Hi! My name is Ismael Pacheco.

Im from San Jose, Costa Rica.

As classical pianist/keyboardist and sound designer for a couple of years, I

would like to approach this last week peer review assignment, into a

different way, more simple, without any audio or video, just screenshots.

Explaining something that for many that are making their first steps into the

synthesis world could be a little bit tedious or even confusing.

And the topic that I decided to choose this last week is how to recognize and

find the main aspects of a synthesizer despite its GUI differences between

the different synths that are available in the market.

That at last, although there are different synths, (hard and soft VSTs) with

different synthesis engines (granular, additive, subtractive synthesis, FM,

hybrids, etc.), the important features of them, remains always the same.

As well the essence of the synthesizers and its concepts such, envelopes

(ADSR), mods, LFOs, filters, oscillators, that weve got the opportunity to

explore on this last week.

But focusing on this specific topic, I will show you and compare the graphical

interface of four different synthesizers. Clearly showing where the Oscillator,

Filter, Amplifier, Envelopes (ADSR), and LFO sections are.

LinPlug ALPHA 3

On this synth we can see clearly how into the main page, we have all the

parameters. Two oscillators, the filters (cutoff and reso), the ADSR envelope

(att, dec, sust, rel), three LFOs, the voices selector that allows the switch

between mono or poly, and even some effects, plus other extra parameters.

GMedia Music impOSCar

On this synthesizer, regardless its appearance filled of knobs, its name

making referral to the OSCillator and many things that at first sight could

frightened us, its easy to understand where are the OSCs (on the left), the

LFO and the Filter that are on the center page, and the envelopes and filters,

on the right side of the synth. Where also you can find on the right bottom,

above the keys, the ADSR knobs, with their names, Attack, Decay, Sustain,

Release.

Steinberg Mystic

On this one, we can see that despite the futuristic look and its different

appearance, we have different pages that allow us the change between the

LFO, the Envelope, Synth Events and the Effects (EFX).

Above, there its the oscillator with the course and morph knobs that

changes its shape and colour.

And below, onto the LFO page, the LFO shape selector, the source and mod

destination.

Steinberg Mystic (Envelope Section)

On the image below, we can see in a simple way, the ADSR envelope, that

instead of using knobs and being into the main synth, this VST has an

exclusive section for the envelope and it uses sliders. Something pretty

comfortable, especially when we use a laptop mouse, decreasing and

increasing the values horizontally.

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

This beast, that without any doubts its my personal preferred one because

its complexity and its particular STEAM engine, has many options and

everything its grouped into the first page, allowing us to setup the

oscillators, or the samples combining up to 6 LFOs, a Filters section that allow

us to expand it into a more detailed view. As well, as the Envelopes section,

that has different routes to assign the ADSR+Velo.

(Filters Section Expanded)

(Envelopes Detailed View)

On this last section, as we can see, there are many detailed options to alter

and route manually the envelopes assigned to different parameters such the

Amplitude, Filter, Mods up to four. Providing extensive and depth

characteristics to manipulate our sounds as we want.

As it was my main purpose on this week, comparing how despite there are

many kind and styles synthesizers graphical interfaces, the concepts studied

on this week remains the same on every synth. And sometimes its a matter

of putting attention and look around where are the LFOs, Oscillators,

Envelopes, Filters, Mods, etc. mostly on the main interface. And, if we cant

find something at the first sight, we must check everything into the user

interface, opening tabs, zooming, expanding, etc. until weve got our goal;

maybe an oscillator, or why not, a deep source/destinations page with many

envelope options as weve seen above.

Its just up to us taking a little bit of time looking around our synths and

explore their vast (Just a little synth engine joke; V.A.S.T. Variable

Architecture Synthesis Technology) possibilities, that expands our creative

capabilities allowing us to create or recreate sounds just conceived into our

minds, to the reality.

I hope you enjoyed this little work of mine as I did, but also, the most

important, that these weeks coursing this production course allowed you as

did to me, refresh and clarify many concepts that as musicians we deal daily

with them.

Thanks for your time!