SynthMaster One User Manual 1

SynthMaster One User Manual

Version 1.0.5

Written By

Bülent Bıyıkoğlu and Ronan Macdonald

SynthMaster One User Manual 2

Credits

Design & Programming : Bulent Biyikoglu

User Interface Development: Satyatunes
Voger Design
User Manual: Bulent Biyikoglu, Ronan Macdonald

Factory Wavetables: Galbanum , KV331 Audio

Factory Presets Arksun

Aiyn Zahev
BigTone
BluffMonkey
Bulent Biyikoglu
Gercek Dorman
Kevin Schroeder
Nori Ubukata
Rob Lee
Ufuk Kevser
The Machine
Vorpal Sound
Xenos Soundworks

Copyright © 2004-2017 KV331 Audio. All rights reserved.

AU Version of SynthMaster One is built using Symbiosis by NuEdge Development.

XML processing is done using TinyXML.
HTTP/FTP processing is done using LibCurl.

This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the express written consent of KV331 Audio.

SynthMaster One is a trademark of KV331 Audio.

ASIO, VST and VSTGUI are trademarks of Steinberg.
Audio Units is a trademark of Apple Corporation.
AAX is a trademark of Avid Corporation.

All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without
notice.
SynthMaster One User Manual 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SynthMaster One User Manual ........................................................................................................ 1

Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 5
System Requirements ............................................................................................................................... 5
Downloading the Installer .......................................................................................................................... 5
Forgotten Your Serial Number? ................................................................................................................ 5
Installing the Latest Version of SynthMaster One ..................................................................................... 6
Changing Data Folder ............................................................................................................................... 6
Downloading the License Key File ............................................................................................................ 7
Automatic Version Checking ..................................................................................................................... 7
Checking for Updates Manually ................................................................................................................ 8
Getting Started with SynthMaster One ............................................................................................ 9
Running SynthMaster One as a Standalone App ..................................................................................... 9
Recording SynthMaster One Standalone’s Output to an audio File .................................................... 10
Running SynthMaster One as a Plug-in .................................................................................................. 11
Changing Skins ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Browsing Presets ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Controlling the Browser from your MIDI Controller .............................................................................. 15
Assigning Presets to a MIDI Bank ....................................................................................................... 15
Adding Presets to Your Favourites List ............................................................................................... 16
Assigning the Default Preset ............................................................................................................... 16
Creating a New Preset from scratch .................................................................................................... 16
Loading the Default Preset .................................................................................................................. 16
Loading a Preset from the Favourites List ........................................................................................... 17
Preset Attributes (Metadata).................................................................................................................... 17
Editing Preset Parameters....................................................................................................................... 17
Linking Parameters to MIDI Controllers (MIDI Learn) ......................................................................... 18
Creating and Editing Modulation Assignments........................................................................................ 19
Assigning Modulation Sources by Drag and Drop ............................................................................... 19
Assigning Modulation Sources in the Modulation Matrix ..................................................................... 20
Displaying Targets for a Modulation Source ........................................................................................ 21
Editing Modulation Amounts ................................................................................................................ 22
Saving Presets ........................................................................................................................................ 22
Global & Preset Settings ......................................................................................................................... 23
Pitch Bend Range ................................................................................................................................ 23
Engine Quality and Buffer .................................................................................................................... 23
Skin ...................................................................................................................................................... 24
Scale .................................................................................................................................................... 24
Background Noise................................................................................................................................ 25
Filter Nonlinearities .............................................................................................................................. 25
MIDI CC Update ................................................................................................................................... 25
Parameter Update................................................................................................................................ 25
Map CC74 to CC1................................................................................................................................ 25
Arp MIDI Output ................................................................................................................................... 25
Arp Align to Beat .................................................................................................................................. 25
SynthMaster One Architecture ....................................................................................................... 26
Voice Parameters .................................................................................................................................... 27
Polyphony Mode .................................................................................................................................. 27
Oscillators ................................................................................................................................................ 28
Waveshaping Algorithms ..................................................................................................................... 28
Oscillator Parameters .......................................................................................................................... 31
Sub Oscillators ..................................................................................................................................... 32
Oscillator Drift and Keytracking ........................................................................................................... 32
Vibrato .................................................................................................................................................. 33
Importing Waveforms/Wavetables ....................................................................................................... 33
SynthMaster One User Manual 4

Filters ....................................................................................................................................................... 35
Filter Types .......................................................................................................................................... 36
Ladder Filter ......................................................................................................................................... 36
Diode Ladder Filter .............................................................................................................................. 36
State Variable Filter ............................................................................................................................. 36
Bite Filter .............................................................................................................................................. 36
Modulation Sources ................................................................................................................................. 36
ADSR Envelopes ................................................................................................................................. 37
Velocity Curve Display ......................................................................................................................... 37
LFOs .................................................................................................................................................... 38
Arpeggiator/Sequencer ........................................................................................................................ 39
Effects .................................................................................................................................................. 46
SynthMaster One User Manual 5

Introduction
System Requirements
SynthMaster One comes in the following formats:

Format System Requirements DAW Requirements

Windows 7 and above

VST Instrument & Effect MacOS X 10.6 and above VST Host supporting VST 2.4 plug-ins
2GB RAM, 2GHz CPU

MacOS X 10.7 and above AU Host application such as Logic or

AU Instrument & Effect
2GB RAM, 2GHz CPU GarageBand.

Windows 7 and above

32-bit: Pro Tools 10.3.7 and above
AAX Instrument MacOS X 10.6 and above
64-bit: Pro Tools 11 and above
2GB RAM, 2GHz CPU

Windows 7 and above ASIO compatible soundcard or ASIO4ALL

Standalone (Windows only)
2GB RAM, 2GHZ CPU installed

Downloading the Installer

The SynthMaster One full installer can be downloaded at:

 Windows (32/64-bit)
 Mac OSX (32/64-bit)

To start your download, enter your registered email address and serial number:

Forgotten Your Serial Number?

Retrieving your forgotten serial number is easy. Just go to
http://www.kv331audio.com/requestlicensefile.aspx

Enter your registered email address and click the “Send Request” button. You’ll receive your serial
number within a couple of minutes.
SynthMaster One User Manual 6

Installing the Latest Version of SynthMaster One

Once you've downloaded the zip archive containing the SynthMaster One setup files, simply extract its
contents to a temporary location and run the setup application: SynthMasterOneSetup.exe on Windows,
SynthMasterOneSetup.pkg on macOS/OS X.

By default, SynthMaster One will install into the following directories:

 Data files:
o Windows: C:\Program Files\KV331 Audio\SynthMaster One
o macOS/OS X: /Library/Application Support/KV331 Audio/SynthMaster One
 VST binaries:
o Windows 32 bit: C:\Program Files\VstPlugins\KV331 Audio
o Windows 64 bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\VstPlugins\KV331 Audio
o macOS/OS X: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST
 AudioUnits binaries:
o macOS/OS X: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
 AAX binaries:
o Windows 32 bit: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins
o Windows 64 bit: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins
o macOS/OS X: /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins

Changing Data Folder

If you want to place SynthMaster One data files in a different folder, you can either choose a new data
folder during the installation procedure, or do the following:

 Copy all SynthMaster One data files to into the new folder of your choice.
 Open the SynthMasterOneFolders.txt file located in the <Documents>\SynthMaster One
folder using a text editor, and change the following line:

RootFolder=<new folder path goes here>

 Save the SynthMasterOneFolder.txt file and run the SynthMaster One app or plug-in again.
SynthMaster One User Manual 7

Downloading the License Key File

When you run the SynthMaster One plug-in or app for the first time, the license key file dialog will appear.
Follow the instructions to download the license key file necessary to run SynthMaster One.

To download the license key file, enter your registered email address, SynthMaster One (or SynthMaster)
serial number and click the Download License Key File button.

If your computer is offline, download the license key file at

http://www.synthmaster.com/downloadlicensefile.aspx from a computer that’s online, then move the
downloaded license key file to the Documents/SynthMasterOne folder.

Automatic Version Checking

When you run the SynthMaster One plug-in or app for the first time, it will display the following dialog box,
asking if you want to turn on weekly version checks:
SynthMaster One User Manual 8

If your answer is “Yes”, SynthMaster One will automatically check for a new update once a week, and
notify you when it finds one:

If you choose “Yes” to download the latest update, SynthMaster One will redirect you to it:

Checking for Updates Manually

You can check for updates manually, too. Right-click anywhere in the SynthMaster One GUI to bring up a
menu with your SynthMaster One version number at the top. Select “Check for updates” and follow the
same workflow as that described above for automatic version checking:
SynthMaster One User Manual 9

Getting Started with SynthMaster One

With SynthMaster One installed, you're ready to make music with it! The formats in which it works vary
between macOS and Windows:

On Windows 7 and above On macOS/OS X 10.7 and above

VST instrument/effect VST instrument/effect
AAX instrument AAX instrument
Standalone Audio Units instrument/effect

Running SynthMaster One as a Standalone App

In Windows, SynthMaster One is installed under the KV331 Audio group. Click it to launch the standalone
app:

When you run the app for the first time, the SynthMaster I/O Setup dialog is displayed. Here, you can
choose your MIDI input and Audio output devices. If no MIDI devices are available, “PC Keyboard” is
selected by default:
SynthMaster One User Manual 10

Once you've selected the input/output devices and clicked OK, SynthMaster One launches:

Recording SynthMaster One Standalone’s Output to an audio File

It’s possible to record the output of the synth to a wave file. To start recording:

1. Click the button next to the output file name, and choose a file path for the wave file:
SynthMaster One User Manual 11

2. Click the button to start recording. When you’re done, click the button again to stop.

Running SynthMaster One as a Plug-in

SynthMaster One supports the VST, Audio Units and AAX plug-in formats. To be able to use it as a plug-
in, you’ll need a DAW application supporting one or more of those formats. GarageBand comes with
macOS/OS X, so Mac users can run SynthMaster AU in that if they don’t have any other DAW installed:

1. Start GarageBand, click then . GarageBand will launch with a single

piano track in place:

2. Click the combobox to to select SynthMaster One as an instrument:

3. SynthMaster One will be instantiated. To bring up the user interface, click the button:
SynthMaster One User Manual 12

Changing Skins
SynthMaster supports switchable skins/interfaces, and comes with several of them included. To switch
between skins, right-click anywhere, select “Change global skin” and choose the skin you'd like to change
to from the submenu:

For the skin change to take effect, you'll need to close and reopen the plug-in window.
SynthMaster One User Manual 13

Browsing Presets
SynthMaster One comes with a library of 650 presets. To start browsing them, click the button:

Selecting a preset from the list loads it and displays its settings.

Presets can be filtered in the browser by:

 Instrument Type
 Attributes
 Music Style
 Preset Author
 Bank Name

For example, if you want to see all trance-appropriate sequenced mono Factory presets by Aiyn Zahev,
select the Factory Presets, Aiyn Zahev, Sequence, Monophonic and Trance entries in the five browser
columns:
SynthMaster One User Manual 14

To load a preset, click it:

To go to the next preset in the list, click the arrow in the preset bar at the top of the interface, press
the “Down” cursor key on your keyboard, or scroll your mouse wheel down.

To go to the previous preset on the list, click the arrow in the preset bar at the top of the interface,
press the “Up” cursor key on your keyboard, or scroll your mouse wheel up.

To load a random preset from the list, click the preset name (or “New Preset” if no preset is loaded),
and select the “Load Random” menu item:

To search for a preset by name, type the text into the search textbox
and press the Enter key or click the Search icon. All matching presets will be displayed in the list:

To clear all browser filters, right-click and select the “Clear browser filters” menu item:
SynthMaster One User Manual 15

Controlling the Browser from your MIDI Controller

You can navigate SynthMaster One's browser from your MIDI controller by sending MIDI CC messages.
Buttons can be assigned for scrolling up/down through:

 Instrument type
 Music style
 Preset Author
 Presets

To link a button to a filter list, right-click the list and select the “MIDI Learn: Prev Preset” or “MIDI Learn:
Next Preset” menu entry.

Having made your selection, press a button on your MIDI controller to send its MIDI CC message.
SynthMaster One assigns that button to the browser function and saves the assignment into the
SynthMaster One configuration file, so you only have to do this once.

Assigning Presets to a MIDI Bank

SynthMaster One supports MIDI Bank Change and MIDI Program Change messages. Especially during
live performance, changing presets using MIDI messages is a real necessity.

To be able to use program change messages, you should assign presets to a MIDI bank first. To do that,
follow these steps:

1. Filter the presets you’d like to

add to the MIDI bank. For
instance the screenshot on the
right shows “Arpeggiated”
presets.

2. Move mouse over the Presets

list and right click. From the
context menu, choose “Assign
presets to MIDI bank” sub menu
and then choose an empty
bank. If the number of presets
exceed 128, the presets will
span more than 1 MIDI bank.
SynthMaster One User Manual 16

Adding Presets to Your Favourites List

You can mark any presets you particularly like as Favourites, for quick and easy loading from the
browser. To add a preset to your Favourites list:

 Click the preset

name to select the
preset
 Right-click the preset
name to bring up the
dropdown menu
 Choose “Add to
Favourites”

Assigning the Default Preset

The Default preset is the preset that's loaded when a new instance of SynthMaster One is created. To
assign a preset as the Default preset:

 Click the preset name

to select the preset
 Right-click the preset
name to bring up the
dropdown menu
 Choose “Set As
Default Preset”

Creating a New Preset from scratch

To initialize the preset, click the preset name (or
“New Preset” if no preset is loaded) in the preset
bar at the top of the GUI and choose “Init Preset”
from the menu. SynthMaster One resets to its
initialized settings.

Loading the Default Preset

Rather than load the initialized preset, you can load
the Default preset by clicking the preset name (or
“New Preset” if no preset is loaded) and choosing
the “Load Default” menu item.
SynthMaster One User Manual 17

Loading a Preset from the Favourites List

As well as the Init and Default presets, you can

load a preset from your Favourites list by clicking
the preset name (or “New Preset” if no preset is
loaded) and choosing one from the “Favourites”
menu item.

Preset Attributes (Metadata)

The following attributes/tags can be edited for any SynthMaster One preset:

 Author name
 Company name
 Bank Name
 Comments
 Instrument type
 Attributes
 Music Style
To edit the attributes, click the button. Multiple entries can be made for Instrument type,
Attribute and Style:

TIP: Select “Template” as an Attribute to have the preset appear in the menu of Template presets invoked
by clicking the preset name in the preset bar.

Editing Preset Parameters

SynthMaster One features many user-adjustable interface elements:

Type Description
Knob  Drag the knob up and down (Y axis) to turn it clockwise
and anticlockwise
 Drag away from the center of the knob on the X axis
(left or right) to progressively increase the resolution of
movement on the Y axis
 Shift + drag to edit the knob at much finer resolution
 Double-click or Cmd (macOS)/Ctrl (Windows) +
click to reset the knob to its default value
 Mouse wheel up to turn the knob clockwise
 Mouse wheel down to turn the knob anticlockwise
SynthMaster One User Manual 18

Slider  Drag up to raise the slider

 Drag down to lower the slider
 Double-click or Cmd (macOS)/Ctrl (Windows) +
click to reset the slider to its default value
 Shift + drag to edit the slider at much finer resolution
 Mouse wheel up to lower the slider
 Mouse wheel down to raise the slider
Dropdown  Dropdown controls display menus of values and
settings. Click a setting to open the dropdown and
make your selection. To cancel a selection and close
the dropdown, click anywhere outside it
 Double-click or Cmd (macOS)/Ctrl (Windows) +
click to reset the dropdown to its default value
 Mouse wheel up to scroll upwards through the menu
 Mouse wheel down to scroll downwards through the
menu

Toggle Button  On/Off buttons. Click to toggle between on and off

Linking Parameters to MIDI Controllers (MIDI Learn)

In SynthMaster One, any continuous parameter can be assigned to a MIDI controller via MIDI Learn. Up
to 32 assignments can be defined and saved within the preset.

To assign a controller using MIDI Learn, place

the mouse pointer over the SynthMaster One
parameter (knob, slider, etc) that you want to
control, and right-click to bring up the content
menu.

Select “MIDI Learn (Global)” or “MIDI Learn

(Current Preset)” and move the knob or slider on
your MIDI controller that you want to assign. As
soon as SynthMaster One receives the transmitted
MIDI CC message, it assigns that controller to the
parameter.

To Remove a MIDI Controller Assignment, place

the mouse pointer over the assigned parameter
(knob, fader, etc) and right-click to bring up the
content menu.

Select “Remove MIDI CC Link” to delete the

assignment.
SynthMaster One User Manual 19

Creating and Editing Modulation Assignments

In synthesizer terminology, modulation means changing the value of a parameter over time using a
control signal called a 'modulation source'. Modulation is an essential element of synthesizer sound
design, bringing otherwise static patches to life by automating the movement of particular knobs in
response to a range of input signals. For example, by assigning an LFO to the filter cutoff, the filter can be
made to open and/or close rhythmically according to the movement of the LFO.

In SynthMaster One, up to 12 modulators can be assigned to up to 24 targets, and the following

modulation sources are available:

MIDI Note Velocity, Poly (Note) Aftertouch, Channel Aftertouch, Pitch Bend, ModWheel
(CC1), Breath Ctrl (CC2), Foot Ctrl (CC4), Volume (CC7), Pan (CC10), Expression
(CC11), Brightness (CC74)
LFOs LFO 1/2, Vibrato LFO
Envelopes ADSR Amp Env 1/2, ADSR Mod Env 1/2
Other Constant, Alternating, Bipolar Keytrack, Unipolar Keytrack, Bipolar Random,
Unipolar Random

LFOs 1 and 2 can be applied polyphonically (each voice triggers its own LFO), or monophonically (a
single LFO is triggered by the first voice played, applied to all voices and reset when all notes/voices are
released and a new note/voice is played). LFOs can only modulate FX parameters monophonically. We'll
get into the specifics of the LFOs and envelopes later in this manual.

In SynthMaster One, every modulation assignment is one of two types, selected by clicking the button at
the right hand end of each Target slot:

+ Modulation: In this mode, the modulation amount is always between -1

and +1. The default center value indicates zero modulation, and the value
of the target parameter is calculated using this formula:

Modulated parameter value = Target + (Modulation Curve[Source X Via] X

Mod Amount)

X Modulation: In this mode, the modulation amount is always between 0

and 1, and the target parameter is calculated thus:

Modulated parameter value = Target x ((1-Mod Amount)+(Modulation

Curve[Source X Via] X Mod Amount))

There are two ways to assign a modulation source to a target parameter:

1. Drag and drop the source onto the target

2. Choose them from the menus in the Modulation Matrix

Any source can be assigned to as many targets as you like, up to the global maximum of 24 (12x2)
assignments.

Assigning Modulation Sources by Drag and Drop

The easiest, most intuitive way to assign a modulation source to a parameter knob in SynthMaster One is
via drag-and-drop.

The following modulation sources are available for drag-and-drop assignment:

 ADSR Envelopes: Amp Env 1, Amp Env 2, Mod Env 1, Mod Env 2
SynthMaster One User Manual 20

 LFOs: LFO 1, LFO 2

To make a new assignment, simply drag the name of the modulator towards the target parameter knob.

When the mouse pointer is positioned over any modulateable knob, that knob is highlighted:

Releasing the mouse button with the pointer over a highlighted knob creates a new assignment, which
instantly appears in the Modulation Matrix:

Assigning Modulation Sources in the Modulation Matrix

Modulation assignments can be made directly in the Modulation Matrix. To reveal the first six blocks of
the Modulation Matrix, click the Mod Matrix 1 button; to reveal blocks 7-12, click Mod Matrix 2.

Each block consists of a Source slot, a Via slot and two Target slots. The Source modulates each Target
independently, while the Via modulator modulates the modulations. Don't worry – it's not as complicated
as it sounds…

To load a source modulator, right-click the Source slot and make your selection from the MIDI, Other,
LFOs or Envelopes submenu. The LFOs and Envelopes will be covered later in this manual, but here's a
breakdown of the modulators in the Other category:

Constant
Outputs a constant fixed value, as set directly by the Modulation Amount knob for each Target. Use
Constant like a 'macro', for adjusting multiple parameters with a single knob, and for manual operation of
SynthMaster One's 'hidden' parameters (see below).

Alternating
Toggles between high and low values with each successive MIDI note, the two values being determined
by the position of the Modulation Amount knob.

Bipolar Random
Outputs a random value between -1 and +1 with each MIDI note. The maximum and minimum possible
values are determined by the Modulation Amount.
SynthMaster One User Manual 21

Unipolar Random
Outputs a random value between 0 and +1 with each MIDI note. The maximum possible value is
determined by the Modulation Amount.

Bipolar Keytrack
Outputs a value between -1 and +1, depending on the triggering MIDI note: -1 for MIDI note 0, +1 for
MIDI note 127, and 0 for MIDI note 64, for example.

Unipolar Keytrack
Outputs a value between 0 and +1, depending on the triggering MIDI note: 0 for MIDI note 0, +1 for MIDI
note 127, and 0.5 for MIDI note 64, for example.

To assign a target parameter, click either of the block's Target slots and choose from the menu that pops
up, which lists every modulateable knob in SynthMaster One, plus many parameters that aren't
accessible in the main interface. Perhaps the most important of these are:

The rest of the parameters that only available in the Modulation Matrix are:
 Osc: KeyTrack Base (0.5 by default, which corresponds to note 64)
 ADSR Env: Final Level (0 by default)
 LFO: Delay Time (0 by default)
 LFO: Attack Slope (0.5 by default)
 LFO: Release Time (0 by default)
 LFO: Release Slope (0.5 by default)
 LFO: Final Level (1.0 by default)
 Arp: Volume (1.0 by default)
 Lo-Fi: SH Filter Reso (0 by default)
 Phaser: Effect Amount (0.5 by default)
 Chorus: Effect Amount (0.5 by default)
 Chorus: Pan (0.5 by default)
 Chorus: Stereo Width (1.0 by default)
 Chorus: L-R Phase Diff (90 degrees by default)

Additionally, the Tone Target enables the Tone knob to be accessed in a wavetable oscillator. When a
wavetable is loaded into an oscillator, the Tone knob switches role to become the Wave Index knob, but
by assigning the Constant Source to the Tone Target, manual control of it is regained.

To load a Via modulation source, right-click the Via slot and choose from the same list of modulators as
found in the Source menu. The Via modulator modulates the amount of Modulation Amount for each
target – see p21 for how this cross-modulation is calculated.

Displaying Targets for a Modulation Source

Click the name of a modulator directly in its interface or in the Modulation Matrix to select it. If it already
has targets assigned, the min/max range of each modulation is displayed as a ring around the relevant
knob, and all Source slots in the Modulation Matrix containing that modulator are highlighted green:
SynthMaster One User Manual 22

Editing Modulation Amounts

The depth of the modulation applied by any given source to any given target can be set in one of two
ways:

In the main GUI, by selecting the modulator as described above, then dragging up and
down on the collar of the target parameter knob.

In the Modulation Matrix, by dragging the Modulation Amount knob at the left hand
end of the Target slot.

Whichever method is used, the range of modulation is shown as an orange ring that appears around each
target knob when its modulating source is selected.

Don't forget that the modulation amount is itself modulated by the Via source in the block as well, if one
has been assigned. If you find anything unexpected happening with your modulations, this should be your
first troubleshooting port of call.

Saving Presets
When you’re done editing the parameters and attributes of your SynthMaster one patch, it’s time to save

it as a preset. To save a preset, click the button. A popup menu will be shown:
SynthMaster One User Manual 23

If you started working on a new patch

from SynthMaster One’s initialized state,
click on the “Save Preset” menu item. A
dialog will pop up asking you to name the
preset and specify the location into which
it should be saved
(Documents/SynthMasterOne/Presets
folder by default). Click Save to complete
the process.

If, on the other hand, you've made

changes to an existing preset, click on the
“Save Preset As” menu item to save the
preset as a new preset or “Save Preset”
menu item to overwrite the existing preset.

Selecting “Save Preset” opens a

confirmation dialog: “Are you sure you
want to overwrite this preset?” Click Yes to
overwrite the preset with your edits. Note
that you can't overwrite the Factory
Presets.

Global & Preset Settings

Clicking the button at the bottom left of the SynthMaster One interface opens the
Settings page in the lower panel, where various global and preset-specific properties and preferences can
be tweaked.

Pitch Bend Range

Sets the Up and Down pitch bend ranges globally and for the current preset, with a range of 0-48
semitones. When Global Pitch Bend Range is set to “Preset” (as it is by default), the Preset Pitch Bend
Range is used; otherwise, the Global Pitch Bend Range takes precedence.

Engine Quality and Buffer

There are two settings that govern SynthMaster One's rendering quality:

Engine Quality sets the internal sampling rate. It has four possible values: “Draft” (No oversampling),
“Good” (2x), “Better” (3x) and “Best” (4x).
SynthMaster One User Manual 24

Engine Buffer Size determines the smallest buffer size at which the internal LFOs, envelopes, etc, are
recalculated. It also has four possible values: “Short” (16 samples), “Normal” (32 samples), “Large” (64
samples), and “XLarge” (128 samples).

The global Realtime settings apply to the 'live' output of the synth, while the Offline settings are used
when rendering/bouncing in the host DAW or from SynthMaster One standalone. If Realtime and Offline
are set to anything other than “Preset”, their global values override the preset values. Use the “Draft”
setting in Realtime mode to save on system resources, then use “Best” in Offline mode for mixdown.

Skin
Each SynthMaster One instance can have its own skin setting. If Global Skin is set to a skin other than
“Preset”, it always overrides the Preset Skin selection.

Scale
Each SynthMaster One instance can have its own custom tuning, loaded from a Scala tuning file:

Scala tuning files are simple text files that define custom scales:

The tuning definition files in Scala format (.scl) are placed under:

 Windows: C:\Program Files\KV331 Audio\SynthMaster One\Scales

 macOS/OS X: /Library/Application Support/KV331 Audio/SynthMaster One/Scales

A number of Scala tuning files are installed with SynthMaster One. To add to them, copy your tuning files
to:

<Documents>\SynthMaster One\Scales

The default tuning is “EqualTempered”. In the Scala tuning file, you can change the root note by editing
the “!rootnote” comment. For example:

!rootnote=A4

The above is not part of the Scala tuning format – we added it as a workaround to be able to define root
notes for loaded scales.

If Global Scale is to any value other than “Preset”, it always overrides the Preset Scale.
SynthMaster One User Manual 25

Background Noise
Generates one of five background hiss types, sampled from one of five hardware synthesizers: the Moog
Sub Phatty, Korg MS20, Roland SH-101, Boom SEM and Novation BassStation. The hiss is summed with
the filter output, before both are routed to the amp envelope.

Filter Nonlinearities
Works in the feedback loop nonlinearities inherent to all analogue filters, for a more authentic ‘analogue’
sound. The “Basic” setting uses less CPU and is suitable for most situations, but at high resonance
values, the “Normal” setting sounds more realistic.

MIDI CC Update
Sets the length of the smoothing filter (from 10-200ms) applied to incoming MIDI CC, Channel Aftertouch
and Pitch Bend signals.

Parameter Update
Sets the length of the smoothing filter (from 10-200ms) applied to parameter automation data from the
host DAW.

Map CC74 to CC1

Convert MIDI CC74 messages to MIDI CC1 messages. MPE keyboards like the ROLI Seaboard are
capable of outputting CC74 (Brightness), and by converting that stream to CC1, we can take advantage
of its modulation in presets with CC1 (Modwheel) assigned as a source.

Arp MIDI Output

Outputs the notes generated by the Arpeggiator as MIDI into the host DAW. Set “SynthMaster One” as
the input to a MIDI track to record them.

Arp Align to Beat

Set to “On” to align Arpeggiator/sequencer step start positions to the beginnings of beats, as defined by
the host DAW's timeline.
SynthMaster One User Manual 26

SynthMaster One Architecture

SynthMaster One's architecture is intuitive and easy to negotiate, but boasts enough flexibility and depth
to deliver a limitless range of electronic sounds. It consists of two Oscillators with associated Sub
Oscillators, the mixed outputs of which feed into two Filters, which in turn output to one or two envelope-
modulated amplifiers, followed by a series of master FX. To turn an oscillator or filter on and off, click the
small button at the left hand end of its title bar. To copy and paste settings between oscillators, filters,
LFOs or envelopes, click the ‘cogwheel’ buttons at the right hand ends of their title bars.
The signal flow between the oscillators and filters can be reconfigured using the Filters menu in the
Routing panel:

• In “Split” mode, Oscillator/Sub 1 outputs to Filter 1, Oscillator/Sub 2 outputs to Filter 2, and each filter
outputs to its corresponding Amp Envelope (Filter 1 to Amp Env 1, Filter 2 to Amp Env 2).
• In “Parallel” mode, both Oscillator/Sub pairings are mixed, with the resulting signal sent to both Filters in
parallel. Each filter outputs to its corresponding Amp Envelope (Filter 1 to Amp Env 1, Filter 2 to Amp Env
2).
• In “Series” mode, both Oscillator/Sub pairings are mixed and routed through Filter 1, then Filter 2, before
outputting to Amp Envelope 1. Amp Envelope 2 is disconnected from the amplifier but remains available
as an assignable modulation source.
The Routing panel visually represents the current mode as a set of 'blocks', each one containing the
waveform, frequency response curve or envelope shape of its corresponding Oscillator, Sub Oscillator,
Filter or Amp Envelope. The waves and curves update to reflect changes made to their parameters in real
time. Click an Oscillator or Filter graphic to turn that Oscillator/Sub or Filter/Amp Env pair on and off.
The signal flow through the FX section
runs from the top of the ‘rack’ to the
bottom:

To load an effect into one of the six

slots or replace a loaded effect with a
different one, right-click the slot and
choose a module from the menu – the
specifics of each effect are described
later in this manual.
SynthMaster One User Manual 27

With a slot selected, the controls for its loaded effect appear in the panel to the right. To turn the currently
selected effect on and off, click the button next to its name in the controls panel. To
toggle an unselected effect on and off, scroll the mouse wheel up or down with the pointer placed over its
slot.
To reorder the effects:

 Click an effect and start moving the mouse:

 Drag and drop the effect onto another one:

 The effects swap places:

Voice Parameters
Polyphony Mode
Three voicing configurations are available, selected from the Mode menu at the top of the interface:

Poly
In “Poly” mode, SynthMaster One can play multiple voices simultaneously, up to the number set by the
Voices parameter, from 4-32. This maximum is absolute, regardless of the number of unison oscillators
(see below) being generated by each oscillator – ie, ‘note stealing’ doesn't occur. So, with all 32 voices of
polyphony playing and both oscillators set to output 16 unison oscillators, what you're hearing is
effectively 1024 simultaneous oscillators!

Mono
In “Mono” mode, each oscillator only plays a single voice at a time, and the envelopes are retriggered
whenever a new note is received. SynthMaster One’s Mono mode has last note priority, so if multiple
notes are on, only the last one played is heard.

Legato
The same as “Mono” mode, but with envelopes retriggering only when all held notes are released and a
new note is received.

Glide
In “Mono” and “Legato” modes, the Glide knob (at the right hand end of the Keyboard panel) determines
the time it takes to slide from one note’s pitch to the next. Its value is between 3ms and 11 seconds.

Glide Type
Two Glide Types affect the way overlapping and consecutive notes are handled:

 “N”ormal: Slide occurs only when a new note on message is received while another note is
being held.
 “S”lide: Slide occurs whenever a new note on message is received, whether it's played over
another held note or not.
SynthMaster One User Manual 28

Oscillators

SynthMaster One's two stereo oscillators are capable of loading standard analogue-style waveforms, as
well as sampled single-cycle waveforms and wavetables.
To load a waveform or wavetable into either oscillator, click
its waveform display and make your choice from the menu
that appears. The first five entries are the Basic waveforms
(ideal sine, square, triangle and sawtooth shapes), and
below those are the Waveforms and Wavetables submenus,
each containing its own categorized collection of waves.

Waveforms
These single-cycle waveforms were sampled from a wide
range of classic and vintage hardware synthesizers, and
provide a wealth of characterful alternatives to the regular
analogue shapes.

Wavetables
Captured from the same classic hardware synths as the
Waveforms, these multi-period waves have been designed
with movement in mind. By manipulating the Index control
(either manually or with modulation), the ‘playhead’ can be
shuttled backwards and forwards through the wavetable,
generating smooth textural shifts, ‘sample and hold’-style
effects and more. The wavetable library also includes
wavetables built by KV331 Audio’s internal wavetable editor,
which will be part of SynthMaster 3, which is expected to be
released in 2018.

Waveshaping Algorithms
The raw output of each oscillator can be shaped using one of 16 waveshaping algorithms in four
categories:

Spectral algorithms: Lowpass, Highpass, LowShelve, HighShelve, Bandpass, Bandstop

These algorithms apply spectral filtering to the waveform.
SynthMaster One User Manual 29

Bend algorithms: Bend+, Bend-, Bend +/-

Three algorithms that literally 'bend' the waveform out of shape.

Sync algorithms: Sync No Window, Sync Half Window, Sync Cos Window, Sync Triangle Window, Sync
Saw Window
Syncs the oscillator to a hidden sine wave oscillator, with optional windowing to fade out the ends of the
wave. The windowing function varies according to the algorithm type.

Other algorithms: Pulse1, Pulse2, Bit Crush

Apply pulse width modulation or digital distortion.

For each algorithm, the Phase and Tone parameters have specific functions:
Algorithm Phase parameter Tone parameter

Lowpass Phase Hi Cut Frequency

Highpass Phase Lo Cut Frequency

LowShelve Boost/Cut Shelve Frequency

HighShelve Boost/Cut Shelve Frequency

BandPass Lo Cut Frequency Hi Cut Frequency

BandStop Hi Cut Frequency Lo Cut Frequency

Bend + Bend+ Hi Cut Frequency

SynthMaster One User Manual 30

Bend – Bend- Hi Cut Frequency

Sync No Window Sync Hi Cut Frequency

Sync Half Window Sync Hi Cut Frequency

Sync Cos Window Sync Hi Cut Frequency

Sync Tri Window Sync Hi Cut Frequency

Sync Saw Window Sync Hi Cut Frequency

Pulse 1 Pulse Width Hi Cut Frequency

Pulse 2 Pulse Width Hi Cut Frequency

Bit Crush Bits Hi Cut Frequency

SynthMaster One User Manual 31

Oscillator Parameters
As well as the waveform displays and Algorithm controls, the oscillators feature the following editable
parameters:
Volume: Controls the volume of the oscillator.

Pan: Controls the stereo pan of the oscillator, ranging from hard left to hard right. At the default middle
value, the pan is centered.

Octave: Controls the octave register of the oscillator, from -3 to +3 octaves. Use in conjunction with the
Semitone and Fine Tune controls to set the overall pitch.

Semitone: Raises the oscillator pitch by up to 11 semitones. Use in conjunction with the Octave and Fine
Tune controls to set the overall pitch.

Fine Tune: Controls the pitch of the oscillator, from -64 to +63 cents. Use in conjunction with the Octave
and Semitone controls to set the overall pitch.

Unison: Stacks up to 15 unison oscillators onto the main oscillator. You can spread various parameters
between these voices to generate chorus and ‘supersaw’ sounds. See below for details.

Detune: sets the amount of detune applied to the unison oscillators.

Width: Progressively spreads the unison oscillators out across the stereo field.

Free: Randomises the start phase of the oscillator waveform, like a free-running analogue synthesizer
oscillator. This is especially useful when the Unison parameter is increased to create ‘SuperSaw’ type
sounds.

Detune Curve: Adjusts the curvature of the unison detune depth. The more logarithmic the curve gets,
the more pronounced the spacing distribution becomes as the number of unison oscillators increases.

Unison
When unison is active for one or both oscillators, multiple voices (up to 16 per oscillator, selected in their
Unison menus) are played simultaneously for each MIDI note on message received, creating an
extremely rich chorus effect. Since it wouldn’t make sense for all voices to share the same parameters
(that would just result in a volume increase), five Spread parameters are available in the Modulation
Matrix (two of them also accessible in the main GUI) to introduce variation into each voice. Each one
offsets its named parameter progressively further away from the main voice for each additional unison
oscillator, to an extent determined by the amount of modulation applied to it.

 Detune Spread (also accessible in the main GUI – see above)

 Width (Pan Spread, also accessible in the main GUI – see above)
 Wave Index Spread
 Tone Spread
 Phase Spread
SynthMaster One User Manual 32

Sub Oscillators

Each SynthMaster One oscillator has an associated sub oscillator, for use as an audible signal generator
or a main oscillator modulation source. The Sub Oscillator panel features the following controls:
Volume: Sets the volume level of the sub oscillator.

Waveform: Sets the sub oscillator to output a Sine, Triangle, Square or Sawtooth wave, one of eight
noise types, or a wave from SynthMaster One's Waveforms library.

Semitone: By default, the sub oscillator tracks the main oscillator at the same pitch. Use the Semitone
knob to offset it by up to 64 semitones up or down.

Mode: Choose one of five sub oscillator modes. “Sub” outputs the loaded waveform as an audible signal.
“Amp Mod”, “Ring Mod”, “Phase Mod” and “Freq Mod” use the sub oscillator output as a source for
modulating the main oscillator. In these four modes, the sub oscillator isn't routed to the amplifier and thus
can't be heard.
 Ring Mod: The oscillator and sub oscillator waveforms are multiplied, and the sum and difference
of their frequencies are output.
 Amp Mod: Similar to Ring Modulation, with one important difference: An offset value (1) is added
to the sub oscillator signal, which preserves the frequencies of the oscillator signal.
 Phase Mod: Modulates the phase of the main oscillator. This is the method used in FM synths
like Yamaha DX7.
 Freq Mod: Modulates the frequency of the main oscillator This method is similar to analog
frequency modulation.

Oscillator Drift and Keytracking

Analogue synthesizer oscillators are susceptible to very subtle drifts in pitch from one moment to the next,
due to the natural fluctuations in voltage that occur in any electronic system. Far from being a detrimental
effect, though, this drift is accepted as contributing to the character of the instrument, adding a certain
motion and energy that couldn't be replicated by hand.
SynthMaster One User Manual 33

SynthMaster One is able to emulate these desirable analogue imperfections independently for each
oscillator, by modulating their pitches with a random LFO. The Drift controls are at the right hand end of
the Settings panel:

Drift Amount: Controls the volume of the random drift LFO added to the oscillator pitch. Its value ranges
from 0-1 semitones. The final oscillator pitch is calculated by this formula:

Osc Pitch = Octave tune + Semitone tune + Fine tune + Pitch Drift Amount + Global Tune

Drift Speed: Controls the frequency of the random drift LFO added to the oscillator pitch.

Also in this section of the Settings panel, the Keytrack Amount knob controls how the pitch of the
oscillators follows the pitches of the incoming MIDI notes. At its default +1 setting, MIDI note and
oscillator pitch are directly connected – as the MIDI notes get higher, so does the oscillator. At 0, the
oscillator’s pitch remains fixed (at C3 if no tuning adjustments have been made), no matter what the MIDI
note. At -1, the relationship inverts, so that oscillator pitch goes up as MIDI notes go down, and vice-
versa.

Vibrato

Located at the right hand end of the Keyboard panel, the Vibrato section enables the independent
application of LFO pitch modulation to each oscillator. It has four controls:
Osc 1 and Osc 2: Sets the depth of pitch modulation applied to each oscillator by the Vibrato LFO. At the
center position. no modulation occurs. Turn clockwise to dial in pitch modulation starting at the Vibrato
LFO ‘up’ phase, and anticlockwise for pitch modulation starting at the Vibrato LFO ‘down’ phase..
Attack: Fades the Vibrato LFO in over a period of time between 3ms and 11 seconds.
Speed: Sets the Vibrato LFO rate, with a range of 0.01-100Hz.

Importing Waveforms/Wavetables
You can add to SynthMaster One's Wavetable library with your own
wavetables and single cycle waveforms, including ones taken at
different root keys. The screenshot on the right shows how the default
waveforms in SynthMaster One are imported.

To import the waveforms, place the WAV/AIFF waveforms under:

<My Documents Folder>\SynthMaster One\Waveforms
If you have waveforms sampled at different root notes, they should be
named like this:
 <Waveform>.<Root Note>.<file extension>
SynthMaster One User Manual 34

When importing waveforms or wavetables, SynthMaster One takes care of the resampling, filtering and
phase alignment of multisamples automatically, using spectral (FFT/IFFT) processing.
Note that the maximum period length supported by SynthMaster One is 2048 samples. Also, if you are
importing wavetables (multiple periods in a wave file) the file length must be a multiple of 2048 samples.

Importing Waveforms/Wavetable via drag-n-drop

Starting with version 1.0.5, you can drag and drop wave files/folders containing single cycle waveforms or
wavetables on to an oscillator waveform display:
SynthMaster One User Manual 35

Filters
Filters in synthesizers are used to
boost/cut certain frequency ranges,
depending on their type. SynthMaster
One has two zero delay feedback
‘analogue’ filters with four type
categories:
1. Ladder
2. Diode Ladder
3. State Variable (SVF)

4. Bite
All four categories of filters have the following common parameters:
Cutoff: is the frequency at which attenuation is -3dB.
Cutoff = 30 Cutoff = 60 Cutoff = 90 Cutoff = 120

Resonance: emphasizes frequencies around the cutoff frequency. Setting the resonance towards
maximum causes the filter to self-oscillate, creating a sine-like tone at the cutoff frequency, even
with no or very little input.
Resonance = 0 Resonance = 30 Resonance = 60 Resonance = 90

Volume: Sets the output volume of the filter. The corresponding envelopes are hardwired to the filter
volume (ADSR Envelope -> Filter 1 Volume, ADSR Envelope -> Filter 2 Volume)
Input Gain: Before the input signal passes through the filter, it’s boosted by the Input Gain amount, which
ranges from 0dB to +40dB. Boosting the input can result in nicely distorted filter sounds, as it changes the
mix ratio of input + fed back resonant signal.
Drive: Boosts the signal within the filter. Useful for adding ‘edge’, particularly when combined with the
Input Gain and Resonance parameters.
KeyTrack: Adjusts the amount by which the filter cutoff is modulated by MIDI note pitch. When set to
max, the cutoff frequency follows the MIDI note directly: Cutoff 16 corresponds to the MIDI note
frequency, Cutoff 28 is one octave higher than the MIDI note frequency, Cutoff 40 is two octaves higher,
etc.
LFO: The 1 and 2 buttons select one of SynthMaster One's two LFOs for modulation of the filter cutoff,
and the knob controls the amount of modulation applied by it.
Mod Env: The 1 and 2 buttons select one of SynthMaster One's two Mod Envelopes for modulation of the
filter cutoff, and the knob controls the amount of modulation applied by it.
SynthMaster One User Manual 36

Acid: Couples the filter resonance to the cutoff frequency, so that when the cutoff decreases, the
resonance decreases as well, giving a TB-303 style ‘acid’ filter response.
Boost: Compensates for the gain drop that comes with high resonance settings when using the Ladder
and Diode Ladder filter types.

Filter Types

Ladder Filter
Modeled on the famous Moog ladder filter, with a choice of two slopes (12dB/octave and 24dB/octave)
and four filter types (Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass and Bandstop).

Diode Ladder Filter

Modeled on the well-known analogue filter circuit of the Roland TB-303. Includes only one filter type:
Lowpass with 24dB/octave slope

State Variable Filter

Modeled on the analogue state variable filter found in the Oberheim SEM. This one's available in four
types: 12dB/octave Lowpass, 12dB/octave Highpass, Bandpass and Bandstop.

Bite Filter
Modeled on the 12dB/octave Lowpass and 6dB/octave Highpass filters of the legendary Korg MS20
synth.

Modulation Sources
SynthMaster One features the following voice modulation sources, which are available separately for
each voice (as opposed to global modulation sources – MIDI CCs, Constant, Keytrack, etc):

 4 ADSR envelopes
 2 LFOs
 1 Vibrato LFO
 MIDI Velocity
 Bipolar/Unipolar Random (described on p23)
 Alternating (described on p23)
SynthMaster One User Manual 37

ADSR Envelopes

The two ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) Amp Envelopes are hardwired to the amplifiers, while
the two Mod Envelopes are hardwired to the filters. All four, however, are also available for assignment to
any other parameters, as described in the Creating Modulation Assignments chapter (p21). The envelope
output is unipolar (between 0.0-1.0). The envelope controls comprise:

A(ttack): Sets the time the envelope takes to rise from initial level to maximum output.
D(ecay): Sets the time it takes for the signal to drop from maximum output to the Sustain level.
S(ustain): Sets the level at which the envelope ‘settles’ after the Decay stage, until the voice receives a
MIDI note off message (or the Hold pedal is released).
R(elease): Sets the time it takes to drop from the Sustain level to zero after a MIDI note off message is
received.
Amount: Controls the volume of the envelope.
Velocity: Determines the degree by which MIDI note velocity modulates envelope output volume. At zero,
all notes are triggered at full volume, no matter what their velocity. At maximum, note velocity directly
affects the output volume, with velocity 0 delivering silence and velocity 127 triggering the envelope at full
volume.
OneShot: With this button activated, the envelope bypasses the Sustain segment, so that Decay is
followed immediately by Release. Use this when programming percussion, plucks and other very short
sounds.
Envelope curves: Shape the Attack, Decay and Release stages by dragging up and down on the curve
displays underneath each one. Attack ranges from linear to logarithmic, while Decay and Release range
from linear to exponential.

Velocity Curve Display

Found at the right hand end of the Keyboard panel, the Velocity Curve display determines the shaping
of incoming MIDI velocity. The X axis represents the incoming MIDI velocity, the Y axis represents the
output MIDI velocity calculated after the shaping. Inside SynthMaster’s engine, the output velocity is used
as a modulation source. By the default, the shaping is linear so output velocity is equal to input velocity.
The shaping can be changed by dragging the mouse upwards or downwards.
SynthMaster One User Manual 38

LFOs

SynthMaster One's two LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) are hardwired to the filters (see p39) but also
available as assignable modulation sources. They share the same set of editable parameters:

Waveform: Select a wave shape for the LFO from the categorized Waveforms menu, including the
analogue basics (Sine, Triangle, Square, Sawtooth and Saw Down) and your own custom waves.
Bipolar: With Bipolar active, the LFO output ranges between -1.0 and +1.0. With Bipolar inactive, the
LFO is unipolar, outputting values between 0.0 and 1.0.
Volume: Sets the output volume level of the LFO.
Speed: Sets the rate of the LFO, from 0.01-100Hz, in unsynced mode. When Sync is activated, the
Speed knob scales the Beat Multiplier value, from 100% fully clockwise, through 50% at the center
position (eg, if the Beat Multiplier is set to “1/4”, the LFO rate halves to 1/2) to 0% (ie, the LFO becomes
static) fully anticlockwise.
Sync: Turn this on to sync the LFO to the host DAW's tempo, cycling to the beat division set in the Beat
Multiplier menus above.
Beat Multiplier: With Sync activated, select a note value for the LFO rate in the bottom menu and a
multiplier for it in the bottom menu: ”x1”, “x1.5” or “Divided by 3” (for triplets). The Beat Multiplier has no
function when Sync is turned off.
Trigger mode: Set the LFO to trigger in “Global” (the LFO is triggered by the host DAW transport – ie,
when song playback starts), “Mono” (all voices share a single LFO that’s triggered when ), “Poly” (each
voice triggers its own LFO) or “Random” (each voice triggers its own LFO at a random start phase) mode.
Attack: Fades the LFO in over a time period between 3ms and 11 seconds.
Phase: Adjusts the start phase of the LFO.
Noise: Mixes a noise signal in with the LFO output. Set the volume of the noise with this knob.
S+H: The LFO output can be sampled and held. Set the size of the S+H window here, which ranges
between 0 (S-H disabled) to 1 (LFO period/2)
SynthMaster One User Manual 39

Arpeggiator/Sequencer

SynthMaster One features a very powerful Arpeggiator/sequencer with up to 16 steps. Each step has its
own Velocity, Length, Slide, Hold and Delta (Arpeggiate mode only) settings, and Note number(s)
(Sequence mode only). Using the Arpeggiator/sequencer, you can create rhythmic arpeggios and
polyphonic sequences. The Arpeggiator receives MIDI input and sends MIDI output.
TIP: With the VST version of SynthMaster One, you can record the output of the arpeggiator to other MIDI
tracks.
The Arpeggiator/sequencer has the following modes:
 Classic: Up, Down, UpDown, DownUp, UpDown2, DownUp2, As Played, Chord
 Arpeggiate
 Sequence
All modes have the following parameters in common:
Steps: Determines the total number of steps, from 1-16. There’s also a special “--” setting for the Classic
arpeggio modes, where the arpeggio plays continuously until the current playing step exceeds the Range
limit, upon which it resets back to the first step.
BaseTime: The base length of each step, synchronized to host tempo. For example, if BaseTime is set to
“1/4” (quarter notes) and the host tempo is 120bpm, each step will be 0.5 seconds long: 60 (seconds)/120
(beats).
Duration: The note on duration of each step is calculated as BaseTime X Duration X Step Length. If
Duration is at maximum and Polyphony is set to “Mono”, notes are tied:
Duration = 0.25 (Hold Duration = 0.50 (Hold Duration = 0.75 (Hold Duration = 1.00
off) off) off) (Tied)

If Hold is on for the step, then Duration is set to

max value:
SynthMaster One User Manual 40

Swing: increases and decreases consecutive step lengths by the Swing amount.
Swing = 0, ratio of lengths = 1 Swing = 0.33, ratio of lengths = 2 Swing = 0.5, ratio of lengths = 3

Range: Determines the range of the arpeggios in Classic and Arpeggiate modes. In Sequence mode, the
sequence steps up an octave with each cycle until the Range value is reached, whereupon it resets to the
initially played octave.
Velocity Mode: Each step generates a corresponding MIDI note on/off message, the velocity of which is
determined by the following formula (Input Note Velocity refers to the velocity of the played notes
triggering the arpeggio/sequence):
 When Velocity Mode = Step ->Volume X Step Volume
 When Velocity Mode = Note -> Input Note Velocity
 When Velocity Mode = Step + Note -> Input Note Velocity + Volume X Step Volume
 When Velocity Mode = Step x Note -> Input Note Velocity X Volume X Step Volume
Step Volume: The volume of each step is between 0 and 1. When the step volume is 0, the step is
considered a rest and doesn’t generate any MIDI note on/off messages.
There are two ways to edit the step volume:
1. Move the mouse pointer to the top right
corner of the step. The cursor will change

to : . Click and drag up or down.

2. Move the mouse pointer over the step and

scroll the mouse wheel up or down.

Step Length: The Length of each step is between 1 and 8. The note on duration of each step is
calculated as BaseTime X Duration X Step Length
To edit the Step Length, move the mouse pointer to
the right hand border of the step. The cursor will

change to:
Click and drag left and right to change the Step
Length.
SynthMaster One User Manual 41

Classic Modes
Here are some examples of how the Classic Arpeggiator modes work, triggered by a chord comprising
the notes C3, G3 and E3. The Range is set to “2 Octaves” and the number of Steps is set to “8”:

Up
In “Up” mode, the arpeggio starts at the
first note (C3) and plays upwards over
the 2-octave Range. When the Range
limit is reached, the arpeggio goes back
to the first note (C3) and starts again.

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the arpeggio resets back to the first step
(first note).

Down
In “Down” mode, the arpeggio starts at
the last note, which is C5, since the
Range is 2 Octaves. The notes then
progress downwards through the chord
until the first note is reached.

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the arpeggio resets back to the first step
(last note).

UpDown
In “UpDown” mode, the arpeggio starts at
the first note (C3) and plays upwards
over the 2-octave Range. When the
Range limit is reached, the arpeggio
starts moving in the opposite direction
(down).

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the arpeggio resets back to the first step
(first note).

UpDown2
The same as “UpDown”, but the first and
last notes are repeated twice.

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the arpeggio resets back to the first step
(first note).
SynthMaster One User Manual 42

DownUp
In “DownUp” mode, the arpeggio starts at
the last note (C5 at the time of start) and
plays downwards over the 2-octave
Range. When the Range limit is reached,
the arpeggio starts moving in the
opposite direction (up).

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the arpeggio resets back to the first step
(last note).

DownUp2
The same as DownUp, except that the
first and last notes are repeated twice.

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the arpeggio resets back to the first step
(last note).

As Played
In “As Played” mode, the notes are
generated in the order they’re played (C,
then G, then E), for each octave in the
Range.

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the arpeggio resets back to the first step
(first note).

Chord

In “Chord” mode, the notes are played

together, rhythmically, as a chord.

When the Steps value (“8”) is exceeded,

the Steps cycle restarts and the octave
number is increased by 1. When the
octave number exceeds the Range, it
resets back to the played octave.
SynthMaster One User Manual 43

Arpeggiate Mode
SynthMaster One's Arpeggiate mode lets you design your own custom arpeggios, setting successive note
increments/decrements within the stack of notes defined by MIDI note input and the Range parameter.
For example, if the MIDI notes received by the Arpeggiator are C3, E3, and G3, and the Range is set to
“2 Octaves”, the stack of notes will be:

To better understand Arpeggiate mode, let’s analyze the below pattern:

With the arpeggiator input notes being C3, E3 and G3, the generated notes are:

Step Number Delta Value Generated Note

1 1st The first note in the stack: C3
2 2nd The second note in the stack: E3
3 3rd The third note in the stack: G3
4 2nd The second note in the stack: E3
5 Last The last note in the stack: G4
6 -1 1 note down in the stack from G4:
E4
7 -2 2 notes down in the stack from E4:
G3
8 0 Stay at the previous note: G3

When we run the arpeggio, the following notes are rendered:

SynthMaster One User Manual 44

Sequence Mode
In Sequence mode, you can edit, record or import monophonic or polyphonic (chord) sequences.

In this mode, each step can play back up to four notes at once.

To add a new note, click a cell in the grid – the note will be inserted into that cell:

To delete an existing note, click its cell.

The sequence can cover four octaves (from -24 to +24 semitones around the reference note – see
below), but only one octave is visible in the display. To view a different octave, click the up/down arrows
, drag up and down on the piano keys, or move the mouse pointer over the piano keys and scroll
the mouse wheel up or down.

If the number of steps exceeds 16, the scrollbar becomes active – click the left/right arrows to scroll
between the steps, or drag the scrollbar itself.

To delete an existing step completely, right-click it

and select “Delete Step” from the menu:

To insert a step into the sequence, position the

mouse pointer over the step next to which you want
the new step to appear, right-click and select
“Insert Step” menu from the menu:

Recording Sequences Using MIDI Input

The easiest way to enter sequences is to record them by sending MIDI to the Arpeggiator/sequencer from
your keyboard or other device. In “Poly” Mode, up to four notes can be recorded per step.

To start recording, click the Arp On/Off/Record

button until it changes state to “Recording”

The first step is highlighted and the first note

received by the sequencer becomes the reference
(zero) note:
SynthMaster One User Manual 45

As each new note/chord is received and recorded, the sequence progresses a step. If the Steps value is
exceeded, it automatically increases by 1 up to its maximum possible value (“16”).

When you've finished recording, click the Arp On/Off/Rec button again. Recording will stop and
Arpeggiator’s state will change to

When recording MIDI input, the input note

velocity is captured as well. To turn off
velocity sensitivity during recording, right-
click the Arpeggiator display and choose
“Set note velocity to 127” from the
“Recording Options” submenu.

Recording Monophonic Sequences Using MIDI Input

If SynthMaster One is in “Mono” Mode, the
sequencer only records one note at a time. It also
detects tied notes and turns on Hold for that step
automatically.

Importing MIDI Sequences into Arpeggiator

To import monophonic or polyphonic (chord) MIDI sequences into the Arpeggiator/sequencer, drag and
drop a MIDI file onto the Arpeggiator display.
When the MIDI data is imported, the Mode is set to “Sequence”, and the Steps and BaseTime
parameters are calculated automatically:

TIP: Before importing a MIDI file, make sure you quantize the note durations.
SynthMaster One User Manual 46

Effects

The signal flow through the FX section

runs from the top of the ‘rack’ to the
bottom:

To load an effect into one of the six

slots or replace a loaded effect with a
different one, right-click the slot and
choose a module from the menu – the
specifics of each effect are described
later in this manual.

With a slot selected, the controls for its loaded effect appear in the panel to the right. To turn the currently
selected effect on and off, click the button next to its name in the controls panel. To
toggle an unselected effect on and off, scroll the mouse wheel up or down with the pointer placed over its
slot.
To reorder the effects:

 Click an effect and start moving the mouse:

 Drag and drop the effect onto another one:

 The effects swap places:

Distortion
The Distortion effect in SynthMaster
consists of a 2-band shelving EQ followed
by a distortion stage, followed by another
2-band shelving EQ. To edit the pre-
distortion EQ, click the Pre EQ button. To
edit the post-distortion EQ, click Post EQ.
The distortion curve is fully editable in the
curve display, and the Drive parameter
overdrives the input signal into the effect.
SynthMaster One User Manual 47

LoFi
The LoFi effect applies bit depth and sample rate
reduction (through sample and hold)
The output bits are controlled by the Bits parameter
The output sample rate is set by the S&H Interval
parameter, while S&H Frequency controls the cutoff
frequency of a 2nd order resonant low-pass filter.
The display visualizes the digital distortion applied by
the effect.

Ensemble
The ensemble effect generates up to six ‘unison’
voices in parallel at different delay modulations.
Select the number of voices with the Stages buttons.
Two independent LFOs modulate the initial
delay/delay spacing, which is determined by the
Delay knob. The rate and modulation amount of each
LFO are set using the Speed 1/2 and Mod 1/2 knobs.
The stereo width and positioning of the output signal
are controlled by the Width and Pan parameters.

Phaser
A 4-, 8-, 12- or 16-stage analogue modeled phaser.
The Feedback (FB) parameter feeds the phaser output
into its input.
The Cutoff and Spacing parameters adjust the
frequencies and distribution of the Phaser's all-pass
filters.
The filters can be modulated by the internal LFO, the
speed of which is controlled with the Speed parameter.
Set the modulation depth with the Mod Amt knob.

Equalizer
A 6-band EQ, editable using the knobs and/or by
dragging the filter nodes in the display. Ctrl/Cmd +
click a filter node to reset it.
To activate the 24dB/octave Highpass and Lowpass
filters, click the HP and LP buttons.
The Bass and Treble knobs set the gains of the
6dB/octave low and high shelving bands.
The frequencies and gains of the Lo Mid and Hi Mid
bands are adjusted in the display, by dragging their two
filter nodes. The LM Q and HM Q knobs adjust their Q
(resonance) values.
SynthMaster One User Manual 48

Vocoder
SynthMaster One's Vocoder consists of 16 analysis
and 16 synthesis filters (1 LP + 14 BP + 1 HP).

The analysis filters are at fixed frequencies (like an

analogue vocoder), but the initial frequencies of the
synthesis filters are controlled by the Frequency
parameter. Drag the bars in the display to adjust the
band volume levels, and use the Gain knob to set the
modulator gain (between -20/+20 dB)

To use SynthMaster One as a vocoder, it needs to be loaded as a MIDI-controlled audio effect. See your
DAW's documentation for instructions on how to do this.

Delay
A stereo delay effect with built-in 2-band EQ. Select
the left and right channel delay times from the Delay
L and Delay R menus.

Generate repeating echos by feeding the delayed +

EQed Left/Right signals back into the input using the
Feedback parameter.

When the Pong button is activated, the left output feeds back into the right input, and the right output
feeds back into the left input.

Use the 2-band EQ to filter the delayed outputs, and control the stereo imaging of the delay outputs with
the Width and Pan parameters.

Chorus
The Chorus effect adds time variable delays to its
stereo inputs.

The delay modulation depth is controlled by the Mod

Amt knob; the delay modulation rate is controlled by
the Speed parameter; and the feedback of the
delayed output is controlled with the FB knob.

The initial delays for left and right channels can be set with Delay L and Delay R knobs.
SynthMaster One User Manual 49

Tremolo
The Tremolo effect modulates the amplitude of its
stereo inputs based on the movement of an internal
stereo LFO.
The base LFO rate is controlled by the Speed knob,
while the differences between the left and right
outputs in terms of speed and phase are set by the
L-R Ratio and L-R Phase knobs

Reverb
SynthMaster One features a powerful Reverb effect,
used to simulate rooms and spaces.

The early/late reflection mix ratio is controlled using

the E/L Mix parameter.
The late reflections reverb time (ie, the time it takes
to decay by 60dB) is set by the Time knob.

The Size parameter calculates the early reflection tap delays/gains behind the scenes.
The Distance parameter controls the distance between the listener and the reverb inputs.
The Damping parameter controls the high frequency loss that occurs when reflections in a room
bounce off the walls.
The Density parameter affects the smoothness of the tail.
The Mod Amount parameter controls the amount of random modulation applied to the delay line
lengths within the reverb algorithm.

Compressor
The Compressor effect is used for dynamic gain
reduction, automatically lowering the output level in
response to changes in input signal gain.
The Ratio parameter sets the compression ratio, with a
range of 1:1 to 1:20 (in dB)
The Threshold parameter determines the input level at
which compression starts.

The Attack and Release knobs set the time it takes for the compressor to engage and disengage when
the input signal exceeds and drops back below the Threshold.
Knee controls the smoothness of the compression curve. The curve is at it's sharpest when Knee is set to
“0”.