Synth block

Available on which Fractal Audio products

• Axe-Fx III: 2x.
• Axe-Fx II: 2x.
• AX8: 1x.
• FX8: 1x.

X/Y and channels

• Axe-Fx III: 2 channels.
• Axe-Fx II: no.
• AX8: no.
• FX8: no.

What can it do

"The Synth block is a very simple monophonic synth. It doesn't compare to the polyphonic capabilities of something like the FTP and it can't control outboard MIDI synths." source

The Synth block requires monophonic input. This means that you have play REALLY clean. Always hit single notes and avoid overlapping notes.

Turning off voices saves CPU

The Synth has 3 voices. Turn off voices that you don't use to save some CPU.

Parameters table

Parameter	Axe-Fx III	Axe-Fx II	AX8, FX8
Type	yes
Track	yes
Frequency	yes
Shift	yes
Tune	yes
Duty Cycle	yes
Pan	yes
FIlter Frequency	yes
Filter Q	yes
Attack	yes
Level	yes

Tips

Warming up the Synth sound

To warm up the Synth, add a Drive block after it, such as a RAT model.

Fattening the Synth tone

To fatten the Synth, use at least two voices and detune them slightly. source

Creating a drone note

Set Tracking to OFF, adjust pitch with the Frequency parameter.

You can change the pitch of sustained synth notes per scene by using Scene Controllers.

Generate pink or white noise

The Synth block can generate white or pink noise.

• White noise in Wikipedia.
• Pink noise in Wikipedia.

Emit a calibration tone

"Set the synth block to a 1K sine wave at -12 dB. Turn OUTPUT 1 to the maximum level position." source

"There's actually a hidden calibration tone that is used during functional test. The Synth block is reference quality. I use it all the time to generate test tones. The output is spectrally purer than my $2000 Stanford Research Systems Synthesized Function Generator." source

More information

• Forum members Simeon and Swedish Chef have provided great synth presets. Search the forum and visit Axe-Change.
• Introduction video.
• Synthesizer in Wikipedia.