Apple MainStage 3 Instruments - MainStage 3 Instruments

Refine the snare drum sound using FM synthesis
1 Turn on oscillator 1 in FM mode. Use Env 1 to control the volume of Osc 1 as well.
2 Choose a pitch for oscillator 1 that’s about an octave lower than oscillator 2. Consciously avoid
even intervals between the oscillators and detune them slightly from each other. For example,
try a pitch setting of F#2 in Osc 2 and E1 in Osc 1, then fine-tune Osc 1 a few cents higher by
holding down Shift while adjusting the Osc 1 Pitch slider.
3 Experiment with FM Amount, and add more tone (low FM Amount) or noise (more FM Amount)
as desired. Also try modulating the FM Amount with a fast LFO.
Higher FM Amount values lead to considerably more overtones and a very electronic sound
character. If you want to make the sound more acoustic, feed oscillator 1 (and possibly
oscillator 2 as well) into the main filter. Use these settings to start: LP 24 mode and a Cutoff value
of about 0.60.
Note: An exemplary snare drum sound that uses FM can be found in the Tutorial Kit at a pitch of
F1. It is listed as “snare 2.”
Recreate the 808 snare sound
The famous 808 snare is based on two resonating filters and a noise generator, fed through a
highpass filter. The mix ratio of the two filters and the volume of the noise generator can be
adjusted. This structure cannot be 100% replicated in Ultrabeat.
1 Load the Standard Tutorial setting.
You are now ready to replicate the resonating filters of the 808 snare using two cleverly
programmed phase oscillators.
2 Assign slightly different Slope values to two phase oscillators, and detune them by almost
an octave.
3 Adjust the tonal relationship between the oscillators so that it is uneven—from E3 to F2,
for example.
4 Control the volume of each oscillator with a different envelope. Adjust the decay times so
that the envelope for the lower-tuned oscillator has a longer decay time than the very snappy
envelope setting for the higher oscillator.
5 Feed the output of both oscillators into Ultrabeat’s main filter, and hollow out the sound with a
highpass filter. Activate the filter bypass button in both oscillators. Choose the HP 12 setting in
the filter, a Cutoff value around 0.40, and a Resonance value of about 0.70.
You have just cleverly emulated both of the 808’s resonating filters. Shifting the pitch of both
oscillators simulates the behavior of the 808’s Tone control.
Chapter 14 Ultrabeat 388