What maxtrix targets should routing through the matrix?

trogluddite · 23 Sept 2010

Modulating the gain for each individual oscillator (or oscillator mix depending on your design) is one of my favourites - you can then use envelopes/LFOs to fade between different waveforms or octaves. Crossfading from square to sawtooth is a lovely change in tone from 'woody' to 'buzzy' - a change in timbre that you just can't do using the usual filters Don't forget the filter resonance too - with acid style basses it can be really handy to use an envelope to lower the resonance after the intital 'scream' of the sweep, so that the warmth and tuning of the notes come through.

lithium · 24 Sept 2010

I like the amp idea... Thanks

lithium · 2 Oct 2010

I still can't get the amp to work right. I send the matrix target to the level on a vca and connect my osc to the in and send the vca out to the filter. But the sound stops working even if the matrix is set to none..

trogluddite · 2 Oct 2010

Most likely reason is that the filter is receiving 'out of range' numbers. The output from on oscillator/LFO goes from -1 to +1, but the inputs on the filters really don't like negative numbers, it can make them lock into a nasty loop that makes them stop working until you clear the audio. (I always have a 'Clear Audio' primitive with a trigger button on the front page of my designs for 'zeroing' everything, very handy when experimenting). Using the VCA to multiply the LFO value, as you are, is cool to set the range of the 'swing' that gets sent to your target, but in many cases you also need to add an offset to the value too, to make sure it is in the right range. Another good idea is to use a min and max at the target inputs to make sure that the value cannot go beyond the allowed range. This is one of the trickiest parts of a synth to get just right - I'm struggling a little with one of my current designs for the same reason. Sometimes you can just add all the mod sources together at a target and it works fine - with other inputs (especially frequency ones), it's better to multiply the mod sources together, or even use some maths to make the modulation non-linear. Hope that helps - if you're still struggling, post up an osm and I'll have a quick peek.

lithium · 2 Oct 2010

The odd thing is when I skip the matrix and connect the lfo to the level on the vca it works fine... But here is my osm. http://www.mediafire.com/?9y3yn1rudmpdtk5

trogluddite · 3 Oct 2010

The matrix is working as it should, but there are a couple of related problems...

1) If you look at the matrix sources, you'll see that some have the black stream connector (and so does the bus create inside) - this can xconfuse the busses becasue they have to match up connector types at each end. This is easy to fix - delete the link to the bus create from the stream input. Then right click the circle on the stream input primitve and choose the poly connector type. When you reconnect it to the bus create, the bus will now know that it is trying to match a poly at the other end. Choosing the connection type with the right click is always a good idea for busses and for wireless links - SM dosn't always get it right by itself, and sometimes gets mixed up when you reload a schematic.

2) I got your schematic to make a sound OK when I routed the VCAs from the matrix, and then turned up the filter frequency (it was too low, so it ws cutting the sound out) - with no matrix stuff selected there is no sound. That's because the VCA's etc. only have gain inputs from the matrix, so if they aren't selected as destinations they just get a big fat zero for gain and turn the sound off. You need to combine the 'voltage' from the matrix with a fixed value from a knob, so that when the matrix isn't in use, you can use the knob to turn the volume up.

lithium · 6 Oct 2010

Hey thanks for the help... Everything seams to be working great. Also, if you ever need knobs, skins, logos just let me know. I think I know more on the design side.