Synth block

The information on this page supplements the official manuals.

Synth: supported by which Fractal Audio products?

• Axe-Fx II: yes.
• AX8: yes.
• FX8: yes.

What does the Synth block do?

Fractal Audio:
"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

X/Y switching in the Synth block

The Synth block doesn't support X/Y switching.

Synth note tracking

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

Warm up the Synth tone

To warm up the Synth, add a Drive block after it.

Fatten the Synth tone

Use at least two voices and detune them slightly. source

Create a drone note with the Synth

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 with the Synth

The Synth block can generate white or pink noise.

• White noise in Wikipedia
• Pink noise in Wikipedia

Create a calibration tone with the Synth

Fractal Audio:

• "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 but use the Synth block. 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

Synth examples

Forum members Simeon and Swedish Chef have provided great synth presets. Search the forum and visit Axe-Change.

Introduction video

More information

Synthesizer in Wikipedia