ES E overview in MainStage
The eight-voice ES E (ES Ensemble) synthesizer is ideal for quickly creating warm, rich pad and ensemble sounds.
ES E produces sounds using subtractive synthesis. It features an oscillator that generates harmonically rich waveforms. You subtract—cut, or filter out—portions of these waveforms and reshape them to create new sounds.
If you’re new to synthesizers, see Synthesizer basics overview, which will introduce you to the terminology and give you an overview of different synthesis methods and how they work.
If you’re new to using plug-ins in MainStage, see Add and remove plug-ins in MainStage.
ES E is divided into several areas.
Oscillator parameters: The oscillator Wave and Octave parameters are shown in the area to the left. The oscillator generates the waveforms that form the basis of your sound. See ES E oscillator parameters.
LFO parameters: The LFO parameters (below the Wave knob) are used to modulate the sound. See ES E LFO parameters.
Filter parameters: The section to the right of the oscillator parameters includes the Cutoff (frequency) and Resonance knobs. You use the filter to contour the waveforms sent from the oscillator. See ES E filter parameters.
Envelope parameters: The area to the right of the filter parameters contains the envelope parameters, which control the level of the sound over time. See ES E envelope parameters.
Output parameters: The area at the extreme right houses the switches for the integrated modulation effects and the Volume knob, which is responsible for the main output level. The effects can be used to color or thicken the sound. See ES E output parameters.
Extended parameters: Not shown in the image, the extended parameters are accessed by clicking the triangle at the lower left of the interface. These parameters include bend and tuning functions. See ES E extended parameters.