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Multi-line part creation uses vertical layout with trailing commas. Configuration snippets use code-block:: python (clean, no >>>). Interactive exploration keeps pycon format. Mixed blocks split into setup + exploration. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
298 lines
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298 lines
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Synthesizers
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============
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PyTheory includes 10 built-in waveforms and 8 ADSR envelope presets.
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Every sound is generated from scratch -- no samples or external audio
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files needed.
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Here's the beautiful thing about synthesis: all of it comes from math.
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Sine waves, addition, and shaping. That's the entire foundation. Every
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legendary synth in history -- the Moog Minimoog, the Sequential Prophet-5,
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the Yamaha DX7, the Roland Juno-106, the Roland TB-303 -- uses some
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combination of these building blocks. When you choose a waveform in
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PyTheory, you're reaching for the same raw materials that defined
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decades of music. The difference between a Moog bass and a DX7 bell
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isn't magic; it's which waveforms you start with and how you shape them.
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Classic Waveforms
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-----------------
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These four are the fundamentals. Every analog synthesizer ever built
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starts here. If you learn nothing else about synthesis, learn these --
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they're the primary colors you mix everything else from.
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Sine
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~~~~
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The purest tone possible. Contains only the fundamental frequency with
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no harmonics. Sounds smooth, clean, and "electronic." This is the
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building block of all other waveforms (Fourier's theorem).
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**Use for:** sub bass, clean pads, test tones, blending under other voices.
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.. code-block:: python
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from pytheory import play, Synth, Tone
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tone = Tone.from_string("C4", system="western")
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play(tone, synth=Synth.SINE)
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Sawtooth
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~~~~~~~~
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Contains all harmonics (both odd and even), each at amplitude 1/n.
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The richest of the classic waveforms — bright, buzzy, and aggressive.
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Named for its ramp shape.
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**Use for:** leads, brass, pads, anything that needs presence and bite.
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.. code-block:: python
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play(tone, synth=Synth.SAW)
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Triangle
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~~~~~~~~
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Contains only odd harmonics, each at amplitude 1/n-squared. Softer and
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more mellow than sawtooth — somewhere between sine and saw. Often
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described as "woody" or "hollow."
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**Use for:** flute-like leads, mellow bass, gentle pads.
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.. code-block:: python
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play(tone, synth=Synth.TRIANGLE)
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Square
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~~~~~~
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Contains only odd harmonics, each at amplitude 1/n. Sounds hollow and
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punchy — the classic chiptune / 8-bit sound. A special case of the
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pulse wave with a 50% duty cycle.
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**Use for:** chiptune, 8-bit game music, hollow leads, sub-octave bass.
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.. code-block:: python
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play(tone, synth=Synth.SQUARE)
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Extended Waveforms
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------------------
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These go beyond the basics into territory that defined specific
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instruments and eras. The pulse wave is the sound of the NES. FM
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synthesis is the sound of the 1980s. If the classic waveforms are
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primary colors, these are the specific pigments that painters actually
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reach for.
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Pulse
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~~~~~
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A pulse wave with a variable duty cycle. Narrower pulses sound thinner
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and more nasal. At 50% it equals a square wave; at 10--20% it produces
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the classic NES-style buzzy tone.
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**Use for:** NES/chiptune sounds, nasal leads, retro textures.
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.. code-block:: python
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lead = score.part("lead", synth="pulse", envelope="pluck")
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FM Synthesis
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~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Frequency modulation -- one oscillator (the modulator) modulates the
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frequency of another (the carrier), producing complex inharmonic
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spectra. This is how the Yamaha DX7 works -- the best-selling
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synthesizer of all time. Released in 1983, it was suddenly everywhere:
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the electric piano in every Whitney Houston ballad, the bass in every
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Depeche Mode track, the bells in a thousand TV jingles. If you heard
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pop music in the 80s, you heard FM synthesis.
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**Use for:** electric piano (rhodes), bells, metallic leads, jazz chords.
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.. code-block:: python
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rhodes = score.part(
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"rhodes",
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synth="fm",
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envelope="piano",
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volume=0.3,
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reverb=0.4,
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)
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Noise
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-----
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White Noise
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~~~~~~~~~~~
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Equal energy at all frequencies — pure randomness with no pitch.
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Useful as a texture layer, a percussion source, or a wind/ocean effect.
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**Use for:** snare layers, hi-hats, wind effects, risers, ambient texture.
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.. code-block:: python
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texture = score.part(
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"texture",
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synth="noise",
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envelope="pad",
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volume=0.1,
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lowpass=2000,
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)
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Ensemble Waveforms
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------------------
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These all create "bigger" sounds by layering or modulating multiple
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oscillators. Where a single sawtooth wave sounds like one instrument,
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these sound like a section -- a string ensemble, a choir, a wall of
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synths. They're the pad and atmosphere machines, the sounds that fill
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out a mix and make it feel wide and immersive.
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Supersaw
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~~~~~~~~
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Seven detuned sawtooth oscillators stacked together. The slight pitch
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differences create a shimmering, massive wall of sound. This is the
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Roland JP-8000's gift to the world -- the waveform that launched an
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entire genre. Every trance anthem from the late 90s and early 2000s,
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every euphoric EDM drop, every J-pop power chord owes something to the
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supersaw.
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**Use for:** trance pads, EDM leads, massive chords, anthem hooks.
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.. code-block:: python
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pad = score.part(
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"pad",
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synth="supersaw",
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envelope="pad",
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volume=0.4,
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chorus=0.3,
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reverb=0.5,
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)
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PWM Slow
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~~~~~~~~
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Pulse width modulation with a slow LFO. The duty cycle sweeps back and
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forth, creating a lush, animated pad sound. This is the Roland Juno-106
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in a nutshell -- arguably the most recorded synth pad sound in history.
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That warm, slowly evolving, slightly chorused wash you hear in everything
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from Boards of Canada to Drake? PWM with a slow LFO.
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**Use for:** lush analog pads, slow evolving textures, Juno-style warmth.
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.. code-block:: python
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pad = score.part(
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"pad",
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synth="pwm_slow",
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envelope="pad",
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volume=0.35,
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reverb=0.4,
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)
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PWM Fast
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~~~~~~~~
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Pulse width modulation with a fast LFO. The rapid duty cycle sweep
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produces a natural chorus/vibrato effect built into the waveform itself.
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**Use for:** animated leads, vibrato textures, movement without effects.
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.. code-block:: python
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lead = score.part("lead", synth="pwm_fast", envelope="pluck", volume=0.5)
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ADSR Envelopes
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--------------
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Here's a question: a piano and an organ can play the exact same note at
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the exact same frequency. Why do they sound completely different? The
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answer is the envelope -- the *shape* of the sound over time. A piano
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hits hard and immediately starts fading. An organ snaps on at full
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volume and stays there until you lift the key. A violin swells in
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gradually. The frequency is the same; the envelope is what makes each
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instrument feel like itself.
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ADSR stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release -- four stages that
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describe how any sound's volume changes from the moment you press a key
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to the moment it falls silent. Understanding ADSR is the single most
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important thing you can learn about synthesis, because it's the
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difference between a sound that feels like an instrument and a sound
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that feels like a test tone.
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Raw waveforms click at the start and end of each note. An ADSR envelope
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shapes the amplitude over time for natural-sounding notes:
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- **Attack** -- how quickly the sound reaches full volume.
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- **Decay** -- how quickly it drops to the sustain level.
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- **Sustain** -- the held volume while the note is on.
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- **Release** -- how quickly it fades to silence after the note ends.
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PyTheory includes 8 presets:
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.. code-block:: python
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from pytheory import play, Envelope, Tone
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tone = Tone.from_string("C4", system="western")
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.PIANO) # Quick attack, natural decay
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.PLUCK) # Sharp attack, fast decay
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.PAD) # Slow fade in, lush sustain
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.ORGAN) # Instant on/off, no shaping
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.BELL) # Instant attack, long ring
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.STRINGS) # Gradual bow attack
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.STACCATO) # Short and punchy
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play(tone, envelope=Envelope.NONE) # Raw waveform, no shaping
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Envelope Descriptions
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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=============== ================================================
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Name Character
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=============== ================================================
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``"piano"`` Quick attack, natural decay -- acoustic piano feel
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``"pluck"`` Sharp attack, fast decay -- guitar pick, harp
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``"pad"`` Slow fade in, lush sustain -- strings, synth pads
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``"organ"`` Instant on/off -- Hammond organ, no shaping
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``"bell"`` Instant attack, long ring -- vibraphone, tubular
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``"strings"`` Gradual bow attack -- orchestral strings, slow
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``"staccato"`` Short and punchy -- funk stabs, percussive hits
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``"none"`` Raw waveform, no amplitude shaping at all
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=============== ================================================
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Choosing Synth and Envelope Combos
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----------------------------------
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The right combination of synth and envelope defines the character of a
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voice. This is where you stop thinking about waveforms and start
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thinking about *instruments*. Here are some starting points:
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- **Funk stabs:** ``saw`` + ``staccato`` -- bright, punchy, rhythmic.
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- **Jazz keys:** ``fm`` + ``bell`` -- glassy DX7 electric piano.
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- **Ambient pads:** ``supersaw`` + ``pad`` -- massive, slow-building wash.
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- **Acid bass:** ``saw`` + ``pluck`` with lowpass and glide -- 303-style.
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- **Chiptune lead:** ``square`` + ``none`` -- raw 8-bit.
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- **Film strings:** ``triangle`` + ``strings`` -- soft, bowed, organic.
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- **Sub bass:** ``sine`` + ``pluck`` with lowpass -- deep and round.
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- **Retro synth:** ``pwm_slow`` + ``pad`` -- Juno-style analog warmth.
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- **Percussive hit:** ``noise`` + ``staccato`` with lowpass -- snare layer.
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- **E-piano ballad:** ``fm`` + ``piano`` with reverb -- intimate jazz club.
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Some practical combos worth memorizing:
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- ``saw`` + ``staccato`` + legato = **acid 303 line.** Add a resonant
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lowpass and some glide and you're in a warehouse in 1988.
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- ``fm`` + ``bell`` = **jazz vibraphone.** The glassy, harmonic-rich
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attack with a long ring-out. Add reverb for a late-night club feel.
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- ``supersaw`` + ``pad`` = **ambient wash.** The slow attack lets the
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detuned oscillators build into a shimmering wall. Add chorus and
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long reverb and you're scoring a nature documentary.
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- ``saw`` + ``pluck`` = **funk stab.** Short, sharp, bright. The
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sound of Nile Rodgers' right hand.
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