Getting Started
When you open AudioKit Synth One for the first time, it will load a sound Preset, and you can start playing right away with the onscreen piano keyboard or a connected device such as a bluetooth piano controller.
The second thing you may want to do is explore the various sounds included with the synth. Each sound is called a Preset, and each Preset is organized into Banks which are collections of sounds. Presets are also Categorized by characteristics such as: Arp/Seq, Poly, Pad, Lead, Bass, Pluck, etc.
AudioKit Synth One offers multiple sliding views in order to fully customize sound Presets. Every Preset has dozens of parameters which can be adjusted. There are so many settings for each Preset that they simply wouldn't all fit on a single screen. In this section, we will cover each of the parameter views available in AKS1, and then later we will dive deeper into the finer details of each one.
/// Insert image of top nav bar with Preset name highlighted ///
At the top center of the screen is a Preset name, for example: 0: Synthwave 1974. The Preset name is surrounded by ◀︎ left and right ▶︎ arrows. You can tap the arrows to quickly navigate through Presets, or you can tap on the Preset name to open up the Preset Navigation view. To close this view, tap the Preset name (at the top of the screen, not in the list) again.
When the Preset Navigation view is open, you can scroll up and down in the central list of Presets and tap on a name to load it. You can also Favorite, Edit, Duplicate, or Share each individual Preset. /// Talk about Deleting Presets later in the drill-down, so we're not giving newbies the opportunity to accidentally delete Presets right away ///
To the left of the Preset list is the Bank/Category list — navigate this list and use it to filter Presets by Bank name, Category, or just tap All to show every Preset available to AKS1. The + button here allows you to create your own custom Banks for organizing Presets however you like.
To the right of the Bank/Category and Preset lists is the Preset Detail section, showing Category and Preset Functions. Additional information about the Preset is also shown here, such as performance notes, or who created the Preset.
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This section contains the most commonly used elements of Synth One. These could also be referred to as the "Performance Characteristics" of a Synth One Preset. When playing Synth One, these controls can radically effect the overall character of the sound Preset being used. For example, adjusting the Frequency Dial (which is also often modified by the MOD slider), often modifies a sound between a high frequency/tinny/sharp sound, to a fatter/rounder/bass-like one.
DCO 1 (Digitally Controlled Oscillator No. 1)
- Waveform Type (Sine, Square, Square 2, Saw): Controls waveform shape/timbre/character.
- Semitones control dial: Controls semitone frequency value.
DCO 2 (Digitally Controlled Oscillator No. 2)
- Waveform Type (Sine, Square, Square 2, Saw): Controls waveform shape/timbre/character.
- Semitones control dial: Controls semitone frequency value.
- Detune control dial: Controls the detune value.
Master Volume control dial: Controls the main output level of the current performance Preset.
Waveform Animation Window: Displays an animated waveform of the note(s) being triggered.
Filter
- Type (Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass)
- Frequency
- Resonance
Glide control dial: Controls the amount of "glide" (Legato) between notes. This is most noticeable when the Mono and Legato control switches are activated.
Mono control switch: This on/off control switches between monophonic (single-note) and polyphonic (multiple notes) modes. Typically mono is used for solo/arpeggiated/sequenced sounds where only one note is played at any given moment. When mono is off, multiple, polyphonic notes and chords are the order of the day.
Legato control switch: This on/off switch controls the smoothness of transition between one note and another. When Legato is on and Glide is high, notes will sound like the are "bending" into each other smoothly rather than abruptly. This can be used to simulate a finger slide of a traditional stringed instrument, or even otherworldy like a theremin.
Sub
- Amp
- -24
- Square
Volume
- DCO1
- DCO2
Mix
- DCO 1-2
FM
- Amp
- Mod
Noise
- Amp
Global
- Widen: Acoustically spreads the stereo effect of the current performance Preset.
- Arp/Seq: On/off control for the note sequencer/arpeggiator.
- BPM (Beats Per Minute): Current tempo for the sequence/arpeggiator (tap on the box to set tempo?)
- Down Arrow: Slows the tempo of the sequencer/arpeggiator down.
- Up Arrow: Speeds the tempo of the sequencer/arpeggiator up.
This knob controls the master volume of a Preset.
Slide up ⬆️ to increase the level (loudness) of a Preset.
Slide down ⬇️ to decrease the level (loudness) of a Preset.
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PAGE NOTES:
- Typically sounds on a synth are referred to as a "Preset" in AKS1 they are called "Preset" - May need to check the text for occurrences of 'Preset/Presetes/etc' and replace with 'preset/presets/etc'
- This section details all the functions available in Synth One, firstly by providing an overview of each section, and then drilling down to each individual feature, providing as much detail as possible.