CD ROM Paradise Collection 4/CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso/music/synth100.zip/SYNTH.TXT

Text File | 1994-10-27 | 6KB | 103 lines

mcc Synthesizer user's guide
----------------------------

mcc Synthesizer v1.00 transforms PC's keyboard in a simple synthesizer. It
uses additive synthesis to generate sounds and drums. Modulated delay can
be added to the sound for effects such as chorus, phasing, vibrato... Six
sounds and two drums can be produced contemporaneously. A simple sequencer
without editing possibility (a digital recorder in practice) is offered and
a rhythms generator. WAV sounds can be used as output samples with some
limitations (4096 fixed sample length). The sounds and drums can be graphi-
cally edited. The program has 3D look.

Special requirements: VGA, mouse, Sound Blaster or a DAC on LPT recommended
for quality audio output (PC speaker is used else).

To run mcc Synthesizer just type synth at the command prompt. Look at the
readme file for options and problems.

When the program is started you can play by typing on the keyboard. The
default instrument is piano. You can press more than one key at a time and
you will hear the notes simultaneously. mcc Synthesizer is polyphonic and
can reproduce six notes and two drums at a time. Nevertheless a problem may
occurr: PC keyboard isn't designed to press many keys contemporaneously, so
certain combinations of keys will not produce all the sounds. Which are these
combinations, depends upon the keyboard you have.

You can select a sound by pressing a function key when you are in the sound
selection mode (the sounds are listed in the upper right window). Pressing
ESC you change the mode to rhythm selection (rhythms are listed instead of
the sounds). INS button selects drums (which are listed in the lower left
window).

You can change the sampling rate with the PGUP and PGDOWN keys. The arrow
keys and keypad-5 transpose the keyboard.

You enter the sound programming mode pressing the Sound button. You can define
the waveform of the sound (drawing the spectrum in the lower left window),
its envelope with the ADSR parameters (the envelope appears in the upper
left window) and its volume. Clicking on the upper right window you can
enter the sound name.

Pressing the Drum button, you enter the drum programming mode. Its spectrum
is located in the upper left window. ADSR, volume and name is applicable to
the drum, too, but the envelope isn't drawed. The drums aren't resampled
when you change the sampling frequency, so they must be redrawn when changing
sampling frequency. The drums in this package are designed for a 45000 kHz
sampling frequency.

Clicking on the upper right window when you aren't in a programming mode
permits you to enter the effect name. It's just a delay line with return
and delay length modulation. The possible effects are: reverb, echo, chorus,
phasing, flanging... The effect is applied only to the sounds (not the drums).
Only one effect can be active at a time.

You can save more modules in a file. They are listed pressing the Save button.
Bank is applicable to sounds, drums and rhythms. Multi splits a bank in more
files, giving them a truncated sound/drum/rhythm name, if it possible and no
name is typed in. If it is not possible (more files with the same name would
be generated), it will give them the specified name or the bank name if no
name is specified, followed by a serial number.

The split button splits the keyboard in two parts, pressing the 2X button, it
is splitted in three parts.

The Rhythm button activates the rhythm, the Accord button generates a major
accord when a key is pressed, a minor accord when two appropriate keys are
pressed; the Octave button includes the octave in the accord. The Hold button
holds a key combination, which is released with another key combination or
with the space bar. Arrange plays an ascending arpeggio, while the Advance
button (when both it and Arrange are pressed) plays a programmed arrangement.
You can program a rhythm and its arrangement with the Program button. First
you enter the drums (it automatically makes pass advances, but you can do
them with the mouse or with the space bar). You can press two drums (or
sounds) at a time. Pressing the Program button again you hear the rhythm; you
can add drums between passes, if you want. Pressing Program once again, you
can enter the arrangement that mcc Synthesizer will play when you will press
one, two, three and four keys. mcc Synthesizer will suppose that C note (the Q
key) is pressed for single key programming; in this first pass the only
allowable keys are Q, I (one octave up) and space bar (no sound). Next you
will program the double key pressing (C - E notes / Q - E keys), then triple
key (C - E - G notes / Q - E - T keys) and the quadruple key (C - E - G - B
notes / Q - E - T - U keys).

You can record a song with the recorder. The tracks in red record (when
the keyboard is splitted, each keyboard part is recorded to a different
track), the tracks in black play. The rhythm, the arrangement and the holded
keys are not recorded.

And now some instructions about the keys:

ESC             change mode between sounds and rhythm select
F1-F12          select a sound/rhythm
INS             select drums
UP              transpose the keyboard one octave up
DOWN            transpose the keyboard one octave down
RIGHT           transpose the keyboard one semitone up
LEFT            transpose the keyboard one semitone down
5 on the keypad center the keyboard
PGUP            sampling frequency 500 Hz up
PGDOWN          sampling frequency 500 Hz down
the notes are on the main keyboard, find them by yourself.