env 1 Attack 2 Enabl Env Arnip Decay Env 2 Attack 2 Enabl Env Amp Sustain Tim GLATAN OSE 1 Pre Filter OSE 2 Pre Filter Ring OSC Level Ring OSC Source 1 Oseillator Mix Oscillator Mix LFO Wave Level E nth Fage Maw igato LF03 Wave Level Taka CF01 Wave 2 Level MAE PLFO2 Pulse width 1 LOS Wave 2 PLFOS Pulse width 1 WIL Direct OSC FM Sour oO SeS Lewwel E S L ta Y a We Delay Time Delay Fate Delay Off Off Off Off Off Off Off Off MIDI CNTL e Select the MIDI device as an enabled MIDI device in ProTools and assign that MIDI device to the Direct Node of the Synthesizer One plug In the MIDI device is to control Refer to the Chapter 3 for how to configure MIDI Devices and Synthesizer One e Move a MIDI device MIDI controller Many modern synthesizers transmit MIDI data from all their control knobs much less keyboard e Verify the MIDI data LED and cont
5. IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON INFRINGEMENT THIS WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE Disclaimer of Damages REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ANY REMEDY SET FORTH HEREIN FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE IN NO EVENT WILL McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY SPECIAL CONSEQUENTIAL INDIRECT OR SIMILAR DAMAGES INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS OR LOST DATA ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE EVEN IF McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU IN NO CASE SHALL McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company s LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE FOR THE SOFTWARE The disclaimers and limitations set forth above will apply regardless of whether you accept the Software U S Government Restricted Rights RESTRICTED RIGHTS LEGEND Use duplication or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph c 1 ii of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252 227 7013 or subparagraphs c 1 and 2 of the Commercial Soft
6. MIDI Beat Clock dialog in ProTools under the MIDI popup menu Digidesign and Pro Tools are registered trademarks of Digidesign Inc Page 34 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual McDSP Technical Support McDSP technical and customer support is available via the Internet e mail and fax McDSP technical and customer support is a free service offered Monday through Friday 8 00 am 5 00 pm PST If you have purchased your product through a dealer please be sure to submit your product registration form to McDSP By registering your McDSP product you will be eligible to receive upgrades and advance information about new McDSP products Email info mcdsp com or help mcdsp com World Wide Web www mcdsp com Fax 707 220 0994 USA Frequently Asked Questions For an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions see our website www mcdsp com FAQ html Page 35 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Reference Section Synthesizer One Configurations and Specifications Synthesizer One Interfaces and Specifications NODE voices _WAVET WAVE _ WAVE3 MeSynth 1 z 0 RE 100 0 o 0 100 0 100 0 i 20 0 4 o 0 o 0 o 0 Sawin Sqr 1 Sine jie OOgp O04 Pr Petree erer ml internal i Linear of S75 36 3 0 0 EZEAN Sines OOd OOdp PH LPO Curve 1 ose 1 14MM 0803 A 0 0 0 0 10 0 Pero a S udio ose 1 Synthesizer One S1 mono and stereo main interface Volume 0 100 Quick Page M
7. Select a few of the different waves and hit the Apply key to hear them from OSC 1 Each time a new wave is applied the previous wave is written over Other editing modes include add subtract and multiply new waves onto existing waves The Processing section affects the wave once its written into an Edit Wave Quantization both vertically amplitude and horizontally time are available Harmonics of the Edit Wave can be used 1st 2nd 3rd or 4th Edge modes can remove some of the glitches in the Edit Wave very useful to reduce aliasing when the OSC is plays high notes and improving the overall sound Wave Drawing Reset the Synthesizer One controls to the Basic Edit Wave preset Using the mouse click and drag over the larger waveform display The mouse movements update the Staged Wave The wave hand drawing can also be applied to the Edit Wave directly select Edited in the Draw Target popup menu Now as each mouse draw is performed the results can be heard in notes played The Draw Mode can be set to also make straight lines by selecting Line in the Draw Mode popup menu Page 45 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Capturing Waveforms from Audio Synthesizer One s waveforms are not limited to built in functions On the contrary ANY waveform conceivable can be placed into the wavetable of an OSC or LFO Using the Audiosuite plug In called Waveform Capture Synthesizer One can examine audio recor
8. XP test machines are chosen to follow the Digidesign recommended systems guide which currently is the Dell PrecisionTM Workstation 670 with 2 79 GHz Xeon processor All products are guaranteed to run on that system Older Intel processors i e Pentium III and predecessors and AMD processors are not officially supported although some users have had limited success with newer AMD processors i e Dual Opteron 1 79 GHZ Athlon 64 2 20 GHz and Athlon 64 XP 3700 None of our XP product line will work with Pro ToolsTM 5 x Also note that our XP product line does not support MIX although RTAS versions will work if they exist and the rest of your system i e Pro ToolsTM version and processor is compatible Digidesign and Pro Tools are registered trademarks of Digidesign Inc mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Installing the Synthesizer One plug in on Mac OS X The Synthesizer One plug in Package includes this manual ReadMe and Release Notes a folder of presets for the Synthesizer One plug in and the Synthesizer One plug in Two copies of the Synthesizer One Licensing Agreement are included one in this pdf manual and a second as a separate text file The Synthesizer One plug in manual requires that Adobe Acrobat reader or similar pdf reader is installed Both online and boxed version will come with a Synthesizer One installer that will automatically install the Synthesizer One plug in and its presets on your system The authoriza
9. adjusts the resulting Edit Wave with quantization harmonic selection and waveform edge matching modes e Mouse movement on the waveform display free from and line based can manipulate the Staged Wave or selected Edit Wave The Wave Edit page can also be used to copy and paste waveforms from one preset to another from one wave to another or from one Synthesizer One instance to another The Wave Generator also has function options that recall the OSC 1 and OSC 2 waveform from the previous preset Draw and Edit Modes At any point in the wave editing process the Staged or Edited Wave can be adjusted by simply clicking and dragging the mouse over the larger waveform display EDIT MODE selects the method waveform edits are applied to the existing waveform e New each Apply action see Apply below creates a new waveform Page 24 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual e Add each Apply action adds the Staged Wave to the currently Edited Wave e Sub each Apply action subtracts the Staged Wave to the currently Edited Wave e Multiply each Apply action multiplies the Staged Wave to the currently Edited Wave EDIT WAVE selects the Edit Wave to be manipulated from the Wave Edit Page LEVEL the overall level of the selected Edit Wave DRAW MODE selects the way mouse click and drag actions are handled in the waveform display e Free waveform follows mouse movement freely e Line waveform follows mouse movement in a straigh
10. basic parameters available for each patch are accessible from a series of Quick Pages selected by the Quick Page popup menu The Quick Page parameters are detailed in the next sections 120 0 Internal Main Quick Page The Main Quick Page controls clock tempo patch tuning and the pitch bender setup CLOCK determines the rate of the internal clock This rate is used when LFO rate and or Performance Generator playback is synced to the internal clock rate SOURCE selects the clock source for use by sync able Synthesizer One parameters Internal is the internal clock External is the MIDI beat clock Note Synthesizer One must be configured to receive MIDI beat clock in order to sync to MIDI beat clock This procedure is detailed the section entitled Configuring MIDI TUNE alters the pitch of all oscillators by 100 cents TRANSPOSE alters the pitch of all oscillators by 12 half steps SS STs E In 120 0 es 6 SST BENDER UP sets the pitch bend range when the pitch bender is moved upward BENDER DOWN sets the pitch bend range when the pitch bender is moved downward W t a a CURVE selects the bender range scaling logarithmic linear or exponential Page 12 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Voice Quick Page The Voice Quick Page controls voice layering legato playing modes glide parameters and selected keyboard velocity curves DETUNE t
11. causes notes to glide from note to note i e portamento Page 30 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Effects Synthesizer One has a dedicated effects section capable of flange chorus echo and beat synced delay effects RATE controls the speed of an LFO used to modulate the delay length CLOCK used to sync the delay time to a selected interval Can be used with internal or external clock sources as selected in the Global section on the System page same page the Effects section is on DEPTH controls the amount of delay time modulation Small amounts of delay time modulation on a long delay length can create flange chorus effects in addition to a echoing delay DELAY controls the delay length FEEDBACK controls the amount of signal routed back into the input of the delay fine Creates an echoing effect for long delay lengths and enhances flange chorus effects for shorter delay lengths MIX controls amount of original and delayed signal routed to the output Page 31 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Performance Generator Most modern synthesizers have some sort of step sequencer or arpeggiator Synthesizer One offers much more with its Performance Generator Sequences arpeggiations and other phrases can be created and locked to an internal or external clock tracking the notes played on the keyboard Synthesizer One s Performance Generator can hold up to 16 events each with a unique note
12. folder in the plug in package on the CDROM e On Windows XP just launch Pro Tools to authorize the Synthesizer One plug in Note When authorizing the Synthesizer One plug in on Windows XP with a new iLok USB Smart Key you must insert the iLok USB Smart Key and complete the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard before attempting to authorize the plug in Select the Authorize button figure 2 1 to be guided through the Authorization Wizard Note Selecting the Quit button at any time will not authorize the plug in or allow it to be used for a trial period If Quit is selected the Synthesizer One plug in will not be available in the Pro Tools insert menu e The Synthesizer One plug in requires that the user personalize their copy of the plug in A dialog is displayed soliciting this information figure 2 2 Note that the product registration card enclosed with the plug in MUST ALSO be filled out as well and returned to McDSP via mail or fax to 707 220 0994 This additional mail in registration will entitle the user to future upgrades and advance information from McDSP Once the plug in is personalized click the Next button to continue mcdsp com a _ neSs eal Synthesizer One Tolali Sound Synthe Fig 2 5 iLok License Card and Removable Chip Fig 2 6 iLok USB Smart Key and License Chip Authorization Successfully Installed Authorization to run Syn
13. furnished under a license agreement and may be used only in accordance with the terms of the agreement McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company License and Warranty The software which accompanies this license the Software is the property of McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company or its licensers and is protected by copyright law While McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company continues to own the Software you will have certain rights to use the Software after your acceptance of this license Except as may be modified by a license addendum which accompanies this license your rights and obligations with respect to the use of this Software are as follows You May e authorize 1 one copy of the Software on 1 one PACE Anti Piracy iLok USB Smart Key for use with no more than 1 one computer at any given time e make copies of the Software for archival purposes or copy the software onto the hard disk of your computer and retrain the original for archival purposes e after written notice to McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company transfer the Software on a permanent basis to another person or entity provided that you retain no copies of the Software and the transferee agrees to the terms of this agreement You may not e copy duplicate or reproduce the documentation which accompanies the Software for the purpose of resale e sublicense rent or lease any portio
14. in this folder Pro Tools will delete it To install the presets shipped with Synthesizer One simply copy the Presets folder from the Synthesizer One plug In package folder into the DAE Folder gt plug in settings gt Synth lt space gt One folder Note running the installer even a second time will add the Synthesizer One presets to the appropriate location as well Synthesizer One not responding to MIDI Input Device e Refer to the section of the manual detailing the enabling of MIDI Input devices and enabling a MIDI track to receive and send MIDI data to Synthesizer One Other items to check include e Check MIDI Node ID in Synthesizer One UI matches output MIDI node in record enabled track receiving and sending MIDI data to Synthesizer One e Check MIDI track is record enabled check that MIDI Thru is enabled in ProTools e If certain MIDI data is not being received check the MIDI Input Filter settings in ProTools e If a MIDI input device is not sending MIDI data to ProTools check the MIDI Input Devices dialog in ProTools and be sure the selected MIDI Input device is enabled Synthesizer One not responding to MIDI Beat Clock e Check MIDI Beat Clock is enabled for Synthesizer One instance to receive MIDI Beat Clock The various instances of Synthesizer One are identified by their MIDI Node displayed in the upper left hand corner of the main user interface These MIDI nodes and the MIDI nodes of other MIDI devices appear in the
15. is ONE sample There is still a two sample delay from the TDM connection to from the Synthesizer One plug In The total sample delay is three samples This is the absolute minimum number of delay samples a TDM plug In can have The McDSP plug ins are designed in this manner to provide the user with the closest analog mixing console experience possible analog inserts such as EQ and compression do not cause a processing delay when inserted into a track Note event to audible sound on TDM systems is 71 samples at 44 1 kHz sample rate This extremely low latency of Synthesizer One makes it one of the most responsive if not the most responsive synthesizers on the planet RTAS versions also use the same ultra low latency algorithms but the audio is still buffered according to playback buffer sizes set in ProTools Synthesizer One DSP Usage HD and HD Accel DSP hardware The TDM versions of the Synthesizer One plug in configurations use a varying amount of dsp resources The table below is a listing of these dsp usages The DSP Allocator or System Usage window in ProTools utility provided by Digidesign can be used to display dsp resource allocation when Pro Tools is running The maximum voice count is 10 voices per dsp on HD hardware and 22 voices per dsp on HD Accel hardware Many voice configurations can share the same dsp two on HD six on HD Accel Note Synthesizer One does not share its voice pool dynamically a 2 voice configuratio
16. of these windows e Captured use waveform data from the Capture Waveform AudioSuite plug In See the next section for a detailed description on how to capture and use audio data in a waveform e PrevOSC1 2 recall the OSC 1 and OSC 2 waveforms from the previous preset This allows waveforms to be copied from one preset to another Selecting a preset that has desired waveforms and then selecting the preset being modified the waveforms from the first preset are saved in the PrevOSC1 and PrevOSC2 options in the Wave Generator APPLY Apply action take the Staged Wave data and process it into the selected Edit Wave UNDO Undo action revert to the last saved waveform data for the selected Edit Wave CLEAR Clear action delete waveform data set all data to zero for the selected Edit Wave Using Wave Capture plug in Synthesizer One can use audio recorded in a ProTools session as a source for waveform data An Audiosuite plug in called Waveform Capture is used to import a selected portion of audio and then transfer it to the Synthesizer One Wave Edit Page The Wave capture plug in is a pass thru plug in it does not alter the processed audio in any way In fact only the Analyze mode is needed to extract the wave data from the audio track The user simply highlights the desired audio and presses Analyze The measured result is displayed Then using the Wave Edit page the generator function called
17. saved and closed the last sound loaded into Synthesizer One from a cartridge file is saved into the session like a regular settings file for total recall of all parameters However as of Synthesizer One version 2 0 the cartridge file is not automatically reloaded with a session This means that automated MIDI program changes will not operate correctly until the cartridge file is manually loaded back into the appropriate Without the cartridge file loaded Synthesizer One will not respond to program changes Page 17 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Chapter 4 Programming Synthesizer One Synthesizer One Synthesis Engine Overview The synthesis engine of Synthesizer One is a wavetable based modular system Each component of Synthesizer One is defined below with a more detailed programming guide to follow e OSC oscillator used to generate sound are the basic building blocks of sound synthesis Synthesizer One has two wavetable OSCs each with three selectable waveform sources The wave sources can be preset waves or edited custom waves generated from the Synthesizer One Wave Edit system A third analog modeled oscillator with saw and triangle waveforms and separate tuning controls is also available e LFO low frequency oscillator used as modulation source Synthesizer One has three OSCs each with two selectable waveform sources The wave sources can be preset waves or edited custom waves generated from the Synthesizer
18. select its own modulation source many other parameters not typically modulated can be access from the Modulation Matrix MOD 1 2 3 4 selects the modulation source and target as well as controls the amount of modulation The available targets from the Modulation Matrix are e Off e Amplifier Envelope Attack e Amplifier Envelope Decay Release e Amplifier Sustain e Envelope 1 Attack e Envelope 1 Decay Release e Envelope 1 Sustain e LFO 1 Envelope Attack e LFO 2 Envelope Attack e LFO 3 Envelope Attack e OSC 1 FM Amount e OSC 1 PWM Amount e OSC 2 FM Amount e OSC 2 PWM Amount e OSC 1 Mix e OSC 2 Mix e OSC Level e External Input Level e Ring OSC Level e VCF 1 FM 1 Amount e VCF 1 FM 2 Amount e VCF 1 QM Amount e VCF 2 FM 1 Amount e VCF 2 FM 2 Amount e VCF 2 QM Amount e VCF Mix e Volume e Voice Pan Page 29 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Global Synthesizer One has an internal clock that LFOs and the Performance Generator can sync up with An external clock source MIDI Beat Clock can also be used as the global clock This is necessary to create modulation effects and note events in time with MIDI playback The global settings are saved per preset CLOCK controls internal clock rate in BPM SOURCE selects internal or external clock source Synthesizer One can be tuned to other instruments using Tune and Transpose controls Note each Synthesizer One instanciation must be individually
19. this iLok License Chip is inserted into the key slot of the iLok USB Smart Key in order to transfer the authorization from the License Card to the iLok USB Smart Key Note each Synthesizer One License Card holds ONE Synthesizer One plug in authorization The following instructions detail this process Important Note The Authorization Wizard will prompt the user to register their iLok USB Smart Key at iLok com iLok com is a service offered by PACE Anti Piracy Inc and this step is NOT REQUIRED by McDSP to complete the authorization of the Synthesizer One plug in If you choose to register your iLok USB Smart Key at iLok com care must be taken to record your ilok com account information i e write down your User ID and Password in a safe place If your iLok com account information is lost the iLok cannot be registered to another account and unfortunately there is nothing McDSP can do to help you See iLok com for more details about the benefits of using PACE s iLok com service Authorizing the Synthesizer One plug in from a License Card with the Authorization Wizard The Authorization Wizard is used to install an authorization from a License Card to the iLok USB Smart Key To use the Authorization Wizard for the Synthesizer One plug in perform the following steps e Insert your iLok USB Smart Key into a working USB port e On a Mac Locate and launch the Synthesizer One Authorizer application found in the Authorize
20. trigger Useful for creating polyphonic arpeggiation patterns LENGTH selects length of Event Sequence up to 16 events MODE selects Performance Generator mode e Off Performance Generator is off e Lock Low events are generated for lowest held note Unused voices can be played from the keyboard normally Useful to create rhythmic bass lines while playing other chords Page 32 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual e Lock High events are generated for the highest held note Unused voices can be played from the keyboard normally Useful to create rhythmic lead lines while playing other chords e Up events are generated from the notes held on the keyboard lowest to highest e Down events are generated from the notes held on the keyboard highest to lowest e Up Down events are generated from the notes held on the keyboard lowest to highest then highest to lowest e Step Rec generator note and velocity values are recorded from the virtual keyboard or connected MIDI controller Once this mode is selected play a root note and then each subsequent note and note velocity is recorded into the Performance Generator steps Note if all 16 steps are used the Step Record mode will begin to cycle through the 16 steps again over writing the steps that were written in the first pass LOOP selects looping mode of Performance Generator As of version 1 0 this parameter is not operational Instead as of version 1 0
21. 1 100 all OSC 2 OSC 3 0 100 OSC 3 level Level 0 100 total mixed OSC level Ring 0 100 selectable inputs Ext In O 100 selectable input Track 0 100 input tracking i e envelope follower OSC Waveform Display LFO Page Wave 1 2 Level 0 100 Wave 1 2 Type Sin 1 2 3 4 Sqr 1 2 3 Tri SawUp SawDown Editable Wave 1 2 Phase 100 Wave 1 2 PW 0 100 Rate 0 10 x1 x10 x100 syncable to internal external clock KF 0 100 KF Mode Mono Poly Attack 0 100 Release 0 100 Cycle Once Loop Once Hold Loop Once Hold Once Reset Env ASR Release Only Delayed Attack Page 37 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual VCF VCA Page VCF Type LPF HPF BPF BSF VCF Freq 0 100 VCF Q 0 100 VCF KF 0 100 VCF KF Mode Logarithmic Linear Exponential FM 1 0 100 selectable modulation source FM 2 0 100 selectable modulation source QM 0 100 selectable modulation source FM Vel 0 100 selectable curve QM Vel 0 100 selectable curve VCF 2 Input VCF 1 LPF HPF BPF BSF VCF Mix 100 Voice Pan 100 ADSTAR Envelope Generators Attack 0 100 Decay 0 100 Sustain 0 100 Time 0 100 Attack 2 0 100 enable disable Release 0 100 Env LFO Page Env Amp Env 1 LFO 1 LFO 2 LFO 3 Env Amp Env 2 Wave Edit Page Edit Mode new add subtract multiply Edt Wave Edit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Level 0 100 Copy P
22. A Page contains controls for VCF 1 VCF 2 ENV AMP ENV 1 and ENV 2 A set of sub pages can access ENV 2 or any of the LFOs from the LFO page e Wave Edit contains controls for custom waveform creation and manipulation User can edit any of the 8 editable waveforms in each preset e System Page contains controls for Velocity curves Pitch bender ranges and mode MIDI Performance Controller assignment modulation matrix routing effects EQ and anti aliasing modes and voicing modes e MIDI 1 Page contains assignments for MIDI controllers 0 63 e MIDI 2 Page contains assignments for MIDI controllers 64 127 e Perform Page contains controls for Performance Generator a customizable arpreggiator and or step sequencer Settings from the Performance Generator are saved in each preset When using an external control surface such as ProControl or Control 24 many of the page table assignments in these controllers include the Synth Page and or Quick Page selector This allows the appropriate user interface to be displayed as parameters are adjusted on the external control surface Page 18 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual OSC Page Synthesizer One uses wavetables to generate sounds from its oscillators OSC 1 and OSC 2 This allows extreme control and flexibility over the core source of sound generation Many adjustable parameters are available on the OSC Page with further waveform editing and creating tools on the Wav
23. C 1 of the Wave Edit In Progress preset Now press the Apply button to save this wave to the Edit 1 waveform Return to the OSC page and begin mixing this new waveform in the Edit 1 wave memory with the existing Organ Demo waves The preset entitled Organ Demo Sampled Wave shows how the newly copied wave could be incorporated into the original Organ Demo preset Page 46 mcdsp com www mcdsp com Copyright 2008 by McDowell Signal Processing LLC All trademarks are property of their respective owners McDSP is a trademark of McDowell Signal Processing LLC Analog Channel Channel G Chrome Tone CompressorBank FilterBank MC2000 ML4000 Revolver Synthesizer One Emerald Pack Classic Pack and Project Studio are Copyrighted 1998 2008 by McDowell Signal Processing LLC
24. C Additive Synthesis Open the Preset entitled Organ Demo in the Tutorial preset folder This preset emulates the sound of an organ such as a Hammond B3 or Korg CX 3 The sound has a lot of inter modulation and overtone Examination of OSC 1 and OSC 2 show however the sound is nothing more than sine waves summed at different frequencies and slightly detuned Most organ like sounds are derived from adding simpler waveforms together to create an overall more exciting sound Examination of the Ring OSC controls show OSC 1 and OSC 2 selected as inputs A Ring oscillator takes two inputs and multiplies them together creating sum and difference frequencies from the input frequencies Increasing the level of the Ring OSC adds more overtones to the organ patch The Organ Demo preset is a good example of how simple waveforms without any modulation of pulse width or frequency can create complex sounds And note how no filtering is even used on these sounds Filtering filter types and routing Synthesizer One has two Virtually Controlled Filters VCFs Each VCF is a 12 dB oct filter capable of outputting low pass high pass band pass and band stop filtered signals A main output from VCF 1 selected by the VCF 1 TYPE control is routed to the VCF Mix control The input to VCF 2 can be any of the VCF 1 outputs the mixed oscillators or an external input The output of VCF 2 selected by the VCF 2 TYPE control is routed to the
25. One Wave Edit system e VCF virtually controlled filter used to remove portions of the frequency spectrum Synthesizer One has two VCFs each with four filter types low pass high pass band pass and band stop Synthesizer One s VCFs output all these filter types simultaneously for flexible signal routing e VCA virtually controlled amplifier used to control the volume level of a preset Controlled primarily by ENV AMP the VCA level may also be modulated from the modulation matrix section on the Synthesizer One System page e ENV envelope generator used as modulation source Most commonly used to control the contour of the VCF and VCA Synthesizer One s three ENVs can be routed to any other modulation target e Modulation Target a parameter that has a dedicated source of modulation such as OSC frequency modulation Pulse Width modulation or VCF cutoff frequency modulation e Modulation Source a real time effect such as an LFO or ENV used to alter the original control setting of a modulation target such as VCF cutoff frequency Synthesizer One has over 300 synthesis parameters and 100 assignable MIDI controllers These controls are separated onto various control pages e OSC Page contains controls for OSC 1 OSC 2 the Ring OSC OSC Mixer and External Input A plot of OSC 1 and OSC 2 waveforms is displayed e LFO Page contains controls for LFO 1 LFO 2 and LFO 3 A plot of each LFO waveform is displayed e VCF VC
26. SB Smart Key to an iLok com account only when you are ready to retain all the needed iLok com account information User ID and Password A Finished dialog is displayed showing what authorization method was used Click Finish to exit the Authorization Wizard Page 10 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Registering your Synthesizer One plug in To register your Synthesizer One plug in with McDSP fill out and return the product registration card enclosed with the boxed plug in package by mail Registering your product entitles you to future upgrades and advance information from McDSP Each individual product must be registered even if you have multiple copies and it is recommended that the product be registered in a single persons name i e not just the name of a studio McDSP has no way to know who is currently working at a particular studio If that person should leave the company that purchased the Synthesizer One plug in it is the company s responsibility to notify us in writing that they need to transfer ownership Starting the Synthesizer One plug in Follow the installation authorization and registration instructions above Launch Pro Tools and the Synthesizer One plug in and its presets are ready for use Refer to the Digidesign Pro Tools Reference Guide for details on general plug in operation Exiting the Synthesizer One plug in The Synthesizer One plug in is exited by clicking on the des
27. TUNE BENDER Synthesizer One Total Sound Synthesis McDowell Signal Processing LLC Synthesizer One User s Manual Synthesizer One User s Manual Version 4 0 Special Thanks to e Rob Barrett Jr our 1 customer e Frank Filipanits Jr for the GeneratorX plug In his additional assistance with the abundance of details in bringing a software product to market e Dr Robert E Filman and Tom McTavish for the tech talk and encouragement e Greytsounds Sound Development for their extensive library of sample CDROMs e The McDSP Synthesizer One beta team and e Chris Griffin Charles Tetaz Gil Gowning James Waddell Mitch Thomas and Erick Halistone for their presets and feature feedback from the entire McDSP development team Copyright Notice The Synthesizer One plug In and Synthesizer One User s Manual are copyrighted 2002 2008 by McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company All Rights Reserved by McDSP McDSP is a trademark of McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company Trademarks McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company is a trademark of McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company Other brands and their products are trademarks of their respective holders and should be noted as such Digidesign and Pro Tools are registered trademarks of Digidesign Inc Support Email info mcdsp com Technical Support help mcdsp com World Wide Web www mcdsp com mc
28. VCF Mix control Each VCF has two cutoff frequency modulation sources FM 1 and FM 2 and a Q resonance modulation source QM The VCF Mix control adjusts the balance between VCF 1 and VCF 2 VCF Modulation Typical synth patches modulate the filter cutoff frequency and Q resonance of a filter This creates a variety of sounds even from the same oscillator waveform Bring up the preset entitled Basic VCF Demo in the Tutorials preset folder In this preset only VCF 1 is mixed to the output The modulation source for FM 1 is the Envelope Generator 1 ENV 1 A moderate attack and decay move the cutoff frequency from a bottom to the top of the frequency spectrum and back creating a brass like patch If the FM 1 amount control is reduced to zero hardly any output is heard the VCF 1 cutoff frequency is near zero and does not pass any signal Now increase the FM 2 amount control the modulation source for FM 2 is LFO 2 A wah wah effect is heard If the amounts of FM 1 and FM 2 are set to 50 0 the effects of both the modulation of ENV 1 and LFO 2 are heard If the sustain level of ENV 1 is increased to 100 the effect of LFO 2 would not be heard The modulations add to each other internally so at some point the filter cutoff frequency is at maximum and does not appear to modulate VCF Q controls the amount of peaking in a filter This is used to isolate and emphasize small portions of the frequency spectrum Try out the presets e
29. ain Voice Filter Amp Synth Page OSC LFO VCF VCA System MIDI 1 MIDI 2 Perform MIDI IN Status LED Voice Display MIDI Node ID Display Virtual Keyboard AO B8 no velocity sensitivity full on at 127 Responds to MIDI input devices Virtual Cartridge support up to 64 sounds can be stored in a single file recalled and accessed via MIDI program change or user interface Cartridges can be named as can sounds stored in each cartridge slot Up to 10 voices per dsp on HD TDM systems Up to 22 voices per dsp on HD TDM systems RTAS version includes all voice configurations found in TDM version for up to 22 voices per RTAS plug In Requires ProTools 6 0 or later Mac OS 10 0 or later or Windows XP Page 36 mcdsp com 0 0 100 0 m ne 1 Synthesizer One User s Manual OSC Page OSC 1 2 Wave 1 2 3 Level 0 100 Wave 1 2 3 Type Sin 1 2 3 4 Sqr 1 2 3 Tri SawUp SawDown Editable Wave 2 3 Phase 100 Wave 1 2 3 Octave 0 1 2 Wave 1 2 3 PW 0 100 PWM 0 100 selectable modulation source Coarse 24 half steps Fine 100 cents FM 0 100 selectable modulation source FM Vel 100 selectable curve FM 2 Secondary FM of OSC 1 from a separate list of modulation sources Shaper Off Sat1 Sat2 Filter Off Mode 1 2 3 4 5 6 selectable harmonic filtering OSC 3 Coarse 0 24 half steps continuous Saw up or Tri waveforms Mix 0 100 0 all OSC
30. al Synthesizer One has over 300 controls There are only 128 MIDI controllers In order to allow the maximum amount of MIDI controller support the MIDI controller mapping in Synthesizer One is selectable by the user The mappings created are automatically saved in the plug in in a preference file Re installing the plug In will erase the MIDI controller mapping data Each MIDI Controller mapping page shows the last MIDI control data controller number in the lower right hand corner of the user interface Perform the following steps to map a specific MIDI controller to a specific Synthesizer One parameter Off Off Off Direct OSC FM Sour Off Off Ring OSC Source 2 Wave Harmonic Selected Edit wave Ring OSC Source 1 Wave Parameter OSCI Wave 1 Level OSCI Wave 2 Level Post way DERE OSCI wave Phase Off Off Off Off Off Off Ring OSC Source 1 Filter Freq Pod 1 Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Conrtoller Mod Tar ge Delay Clock Syne PLFO Pulse width 2 LFOz Rate CF03 Pulse width 2 LFOs Rate LFOT Rate l O17 018 o19 O20 O21 Usa ears U4 TES 05t Wave Level Wave 2 Level Wave 3 Level ave 2 Phase Wave 3 Phase fOSCT Wave 10 OSCI Wave 2 0 face DSC Wave 3 fOSC1 Pulse Width Mo fOSC2 Pulse width Mo OSCI Pulse Width Po OSC Pulse Width Mo Ring OSC Source 1 CF0 Multiplier Rate CF02 MIDI Clock CF03 MILI Clock LFOT Rate keyFollow ILFOe Key Follow Mod LFO Attack
31. all performance generations loop continuously regardless of how this parameter is set Synthesizer One comes with many presets using the Performance Generator Using these presets as starting points for more patterns sequences and arpeggiations is a good way to explore the possibilities of the Performance Generator Page 33 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Chapter 5 Support and More Information Trouble Shooting How do I authorize Synthesizer One e Synthesizer One can be authorized via a machine unique challenge response or via a key smart card and iLok Refer to the installation details provided in Chapter 2 Installing Synthesizer One e Synthesizer One will operate for 14 days on any system from the time it s first used on that system without any copy protection When the dialog appears asking for the authorization the user can select continue and operate Synthesizer One in its entirety Authorization dialog requests from Synthesizer One will not re appear until the user quits and re launches Pro Tools Synthesizer One does not appear in Insert popup e Check your installation of Synthesizer One e Synthesizer One will not appear in an insert popup if its trial period has expired and is not authorized Presets do not appear in plug in settings folder e Pro Tools will automatically create a plugin settings folder when you run Synthesizer One in a Pro Tools Session If no presets are created and saved
32. anena annman parameter Assignments saved into preference in plug In i T gt Aad Env 2 Attack OE 199 wn automatically for instant recall E Conrtoller Mod 7 arge onrtoller wo z Delay Clock Syne Conrtoller Conrtoller I Env Amp Decay PLFO2 Pulse Width 2 gt LFO2 Rate Eny 2 Attack 2 Enabl N f i TAIERE Conr toller l N Env Amp Sustain Tim FOS Rate I Conrtoller oOo ps M M 1 onrtoller M 1 M 1 4 J wD w wo wD w wW wo ul LFO1 Rate onrtoller Performance Generator Page Note Offset 24 half steps 2 octaves Velocity 0 127 MIDI standard Duration 1 to 16 16th notes Loop Loop Once Restart Only Loop mode available in version 1 0 120 0 Mode Off Lock Low Lock High Up Down Up Down internal Voices 1 8 voices Length 1 16 steps Note Velocity Duration preset patterns Syncable to internal or external clock such as MIDI Beat Clock Note Offset and Velocity Display Page 40 mcdsp com mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Synthesizer One Linked Control Table Synthesizer One provides some linked control functionality The table below lists all the linking capabilities as of version 3 3 version of Synthesizer One VCF Freq and Q Enable the Link vs Dual mode Absolute or Relative in VCF 2 Freq and Q controls Synthesizer One DSP Delay The delay incurred by any of the Synthesizer One
33. ased modulation including preset volume VCA OSC FM and VCF cutoff and Q modulation CURVE 1 2 3 controls the velocity curve linearity Curve 1 is displayed in white Curve 2 in purple and Curve 3 in yellow The curve settings are saved per preset Pitch Bender The pitch bender up and down range is adjustable in half step increments 12 help steps 1 octave The bender range linearity is also controllable The pitch bender settings are saved per preset UP DOWN controls the up and down range of the pitch bender response CURVE controls the linearity of the pitch bend range MIDI Performance Controllers Synthesizer One can assign up to 4 MIDI controllers to a synthesizer parameter These assignments are called MIDI Performance Controllers and are saved per preset Unlike MIDI Controller Mappings the Performance Controller does not override the control value instead the MIDI control value is added to the original control value Each MIDI Performance Controller can be assigned up to 2 Synthesizer One parameters The MIDI Performance Controller assignments are saved per preset Page 28 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual CONTROL 1 2 3 4 selects the MIDI performance controller and two target parameters The available MIDI Performance Controllers are e Pitch Wheel e Mod Wheel e Breath Pedal e Channel Pressure Modulation Matrix In addition to having nearly every modulation target
34. aste of Edit Waves to Stages Waves locally or globally to another Synthesizer One instance in the same session Wave Draw Draw Mode Free Point to Point Draw Target Staged Edited Page 38 mcdsp com 100 0 Synthesizer One User s Manual Processing V Quantize Off Half Step Whole Step H Quantize Off 1 2 1 4 1 8 1 16 1 32 1 64 Harmonic x1 x2 x3 x4 Edge Mode Off Edge 1 2 3 Match 1 2 3 Generator Function same waveforms as available to OSCs LFOs windowing captured audio previous preset OSC 1 2 waveforms for copying waveform data from one preset to another Parameter 0 100 Apply Undo Clear Scroll 0 100 Window 0 100 System Page Velocity Curves 1 2 3 0 100 Bender Up 0 to 12 half steps Bender Down 0 to 12 half steps Bender Curve Logarithmic Linear Exponential MIDI Performance Controllers 1 2 3 4 selectable MIDI controller two selectable Synthesizer One parameters Mod Matrix Mod 1 2 3 4 0 100 selectable modulation target and destination Global Clock 30 240 BPM internal rate selectable external clock Tune 100 cents Transpose 12 half steps 1 octave Note Steal Off Low Note High Note Low Velocity Velocity Curve 1 2 3 Off Poly Mode Poly Mono 1 2 3 4 EQ Type High Pass HPF Low Shelf LS and High Shelf HS EQ Freq 0 100 20 Hz 3 KHz in HPF amp LS modes 3 10 kHz in HS mode EQ Gain
35. board Synthesizer One can be played from an enabled MIDI input device The enabled MIDI input device data can also be recorded on a MIDI track After following the steps in the previous section entitled Enabling MIDI Input Device Synthesizer One can be configured to respond to a MIDI keyboard using the following procedure e Insert a Synthesizer One plug In on an audio track or auxiliary input e Create a new MIDI track e Assign the new MIDI track Device Channel to Synthesizer One Note a separate MIDI track is required to control each Synthesizer One plug In in a session Each Synthesizer One plug In in the session is given a unique MIDI node number displayed in the upper left hand corner of the Synthesizer One user interface e Record enable the MIDI track e The enabled MIDI input device the keyboard will now play notes on Synthesizer One Using MIDI Playback Just as Synthesizer One can be played from an enabled MIDI input device it will also respond to MIDI track data Using the same procedure as described above in Using a MIDI Keyboard the MIDI track Device Channel is assigned to a particular Synthesizer One Direct MIDI node When ProTools playback is started the recorded MIDI data on the MIDI track will be sent to the Synthesizer One plug in Control Linking Synthesizer One s filter cutoff frequency and Q of VCF 1 and VCF 2 may be linked explicitly from the VCF VCA page in the synthesizer section of the user inter
36. by default to the PWM of OSC 1 Press and hold a few notes the original square wave is heard Increasing the PWM amount control will begin to add pulse width modulation PWM to the square wave The harmonic content of the waveform is changed and a more sophisticated sound is heard Return the PWM amount control to zero Select another waveform and vary the PWM amount Note some waveforms do not respond as much to PWM as others Return the wave source of Wave 1 to the Sqr 1 waveform and the PWM amount control to zero Go to the LFO page and examine the LFO 1 controls Just to the right of the rate control is the Key Follow KF control increase its value to 20 Now return to the OSC page and press and hold some notes while increasing the PWM amount Note how the modulation effect is more complex as each keyed note s LFO rate is different Now set the OSC Mix to 50 for equal amounts of OSC 1 and OSC 2 Select the Sqr 1 waveform for Wave 1 of OSC 2 Increase the level to 100 Adjust the fine tuning of OSC 1 and 2 such that they are slightly detuned from each other For variety alter the octave setting of Wave 1 of OSC 2 and perhaps add some PWM amount in OSC 2 as well Playing a big chord will reveal a complex large sound far different than the original Sqr 1 wave the preset started with An example of this variation is seen in the preset entitled Plain Old Sqr Better Page 43 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual OS
37. d channels assigned to the currently record enabled MIDI track e Note when using MIDI Thru the Local Control on a MIDI keyboard enabled as a MIDI Input Device should be disabled If this is not done the enabled MIDI input device could receive twice as many MIDI notes causing notes to stick and or erroneous MIDI data e In ProTools select Input Filter from the MIDI popup menu to display the MIDI Input Filter dialog e Select de select the MIDI data to be received from the Enabled MIDI input device Version 2 0 and later respond to MIDI Program Change messages Playing Synthesizer One Notes can be played on Synthesizer One from the user interface virtual keyboard or an enabled MIDI Input device refer to the previous section entitled Enabling MIDI Input Device for more information on configuring a MIDI device to play Synthesizer One Using Virtual Keyboard Synthesizer One has a virtual keyboard allowing notes to be played using the mouse Notes are played while the mouse is clicked and held over a give note As the mouse passes from one note to the next the previous note is turned off The virtual keyboard plays notes with a key velocity of 127 maximum allowed The Latch Bar at the bottom of the virtual keyboard holds notes as they are selected with the mouse Latched notes and the latch bar status are saved in each Synthesizer One preset Page 15 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Using a MIDI Key
38. ded in a ProTools session and import it into an Edit Wave Open the ProTools session entitled Capture Waveform Demo Once the session has opened go to the Wave Edit page on Synthesizer One The preset saved with the session entitled Wave Edit In Progress C shows the already saved Edit Wave 1 in the Wave Edge Page larger waveform display This waveform shows a small portion of the highlighted waveform in the ProTools Edit window The Synthesizer One filter and envelope sections have been modified to approximate the sound of the entire sample From the Audiosuite pull down menu select the SynthOne Wave Capture plug In Once the Wave Capture plug In user interface is displayed press the Analyze button Now the first 2048 samples of the highlighted audio appear in the waveform display of the Wave Capture plug In Leaving the Wave Capture plug In up go to the Synthesizer One plug In and its Wave Edit Page Select Captured and see the yellow Staged wave update with the sampled audio Note in this example the first samples of the selected audio produce a great sound source so a suitable segment to re create the original sample will already appear in the Wave Edit page once Captured is selected If other segments of the captured audio are desired for the edited waveform use the Scroll and Window controls to compress or stretch the waveform and move around inside the sampled audio to find a suitable loop The Edge Modes particula
39. down You should be able to visually verify that the License Chip makes contact with the iLok USB Smart Key metal card reader The green LED in the iLok USB Smart Key will light when it is ready to receive and transmit data Upon inserting the iLok License Chip a message will be displayed indicating the authorization was installed successfully Click Ok in the message dialog Once the authorization is installed on the iLok USB Smart Key a dialog is displayed prompting the user to register their iLok USB Smart Key at the www ilok com website The iLok com website was created to allow users to manage the software authorizations on their iLok USB Smart Key THIS STEP IS NOT REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE AUTHORIZATION OF MCDSP SOFTWARE The registration of the iLok USB Smart Key to an iLok com account can be bypassed by clearing the checkbox The user may also choose to not be asked to register again While iLok com is a great resource for the iLok USB Smart Key your iLok USB Smart Key may only be linked to one iLok com account That is an individual iLok USB Smart Key can only be registered to one account at a time but a single account can have multiple iLok USB Smart Keys If the iLok com account information is lost the iLok USB Smart Key cannot be registered to another account However an iLok USB Smart Key may be transferred between accounts if all the authorizations have been transferred off the iLok USB Smart Key Register the iLok U
40. dsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Contents Chapter 1 Introducing Synthesizer One 5 Chapter 2 Installing Synthesizer One 6 System Requirements 6 Installing the Synthesizer One plug in on Mac OS X 7 Installing the Synthesizer One plug in on Windows XP 8 Authorizing Synthesizer One 9 Registering your Synthesizer One plug in 11 Starting the Synthesizer One plug in 11 Exiting the Synthesizer One plug in 11 Chapter 3 Quick Start 12 The Quick Start Tour 12 A Look at the Quick Pages 12 Configuring MIDI 15 Playing Synthesizer One 15 Control Linking 16 Metering 16 Automation 16 Presets Using the Presets Making Your Own and Virtual Cartridges 17 Chapter 4 Programming Synthesizer One 18 Synthesizer One Synthesis Engine Overview 18 OSC Page 19 LFO Page 21 Filter and Envelope Page 22 Wave Edit Page 24 MIDI Controller Mapping Page 27 System Page 28 Performance Generator 32 Chapter 5 Support and More Information 34 Trouble Shooting 34 McDSP Technical Support 35 Frequently Asked Questions 35 Reference Section Synthesizer One Configurations and Specifications 36 Synthesizer One Interfaces and Specifications 36 Tutorial Section Synthesizer One Programming Examples 43 Oscillators the core sound component 43 Filtering filter types and routing 44 Wave Editing creating and copying waveforms 45 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual NicDSP s Synthesizer One License Agreement The software described in this manual is
41. e Edit page OSC 3 is modeled after standard analog waveforms called saw and tri triangle OSC 3 tracks the pitch of OSC 1 but can then be detuned continuously down to 2 octaves below OSC 1 s pitch o So 1 SENIL fcr jik 100 0 613 556 pr 41 44 Sqr sf Tri LFot Curve 3 em 50 0 Audio WAVE 1 2 3 Each OSC has 3 wave sources with a selectable waveform wave level and wave phase Wave 2 and 3 only These controls allow the quick manipulation and mixing of waveforms in each OSC There are 10 preset waveforms and 8 editable waveforms per preset The 10 preset waveforms are detailed below e Sine 1 sine wave Increasing decreasing the PW control increases decreases the base harmonic relative to the keyed pitch adding more harmonics as PW is increased in a non linear manner e Sine 2 sine wave Responds to PW control changes in the same way as the Sine 1 waveform Additionally the end points of the resulting waveform are automatically matched This reduces some harmonic content of the wave and also makes it more appropriate as an LFO waveform the waveform is smoother e Sine 3 sine wave Increasing decreasing the PW control increases decreases the base harmonic relative to the keyed pitch No additional harmonic content is added e Sine 4 sine wave PW control values greater than 50 have no effect PW control values less than 50 zero out a portion of the waveform Some FM based synthesizers u
42. each dsp chip there is a two part or six part multi timbral synthesizer Also when two Synthesizer One instances share the same dsp chip the maximum number of voices is reduced by two 8 on HD On HD Accel the voice count is reduced to 16 when there are 6 Synthesizer One configurations on a single HD Accel dsp chip This reduction in maximum voices allows each instance to have a dedicated effects section Digidesign and Pro Tools are registered trademarks of Digidesign Inc Page 42 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Tutorial Section Synthesizer One Programming Examples Synthesizer One comes with a variety of presets One folder of presets entitled Tutorials contains the presets discussed and used in the examples below Be sure to have Synthesizer One up and running to select and explore these patches If the user is not familiar with basic Synthesizer One operation and recalling saving presets patches the Quick Start Tour provides more than enough information to get Synthesizer One configured for the tutorial below Oscillators the core sound component Synthesizer One has some of the most flexible oscillators of any virtual analog synth The ability to create custom waveforms results in unique sounds Oscillators are the basic source from which a synthesizer patch is created and a good understanding of how to program each oscillator is essential to maximize Synthesizer One s sonic potential OSC Wave
43. ers Sustain Time and Attack 2 These controls are described in the next chapter entitled Programming Synthesizer One rage 14 14 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Configuring MIDI Synthesizer One uses Direct MIDI to receive MIDI data For more information on how to setup MIDI devices keyboards and interfaces with Pro Tools refer to the Pro Tools Hardware Installation Guide Once a MIDI device has been configured with Pro Tools Synthesizer One is can respond to MIDI note data note velocity channel pressure pitch bend modulation wheel s Synthesizer One can also map any of the 128 MIDI controllers to any of its 300 parameters Enabling MIDI Input Devices To enable a MIDI device to play the Synthesizer One keyboard and modify Synthesizer One parameters the MIDI device must be enabled using the following procedure e In ProTools select Input Devices from the MIDI popup menu to display the Inputs to Enable dialog e Select the check boxes of the MIDI device s to be used as MIDI input devices e Clear the check boxes of any MIDI device s not to be used for MIDI input to improve MIDI performance e Click the OK button to enable selected MIDI input devices e To enable monitoring of MIDI tracks while recording check the MIDI Thru menu selection from the MIDI popup menu Enabling MIDI Thru configures ProTools to send MIDI data from enabled MIDI input devices to the devices an
44. es Some older synthesizers produced a lot of aliasing noise and those sounds became a part of the synthesizer s character In Synthesizer One the anti aliasing filter can also be disabled if such character is desired EQ GAIN controls amount of gain from EQ In low or high shelf mode the gain range is 12 to 12 dB In high pass mode the gain controls the high pass filter Q producing a gain peak of up to approximately 15 dB EQ FREQ controls the frequency of the EQ filter EQ TYPE selects the EQ filter type Low Shelf High Shelf or High Pass Keyboard Modes Synthesizer One voicing is controlled in the Keyboard Mode section Voice layering de tuning and other keyboard related parameters are adjustable UNISON controls how many voices are layered on a single note Up to 8 voices can be layered for extremely phat sounds As each voice is layered the total polyphony of the Synthesizer is reduced by that many voices For example in 2 voice Unison mode the max polyphony is reduced from 8 to 4 voices on a ProTools HD system DETUNE controls the amount each OSC pitch is slightly different from all the other OSCs This control allows a sound to be phat and emulates the behavior of many analog synthesizers GLIDE controls the rates at which notes glide from one event to the other RANGE controls the glide range Negative values cause notes to glide up positive values cause notes to glide down and a value of zero
45. face The linking offset is determined by the offset between the VCF 1 and 2 Freq and Q controls when the Link control is enabled This allows the cutoff frequency and Q controls to lock to each other with equal values absolute linking or at a fixed offset relative linking Metering Each LFO section in Synthesizer One displays the rate of the LFO with a two state LED meter As the LED value is above 0 positive the LED it lit When the LFO wave is below 0 negative the LED is not lit Note the LFO rate of Synthesizer One can exceed the display rate of the LFO LEDs so for fast rates in excess of 100x the LFO LEDs do not provide accurate information Automation Over 300 of Synthesizer One s 400 controls are automatable See the Digidesign Pro Tools Reference Guide Automating plug ins section Here are a few tips about automating the Synthesizer One parameters e The Wave Edit page controls are not automatable they are used to create waveforms These controls may however be controlled from an external MIDI device or control surface ProControl Control 24 etc e The MIDI Mapping controls on the MIDI pages MIDI 0 63 MIDI 64 127 are not automatable These controls are used to assign MIDI controllers to various Synthesizer One parameters Page 16 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Presets Using the Presets Making Your Own and Virtual Cartridges The presets for Synthesizer One included with the pl
46. forms and the Pulse Width PW Control Open the Preset entitled Plain Old OSC in the Tutorial preset folder The OSC Mix control is set to 0 only OSC 1 is heard Examine the Wave 1 control in OSC 1 a sine wave is selected with the remaining wave source levels at zero Each wave source has a PW Pulse Width control Conventional synthesizers allow pulse width control over square waveforms only Synthesizer One applies variations to many waveforms when the PW control is adjusted Press and hold a few notes via the virtual keyboard and latch control or a MIDI keyboard while adjusting the PW control for Wave 1 A lot of sonic variations can be heard just from a single sine wave Clicking the PW control while holding the option key will reset the PW back to the default value Press and hold the command key while moving the popup slider allows fine control adjustment Using the waveform selector popup menu select the other waveforms for Wave 1 in OSC 1 Adjust the Wave 1 PW control to hear the various effects OSC Pulse Width Modulation PWM Open the Preset entitled Plain Old Sqr in the Tutorial preset folder The OSC Mix control is set to 0 only OSC 1 is heard Examine the Wave 1 control in OSC 1 a sqr wave is selected with the remaining wave source levels at zero Typically pulse width modulation is reserved for the square wave In the Plain Old Sqr preset LFO 1 has been setup as a sine wave and is routed
47. g of the combined VCF 1 and VCF 2 outputs into separate left and right outputs This effect is only heard when operating a stereo configuration of Synthesizer One VCF 2 INPUT selected the input to VCF 2 e VCF 1 LPF low pass filter output from VCF 1 e VCF 1 HPF high pass filter output from VCF 1 e VCF 1 BP band pass filter output from VCF 1 e VCF 1 BS band stop filter output from VCF 1 e Mixer output of OSC mixer includes OSC 1 OSC 2 Ring OSC selected external input e Audio audio input source e OSC 1 output of OSC 1 only e OSC 2 output of OSC 2 only Note when using VCF 1 outputs another selected output from VCF 1 is still routed to the VCF MIX control Envelope Generators Synthesizer One has three envelope generators ENV AMP ENV 1 ENV 2 The amplifier envelope generator ENV AMP although the exclusive modulator of the virtually controlled amplifier VCA output level can be routed to any other modulation target The envelope generators are ADSTSR attack decay sustain sustain time attack 2 at key release and release Inverted output from ENV AMP ENV 1 and ENV 2 are assignable to any modulation target The VCF VCA page shows all the controls for VCF 1 and VCF 2 and can select to display the controls for ENV 1 and ENV AMBP or ENV 2 and ENV AMP or LFO 1 2 or 3 ATTACK controls envelope rise time how long it takes envelope to reach full scale as notes are played DECAY controls rate envelope falls t
48. he amount of pitch variation between each oscillator UNISON the number of voices layered when a single note is played GLIDE rate at which oscillator pitches glide from a set range determined by the Range control RANGE starting point for the glide Up to 4 octaves above or below final keyed pitch When the Range is set to zero the glide becomes a portamento effect with the portamento rate controlled by the Glide control POLY MODE sets envelope re triggering and glide effect on off based on legato or staccato playing style e Poly keyboard responds polyphonically for as many voices as are available in a given configuration e Mono 1 keyboard responds monophonically re triggering all envelopes for every key played glide is always on e Mono 2 keyboard responds monophonically re triggering all envelopes for every key played glide is enabled when notes are played legato e Mono 3 keyboard responds monophonically re triggering of all Curwe 1 envelopes occurs when notes are played staccato glide is always on e Mono 4 keyboard responds monophonically re triggering of all envelopes occurs when notes are played staccato glide is enabled when notes are played legato VELOCITY selects the velocity curve used by the Synthesizer One amplifier circuit or VCA Virtually Controlled Amplifier There are three adjustable velocity curves on the System page that are saved in each patch Filter Quick Page The F
49. he sound takes on new sonic features not present in the original material Many other good examples of sample waves in presets can be found in the preset folders Many of these waveforms were taken from CDROM samples which can provide a multitude of waveform data Many popular keyboards from the 60 s 70 s 80 s 90 s and today can be emulated by Synthesizer One Many presets are named with reference to keyboards and synthesizers from other manufacturers These companies are not affiliated in any way with McDSP nor do they endorse the Synthesizer One plug In The trademarks of these companies are used solely for the purpose of describing the sounds produced by the McDSP Synthesizer One plug in All Trademarks are property of their respective owners Copying Wave Data from One Preset to Another Different presets in Synthesizer One can be combined somewhat by copying the wave data from one preset to another As each new preset is accessed Synthesizer One stores the total waveform in each OSC and saves them for use in the newly selected preset To access the previous OSC waveform select the PrevOSC1 or PrevOSC2 function from the Wave Edit page generator Return to the Capture Waveform Demo session and select the Wave Edit In Progress preset Now select the Organ Demo preset Go to the Wave Edit page and in the Generator section choose the PrevOSC1 function Note the displayed Staged Wave is the same waveform from OS
50. ilter Quick Page controls the VCF type filter cutoff frequency and resonance or Q Synthesizer One s filters are referred to as VCF 1 and VCF 2 Virtually Controlled Filters The VCFs are 12 dB oct 2 pole and output low pass high pass band pass and band stop filtered signals simultaneously Inputs and outputs of VCF1 and VCF 2 are assignable for serial parallel and modular routing configurations TYPE selects VCF filter type output to the VCF MIX control e LPF low pass filter passes only signal below the cutoff frequency e HPF high pass filter passes only signal above the cutoff frequency e BPF band pass filter passes only signal near the cutoff frequency e BSF band stop filter rejects only signal near the cutoff frequency FREQ controls VCF cutoff frequency Q controls VCF resonance or Q amount 7 Ty 7 U 4 T TOTAR eG tis tigate Se eee Page 13 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Amp Quick Page The Amp Quick Page controls the envelope of the Synthesizer One amplifier circuit or VCA Virtually Controlled Amplifier ATTACK the rate the VCA level rises as a key is played DECAY the rate the VCA level falls after the attack segment of the envelope has finished SUSTAIN the level the VCA reaches after the decay segment of the envelope RELEASE the rate the VCA level falls after the key is no longer played Note the envelopes in Synthesizer One have additional paramet
51. ion of the Synthesizer One user interface paan loads a cartridge file A dialog box appears and the user can navigate to Synthesizer One cartridge Er files anywhere on their system There are several cartridges included with the main Synthesizer One folder created by the installer Different cartridges can be loaded into each Synthesizer One Eject instance in a session Users can then scroll through the sounds from the cartridge via the program number in the upper right hand corner of the cartridge LCD or via MIDI program change Once loaded the cartridge file name is displayed on the cartridge itself The user can modify the cartridge file name Each sound on the cartridge can also be named as entered in the lower half EET of the cartridge LCD r Store Pee The user can save new sounds into the cartridge by pressing the Store button The currently z selected program number and name will be used for the newly saved sound Users can load sounds from the existing settings files by selecting a cartridge program number loading the preset from the plug in librarian entering the preset sound name in the cartridge LCD and pressing the Store button Pressing the Eject button in the Memory Cartridge section unloads the cartridge file At this point the user is given an opportunity to save the newly edited cartridge to a new or the same file Pressing Cancel in this dialog will not save any changes made to the cartridge file As a session is
52. izer One User s Manual FREQ controls VCF cutoff frequency Q controls VCF resonance or Q amount KF controls VCF cutoff frequency key follow the amount the cutoff frequency is affected by the keyed note Positive KF increases decreases VCF cutoff frequency as higher lower notes are played Negative KF decreases increases VCF cutoff frequency as higher lower notes are played KF MODE controls the linearity of the key follow FM 1 controls amount of VCF cutoff frequency modulation from the selected modulation source FM 2 controls amount of VCF cutoff frequency modulation from the selected modulation source QM controls amount of VCF resonance modulation from the selected modulation source FM VEL controls how the keyed note velocity affects the amount of VCF cutoff frequency modulation The velocity curve scale is selectable Positive FM Velocity increases VCF cutoff frequency modulation as keyed note velocity increases Negative FM Velocity decreases VCF cutoff frequency modulation as keyed note velocity increases QM VEL controls how the keyed note velocity affects the amount of VCF resonance modulation The velocity curve scale is selectable Positive FM Velocity increases VCF resonance modulation as keyed note velocity increases Negative FM Velocity decreases VCF resonance modulation as keyed note velocity increases VCF MIX controls the balance between VCF 1 and VCF 2 selected outputs VOICE PAN controls the pannin
53. ktop or other window in the DAE application running the plug in closing the plug in window or de instantiating the plug in Pro Tools sessions will save instantiated Synthesizer One plug in configurations and their settings Refer to the Digidesign Pro Tools Reference Guide for details on general plug in operation Digidesign and Pro Tools are registered trademarks of Digidesign Inc Page 11 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Chapter 3 The Quick Start Tour Start Protools and Instantiate Synthesizer One e Launch Protools and Open a Protools Session e Verify the Display gt Mix Window Shows gt Inserts View option is checked e In one of the inserts select the Synthesizer One plug in use the 6 voice config e If the insert selection does not show Synthesizer One plug ins verify that Synthesizer One has been installed correctly e For more information on starting Pro Tools and working with plug ins see Digidesign s Pro Tools Reference Guide A Look at the Quick Pages NODE VOICES f VOLUME MeSynth 1 2 QUICK PAGE E E HOEN A 100 0 The basic operation of Synthesizer One can be controlled from the left hand portion of its user interface TUNE BENDER Ai Critical patch and configuration data is displayed in the upper left hand side MIDI data 7 received LED MIDI node and the number of voices The main patch volume control is in this area of the user interface The
54. l Synthesizer One plug in into a simplified user interface For more information on Synthesizer One LE see the printed quick start guide included with the plug in For information on upgrading to the full version of Synthesizer One see www mcdsp com Digidesign and Pro Tools are registered trademarks of Digidesign Inc All other trademarks are property of their respective owners mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Chapter 2 Installing Synthesizer One System Requirements Operating System Synthesizer One is compatible with both Mac OS X 10 4 x and Windows XP Configurations Synthesizer One is available in TDM RTAS and AudioSuite configurations Applications Pro ToolsTM 7 x or higher is required for TDM LE and M Powered systems Additionally a Third Party software application that supports the Digidesign TDM RTAS or AudioSuite plug in Standard may be supported See http www digidesign com developers plugin_info for more information McDSP plug ins are compatible with the entire Pro ToolsTM 7 product line Hardware McDSP plug ins support any Digidesign or approved Third Party hardware supported in Pro ToolsTM 7 x This includes HD HD Accel 002 and Mbox host based systems See http Awww digidesign com compato for more specific information The McDSP Mac versions are compatible with both Intel and PowerPC based computers The McDSP XP versions require an Intel Pentium 4 or greater processor Our
55. l the Synthesizer One plug in presets and documentation to a local folder on your system The plug in will be placed in the plug ins folder and the presets will be placed in the plug ins Settings folder e If a previous version of the Synthesizer One plug in or other HD Native or LE version was already in the plug ins folder it will automatically be updated or replaced by the installer Re installing the Synthesizer One plug in presets manually In you wish to restore the factory default presets it may be useful to know how to manually re install only the presets e Go to the plug in Settings folder e C Program Files Common Files Digidesign DAE plug in Settings e If Pro Tools has not already done so for you create a folder called McDSP lt space gt Synthesizer lt space gt One e Place a copy of the folder from the Synthesizer One plug in package called Presets into the McDSP lt space gt Synthesiz er lt space gt One folder The presets are now viewable after restarting Pro Tools from the settings popup menu for an Channel G plug in Note it may be necessary to re start Pro Tools in order for the newly added Presets folder to be viewable from the Settings popup inside the Synthesizer One plug in window toolbar mcdsp com Synthesizer One This Plug in must be authorized with an iLok An iLok License card is included in the Plug In package The iLok USB dongle may be purchased separa
56. ly re install only the presets e Go to the plug in Settings folder e Root gt Library gt Application Support gt Digidesign gt plug in Settings e If Pro Tools has not already done so for you create a folder called McDSP lt space gt Synthesizer One e Place a copy of the folder from the Synthesizer One plug in package called Presets into the McDSP lt space gt Synthesizer One folder The presets are now viewable after restarting Pro Tools from the settings popup menu for an Synthesizer One plug in Note it may be necessary to re start Pro Tools in order for the newly added Presets folder to be viewable from the Settings popup inside the Synthesizer One plug in window toolbar mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Installing the Synthesizer One plug in on Windows XP The Synthesizer One plug in Package includes this manual ReadMe and Release Notes the Synthesizer One plug in and a folder of presets for the Synthesizer One Plug in Two copies of the Synthesizer One Licensing Agreement are included one in this pdf manual and a second as a separate text file The Synthesizer One plug in manual requires that Adobe Acrobat reader or similar pdf reader is installed Both online and boxed version will come with a Synthesizer One installer that will automatically install the Synthesizer One plug in and its presets on your system The authorization of the Synthesizer One plug in is still required afte
57. n of the Software to a third party without expressed written permission from McDowell Signal Processing LLC e reverse engineer de compile disassemble modify translate make any attempt to discover the source code of the Software or create derivative works from the Software e make any attempt to circumvent any copy protection software e use a previous version or copy of the Software after you have received a replacement set or an upgraded version as a replacement of the prior version unless you donate a previous version of an upgraded version to a charity of your choice and such charity agrees in writing that it will be the sole end user of the product and that it will abide by the terms of this agreement Unless you so donate a previous version of an upgraded version upon upgrading the Software all copies of the prior version must be destroyed Limited Warranty McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company warrants that the media on which the Software is distributed will be free from defects Your sole remedy in the event of a breach of this warranty will be that McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company will at its option replace any defective media McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company does not warrant that the Software will meet your requirements or that the operation of the Software will be uninterrupted or that the Software will be error free THE ABOVE WARRANTY IS EXCLUSIVE AND
58. n remains a 2 voice configuration regardless of how many notes the user is trying to play This prevents unwanted voice stealing from occurring Each voice configuration has its own dedicated effects section complete with EQ voice level panning and a modulated synced or free running delay line capable of echo chorus flange and beat synced delay effects Maximum Instantiation Counts per HD amp HD Accel DSP at 48kHz Sample Rate Synthesizer One Configuration mono or stereo 2 Voice 4 Voice 6 Voice 8 Voice 10 Voice 12 Voice 14 Voice 16 Voice 18 Voice 20 Voice 22 Voice Synthesizer One User s Manual Percentage per HD amp HD Accel DSP at 96kHz Sample Rate mono or stereo HD systems HD Accel systems E 10 Voice O A There is no 192 kHz sampling rate support as of version 3 3 of Synthesizer One The above voice configurations are listed in the insert menu from the Pro Tools mixer The Synthesizer One configurations that do not indicate a number of voices were previously the maximum voice configuration 8 on MIX 10 on HD Adequate support of HD Accel required this max voice configuration be assigned a constant voice allocation of 10 voices The number of voices for any Synthesizer One configuration is displayed in the upper left corner of the user interface Synthesizer One allows up to 2 instances to share the same dsp chip on HD systems and up to 6 instances on HD Accel systems In other words for
59. ntitled VCF Big Q Demo for an example high Q values in low pass filter The cutoff frequency falls from a max value to near zero and the high Q value creates a sweeping sound as the envelope decays VCF cutoff frequency and Q can also be modulated by keyed note velocity Using key velocity to affect filter parameters and other synthesizer parameters makes presets sound more real and responsive to played notes VCF Mix Modulation The VCF Mix control can be modulated from the Modulation matrix on the System page for sounds that shift in spectral content over time A good example of this technique is in the VCF Mix Demo preset in the Tutorials preset folder Page 44 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual VCF Distortion Overdrive The VCFs can produce a large amount of gain when the Q resonance is set to high values 70 100 Synthesizer One VCFs can either create a clean or distorted sound depending on the mix levels in the oscillator mixer on the OSC page and the amount of Q in each VCF and the routing of the VCFs Serial routing with both VCFs set to a high Q will create the most gain distortion Check out the preset entitled Obi Q Kenobi in the Pads preset folder Experimenting with the Q and OSC Level controls will produce different types of distorted and clean filtered signals Wave Editing creating and copying waveforms Synthesizer One has a wave editing system to create new waveforms f
60. o Sustain Level SUSTAIN controls envelope sustain level TIME controls sustain time A sustain time of zero has no effect on envelope sustain level Negative values of sustain time begin to subtract from original sustain as notes are played Positive values of sustain time begin to add to original sustain level as notes are played ATTACK controls attack 2 the envelope rise time as notes are released This secondary attack can be enabled or disabled RELEASE control envelope release time how long it takes envelope to fade away as notes are released Page 23 mcdsp com ni d m Synthesizer One User s Manual Wave Edit Page Synthesizer One uses wavetables to create the waveforms in the OSCs and LFOs Many preset waves providing the standard types of sounds and modulations are available as presets in the OSC and LFO waveform popup selector Additionally 8 editable waves are saved per preset and can be used by any OSC or LFO These editable waveforms are created using the controls on the Wave Edit Page r pa Tr Mone 1764 Ba E Pem Edge 1 f Copy Faste Local The basic operation of waveform editing on Synthesizer One is as follows e Select an Edit Wave to manipulate there are 8 per preset e Generate a Staged Wave displayed in purple in the waveform display e Apply Staged Wave to selected Edit Wave 8 per preset shown in white on the waveform display e A Processing Section
61. offset velocity and duration Notes can be triggered monophonically or polyphonically for as many voices as are available in the given Synthesizer One configuration Preset note velocity and duration patterns are available or the user can customize an event sequence from the 2 banks of 8 events each Performance Generator patterns are saved in each preset If the latch mode of the virtual keyboard is also enabled the last played notes can also be saved with the preset The Performance Generator also responds to MIDI Song Position Pointer commands so it will lock up to the specific tempo and bar of a MIDI song All OTF 127 0 127 0 127 0 127 0 7 0 7 0 127 0 127 0 Pee ete eet berries Pree i FE 120 0 Internal NOTE selects the offset from the note s played on the virtual keyboard or connected MIDI controller There are up to 16 note offsets in a performance generation VELOCITY selects the velocity of each note offset in a performance generation DURATION selected the length of time allotted to each note offset in a performance generation NOTE PATTERNS selects preset note pattern and sets Event Note Offset values VELOCITY PATTERNS selects preset velocity pattern and sets Event Velocity values DURATION PATTERNS selects duration pattern and sets Event Duration values CLOCK controls internal clock rate in BPM SOURCE selects internal or external clock source VOICES selects number of Event Notes played per Event
62. omized waveforms including importing of audio as wavetable data e One Analog modeled oscillator with saw and triangle waves and separate tuning control e Ring oscillator with selectable inputs include LFOs oscillators noise source and envelopes e External input and envelope follower e Two multi mode filters with simultaneous HP LP BP and BS outputs serial parallel and modular signal routing e Three LFOs with MIDI beat clock sync and dedicated ASR envelopes e Three ADSTAR envelopes attack decay sustain sustain time attack 2 post key up event release e Modular routing of oscillators filters LFOs and audio signals many dedicated modulation source menus for synthesizer parameters e Effects processor capable of flange chorus echo and beat synced delay e Performance Generator for making custom sequences arpeggiations and other phrases responding in real time to keyed notes e Virtual Cartridges for up to 64 sounds from a single bank accessible via MIDI program change and user interface e DSP Performance Up to 10 voices and or 2 separate effects sections per HD dsp Up to 22 voices and or 6 separate effects sections per HD Accel dsp RTAS versions will run on TDM or host based systems in the same voice configurations as the TDM versions Attention Synthesizer One LE owners This manual contains a description of the full Synthesizer One plug in Synthesizer One LE incorporates the most commonly used parameters from the ful
63. or oscillators and LFOs There are 8 editable waves per preset The Edit Waves are accessed via the Wave Edit page A detailed operational guide on the Wave Edit page can be found in Chapter 4 of this manual The following sections illustrate some of the uses of the Wave Edit page via example presets Basic Wave Edit Preset The Tutorial folder has a preset entitled Wave Edit Start This preset mixes only OSC 1 to the output has no filtering and is ideal for beginning to audition custom waveforms Play a note no sound is heard This is because OSC 1 has selected the Edit Wave 1 Edit 1 waveform In the Wave Edit page the first waveform selection from the Generator section a sine wave is displayed in purple At the lower right hand corner of the Wave Edit page are three action keys Apply Undo and Clear Press the Apply key and then play some notes The simple sine wave has been applied to the Edit 1 wave shown in the upper left hand corner of the Wave Edit Page and is now in the wavetable of OSC 1 Continuing with the Generator section select some of the wave functions available There are many that are the same waves available to the OSC and LFO sections via their wave source popup menus Other waveforms such as ramps and windows are listed as well The Parameter control affects these waves in the same manner as the PW control in the OSC and LFO sections Other waves are also affected by the Parameter control
64. r running the installer and those steps are detailed in the following sections Installing the Synthesizer One plug in and presets with the Installer The Synthesizer One plug in package purchased at your local dealer will be on CDROM and contain a Windows self extracting executable exe similar to the online Synthesizer One plug in package prepared for Internet delivery Both the boxed and online versions the Synthesizer One plug in executable file will automatically install the plug in and its presets on your system Double click the file to launch the installer which will install the Synthesizer One plug in presets and documentation At any time after installation you may access the documentation from the Windows Start Menu under the McDSP group Authorization of the Synthesizer One plug in is still required after running the installer and those steps are detailed in the following sections Note that after installing new versions of the PACE iLok drivers with the Synthesizer One plug in installer you will be prompted by the Synthesizer One plug in installer to reboot your system If you are not prompted by the installer there is no need to reboot e Insert the McDSP HD Disk Native Disk or LE Disk CDROM onto an available CDROM drive e Navigate to the Synthesizer One plug in folder on the CDROM the installer application is contained therein e Run the Synthesizer One plug in Installer application to instal
65. r other source This is another feature only found on Synthesizer One selectable Ring OSC inputs EXT IN controls the level of an external signal to be mixed with OSC 1 OSC 2 and the Ring OSC This source may be an audio input white noise or other source TRACK controls the rate of the envelope follower used to process audio when input audio is selected as the external input Waveform Display shows the total waveform derived from the 3 available wave sources for each OSC OSC 1 is shown in white OSC 2 in purple The waveform for OSC 3 is not shown Page 20 mcdsp com 0 0 lera 0 0 d 0 0 4 100 0 Sine 1 ERII 0 0 at 0 0 dp 0 0 dp Synthesizer One User s Manual LFO Page Synthesizer One uses wavetables to generate waveforms for its LFOs In fact the very same waveforms and editing tools used to create OSC waveforms are available to each LFO This allows complex modulation signals to be created Additionally each LFO has a dedicated ASR Attack Sustain Release envelope to fade in and or fade out the LFO effect These multi mode ASR envelopes may also be assigned to any other modulation target such as OSC FM The LFOs are syncable to each other and an internal or external clock Currently External clock support consists of MIDI Beat Clock As more advanced syncing technologies become available MIDI Time Stamping external clock support will include those syncing techniques as well
66. rly the Match 1 2 3 modes are very useful in aligning waveform edges for glitch free waveforms The Generator Parameter control adjusts the amplitude of the captured audio When a suitable wave is found press the Apply button Now play some notes and audition the sample Select the Wave Edit In Progress A preset to hear what the original capture waveform sounds like using only one of the two wavetable oscillators Now select the Wave Edit In Progress B preset to see how the two 12 dB oct filters of Synthesizer One s VCFs Virtually Controlled Filters are setup to mimic the MiniMoog 24 dB oct filter The final patch called Wave Edit In Progress C what layering the sample in OSC 1 and 2 can do Some pulse width modulation is added PWM from LFO 1 and 2 in the preset called Wave Edit In Progress D Recall Synthesizer One can apply pulse width modulation to ANY waveform including sampled ones This sound is a good improvement over the Wave Edit In Progress A preset and very close to the original sampled sound in the ProTools session Its important to note Synthesizer One is NOT a sampler It cannot replicate long passages of audio However periodic audio such as audio from other synthesizer can be imported into Synthesizer One s wavetables with great success When auditioning the sample keep in mind a second OSC with the same or varying samples can be incorporated into the sound Add filters and envelope modulation and t
67. roller number display in the MIDI Controller Mapping page update e Select the Synthesizer One parameter from the popup menu to be controlled by the MIDI controller As these selections are made Synthesizer One automatically saves these settings into a preference inside the plug In itself This allows a set of MIDI controller mappings to be portable from one facility to another Re installing Synthesizer One will reset the MIDI controller mapping settings Page 27 mcdsp com 0 0 LFO off E CLOCK DEI Synthesizer One User s Manual System Page Global functionality such as velocity scaling output anti aliasing filters bender control and MIDI performance controller mapping are edited from the System page Keyboard modes such as voice detuning glide note stealing and unison modes are savable per preset A global clock rate can be set or an external clock source such as MIDI beat clock can be used to sync LFO and the Performance Generator rates The effects section is capable of flange chorus echo and beat synced delay A stereo EQ section straight from FilterBank provides additional beef to sounds Mod hl Pitch whl 0S1 FH Source Off j USC FM Source miji TP iteh whi Fitch whl Off o 0 o 0 oo f 120 0 CF trot LFot a Of otf p or Internal o Curve 1 Mode 1 High Pass mm REET o 0 100 0 Velocity Curves The three velocity curves are assignable to any velocity b
68. se this technique to create more complex waveforms from a simple sine wave e Sqr 1 square wave PW increases decrease pulse width of waveform This is the standard effect of the PW control Note the effect of PWM can be increased decreased pending the pulse width of the original square waveform e Sqr 2 square wave PW increases decreases pulse width of waveform and adds harmonic content in a linear manner Applying PWM to this waveform creates synced OSC effects e Sqr 3 variation of square wave PW increases decrease pulse width of waveform This is the standard effect of the PW control e Tri triangle waveform PW controls width of triangle shape e Saw Up ramp up waveform PW controls the linearity of the ramp slope e Saw Dwn ramp down waveform PW controls the linearity of the ramp slope Page 19 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual OCT controls the octave 0 1 or 2 of each wave source PW controls the pulse width of the square wave when selected Other waveforms also respond to changes in the PW value to produce many other sonic variations This additional capability is unique to Synthesizer One PWM controls amount of pulse width modulation generated by the selected modulation source The selected source can be an LFO LFO passed through its multi mode ASR envelope generator another envelope generator and many more options Many of the modulation targets such as pulse width can use a selec
69. t line DRAW TARGET selects Staged or Edited Wave as the waveform to be affected by mouse clicks on the larger waveform display Note for a drawn waveform change to be heard it must be done in the Edit Wave If the Staged Wave is modified from on screen drawing the Staged wave must be applied to the Edited Wave Wave Processing The Wave Edit Page Processing section parameters are applied to a Edit Wave once it has been edited from a mouse drawing event or Apply action from the Function Generator V QUANTIZE selects the horizontal quantization mode currently in half or whole steps or off H QUANTIZE selects vertical quantization time based quantization of waveform Use this mode to create LFO waveforms that are then sync d to an internal or external clock source for complex rhythmic modulations EDGE MODE selects how waveform start and end points align These modes are needed when making glitch free waveforms e Off no waveform edge alignment e Edge 1 2 3 waveform edges align to zero e Match 1 2 3 waveform edges align to start and end points Wave Copy and Paste At any point in the wave editing process the Edited Wave can be copied to the Staged Wave for use by any other Edit Wave The Local Global button allows Edit Waves to be copied locally or globally The later mode allows Edit Waves to be copied to from other Synthesizer One instances in a session Wave Generator The Wave Edit Page Function Genera
70. table modulation source COARSE adjusts OSC tuning 24 half steps 2 octaves FINE adjusts OSC tuning 100 cents about one half step FM controls the amount of frequency modulation FM from the selected source A FM value of 100 modulates the pitch of the OSC by 1 octave FM VEL controls how the keyed note velocity affects the amount of OSC FM The velocity curve scale is selectable Positive FM Velocity increases OSC FM as keyed note velocity increases Negative FM Velocity decreases OSC FM as keyed note velocity increases SAT MODE Controls the saturation modes of each OSC As wave sources are mixed their sum can produce clipping inside the OSC The Saturation Mode allows variations of this effect FILTER controls the filter type used to pre filter the OSC wavetable The default position is off or no pre filtering Pre filtering is useful to adjust harmonic content of OSC waveforms to reduce aliasing and or produce other desired effects such as softening a waveform sound without lowering is overall level Another feature unique to Synthesizer One is the ability to filter selected harmonics from each wavetable oscillator MIX controls the mix between OSC 1 and OSC 2 LEVEL control the signal level of the mixed OSC 1 and OSC 2 RING controls the level of the Ring OSC The Ring OSC inputs are selectable one input must always be an OSC 1 or 2 and the other source can be an LFO envelope generator o
71. tain level is full scale 1 0 RELEASE controls the rate of release in the LFO multi mode ASR envelope ENV controls the mode of the LFO multi mode ASR envelope e ASR attack sustain release e R only release only envelope begins to release immediately as note is played e Diy A delayed attack envelope remains at zero until key is released and then rises at the rate set by the attack control Waveform Display the LFO waveform is displayed for each LFO at the right hand side of the user interface Only one period cycle of the waveform is shown Filter and Envelope Page Filters Synthesizer One has two virtually controlled filters VCF 1 VCF 2 The VCFs are 12 dB oct 2 pole and output low pass high pass band pass and band stop filtered signals simultaneously Inputs and outputs of VCF1 and VCF 2 are assignable for serial parallel and modular routing configurations 100 0 B06 1 0 0 0 100 0 Enw 1 Curve 10 0 100 0 Dual Cual Linear 25 0 25 0 0 2 100 0 Enable TYPE selects VCF filter type output to the VCF MIX control e LPF low pass filter passes only signal below the cutoff frequency e HPF high pass filter passes only signal above the cutoff frequency e BPF band pass filter passes only signal near the cutoff frequency e BSF band stop filter rejects only signal near the cutoff frequency Page 22 mcdsp com Synthes
72. tely if one was not supplied with your system To authorize select the Authorize button to be guided through the process This version of software does not have a demonstration period Fig 2 1 Main Dialog Synthesizer One Name Company Colin McDowell McDSP Address P O Box 50611 City State Zip Country Palo Alto CA gt 94303 TUSA 3 Phone Fax Email 650 320 8452 7O 220 0994 colin medsp com Notify me with new product information _ lt Back Next gt Cancel X Fig 2 2 User Registration Dialog Synthesizer One This version of Synthesizer One requires authorization to run but the authorization cannot be found in the installed iLok serial number 0x00000000 if you have a license card for this product and wish to use it to authorize this iLok check the Use license card check box and press the Next button Uncheck the box if you wish to authorize your iLok using an alternative method v Use license card lt Back C Next gt Cancel X Fig 3 2 Use iLok License Card Dialog Synthesizer One User s Manual Authorizing Synthesizer One The Synthesizer One plug in requires that a valid authorization is present on your iLok USB Smart Key With a boxed copy this authorization is provided to you on a plastic License Card about the size of a credit card with a small punch out iLok License Chip After being separated from the License Card
73. thesizer One has been successfully installed from your license card to your iLok serial number 0x00000000 Fig 2 7 Successful Install Synthesizer One Thank you for registering Synthesizer One Press the Finish button to complete the registration process Summary of actions E Installed authorization from a license card to the iLok x Installed an authorized iLok Synthesizer One User s Manual Check the Use License Card box and press the Next button figure 2 3 Note Although the Authorization Wizard may appear to allow authorization by challenge response that method is currently NOT SUPPORTED by the Synthesizer One plug in Separate the small punch out iLok License Chip the removable metal and plastic tab from the License Card by pushing the cutout up and out with your thumb Do not force your finger downward The iLok License Chip may now be inserted into the key slot of the iLok USB Smart Key figure 2 6 If the iLok USB Smart Key does not appear to be present on the system ensure the iLok USB Smart Key is connected to a valid USB port and that the green LED is lit inside the iLok USB Smart Key To insert the License Chip into the iLok USB Smart Key orient the iLok USB Smart Key s USB end to the left and the loop end to the upper right Insert the metal chip end of the iLok License Chip the License Chip tab should have the metal chip side facing up towards you not
74. tion of the Synthesizer One plug in is still required after running the installer and those steps are detailed in the following sections Installing the Synthesizer One plug in and presets with the Installer The online version of the package has been prepared for Internet delivery and is transmitted as a compressed file in zip format zip In Mac OS X 10 4 x simply double click the zip file to unpack the installer The boxed plug in package purchased at your local dealer will be on CDROM As with the online version these physical versions of the Synthesizer One plug in package should be copied into a local folder on your system e Insert the McDSP Green Disk CDROM onto an available CDROM drive e Navigate to the Synthesizer One plug in folder on the CDROM the installer application is contained therein e Run the Synthesizer One plug in Installer application to install copy the Synthesizer One plug in presets and documentation to a local folder on your system The plug in will be placed in the plug ins folder and the presets will be placed in the plug ins Settings folder e If a previous version of the Synthesizer One plug in or other HD Native or LE version was already in the plug ins folder it will automatically be updated or replaced by the installer Re installing the Synthesizer One plug in presets manually In you wish to restore the factory default presets it may be useful to know how to manual
75. tor can be used to apply basic waveforms windows and even captured audio from a ProTools session to a selected Edit Wave FUNCTION selects the Generator Function to be applied to the selected Edit Wave e Sin x sine wave Increasing decreasing the Parameter control increases decreases the base harmonic relative to the keyed pitch adding more harmonics as PW is increased in a non linear manner e Sqr 1 square wave Parameter increases decrease pulse width of waveform This is the standard effect of the PW control Note the effect of PWM can be increased decreased pending the pulse width of the original square waveform e Sqr 2 square wave Parameter increases decreases pulse width of waveform and adds harmonic content in a linear manner Applying PWM to this waveform creates synced OSC effects e Tri triangle waveform Parameter controls width of triangle shape e Saw Up ramp up waveform Parameter controls the linearity of the ramp slope Page 25 mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual e Saw Dwn ramp down waveform Parameter controls the linearity of the ramp slope e Ramp Up ramp up waveform offset to vary from 1 0 to 0 0 Parameter controls the linearity of the ramp slope e Ramp Dwn ramp down waveform offset to vary from 1 0 to 0 0 Parameter controls the linearity of the ramp slope e Window 1 2 3 4 functions made to taper off the edges of a waveform to zero The Parameter controls the width
76. tuned the Tune and Transpose controls are not global to all instances of the Synthesizer One plug in TUNE controls the global tuning of the OSCs 100 cents TRANSPOSE selects the half step tuning offset of the OSCs 12 half steps 1 octave Synthesizer One s has user selectable note voice stealing modes keyboard velocity mode and keyboard polyphonic monophonic modes for enhanced legato playing styles NOTE STEAL selects the note steal mode Off Low Note High Note and Lowest Velocity note VELOCITY selects the velocity curve used by the keyboard and VCA POLY MODE controls the polyphonic and monophonic keyboard mode and how legato and staccato playing affects envelope re trigger and OSC glide e Poly keyboard responds polyphonically envelopes always re trigger and glide is always on e Mono 1 keyboard responds monophonically envelopes always re trigger glide is always on e Mono 2 keyboard responds monophonically envelopes always re trigger glide is only on when notes are played legato e Mono 3 keyboard responds monophonically envelopes only re trigger when notes are played staccato glide is always on e Mono 4 keyboard responds monophonically envelopes only re trigger when notes are played staccato glide is only on when notes are played legato Synthesizer One has a stereo EQ on its main outputs and a selectable anti aliasing filter to prevent errant sounds when playing higher not
77. ug in package are automatically installed when running the Synthesizer One installer Many presets were created at McDSP These presets are grouped in folders as per their application Pads Bass Leads Other presets from outside sound programmers are in additional folders intermixed with the McDSP presets identified by their creator s initials and or facility name GG Presets JW Presets etc As more presets become available McDSP will post them to our site for download Check out www mcdsp com periodically for more Synthesizer One sounds To make and save your own presets see the plug in Librarian Functions section of Digidesign s DigiRack plug ins Guide Many presets are named with reference to keyboards and synthesizers from other manufacturers These companies are not affiliated in any way with McDSP nor do they endorse the Synthesizer One plug in The trademarks of these companies are used solely for the purpose of describing the sounds produced by the McDSP Synthesizer One plug in All Trademarks are property of their respective owners Pro Tools is a registered trademark of Digidesign Inc Using Virtual Cartridges Synthesizer One has virtual cartridges allowing up to 64 sounds to be saved in a single file These files can be loaded by any Synthesizer One instance and accessed through the program number in the cartridge LCD and or via MIDI program change Pressing the Load button in the Memory Cartridge sect
78. ware Restricted Rights clause at 48 CFR 52 227 19 as applicable McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company Palo Alto CA 94303 info mcdsp com General This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of California This Agreement may only be modified by a license addendum which accompanies this license or by a written document which has been signed both by you and McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement or if you desire to contact McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company for any reason please email legal mcdsp com By downloading using or copying this Binary Software Licensee agrees to abide by the intellectual property laws and all other applicable laws of the U S and the terms of this License Ownership of the software shall remain solely in McDowell Signal Processing Limited Liability Company mcdsp com Synthesizer One User s Manual Chapter 1 Introducing Synthesizer One Congratulations on purchasing Synthesizer One the most sophisticated TDM and RTAS in fact the ONLY TDM and RTAS synthesizer plug In for Pro Tools digital audio workstations Synthesizer One is a wavetable based modular synthesis engine combining many sound creation techniques into a single product TDM and RTAS versions are available in mono and stereo formats Feature List e Two wavetable oscillators with wave editing system to create cust

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