User Manual
User Manual
User Manual
User Manual
Version 2.5
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction ......................................................................... 5
2. Installation ........................................................................... 7
3. Overview .............................................................................. 8
3.1 The Audio Path ................................................................... 8
3.2 Working with parts .............................................................. 9
3.3 Controlling Knobs ............................................................... 10
3.4 MIDI control ...................................................................... 10
3.5 Changing Programs ............................................................ 11
3.6 Polyphony ......................................................................... 11
3.7 Sync ................................................................................. 12
3.8 Loading, Saving and Editing Presets ..................................... 12
4. Components Detailed ......................................................... 14
4.1 The Part Section ................................................................ 14
4.1.1 The Oscillator ............................................................... 14
4.1.2 The Filter ..................................................................... 16
4.1.3 The Amplitude Envelope ................................................ 17
4.2 The Main Section ............................................................... 17
4.2.1 The Filter Control Panel ................................................. 17
4.2.2 The Mixer .................................................................... 18
4.3 The Modulation Section ....................................................... 19
4.3.1 The modulation envelope ............................................... 19
4.3.2 The LFO ...................................................................... 19
4.3.3 The Miscellaneous Modulation Panel ................................ 20
4.4 The Master Effects Section .................................................. 20
4.4.1 Arpeggiator.................................................................. 21
4.4.2 Distortion .................................................................... 22
4.4.3 Phaser ........................................................................ 23
4.4.4 Chorus ........................................................................ 24
4.4.5 Equalizer ..................................................................... 25
4.4.6 Delay .......................................................................... 26
4.4.7 Reverb ........................................................................ 27
4.4.8 Compressor ................................................................. 28
4.5 The Keyboard Section ......................................................... 29
5. Tips on Reducing CPU Usage .............................................. 30
6. Appendix ............................................................................ 31
6.1 MIDI Control Changes......................................................... 31
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1. Introduction
Sylenth1 is a virtual analog synthesizer that takes the definitions of quality
and performance to a higher level. Until now only very few software
synthesizers have been able to stand up to the sound quality standards of
hardware synths. Sylenth1 is one that does.
Sylenth1 is not just another synth. It was built from a producer's point of
view. It was built to produce superior quality sound and music. It was built to
perform. A lot of research has been invested in order to achieve unheard
warmth and clarity. The graphical interface ensures the highest level of
usability so you can fully unleash your creativity.
Oscillators
At its core Sylenth1 houses 4 alias-free unison oscillators, which generate
analog shaped waveforms. Each oscillator is capable of producing 8 unison
voices in full stereo, adding up to a total of 32 voices per note. With its 16
notes of polyphony this means you can play up to 512 voices simultaneously!
The oscillators perform extremely well in both the very low (down to 0.01Hz
and below!) and very high (all the way up to half the samplerate) frequency
regions without losing their sharpness, liveliness or character. This makes
them well suited for all kinds of sounds, from the deepest basses imaginable
to the highest crystal clear bells.
Filters
On top of that there are 2 state of the art, pure analog sounding filter
sections. Each of these consists of 4 filter stages with nonlinear saturation
incorporated, in order to emulate the warmth and drive of a real analog filter.
The resonance control can be turned up to a level way beyond self-oscillation
and combined with the drive control this makes it possible to let the filters
SCREAM! Where a lot of digital filters sound like they're made out of cheap
plastic, these filters sound rock-solid, warm and raw.
Modulation
Sylenth1 offers many modulation options to sculpture the sound any way you
like. There are 2 ADSR envelopes and 2 LFOs which can be used to modulate
a whole set of different parameters. Next to that, it is possible to use the
extra 2 amplitude envelopes, velocity, keyboard track or modulation wheel as
a source for modulation.
Master FX
The final part of this synth is the master effects section. A set of 8
professional quality sound effects conveniently grouped into an LCD panel
structure.
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Performance
With all the functionality and processing horsepower mentioned above, you
might expect that this synth would max out even the fastest CPU in no-time,
especially considering the high sound quality of each single voice and effect.
Well, one of the many benefits of this synth is that it doesn't. It uses highly
optimized code and SSE instructions in order to reduce the CPU usage to a
minimum. It will also automatically turn off any parts that are not used, to
save extra CPU time. This enables you to create pure quality sound using
only minimal system resources.
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2. Installation
Windows: Use the installer to install Sylenth1 into your common VST plug-
ins folders (for example C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins\). In most cases your
host software will automatically recognize the plug-in. You may need to add
the VST Plugins folder to your host software’s VST folder preferences.
Mac OS X: Click on the downloaded image file to mount it, run the installer
and follow the instructions.
Please refer to the manual of your host software for more information on how
to open and use VSTi plug-ins with it.
After you have purchased Sylenth1 you will receive the full version installer
and a personal activation code. After installation, start Sylenth1 in your host
software. You will be asked to enter your activation code. You'll have to close
and restart Sylenth1 to complete the activation.
If you encounter any problems or have any questions, head over to the
support section on our website (www.lennardigital.com/support), or email us
at support@lennardigital.com
Any CPU that supports SSE (Intel Pentium III and above, AMD XP and
above, all Intel Macs but no PPC)
256 MB RAM
50 MB free harddisk space
Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/10 or Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
VSTi compatible host software
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3. Overview
Sylenth1’s user interface is divided into four main sections. Each section has
a different color which makes them easy to distinguish. The first section
contains two oscillators and a filter and is called the Part section. Sylenth1
has two of these parts, Part A and Part B, but only one of them is shown at a
time on the user interface. Part A has a red background color, Part B yellow.
The second section, colored green, contains the filter control and mixer
panels. They control the sound from both parts. The blue panel at the bottom
of the interface, the third section, contains all modulation options. Finally, the
fourth section is formed by the LCD display and contains the master effects.
Next to the four main sections, there’s a keyboard, pitchbend and modulation
wheel and portamento control located at the bottom of the interface.
The block scheme below shows the internal structure of the audio path in
Sylenth1. Each line represents a stereo audio signal. The outputs of the two
oscillators on each part are added together, and run into the filter sections
afterwards. It is also possible to run the output of the oscillators from part A
into the filter of part B, as indicated by the dashed crossing lines.
The outputs of the filters are then shaped by the amplitude envelope
generators and enter the mixer afterwards. Finally, the master effects are
applied and the audio output is sent to the host.
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As you can see in this diagram, the Filter Control panel controls both filters A
and B at the same time.
The master effects section consists of an arpeggiator and seven sound effects
stacked in series. The first effect applied is distortion, followed by the phaser,
chorus, equalizer, reverb, delay and finally the compressor.
Part Select
You can switch between the two parts using the Part Select buttons shown on
the top bar on user interface. It is easy to see which part is currently shown
on the interface, because part A has a reddish background color, while part B
is colored yellow.
Solo
Right next to the part select buttons you’ll find a button named Solo.
Whenever this button is activated, you will hear only the sound of the
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currently selected part. This is very useful if you are working on complex
sounds.
Center value
Some knobs and controls have a centered default setting, like the pan knob
or the octave and note values on the oscillators for example. Double-clicking
these controls will make them jump to their center value. Alternatively, all
knobs can be centered by holding the Ctrl key down while clicking the knob.
If you want to know the exact value of a parameter, but you do not wish to
change it, you can simply click a knob once. This will display its value on the
screen without changing it.
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Click Midi Learn and turn a knob on your MIDI controller. The knob will
instantly be linked to the controller. Sylenth1 will store the CC parameters it
learned permanently, so they will still be active after you close and restart
your host.
Click Midi Forget to undo the learned value and release the controller.
Sylenth1 soundbanks contain 512 presets divided over four sub-banks of 128
presets each. The currently selected sub-bank and program are shown on top
of Sylenth’s LCD display.
3.6 Polyphony
Voices
The Voices indicator displays the number of active voices and the maximum
total number of voices. Each oscillator can generate several voices. The
maximum number of voices is equal to the sum of voices generated by all
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3.7 Sync
If Sync is turned off, these parameters will display their values in seconds or
Hertz. When it is turned on, they will show their values in bar parts. One bar
contains four beats, so a value of 1/4 means once every beat, and a value of
1/8 means twice every beat. Triolic and punctuated values are also
possible: T stands for triolic and D for punctuated note lengths.
You can load, save and edit presets and soundbanks using the MENU button
on the LCD display.
In a similar way you can load and save soundbanks containing 512 presets
using the Bank -> Load../Save As.. options. Soundbanks are saved with the
.fxb file extension.
Renaming presets
The name of a preset can be changed by clicking the small dot on the left
side of the preset name. To cancel editing, press the Esc key or click
anywhere outside the edit box. To apply the changes press Enter.
Editing presets
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You can copy a preset to another program number by clicking the Copy
Preset option and using the Paste Preset or Insert Preset options at a
different program number afterwards. Delete Preset will delete a preset from
the list.
If you want to create your own presets and start with a clean setting, you
can choose the Init Preset option that will initialize all parameters of the
currently selected preset. The Randomize Preset option allows you to
randomize all parameter settings which can be useful if you want to create
new sound effects.
With the Reset Preset option you can reset the parameters of the currently
selected preset to its original state. This way you can undo all parameter
changes you made to the selected preset.
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4. Components Detailed
In this chapter we will take a closer look at the different sections of the
Sylenth1. Each section consists of several components that will be discussed
one by one.
As said before, there are two Part sections on the Sylenth1, named A (red)
and B (yellow), which can be switched using the part select buttons. Each of
these parts contains two oscillators, a filter panel and an amplitude envelope.
Voices
Each oscillator on the Sylenth1 synthesizer can generate 0 to 8 voices in
unison. You can select the number of voices by dragging the Voices-selector
up or down. The oscillator can be turned off by setting the number of voices
to 0.
Waveform
By dragging the Waveform selector up and down, you can select the type of
waveform all oscillator voices will generate. There are 8 different waveforms
emulating common analog wave shapes.
Pitch
On the left part of the oscillator panel, you’ll find the pitch control. Using the
Octave and Note controls, you can tune the oscillator voices to any note you
like. With the knob Fine the pitch can be fine-tuned between two half notes.
Double-clicking these controls will reset them to their default 0 value.
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There are a set of rotary knobs which can be used to change the sound of the
oscillator:
The phase setting cannot be heard if there’s only one oscillator active, but as
soon as there are two or more oscillators running at the same pitch and both
have the retrigger button enabled, you can create useful effects with it. You
can accentuate the level of bass tones for example, or create PWM-like
effects by modulating the phase of one of the oscillators.
Inv
The Inv button inverts the oscillator’s output. This
can be useful when creating PWM-like sound effects.
For example, if you add two saw oscillators and
invert one of them, the resulting waveform will be a
pulse. You can then adjust the pulse width by
changing the phase of one of the oscillators.
Copy/Paste
In the right upper corner of each oscillator, you’ll find two small buttons
labeled C and P. With these buttons you can copy the oscillator settings and
paste them to another oscillator, or to a different preset.
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Input Select
The outputs of the oscillators are shaped by the filters. Usually the output of
the oscillators from Part A will be filtered by Filter A, but it is also possible to
route the outputs of oscillators B to Filter A, and vice versa. This can be done
by using the Input Select control. If it is set to
A, only oscillators A1 and A2 will be filtered. If
set to AB, all oscillators from part A and B will
be routed to the filter. If set to --, this means
the filter does not have any input. The routing
scheme above the Input Select control will
show the internal routing.
Filter Type
With the Filter Type selector the filter type can be set. There are 4 types:
The amount of attenuation can be set using the switch on the right side of
the filter panel. The attenuation can be switched between 12dB per octave or
24dB per octave.
Drive
You might already be familiar with the Cutoff and Resonance knobs, but the
Drive knob is one that is not so common on synthesizers. It can be used to
overdrive the internal filter stages. The filter contains four filter stages and
each stage incorporates a non-linear saturation function. Driving these
stages adds higher harmonics to the input signal, making the filter sound
warmer and fuller, similar to the way an analog filter does.
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The sound created by the oscillators and filters can be shaped using the
amplitude envelopes. These are common ADSR envelopes, with Attack,
Decay, Sustain and Release parameters. You can use these to make the
sound fade in and out, or add punch to it for example.
Note that setting the Attack or Release settings to 0 creates a very sharp
on/off switching effect, which might result in a clicking sound. While this can
be very useful for sounds that need a lot of punch, like a kick drum, it might
be an unwanted effect for other sounds. If this is the case, then simply give
Attack and Release a small value, so that any clicking effects will be
eliminated.
The filter control panel contains controls that apply to both filters from Part A
and B simultaneously. Note that this panel does not contain an individual
filter; it merely controls the filters A and B.
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Keytrack
It is possible to link the cutoff frequencies of the filters to the pitch of the
note played on the keyboard. This can be done using the Keytrack knob.
When this knob is set to 0, the cutoff frequency will not depend on the note
played. However, when this knob is set to 10, the cutoff frequency will
change with the pitch of the note played. This enables you to keep (or
change) the timbre of a sound whenever higher or lower notes are played.
If the filter is put into self-oscillation, setting the Keytrack knob to 10 makes
it possible to play the filter like a piano.
Warm Drive
Turning the Warm Drive button on, makes the filter stages use a higher
quality of saturation which introduces more higher harmonics. Turning this
option off, makes the filters use less CPU power. If you’re using a lot of
polyphonic voices, it might be a good idea to turn it off when CPU usage
becomes a concern.
The sounds produced by the oscillators and filters from Part A and B are
mixed together using the Mixer panel. Mix A sets the volume of Part A; Mix B
sets the volume of Part B. The Main Volume knob sets the volume of
Sylenth1’s audio output after the master effects have been applied.
On the right side of the Mixer panel is a VU meter which measures the output
level. Please note that it is in general not a problem when the red LEDs are
lighting because the output of Sylenth1 is not clipped. The host software can
turn the volume down if needed to prevent clipping.
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You can set the amount of modulation for each parameter using the small
rotary knobs next to the destination displays. Turning them to the right
results in a positive modulation value, turning them to the left gives a
negative value. The middle position is the default position and means there is
no modulation. If you double-click the knob it will jump back to this default
position.
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0. If the Free button is pressed, the LFO will run freely and will not be
retriggered when a new note is played, nor will it sync to the host tempo.
Using the LFO you can create all kinds of vibrato effects, sweeping sounds
and special effects.
Effect settings can be copied and pasted to different patches using the C and
P buttons in the right upper corner of each effect panel.
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4.4.1 Arpeggiator
Mode
The arpeggiator is an automated MIDI sequencer. It plays the notes you
press on your keyboard in a melodic order, defined by the Mode setting.
When you select mode Up for example, it will arrange the keys you press in
ascending order. If you select Down, it will play them in descending order.
The Up/Down modes play combinations of ascending and descending order.
Random will play random sequences and Ordered will play the notes in the
same order as you pressed them on the keyboard. Finally there are the Step
Seq and Step Chord modes, which will play notes in the order defined by the
step sequencer. Step Seq mode will only play one note at a time, while in
Step Chord mode you can play chords which will be arranged by the step
sequencer.
Time
The Time knob sets the duration between two successive notes and thus
defines the speed at which the notes are played.
Gate
You can change the length of each note using the Gate knob. When the Gate
is set halfway this means the length of each note is half of the time between
two successive notes.
Wrap
The note sequence can be looped at a certain number of notes, using the
Wrap parameter. When Wrap is set to 8 for example, the arranged sequence
will be restarted every 8 notes.
Octave
The Octave setting defines over how many octaves the note sequence will be
played.
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The Velocity parameters define the velocity at which each note will be
played. If Velocity is set to “-“, the note will not be played at all. The length
of each note can furthermore be extended using the Hold buttons. These can
be used to create portamento sliding effects for example.
Velocity
There are five different methods you can choose to change the velocity of the
arranged notes. If Velocity is set to Key, all different velocities of each of the
pressed notes on the keyboard are used in the sequence. In Hold mode, all
sequenced notes will have the same velocity, which is the velocity held by
the note you pressed last. It is also possible to use the velocity from the step
sequencer by setting the Velocity mode to Step. Then there are two more
modes, namely Step+Key and Step+Hold. When either of these modes is
selected, the velocity from the pressed keys will be mixed with the velocity
from the step sequencer.
4.4.2 Distortion
Type
Sylenth1 offers five types of distortion: Overdrive, Foldback, Clip, Decimate
and Bitcrush. Each type has a different sound and harmonic content. You can
switch between the types by clicking on the arrow button, or by dragging the
type display up and down.
Amount
The Amount knob sets the harshness of the distortion. A low amount will
produce a soft distortion effect which can be used to add warmth to a sound,
much like a tube amplifier does. High amounts of distortion can be used to
create a raw heavy distorted sound.
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Dry/Wet
The Dry/Wet knob defines at what rate the distorted (wet) and original (dry)
signals are mixed. A value of 0 means only the original signal is passed,
while a value of 10 means only the distorted signal is passed.
4.4.3 Phaser
The six-stage stereo phaser creates notches in the frequency spectrum and
shifts them up and down using the internal LFO.
CenterFreq
The CenterFreq knob sets the position of the middle notch in the frequency
spectrum. Turning this knob makes all notches go up or down in frequency.
This parameter can be modulated by the internal LFO, but you can also use
the modulation panel to modulate it, or turn it by yourself. By doing so, you
can make the phaser sound like a multistage filter effect.
Spread
The Spread knob determines the distance between the notches in the
frequency spectrum. A low spread pushes the notches close together and
creates a classical phaser sound. A higher spread can be used to create filter-
like effects.
LR Offset
With the LR Offset knob you can change the amount of frequency-offset
between the centerfrequencies for the left and right channels. This will create
stereo phasing effects.
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Width
The stereo width of the phaser effect is controlled by the Width knob. Set this
knob to 0 to create mono sounding phaser effects, or set it higher to create
wide stereo effects.
Feedback
The output of the phaser is fed back to the input to create resonance peaks
between the notches in the frequency spectrum. This effect can be controlled
using the Feedback knob. A high feedback creates sharp peaks with a
characteristic resonating sound.
Dry/Wet
The phasing depth can be controlled using the Dry/Wet knob. This knob sets
the ratio between the effect and the original dry input signal.
4.4.4 Chorus
Just as a chorus is a group of singers, the chorus effect can make a single
instrument sound like there are actually several instruments being played
simultaneously. This adds thickness and warmth to the sound.
Delay
The output of the chorus effect is a mix of the input signal and a delayed
copy of it. The delay time is modulated by an LFO. With the Delay parameter
you can set the delay offset in milliseconds. A higher delay will create a wider
sound, but can also result in a muddy attack.
Depth
The Depth parameter adjusts the
sweep depth of the delayed sound. A
Depth value of 0 means there is no
modulation (only a constant delay),
while a value of 10 means the
modulation amount will be maximal.
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Rate
The modulation frequency can be set with the Rate knob.
Feedback
The Feedback knob sets the amount of feedback, which can be used to create
flanging effects. When this knob is set to 0 there will be no feedback, while
maximum feedback will occur when it’s set to 10. To create flanger sounds
set Delay to somewhere between 1 and 5 ms and add some feedback to it.
Dual Mode
Dual Mode adds another stage to the classic chorus effect, making it sound
richer and thicker. Each stage consists of two delay lines and two LFOs, so in
Dual Mode there are in total four delay lines modulating in quadrature phase.
Width
The stereo width of the chorus effect can be adjusted using the Width knob.
Setting the width to 0 makes the effect mono, while setting it to 10
maximizes the stereo width.
Dry/Wet
The dry input signal can be mixed with the wet chorus effect signal using the
Dry/Wet knob. At value of 0 it will only let the input sound pass, while at a
value of 10 you’ll only hear the chorus effect.
4.4.5 Equalizer
The equalizer can be used to make quick and simple adjustments to the bass
and treble of the sound. The Bass knob will turn up the amount of bass, and
the maximum bass frequency can be set using the Bassfreq knob. The treble
can be adjusted in a similar way using the Treble and Treblefreq knobs.
If the Bass and Treble knob are both set to 0, the sound will be unchanged.
Note that the equalizer will automatically normalize the volume level
whenever bass or treble is added.
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4.4.6 Delay
The delay panel can be used to create echoing sound effects. You can set the
delay times for the left and right channel independently using the Delay L
and Delay R knobs respectively.
Feedback
With the Feedback knob you can control the speed with which the delays will
fade away. A high amount of feedback will produce long lasting echoes.
PingPong
There are two delay modes, normal and pingpong. In normal mode, the left
and right channels have independent delays, but in pingpong mode the
sound jumps from left to right and back, using the delay times specified by
the Delay L and Delay R knobs. Pingpong mode can be enabled and disabled
by clicking the PingPong checkbox.
Spread
The spread knob has only influence on the delay in pingpong mode. It
determines the spreading of the echoes over the left and right channels.
When Delay L and Delay R have different values, a spread of 0 can create
Left-Center-Right delay types, while a spread of 10 will create pure pingpong
delays.
Width
The stereo width of the delay effect can be changed using the Width knob.
Echoes panned fully left or right usually sound too wide, so you can pull them
to the center by lowering the width value. A width of 0 creates mono echoes.
Smear
In real world echoes, the sound also changes because its frequency content
is smeared out over time. Sylenth’s delay can simulate this effect to create
real sounding echoes. Turning up the Smear knob will make this effect more
pronounced. If it is set to 0, the delays will not be smeared out.
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Dry/Wet
The level of delays compared to the original dry input signal is set using the
Dry/Wet knob. A value of 0 will mute the delays, while a value of 10 will
mute the original signal.
4.4.7 Reverb
Size
The size of the simulated room is controlled by the Size knob. A high value
will generate a slowly decaying reverb, similar to what can be heard in a very
large hall.
Damp
The brightness of the reverb can be changed using the Damp knob. A high
damping value attenuates the higher frequencies. Damping can also be
thought of as a damping material that covers the walls of the room.
PreDelay
With the PreDelay knob you can add a delay to start of the reverb. This can
be compared to the distance of the walls that reflect the sound. Predelay can
also be used to create rhythmic reverb bursts when the Size parameter is low
for example.
Width
The Width knob sets the stereo width of the reverb effect. Setting the width
to 0 makes the reverb mono, while setting it to 10 maximizes the stereo
width.
Dry/Wet
You can set the amount of reverb compared to the original dry input signal
using the Dry/Wet knob.
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4.4.8 Compressor
The compressor can be used to limit loud or peaky sounds like a high
resonance peak caused by a filter for example. It can also be used to
accentuate softer sounds like reverb or delays in between pauses of the
notes, or to add extra punch to sounds with a sharp attack for example.
Ratio
The amount of gain reduction is determined by a Ratio control. For example,
a ratio of 4:1 means that the input level would have to increase by 4 dB to
create a 1 dB increase in the output. When the ratio is set to 1:1, no
compression is applied. When the ratio is set to 100:1, the compressor works
like a limiter.
Threshold
The Threshold knob sets the minimum amplitude level above which the
compressor starts working. If the threshold is set to 0dB, it will compress
close to nothing, since the input level doesn’t exceed 0dB. Setting the
threshold to -30dB means everything louder than -30dB will be compressed.
Since most part of the sound will be louder than that, the compressor will be
clearly audible.
Attack
The Attack knob determines how fast the compressor responds to changes in
the input level. If set to a small value, the compressor will reduce the gain
immediately after the threshold has been exceeded. If set to a higher value,
the compressor will only slowly turn down the gain.
Release
When the input level drops below the threshold level again, the compressor
will take some time to increase the gain until it reaches its uncompressed
value. This time is controlled by the Release knob. A short time will make the
gain increment very fast, while a long release time will only slowly increase
the gain.
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Pitchbend
The leftmost wheel is the pitch bender. It can be controlled
by MIDI or with the mouse and it will bend the pitch up or
down. You can specify the bending range in half notes using
the BendRange control.
Modwheel
The modulation wheel is located right next to the pitch bender. It can be
used as a modulation source in the miscellaneous modulation panels for any
type of modulation.
Mono Legato
When the Mono Legato button is activated, Sylenth1 will be forced into mono
mode and the polyphony setting on the top bar will be discarded. It will also
stop retriggering notes whenever another key is pressed. This enables you to
slide notes up and down in pitch and velocity without actually restarting a
new note.
Portamento
The Portamento knob sets the amount of time it takes to
slide from one note to another. A small value makes notes
slide fast, while a higher value will make them slide slower.
There are two portamento modes, Normal (N) and Slide (S), which can be
selected using the Mode switch right next to the portamento knob. In Slide
mode it will always slide the pitch to the next note played. In Normal mode
however, it will only slide notes whenever at least one other key is pressed,
but it will not slide when you play a single note at a time.
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Polyphony
Probably the most important setting concerning CPU usage is polyphony. For
every polyphonic note, almost a whole copy of the audio path is made
(except for the master effects). So two notes played simultaneously costs
almost twice the amount of CPU needed for one note. Always try to keep the
polyphony to a minimum.
Oscillators
The more oscillators you use, the more CPU power is needed. Also, having 4
oscillators with 1 voice each needs more CPU than 1 oscillator with 4 voices.
So it’s a good idea to try to use less oscillators with more voices each.
Envelope generators
Try to keep the Decay and the Release parameters as small as possible.
Sounds with a smaller release time will usually also use less notes of
polyphony.
Filters
If you don’t use the filters, switch them to bypass mode. This will force them
to stop processing. If you use a high number of polyphony, switch off the
Warm Drive function to save some extra CPU time.
Master Effects
Switch off any effects that you don’t use or need. If you run several
instances of Sylenth1, all with the same kind of reverb, you might be better
off using one external reverb send effect instead and route all audio signals
to it. Be aware though that some reverb VSTs consume a lot more CPU time
than Sylenth1’s reverb!
If you are looking for a vibrato effect, you can also use the chorus instead of
pitch modulation to do this. Set the chorus Dry/Wet to 10, the Delay as small
as possible and make sure Dual Mode is turned off. This is a more CPU
friendly solution, especially when playing a lot of voices.
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6. Appendix
6.1 MIDI Control Changes
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AmpEnv A Attack 76
AmpEnv A Decay 77
AmpEnv A Sustain 78
AmpEnv A Release 79
AmpEnv B Attack 80
AmpEnv B Decay 81
AmpEnv B Sustain 82
AmpEnv B Release 83
LFO 1 Rate 84
LFO 1 Gain 85
LFO 1 Offset 86
LFO 2 Rate 87
LFO 2 Gain 88
LFO 2 Offset 89
Reverb Dry/Wet 91
Delay Dry/Wet 92
Distortion Amount 93
Distortion Dry/Wet 94
Phaser Dry/Wet 95
Phaser CenterFreq 96
Phaser Spread 97
Reverb Predelay 102
Reverb Damp 103
Reverb Size 104
Reverb Width 105
Delay Time Left 106
Delay Time Right 107
Delay LowCut 108
Delay HighCut 109
Delay Smear 110
Delay Spread 111
Delay Feedback 112
Delay Width 113
Phaser LR Offset 114
Phaser Width 115
Phaser LFO Rate 116
Phaser LFO Gain 117
Phaser Feedback 118
EQ Bass 119
All Notes Off 123
Comp Threshold 124
Comp Attack 125
Comp Release 127
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