The beginning of class started with a quick review of analog synthesis basics (as covered in class 2), followed by a discussion of Logic Pro's ES-1 synthesizer.
The ES-1 is a step up from the basic synths we looked at last week. For starters, there is a more sophisticated LPF section with a choice of four slopes. The 12 dB per octave slope is perhaps a bit too tame for synthesis as it gently rolls off harmonics above the cutoff. The 18 dB/8ve LPF is modestly stronger, but for me, I almost always use one of the two 24 dB/8ve filters. The 24 dB "Classic" and 24 dB "Fat" filters sound identical until you begin adding Resonance. "Classic" mode is designed to emulate the filter response of vintage synths such as the Minimoog. In "Classic" mode, frequencies in the pass-band (i.e., well below the cutoff) are reduced as resonance is added while frequencies at the cutoff are boosted. In "Fat" mode, frequencies at the cutoff are boosted with Resonance, but other pass-band frequencies are unaffected; "Fat" mode maintains the presence of low frequencies and is better for bass and leadlines. The Filter also features a (mild) Drive control to hit the filter's input with more signal and a Key scaling function that allows you to follow the keyboard pitch (at the 1 octave setting) or to stay at a fixed frequency (at the 0 octave setting).
The ES-1 features four parameters with "Split Wedge" controls. In each case, the top "wedge" indicates the maximum strength of the signal applied; the lower "wedge" indicates the minimum signal applied. The ADSR via Vel(ocity) controls allow the ADSR Envelope Generator to affect the LPF.
With both controls set to "0," the ADSR has no effect on the filter. With the lower wedge at "0" and the upper wedge set all the way to "+," a velocity of 127 will raise the filter's cutoff significantly, while a low velocity will have less effect. Moving the lower wedge halfway between "0" and "+" will allow the ADSR to feed the filter on low-velocity notes, but to have a more pronounced effect on high-velocity notes. Setting the lower wedge all the way to "+" would mean all notes would be affected by the ADSR, regardless of velocity.
Keep in mind when the wedges are together, the controller (in this case keyboard velocity) will have no effect.
We see a similar control setup on the amplifier's output. Rasing the lower wedge while keeping the upper wedge at the "Full" setting effectively compresses the audio output level. Set both to "Full" to eliminate velocity sensitivity.
The LFO offers a choice of waveforms, a "sync" mode that sets the LFO Rate as a function of the tempo, and a Router that can send the LFO output to one of six destinations. Once again split wedge controls are used, although here it is the Modulation Wheel that is controlling the LFO (not velocity). Set the lower wedge to minimum and adjust the upper wedge to set the maximum level of the effect when the Mod Wheel is set to 127. Or, to set up your patch so that there is a small, but constant, amount of vibrato:
The Mod Envelope is a mini-envelope generator that can be routed to one of seven destinations. Setting the "Form" control to the left (Decay Mode) drops the control signal from a high level to a sustaining level over the indicated time period. Setting the "Form" control to the right (Attack Mode) raises the control signal from a zero level to a sustaining level over the indicated time period. You could route this to Pitch, for example, and adjust the Attack to get a note that swoops up to the correct pitch.
The other siginifcant new feature introduced on the ES-1 was the Analog control. Back in the day, vintage synths were notorious for drifting out of tune as the analog components warmed up. The Analog setting attempts to recreate that sound by introducing small random pitch discrepancies as each note is triggered. A little bit of this can really give your patch some life—so consider using it.