Apple MainStage 3 Instruments - MainStage 3 Instruments

Create fat ES2 sounds
“Fat” synthesizer sounds have always been popular and are likely to remain so, given their use in
modern trance, techno, R & B, and other styles.
Create fat ES2 sounds with oscillator detuning and unison mode
The Analog Saw 3 Osc setting features three detuned oscillators, and sounds fat as it is. The
following introduces you to some additional tools to fatten the sound even more.
In many factory settings, the Unison mode is active. This demands a lot of processing power. If
your computer isn’t fast enough, you can switch off the Unison mode and insert an Ensemble
effect in a bus, for use with several plug-ins. This saves processing power. You can also save CPU
resources by freezing or bouncing several software instrument tracks.
Do the following:
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Check out the three-oscillator basic sound with different filter and envelope settings.
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Check out the chorus effect at different Intensities and speeds.
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Engage Unison mode and select a higher setting for Analog. Because the sound is polyphonic,
each note is doubled. The number of notes that can be played simultaneously is reduced from
10 to 5. This makes the sound rich and broad. Combining Unison and higher values for Analog
spreads the sound across the stereo or surround spectrum.
In many factory settings, the Unison mode is active. This demands a lot of processing power. If
your computer isn’t fast enough, you can switch off the Unison mode and insert an Ensemble
effect in a bus, for use with several plug-ins. This saves processing power. You can also save CPU
resources by freezing or bouncing several software instrument tracks.
Create detuned ES2 monophonic sounds and effects
The Analog Saw Unison setting is a fat, heavily detuned, unfiltered basic sound. Three sawtooth
oscillators are used, but they are further detuned. The combination of Unison and Analog (set to
a high value) is essential—but this time monophonic mode is used to stack ten voices. Without
further effects, the result is a huge lead sound, much like those used in countless dance and
trance productions. With appropriate filter and envelope settings, electro sounds that are ideal
for arpeggiation and sequencing can easily be set up.
Do the following:
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Set the Cutoff Frequency of Filter 2 to 0. This activates the preset filter envelope. Feel free to
check out different envelope settings.
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Switch Osc 1 to sound one or two octaves lower.
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Increase Drive or Distortion.
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Set Env 2 to be velocity sensitive. This allows for velocity-sensitive filter modulations.
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Insert a delay effect in the instrument channel strip of the ES2 (or a bus target).
Chapter 3 ES2 96