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The MuSynth is a powerful modular sound engine.
This means you build up a sound by connecting oscillators, filters, amplifiers, envelopes, lfos etc... and tweaking each module's parameters.
The demo session is using MuSynths to generate the sound and so you can regard them as examples of how patches are made.
When you open the MuSynth editor, you'll see the MuSynth Play Editor by default. The Play Editor is an easy panel with just some effective parameter knobs perfectly finetuned for jamming around with the MuSynth patches in the library.
By pressing the TAB key, you can switch to the MuSynth Deep Editor, where you can edit the very architecture of this MuSynth patch, and assign Meta Parameters.
Using the MuSynth Deep Editor is very similar to using the Modular Plug Area.
About Voiced Plugins
An important aspect is that a MuSynth patch can contain both voiced and non-voiced plugins.
A voiced plugin is a plugin that can work with multiple voices, example: an oscillator.
An oscillator can play multiple notes at the same time, and thus multiple oscillator voices are playing.
A good example of a non-voiced plugin is a reverb. A reverb cannot play multiple versions of itself.
The Voice Input plugin is the starting point for all voiced plugins, and the Voice Output plug is the end point for all voiced plugins.
In other words: Any voiced plugins must be plugged in BETWEEN the Voice Input and the Voice Output!
The Voice Output plug contains all output of all voices, and you can connect any other plugin to the output of the Voice Output.
Note: You can even use a voiced plugin after the Voice Ouput, but then that plug won't be used in a voiced mode, it will just be used in non-voiced mode.
These plugins are voiced plugins:
- Stereo Splitter
- Stereo Combinor
- Wft Oscillator
- Noise Generator
- MM Filter
- Ring Modulator
- Amplifier
- Audio Balancer
- ADSR
- LFO
- Modulation Value Mapper
- Wobble Generator
About Parameter Modulation
Some plugs generate modulation data, for example the ADSR envelope and the LFO.
You can connect the output of such plugs to an event input of another plug so to modulate a certain parameter of the target plug.
Not all plugs process modulation data though, it depends on the plug.
If you hold the mouse over a jack, MU.LAB will show more info about that jack in a tooltip, and if that's an event input jack that maps to a modulatable parameter, the parameter name is included in the tooltip.
About the Main Envelope
Every MuSynth patch can have a "Main Envelope".
This envelope defines when a MuSynth voice is finished.
Because imagine, for example, a patch with a short amplifier envelope and with a long filter envelope. This would create voices which will play (and consume cpu power!) for a long time, while you only hear them for a short time.
So indicating a proper Main Envelope is important in optimizing the voice allocation algorithm, and regarding cpu consumption. Indicating a proper Main Envelope is the responsability of the MuSynth patch designer! A good patch has set a proper Main Envelope.
The Main Envelope can be set by right-clicking an envelope and choose "Set As Main Envelope".
The WFT Oscillator
- The WaveFormTable Oscillator uses a 4096 samples waveform to generate sound.
- This oscillator works anti-aliased so even when going high pitch you get crystal clear sound
- Right-click the waveform for a context menu with a bunch of presets, generate a wft via harmonics or randomization, etc...
- AIPS means AddInvertedPhaseShift. Simply put: with a Saw, this causes Block PWM. But it can be used with any waveform! And it can be modulated, e.g. by an LFO.
The Modulation Value Mapper
With the Modulation Value Mapper, you can transorm the input modulation values so that the output modulation values are smaller/larger and/or have inversed polarity:
In the above picture example, we've set the Minimum to 0 % and the Maximum to -50%. This way the level of the input signal is reduced to 50% AND inversed.
More infos
- Some plugins really need input, for example the ADSR won't work if you don't feed it with note events, as the ADSR curve is triggered by a 'Note On' event.
- Also the oscillator practically needs note inputs so it knows at what pitch it should play. By default it plays a C3.
- Same for the Multi Mode Filter: if you want to use its key tracking, it needs note events so it can track the pitch.
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