Index of experiments · Generalist recipes

Experiments

Numbered sound recipes in the spirit of a good 1980s lab manual. Each one makes a specific promise, walks you through the knobs in the browser, then points at your real gear — without reprinting anyone’s PDF. Start generalist; per-synth deep dives (Hydrasynth and friends) plug in later.

1. 01Raw buzzHear an oscillator with nothing carving it yet.Power on a saw wave with the filter wide open. This is the raw material every subtractive patch starts from.Ch. 00 · 3 min
2. 02Four coloursKeep pitch fixed and change only the waveform.Sine, triangle, square and saw on one note — the harmonic recipe that filters love to carve.Ch. 01 · 4 min
3. 03Dark and brightUse cutoff alone to turn a buzz into a muted tone.Sweep a low-pass filter across a saw. Cutoff is the most important shaper knob on almost every synth.Ch. 02 · 4 min
4. 04ResonanceMake the filter sing at its cutoff point.Raise resonance and sweep cutoff — the whistling peak that became acid, techno and a thousand leads.Ch. 02 · 5 min
5. 05Glass pluckTurn four envelope knobs into a plucked note.Zero sustain and a short decay make every note die on its own — the envelope as instrument design.Ch. 03 · 5 min
6. 06Slow padMake a note swell in and breathe after you let go.Long attack, high sustain, long release, plus a slow LFO on cutoff — the classic evolving pad.Ch. 03 · 5 min
7. 07Acid squelchRecreate the classic resonant filter-envelope bass.Low cutoff, high resonance, punchy filter envelope, short amp — play low notes and twist cutoff by hand.Ch. 02 · 6 min
8. 08Wobble bassLet an LFO turn one long note into a rhythm.A fast LFO on cutoff turns sustain into groove — the dubstep / DnB wobble idea in miniature.Ch. 04 · 5 min
9. 09Gentle vibratoAdd expression with a shallow LFO on pitch.Small depth, moderate rate, destination pitch — the difference between a static beep and a played note.Ch. 04 · 4 min
10. 10Filter snapLet the filter envelope strike each note like a mallet.High filter-env amount and a quick decay put a percussive “hit” on every key press — useful for leads and bass.Ch. 03 · 5 min
11. 11Sub foundationBuild a simple, solid bass that sits under a track.Square or saw, low cutoff, moderate resonance, short-ish release — the unglamorous bass that mixes well.Ch. 00 · 5 min
12. 12Read the bytesDecode a MIDI Note On before you send patterns to a DAW.No speaker required — this experiment is about messages, not tone. Pair it with the Manual MIDI chapter and the Step Groove Machine.Ch. 05 · 4 min

Prefer reading first? Start in the Manual, then jump to the experiment stamped on each chapter. When you’re ready for a specific instrument, follow the gear route.