DSI PRO 2 SYNTHESIS TUTORIALS

DSI PRO 2 BASS DRUM SYNTHESIS TUTORIAL ~ Synthesize This! Ep.01

Published on Dec 9, 2016 once upon a synth

"A tutorial on how to synthesize bass drum sounds on the DSI Pro 2 synthesizer. Synthesizing a bass/kick drum is relatively simple. The main idea is to simulate the response of a membrane being struck by a mallet. The crude approximation involves a sine wave whose frequency starts off really high but quickly drops down. The sine wave is achieved either via a sine wave oscillator directly or via a resonant low pass filter during self oscillation. In both cases, the sine wave's frequency is modulated via an ADSR envelope generator. In this video I demonstrate both approaches as well as adding effects like distortion or some of the character FX on the Pro 2. Finally I end with a simple demonstration of what the Pro 2's bass drum sounds like along with a Korg Volca Beats which I've synced via MIDI.

Let me know in the comments below if you guys have any other tips with regards to synthesizing kick drums. I'm still learning all this stuff so hopefully we can help each other out!

~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~
00:36 - Theory
00:59 - Synthesis
06:44 - Demo"

DSI PRO 2 SNARE DRUM SYNTHESIS TUTORIAL // Synthesize This! Ep.02

Published on Dec 12, 2016 once upon a synth

"Let's try to synthesize a snare drum sound on the DSI Pro 2 synthesizer. The main idea is to simulate the top head, bottom head and snare separetely. We approximate the top and bottom head with triangle or sine oscillators and the snare with white noise. The top and bottom head oscillators have their frequency modulated by an ADSR envelope generator to emulate the response of membrane being struck by a stick. Finally I end with a simple demonstration of what the Pro 2's snare drum sounds like along with a Korg Volca Beats which I've synced via MIDI."

DSI PRO 2 CYMBAL + HI-HAT SYNTHESIS TUTORIAL ~ Synthesize This! Ep.03

Published on Dec 16, 2016 once upon a synth

"Let's try to synthesize cymbal and hi-hat sounds on the DSI Pro 2 synthesizer. Both sounds will be based on the same patch and only differ in envelope shape. The general idea is to create a sound rich in inharmonic frequencies in order to simulate the metalic sound of a cymbal.

Let me know in the comments below if you guys have any other tips with regards to synthesizing cymbals.

~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~
00:39 - Theory
01:18 - Synthesis
08:29 - Demo"

DSI PRO 2 CLAP SYNTHESIS TUTORIAL ~ Synthesize This! Ep.04

Published on Dec 23, 2016 once upon a synth

"Let's try to synthesize a clap sound on the DSI Pro 2 synthesizer. Synthesizing a clap sound involves two pieces of noise delayed slightly apart and a carful dash of distortion. The clap sound is not as good as a sample but it has its own unique character. Towards the end of the video you can hear the Pro 2's clap in context with a drum beat from the Korg Volca Beats.

~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~
00:40 - Theory
01:00 - Synthesis
06:31 - Demo"

DSI PRO 2 FM BELLS SOUND DESIGN TUTORIAL ~ Synthesize This! Ep.05

Published on Dec 30, 2016 once upon a synth

"Let's try to synthesize bell sounds on the DSI Pro 2 synthesizer. Synthesizing a bell sound involves simulating the response of a metallic object. The best way to achieve this by utilizing frequency modulation. In this patch we get both large church bells as wells as little bells like a glockenspiel.

~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~
00:41 - Theory
01:04 - Synthesis"

DSI PRO 2 KARPLUS-STRONG SOUND DESIGN TUTORIAL ~ Synthesize This! Ep.06

Published on Jan 6, 2017 once upon a synth

"In this episode we use an approximation of the Karplus-Strong algorithm to design plucked string sounds on the DSI Pro 2 synthesizer using physical modeling synthesis. The Karplus-Strong algorithm involves a short burst of noise that is fed into a delay line. The samples are averaged as they feed back through the line and this results in a crude simulation of a plucked string which sounds surprisingly good. Unfortunately the pitch doesn't track correctly here because this needs to be calibrated in code and what I'm doing in this video is just a simulation of this algorithm using the delay and some noise."

UPDATES TO THE KARPLUS-STRONG SOUND DESIGN TUTORIAL ~ Synthesize This! Ep.07

Published on Jan 9, 2017 once upon a synth

"In this episode we continue with the Karplus-Strong algorithm but this time I make some tweaks as suggested by you guys. This results in accurate pitch tracking as well as a pretty nasty sounding bass fuzz patch which is surprisingly simple to make."

DSI PRO 2 RHYTHMIC SOUND DESIGN TUTORIAL ON THE DSI PRO 2 ~ Synthesize This! Ep.08

Published on Jan 13, 2017 once upon a synth

"I make a patch centered around the sequencer on the Pro 2 synth. I make use of all 4 oscillators and utilize the wavetables. Multiple sequencer tracks are then used as modulation sources to create a moving rhythmic patch. Finally distortion and delay is applied to spice things up. We're not going after emulating a specific patch here. Rather, I'm just building a patch from scratch and improvising along the way to keep things moving and interesting."

DSI PRO 2 LEAD PATCH SOUND DESIGN TUTORIAL ~ Synthesize This! Ep.08

Published on Jan 20, 2017 once upon a synth

"I make an expressive lead patch on the Pro 2 synth. The patch is based on providing performance control such as vibrato via aftertouch, filter cutoff via the mod wheel and distortion via the ribbon sliders. I make use of multiple oscillators including noise and finally add a bit of delay for ambiance."