GENERATORS

Sytrus - Notes & Tips to Patch Creators

Recommendations for Patch Authoring

Please check the following rules to ensure that the patches you make are immediately usable, merge with the other presets, & don't spend a lot of CPU power when it can be avoided at no quality loss:

• It is recommended to copy/paste the details text from the Default preset. The provided layout and colors are easy to read and provide a common format for the details text in all patches.
• Patch filename: try to put a category name before the patch name, otherwise you will get some presets with a category & some others without. Example: "Piano - rhodes.fst".
• Don't leave knobs in the matrix active if they are not to be used. For example, if a filter is not used, it should not have an output level.
• Envelopes: pay attention to the sustain point, it is the most important part of the ADSR envelope. A voice stops when all of the envelopes have completed their release part. The envelope section after the sustain point is important and it is recommended that all of the operators & FX should match it.
• When previewing your patch, try to press a key for a very short time, & see if it still releases properly (if there is a problem, you will hear a "lag" in release response even if you don't use long release time). If not, an articulator inside your synth is holding the voice active, try to find it and adjust it accordingly.
• For patch sounds like bells or drums, if a voice needs to act like a "one shot" regardless of the voice length, you can duplicate the part before the release section after the release section (if a voice is released instantly, the release section is used, otherwise the sustain section is used, yielding identical results in either case).
• Pay attention to possible DC offset. If your patch causes a DC offset, switch the "center" option on for the oscillator(s) that cause that effect.
• Pay attention to keyboard mapping. With FM synthesis you might need to check if higher notes produce aliasing, & reduce the modulators levels using the keyboard mapping if needed. The last key you've pressed shows in the keyboard mapping editor.
• To increase usability of the preset, always try to give a use to the integrated X/Y Controller (Mod X/Y) and explain what each direction means, as in the included presets.
• Chorus/unison : do not set Order to max, if 4 or 5 sounds the same or similar enough. This is especially true for the unison effect, where with the increase of order, more and more actual voices are generated and mixed together to produce a single voice in your sequence (order 6 = 6 subvoices per voice) which substantially increases CPU usage for your patch. If sublevel is used, then additional set of voices is generated.
• Aliasing: try to avoid aliasing using normal means, before using the oversampling feature: 4x oversampling = 4x more CPU usage.
• Shapes: try to avoid using custom shapes for more than 2 or 3 operators (unless the specific patch requires it). Due to the serialized processing, it matters for the cache, thus to the CPU usage. Try to keep at least 3 oscillators as pure sines, so that they are shared.

Other Tips

• If you want to start a patch from scratch, load the Sytrus preset named Default. All controls in this preset are reset to their default state.
• Always ensure the oscillator has rich spectrum if you are going to use it in plucked string mode. The best way to ensure that is to add good amount of noise via the Noise modifier.
• You can use a modulator with very low pitch as a vibrato effect on the carrier.
• If you don't use the advanced features of the unison mode, you can try using the chorus effect in the effects section instead and save some CPU power.