![]() ![]() Likewise, it's unlikely that we'll need pitch-bend, and we don't need to consider the keyboard CV, so these and their mixer can also disappear into the ether. Nowhere last month did we discuss low-frequency modulation, and the Axxe's LFO won't oscillate at audio frequencies, so we can discard this and its associated VCA. Figure 3: The elements used in the ARP Axxe bass drum patch.Let's start by getting rid of the things that we don't need. Clearly, this lacks some of the modules present in both Figures 1(a) and 1(b) so, if we're going to be successful programming a bass drum on this, we're going to have to cut a few corners.įigure 2: A block diagram of the important elements of the ARP Axxe. I have drawn the block diagram for this synth in Figure 2. The ARP Axxe is perhaps the simplest of the synths named above, offering just a single oscillator, a single LFO, a single filter, and a single contour generator. But it's well-known that people do coax superb kick drum sounds from all of these synths - so how do they do it? That's what we're going to find out this month. ![]() A Minimoog can't reproduce it, neither can a Roland SH101, an ARP Axxe, a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, a Memorymoog, or even the semi-modular Korg MS20 and ARP 2600. Unfortunately, simplified though this is, it's still too complex for the majority of analogue synthesizers. If I also assume that the pitch CV input on the VCO will have some form of level control, I can dispense with the attenuator and redraw the patch as Figure 1(b).įigure 1(b): A simpler patch to synthesize the bass drum. When filtered appropriately, this will simulate the dense cluster of mid-frequency partials that the FM section generated. Unfortunately, few of us have access to a synth capable of reproducing this patch, so I'm going to simplify it by replacing the FM generator in the upper-left corner with a noise source. Indeed, with careful choices of VCO pitches and waveforms, filter characteristics, and contour rates, you can use this to synthesize a huge range of realistic and electronic percussion instruments. Given a synthesizer of appropriate power and flexibility, there's no reason why you shouldn't use this to create a wide range of powerful kick drum sounds. Last month, we analysed the bass drum, ending up with a patch that synthesized all the important elements of its sound (see Figure 1(a) above). Moving from last month's theoretical bass drum synth patch to its practical application on affordable analogue synths, we also take a look at how the world's most famous drum machines produce this fundamental rhythm sound. Figure 1(a): A patch to synthesize the bass drum. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |