FXpansion DCAM Synth Squad Operation Manual - Manual (Page 38)

8
5:4 Ensemble section
Formant filter Power Paraphonic
oscillator control
Polyphonic
formant filter
Paraphonic oscillator control
Level controls: 8’, 4’ & ’
The Ensemble section features level controls
for
8’, 4’ and ’ octaves.
Inv (Invert)
The Inv button inverts the phase of the
Ensemble section in relation to the Synth
section. This can result in interesting phase-
cancellation effects when both sections are
in use.
Paraphonic AR envelopes and VCAs
Each note in the Ensemble section
possesses its own dedicated AR envelope
to control its amplitude over time (the envelopes are internally connected to VCAs for each note). The shape of all these
envelopes is dictated by the Ensemble Envelope’s parameters.
Vel (Velocity)
The Vel control sets the velocity sensitivity for the Ensemble section’s VCAs. At the minimum setting, there is no
modulation of amplitude by velocity.
LP & HP (paraphonic 1-pole tone filters)
The tone of each paraphonic note is adjusted by a 1-pole filter stage featuring high-pass and low-pass filters. Use the LP
and HP controls to adjust the cutoff frequencies of these filters.
These filters are keytracked (directly modulated by keyboard pitch) relative to the cutoff frequencies, with maximum depth.
This direct modulation cannot be adjusted.
Formant filter stage
Amber’s formant filter stage is provided primarily to impart more realistic string-like characteristics on the Ensemble
section (and optionally the Synth section by adjusting the
Syn Route control). This allows for a versatile range of string
timbres, as well as more experimental sounds beyond the scope of most string synths.
It is unusual to have a formant filter on a string-synth, although some synths, such as the ARP Omni, featured fixed
filtering on each part of the string section (violin, viola, cello, bass) to give it its own character. Other synths featured
additional filters within the chorus circuit in order to produce these types of effects.
The formant filter is polyphonic – monophonic for each voice. All paraphonic notes in the Ensemble section are summed
before reaching this point in the circuit.
Formant filter controls: Power, Freq, Gain, Scale & Notch
To enable the formant filter, engage its Power button.
The formant filter comprises 4 band-pass filters, each with their own Freq (frequency) and Gain controls. The resonance
of all bands is controlled by a single Res parameter, while the Scale control adjusts the frequency of all bands
simultaneously.
The
Nch (Notch) button switches all bands to notch filter mode – in this mode, the Gain controls are inactive.
The formant filter is capable of self-oscillation – use the final mixer/amplifier controls to tame the sound so that it does not
distort at higher resonance settings.
5:5 Ensemble section chorus stage Chorus Power
The final chorus processing is a very important part of a string ensemble synth, as it provides
the lush, ‘blended’ ensemble sound of a string orchestra playing together. Amber’s chorus is
modelled on classic bucket-brigade delay (BBD) chorus circuits found in many old synthesizers
and stomp-boxes. 3 different models are available using the
Mode control, with each providing
their own unique sonic character:
• 1975
• 1981
• 1984
The chorus stage is part of the Ensemble section, but it is positioned after the
Ens. Amp in the
signal flow. The Synth section is not routed through the chorus by default, although this can be
achieved using the
Syn Route control in the mixer/amplifier section.
Enable the Chorus stage by engaging its Power button. The chorus features controls for speed
of pitch modulation ( Rate) and stereo Spread.
Extra filters were often integrated into string synth chorus circuits in order to shape the tone to
be more string-like. Amber has a dedicated formant filter for this purpose, so you may need to enable ‘Bright’ mode (using
the
Brt button) to deactivate the extra filtering within its circuit.