Contents
[control]+[o] / [control]+[s]
Individual patch files can be loaded from or saved to disk. When you select the save option, Sound Chip Synth will save whichever patch is currently selected in the Sound Bank. Likewise, Open will load a patch from disk into the currently selected patch in the Sound Bank. Note that patches created in versions 1.0 - 2.32 cannot be loaded into this version, due to the vast differences in the synthesis engine.
Sound Chip Synth can also generate samples from patches, so that the sounds you create can be used in other software, such as trackers, editors, and direct-to-disk recorders. The software supports a range of sample formats and frequencies, all of which are set in the Options menu (see below).
To save a sample, press [control]+[e], or choose ‘Save sample...’ from the File menu. A progress bar will appear whilst Sound Chip Synth renders your patch file which, depending on your Atari type, and the complexity of the patch, this can take up to a minute to complete. (Sound Chip Synth supports all known hardware accelerators and also utilises a maths co-processor if present, to speed up sample rendering.)
New
[control]+[n]
To reset the currently selected patch to Sound Chip Synth’s default sound status, press the ‘new’ button.
Play
[p] or [shift]+[p]
To audition a sound without using the on-screen keyboard or MIDI device (thus avoiding changing the pitch), press the ‘play‘ button.
MIDI Channel
Although Sound Chip Synth has a giant on-screen keyboard for playing the sounds with, it can also be played by an attached MIDI keyboard. Using Sound Chip Synth with MIDI opens up all sorts of additional possibilities too, since most of the synthesis parameters can be changed in real-time using controller changes (see MIDI implementation chart). This box sets the channel you would like Sound Chip Synth to respond to.
Portamento
[control]+[p]
Portamento adds a note slide, so that when a key is pressed, rather than play that pitch immediately, it will glide up or down from the last pitch played. Portamento can be activated for individual patches in a sound bank.
Octave transpose
One octave is a little bit limiting, but we couldn’t make the on-screen keyboard any bigger without taking up the whole screen! But Sound Chip Synth does have octave transpose buttons, which will let you access all six octaves. These transpose buttons are effective only for the current patch, and so switching to another in the sound bank will change the on-screen keyboard position.
Options
Move Window
Sound Chip Synth’s window can be moved around, despite not having a traditional GEM ‘mover’ bar. To do this, press and hold on the top right-hand corner of the window. The mouse should turn into a hand icon, and then you can freely move it anywhere you like, except off of the screen!
Sound Bank
Numpad [0]...[9]
Up to ten patches can be held in Sound Chip Synth’s memory at once, and by pressing these buttons you can switch between them. Alternatively, a program change message (wiht a value between 0 and 9) can be sent via MIDI to change a patch. When a patch is selected, all of the controls will update to display the current synthesis parameters.
Sound banks may be loaded from or saved to disk, just like individual Sound Chip Synth patches. Press [alternate]+[l] to load a sound bank, or choose ‘Load Bank...’ from the File menu. To save a bank, press [alternate]+[s] or select the option from the File menu.
Sound Chip Synth works just like an old analogue synthesizer, even using the same terminology and visual appearance. And so, if you’ve used one of these before, you’ll be perfectly at home with the software.
Osc
Although Sound Chip Synth is monophonic, each sound can actually comprise up to three oscillators, for creating fat, detuned pads, or special effects. The two sub-oscillators are enabled by changing the oscillator mode from ‘single’ to ‘dual’ (oscillator 1 and 2), or ‘chorused’ (all three) using the selection button.
If none of the sub-oscillators are enabled, then neither the detune or octave shift controls will have any effect on the sound. The detune dial is used for fine tuning the two sub-oscillators, whilst octave shifting will transpose them by ±1 octave, giving your sound a much broader spectral content.
The final control is pulse and this is used to add a sequencer-like effect to constant tones. By turning up the effect, the sound pulses become shorter, although the modulation rate is always the same. Using amplitude modulation (see below), more dynamic results can be achieved. Better yet, use them both together, and hear what happens!
VCA
By adjusting the volume dials in the VCA section, you can alter the overall mix of the three oscillators. If the VCA button is enabled in the envelope generator, these dials will have no effect on the sound, since now all three oscillator volumes are controlled by the envelope.
Noise
Noise generators are ideal for creating special effects and percussive sounds, and Sound Chip Synth’s even allows you to adjust the ‘pitch’ of the noise, from deep, coarse noise at its lowest depth value, to a high burst. The noise generator can be patched into any or indeed all of the three oscillators, and normally when this happens, the square wave is disabled for that sound channel. However, oscillators can be made to play both the square wave and noise generator by switching on the ‘mix’ button.
Amplitude Modulation (AM)
This modulator is used to fluctuate the patch’s volume over time, and greatly alter its perceived waveform characteristics. Depth controls the level of the amplitude modulation (high settings have very interesting side effects on the FM sound chip!), whilst rate determines the modulation frequency, where greater values produce lower frequencies, and thus a more pronounced effect. High frequency AM will tend to make the sound flutter, whereas with low frequencies you can actually create effects similar to the oscillator pulse. To by-pass the AM, set the depth control to 0.
Each of the four available shapes have very distinct characteristics: square waves produce sudden changes, whereas more subtle changes can be attained using the triangle wave. The sawtooth waveform sits somewhere in the middle of these two. The last waveform is ‘sample and hold’ and this produces a randomised waveform.
Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO)
Sound Chip Synth’s LFO is exclusively for modulating pitch (since there’s already a separate modulator for amplitude), and like AM, it has depth, rate and an identical set of shape controls. Turning up the depth control on the LFO increases the pitch dynamics, up to a maximum of around one octave. To create siren effects, set the rate dial to around half way; smaller settings are great for warbles and buzzes of all kinds. Set the depth control to 0 to by-pass the LFO.
Envelope Generator (EG)
Rather than have a sound drone on monotonously, both pitch and amplitude dynamics can be applied to it, using Sound Chip Synth’s four-stage envelope shaper. The four sliders at the bottom of the section set the envelope’s properties: attack length, decay length, sustain level, and release rate. Note that the third slider is not a temporal control, since the sustain period is supposed to last as long as the sound does, but is used to set the level at which the sound sits during its sustain. Level controls the envelope depth, and is used to set the maximum pitch offset or amplitude.
The envelope generator isn’t automatically used, since sometimes you may not want to use it. Instead, there are two patch buttons: one for pitch and one for VCA (volume). Switching on either or both of these buttons will enable the EG, and then you can start to sculpt your sound.
There is one control in the EG section that is always active and that is the length dial. This sets how long a patch lasts (up to around eight seconds!), as Sound Chip Synth will never create a sound that plays indeterminably. If it sounds as if Sound Chip Synth is prematurely cutting-off your patch in mid-flow (this is particularly apparent when using the EG), then turn up the length dial a little.
|
Parameter |
MIDI controller (decimal) |
Valid ranges (decimal) |
|
Oscillator select |
30 |
0 - 2 |