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Section 6.1.8 covered the various components of a synthesizer. Now that you’ve read about the common objects and parameters available on a synthesizer you should have an idea of what can be done with one. So how do you know which knobs to turn and when? There’s not an easy answer to that question. The thing to remember is that there are no rules. Use your imagination and don’t be afraid to experiment. In time, you’ll develop an instinct for programming the sounds you can hear in your head. Even if you don’t feel like you can create a new sound from scratch, you can easily modify existing patches to your liking, learning to use the controls along the way. For example, if you load up a synthesizer patch and you think the notes cut off too quickly, just increase the release value on the amplitude envelope until it sounds right.
Most synthesizers use obscure values for the various controls, in the sense that it isn’t easy to relate numerical settings to real-world units or phenomena. Reason uses control values from 0 to 127. While this nicely relates to MIDI data values, it doesn’t tell you much about the actual parameter. For example, how long is an attack time of 87? The answer is, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is what it sounds like. Does an attack time of 87 sound too short or too long? While it’s useful to understand what the controller affects, don’t get too caught up in trying to figure out what exact value you’re dialing in when you adjust a certain parameter. Just listen to the sound that comes out of the synthesizer. If it sounds good, it doesn’t matter what number is hiding under the surface. Just remember to save the settings so you don’t lose them.
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