Exploring Pad Sounds with the Current Synthesizer
Tutorial | Jan 03, 2024
In this video, I discuss the controversial subscription system of the Current synthesizer and my personal thoughts on it. I then proceed to demonstrate how to create a pad sound using the synthesizer's newest update, utilizing various wave shapes and filters, as well as effects like chorus, delay, and reverb. I also mention the possibility of future tutorials focusing on bass sounds using Current.
You can watch the Video on Youtube - support me on Patreon
In this video tutorial, I demonstrate how to create a pad sound using the "Current" synthesizer by Minimal Audio. Here's a summary of the steps I followed:
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Initial Setup: I start by choosing an interesting wave shape in the first oscillator, something like "form, growl notch, or drift." This wave shape gives a sound similar to a stretched bell.
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Layering Oscillators: I add a second oscillator with a simple saw wave in unison mode to support the first oscillator. This ensures that the frequencies of the first oscillator remain clear.
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Wavetable Modulation: I alter the wavetable positions using an LFO set to Hertz, with increased randomization for modulating the position.
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Filter Application: I use two filters. The first is a morphing 12 filter, which I modulate between low pass and high pass using an LFO. The second, an LP12 filter, is set in series for additional texture.
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Amplitude Envelope Adjustments: I set a slow attack and release for the amplitude envelopes to smooth out the sound.
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Granular Synthesis: I employ granular synthesis using vinyl texture noise, adjusting parameters like spray, grain size, and high-pass filtering to get the texture I want.
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Effect Chain: I apply several effects:
- Flax, a chorus effect, with a slower rate and more voices.
- Cluster delay, slightly modulated for subtle pitch variation.
- Reverb swarm to add spatial depth.
- A compressor with adaptive timing.
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LFO Trigger Settings: I set the LFO triggers to free mode to avoid retriggering with each new note.
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Final Adjustments: I fine-tune the level of granular synthesis and conclude by saving the preset, which I share in the video description for download.
I also discuss the synth's background, its initial subscription model controversy, and its versatility beyond bass sounds. I invite feedback on how viewers are using the "Current" synthesizer.
Questions & Answers #
Maybe you dont watch the video, here are some important takeaways:
How did drama around the subscription system affect the perception of the synthesizer? #
The drama around the subscription system created some initial concerns and skepticism about the synthesizer, but the company eventually back down and removed the subscription system. Despite the drama, I still believe that it is a great synthesizer with many capabilities.
What type of sound did the video aim to create using the synthesizer? #
The video aimed to create a pad sound using the synthesizer's newest update. The synthesizer is known for its ability to create wobble basses, but the goal of this video was to showcase its potential for creating pads as well.
How was the pad sound created using the synthesizer? #
The pad sound was created by using interesting wave shapes in the first oscillator, using a simple saw in unison mode in the second oscillator for support, and modulating the wavetable positions with an envelope. Filters and effects were also used to further shape and enhance the sound.
What is the overall opinion on the synthesizer and its potential for future use? #
The synthesizer is still considered to be a great synth, despite the drama around its subscription system. In the future, it might be used to create more bass sounds and presets, as it is often favored for mid-range basses. However, the opinion on its potential for future use may vary among individuals.
Transcription #
This is what im talking about in this video. The text is transcribed by AI, so it might not be perfect. If you find any mistakes, please let me know.
You can also click on the timestamps to jump to the right part of the video, which should be helpful.
[00:00:00] Hey folks, welcome back to another video. Today it's about current by minimal audio
[00:00:05] and this synthesizer came out late last year and there was some drama around it.
[00:00:10] They had some kind of subscription system in place but they back down a few
[00:00:15] days later. I still think it's a great synthesizer but I haven't used it in a
[00:00:19] while and it would be interesting for me if you still use it so let me know down
[00:00:24] in the comments. So in this video I want to take the synthesizer with in the
[00:00:29] newest update and create some kind of pad sound with it because it's a nice
[00:00:36] synthesizer for pad sounds also not only for wobble basses right. So we want to use
[00:00:41] here inside of this first oscillator we want to use some kind of interesting
[00:00:47] wave shape here maybe form, growl notch or drift. Let me see spectra. Let's go for
[00:00:57] this one. Let's see how this sounds.
[00:01:00] This kind of sounds interesting so let's amp up here the voices.
[00:01:11] Sounds almost like a bell sound stretched out so below that we use here
[00:01:22] the second oscillator and we just use a simple saw in unison mode.
[00:01:31] Maybe the level a bit lower here so we still hear all the nice frequencies of
[00:01:39] this one and just use this as a support. And then we want to change here of
[00:01:46] course the wavetable positions we use here an envelope and the envelope is
[00:01:53] actually an LFO and we want to disable synchronization here to Hertz and then
[00:02:01] we increase randomization and then we modulate the position here.
[00:02:09] [Music]
[00:02:25] Okay so now that we have this we want to go into the filter one here so
[00:02:34] oscillator A is active and B so A and B goes through this filter here and we
[00:02:41] switch this to morphing 12. Morphing 12 now is or has this kind of feature here
[00:02:49] where you can morph between low pass and high pass.
[00:02:53] [Music]
[00:03:10] I also want to use here an LFO curve to randomize all the way up no
[00:03:16] synchronization then I want to modulate your cutoff but also in the other
[00:03:23] direction here so I right-click and use set bipolar.
[00:03:27] [Music]
[00:03:37] And then maybe we go into the second filter here this is switch to series
[00:03:42] instead of parallel so we have this filter first and then the second filter
[00:03:46] so here we use just an LP12 filter maybe mix it in
[00:03:53] [Music]
[00:03:59] and use another LFO here this LFO okay synchronization is Hertz rate goes down
[00:04:06] randomization up then just modulate this here bipolar. [Music]
[00:04:23] Let's switch here to the amplitude envelopes we need a slow attack and a
[00:04:29] slow release maybe a bit longer
[00:04:38] nice then we switch over here to granular and use some kind of sample
[00:04:49] artifacts let's see I think we just use noise here vinyl texture one maybe
[00:04:59] so the speed goes down so we stuck this play head here in place we use the
[00:05:04] position go to the middle 50% increase spray and the size of the grains we need
[00:05:14] a high pass filter in there maybe change the size here randomly so we can increase
[00:05:21] here just randomization
[00:05:24] [Music]
[00:05:31] maybe also randomization here for the for the for the rate
[00:05:40] tone it down a bit
[00:05:46] it's already sounding nice without actually using an effect so we can head
[00:05:54] over here to effects and we can use the first one we're gonna use is probably
[00:06:02] let's say flax here the chorus
[00:06:07] that's way too fast so we turn down the rate increase the voices here to 24 maybe
[00:06:18] increase the time frame
[00:06:21] [Music]
[00:06:36] so very slow chorus
[00:06:40] [Music]
[00:06:57] okay I like it so we have mixed and you're still the dry signal slightly so
[00:07:03] the second effect here is gonna be let's say maybe we go for the cluster delay
[00:07:13] [Music]
[00:07:17] oh yeah I want to modulate this here slightly so we go for an LFO
[00:07:22] parts very slow randomized and then spacing just just a tad
[00:07:32] [Music]
[00:07:53] so we have some kind of pitch modulation in there because we are changing here the
[00:07:57] delay time maybe also increase here some other things
[00:08:06] [Music]
[00:08:23] maybe the noise is a bit too loud here
[00:08:28] so after the cluster delay we go finally for a reverb swarm so size goes up decay
[00:08:45] [Music]
[00:09:07] so let's play around you a bit with the filter
[00:09:12] [Music]
[00:09:36] oh yeah we want to remove your all the triggers for the LFOs we want to set us
[00:09:41] to free so every time basically I hit a note on the keyboard this three triggers
[00:09:46] and then you have some artifacts in the sound so I'm using here three so I don't
[00:09:53] want to retrigger basically the only envelope here this this first one is
[00:09:58] still on trigger this is okay but these ones here we switch to three okay so the
[00:10:06] next effect I probably gonna use here the compressor
[00:10:11] and I want to have this very slowly here adaptive time
[00:10:24] [Music]
[00:10:41] maybe here the granular is still too loud
[00:10:48] [Music]
[00:11:12] but I think that's it
[00:11:16] [Music]
[00:11:36] so I saved here as a preset let's use this one here and a preset name so
[00:11:47] second pad I'm selected tags as atmosphere it's not drums pad sound
[00:11:56] tassel vocal sounds to it ambient pad so yeah save it I put this patch into
[00:12:05] the description below so you can download it but I just wanted to use here
[00:12:09] current for the for this video to create something with it maybe I do some more
[00:12:15] tutorials for bass sounds in it or create some bass sounds in it some bass
[00:12:20] sounds preset I think most people use this for bass sounds for mid-range
[00:12:24] basses so yeah let me know in the comments if you still like and use
[00:12:29] current by minimal audio or if you just you know use something different I don't
[00:12:36] know so I think it's still a great synth and I probably gonna use it in the near
[00:12:43] future for some sounds okay that's it for this video leave a like like the
[00:12:47] video subscribe to the channel thanks for watching and I see you in the next one
[00:12:51] bye