SYLENTH 1

COURSE NOTES
MODULE 2
OSCILLATORS

This module provides an introduction to the sound generating section on Sylenth 1 the oscillator, explaining the different kinds of sounds you can make and how to adjust
their tuning and level. There is also an introduction to the ADSR envelope in that
section, or amp envelope, used to control the level of a part over time.

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SYLENTH 1
COURSE NOTES
MODULE 2

Multis
As mentioned in the last module, the first section on Sylenth 1
is the oscillator section, which is used to generate waveforms
in order to create particular sounds. The default waveform
in Sylenth1 is a sawtooth, which is probably one of the most
commonly used waveforms in dance music due to the richness
in harmonics. Harmonics are higher frequencies at a lower
level above the main pitch, which make a sound a lot louder
and buzzier. However, by clicking on the waveform display and
dragging up or down, you can choose from a sine, sawtooth,
triangle, pulse (square wave), Hpulse & Qpulse (asymmetrical
square waves), TriSaw (a combination of both triangle and saw),
and Noise (all frequencies at equal amplitude). Once you have
selected your waveform, the first thing you need to select is the
number of voices in the oscillator by clicking on the number and
dragging it up or down, which ranges from 0 to 8 simultaneous
voices. This means that you can generate up to 8 of the same
waveform for each oscillator. The Volume dial can be dragged
up and down to change the level of all voices, along with the
phase (at which point in the periodic wave a sounds starts when
triggered - more on this later), and detune dials. To the left of
the waveform selector, is a button called INV which inverts the
waveform. This wont have any major effect unless two opposite
waveforms are played together through two different oscillators.

There are three separate controls for pitch on each oscillator;

octave, note, and fine-tune. The octave setting shifts up and
down in octaves, which are 12 semitones, with a semitone being
an individual key on a MIDI keyboard. The note setting shifts in
semitones and then the fine dial in fractions of a semitone, up
or down. To the right is the stereo dial. This allows the phase
of the left and right signal outputs to be separated somewhat,
giving the effect of widening the stereo balance of the output
signal. The last button worth mentioning within the oscillator
panel is the RETRIG button. By having this highlighted, all voices
are forced to start at the exact same location on the waveform
shape each and every time its triggered (I.E. Each time a note is
pressed). Without having this active, the sound can change a fair
bit when playing repeated notes with lots of voices, as different
higher frequencies cancel out to change the harmonic content.
So, leave this active for a more consistent and louder sound.

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SYLENTH 1
COURSE NOTES
MODULE 2

patches
The final components in the oscillator module are possibly the
most important in any sound design, and thats the ADSR. The
Attack controls the length of time it takes for the signal to reach
full volume, the Decay controls the length of time it takes for the
signal to reach the Sustain level, and the Release controls the
length of time the signal takes to reach zero from the Sustain
level. So, to create a sound that slowly fades in, increase the
attack. To make it stick at full volume, keep the sustain high, but
lower the sustain to make it stick at a lower volume. Setting the
sustain to the bottom means that the level will jump to 0 after
the attack has finished. So, for a short sound that starts off loud
straight away but quickly fades out, set the attack and sustain to
0 and then set a short decay - the length of the decay sets how
long the sound lasts in this case. Remember that each part has
its own ADSR, so you can create sounds where the parts levels
behave differently over time, e.g. part A quickly fades out but
part B sticks at full volume, as shown at the end of the movie.
This is worth learning and playing with, as ADSR is found on
almost every synthesiser (both analogue and digital), and is also
found later in this course, where its used to modulate other
parameters too.

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