The FM Synthesizer Page
The FM Synthesizer page is used to control the integrated FM Synthesizer. For more information on how to work with the synthesizer, see the "Working with the Synthesizer" section. The synthesizer contains 6 operators that can be combined with 43 different algorithms.
Once the Synthesizer is opened it can be closed with the "Close" command from the "Synthesizer" menu or with the "Finish !" button on the Synthesizer page.
The FM Synthesizer page consists of
The Envelope Display
The envelope display applies to the currently selected operator of a FM voice. The envelope selection controls "Operator" and "Filter" specify if the operator output envelope is displayed or if the filter output envelope is displayed.
An Synthesizer envelope curve has four sections (ADSR):
If you want to start the operator with a higher level than 0, you also can set the start level for the sound. Levels are directly applied to the output of the operator or the filter.
Each section has rates from 0-255 and levels from 0-255. A level of 255 means full outut for the operator or the filter whereas a level of 0 means silence. The rate specifies the time to reach the specified level for that section. This setting depends on the timer resolution set in the Settings page. By default the timer resolution is 10ms, so you can achieve rates ranging from 0ms to 2550ms.
You can change rates and levels by pressing the left mouse button over the nodes in the EG curve and drag it with the mouse to the desired position.
Effect PlugIns
The button "Effects" provides access to third party DirectX Media plugins to apply sound effects to the final FM voice. Note that this button is only available if you are using a Virtual Sampler Version that supports DirectX plugins (true for version 1.5 beta and higher) and if you have the DirectX Media runtime installed (available at www.microsoft.com). You can apply 2 effects to a FM voice. What effects are actually available depends on the effect plugin packages that you have installed (for demo versions of effects plugins, have a look at www.waves.com or www.sonicfoundry.com).
Operator selection
The "Operator Select" radiobuttons are used to specify the operator that you wish to change. Available are "Op1" through "Op6". Most of the settings on the Synthesizer page apply to the currently selected operator. There are 6 possible operators. These operators can be combined with 43 different algorithms. Note that for some algorithms not all operators are available.
Algorithm selection
The "Algorithm" spinedit is used to change the algorithm that is used to combine the 6 operators. You can either manually enter a value here or change this value with the "Browse" button on the left of the spinedit. This will open another dialog window where you can view or specify the operator algorithm.
Controlling operator levels and detuning
Two controls are used to specify operator levels and detuning of an operator:
Controlling the filter
There are serveral controls that define properties for the filter that is applied to the FM voice for each operator:
Controlling the operator waveform
The "Operator Waveform" combobox defines the waveform used for the currently selected operator. You also can select a waveform by pressing the "Browse" button where you also can specify external waveforms (like external WAV files).
Controlling input gains
There are two inputs for each operator. These inputs are either used by the specified algorithm or can be used as feedback inputs (see "Controlling operator feedbacks"). For each input you can specify a gain that is applied to the operator input. The higher the gain, the higher is the effect of the operator input to the phase modulation for the operator.
Controlling frequencies for operators
The "Frequency Mode" controls specify the frrequency used by the currently selected operator. There are two modes available:
Controlling initial operator phases
This value is used to specify an initial phase shift that is applied to the operator. By default each operator starts with phase shift 0.
Controlling operator feedbacks
The "FeedBacks" button is used to specify feedback sources for each operator. Each operator has two input pins. If the input pins are not used by the operator algorithm specified, you can define a feedback source for that pin. The gain for the feedback is defined by the input gain controls (see above).
Playing FM sounds and specify sample-length
A FM sound is played by pressing a note on the OnScreen keyboard or by triggering a MIDI event from an external MIDI keyboard. Note that it takes some time for Virtual Sampler to calculate the FM sample from the settings specied. If there are already "normal" splits for the same Preset, they will also be played. The total calculation time for the sample is specified with the "Sample length" spinedit. Note that higher values require more time to calculate the sample.
Creating a Sample
Once you are satisfied with your FM voice you can make it a permanent sample with the "Splits from Sample" button. This creates a new split for the current Preset that contains the calculated FM sample. You also can store your FM settings for later use with the "Save FM voice" from the main menu bar.