Reaktor - Part 2

The old tutorial continues:

For the concluding part of this tutorial on synth building, we'll be concentrating on adding a filter to sweep the sound, as well as a few more controls and switches for a more tweakable, 'hands on' experience.

After oscillators, filters are the next most important feature in a synth designer's sonic arsenal. When it comes to creating and editing sounds, it's vitally important that you offer as much control as possible over them. A separate envelope can be used to control the filter, but in this example we're going to be using the same envelope that controls the oscillators, as this will allow the filter to change with any movements of the envelope's controls, preventing it from drifting out of sync.

Effects also play an important part in how the finished synth will sound. In the example on the following pages we've used a stereo phaser, but it's worthwhile experimenting with all the other effects Reaktor has to offer.

Although there are no hard and fast rules to follow when you are building a synth, it is important to follow a basic structure. Once you understand this basic structure, building more complex synths will soon become second nature, and the beauty of Reaktor is that, if you're not happy with the results, you can just wipe the slate clean without it costing a fortune in solder and parts. You can, therefore, be as adventurous as you like.

Try using different oscillators in place of the ones we're using here, or different filter combinations. Remember: it's your synth and it's there to be used and abused. You'll only get out of it what you put into it - a bit like a relationship really...

So take the phone off the hook, settle down in front of your machine and we shall begin...

See the tutorial here.

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