Sampler Synth pane in MainStage
You can use the Synth parameters to control Sampler global and filter settings for the entire loaded sampler instrument. Click the Details button at the top right of the Synth pane to view or hide the Synth Details slide-out pane which provides additional parameters. Several synthesizer parameter handling commands are also found in the Navigation bar pop-up menu. See Sampler overview.
If you’re new to the concepts and use of synthesizers, see Synthesizer basics overview.
You can use the Modulators pane to assign and adjust the LFOs and envelopes which control synthesizer and other parameters and can use the Mod Matrix pane to set up modulation routings. See Sampler modulation overview.
You can adjust and control individual samples (zones), or grouped samples, in the Mapping and Zone panes. See Sampler Mapping and Zone pane overview.
Synth pane parameters
Double-click a parameter knob to reset it to the default value.
Double-click a parameter value field to enter in a new value. Press Return to complete the operation.
Details button: View or hide a slide-out pane which provides additional synthesis parameters. See Sampler Synth Details.
Tune knob and field: Raise or lower the pitch of the sampler instrument in semitone increments. At the default (zero) position, no pitch change occurs.
Fine knob and field: Tune the sampler instrument in cent increments—1/100 of a semitone. Use this parameter to correct samples that are slightly out of tune.
Filter On/Off buttons: Turn each filter section on or off. Each filter can have an independent or shared envelope, defined in the Mod Matrix pane. Disabling the filter section makes it easier to hear adjustments to other sound parameters because the filter always heavily affects the sound.
Filter Type pop-up menu: Choose the type and slope of the filter. See Sampler filter types.
Cutoff knob: Set the cutoff frequency of the filter. The Cutoff value also serves as the starting point for any modulation involving the filter.
In a lowpass filter, the higher the cutoff frequency is set, the higher the frequencies of signals that are allowed to pass.
In a highpass filter, the cutoff frequency determines the point where lower frequencies are suppressed, with only upper frequencies allowed to pass.
In a bandpass/band-rejection filter, the cutoff frequency determines the center frequency for the bandpass or band-rejection filter.
Resonance knob: Boost or cut the frequency area surrounding the cutoff frequency. Very high Resonance values introduce self-oscillation, causing the filter to produce an audible sine wave.
In a lowpass filter, resonance emphasizes the frequencies at the cutoff frequency.
In a highpass filter, resonance emphasizes the frequencies at the cutoff frequency.
In bandpass filters, resonance emphasizes the portions of the signal—the frequency band—that surround the defined frequency, set with the Cutoff knob. In Sampler, Resonance defines the width of the frequency band.
Drive knob: Overdrive the filter input, leading to a denser, more saturated signal, which introduces additional harmonics. Drive affects each voice independently. When every voice is overdriven individually—like having six fuzz boxes for a guitar, one for each string—you can play extremely complex harmonies over the entire keyboard range. They’ll sound clean, without unwanted intermodulation effects spoiling the sound. Some Drive settings lead to a different tonal character. The way analog filters behave when overdriven forms an essential part of the sonic character of a synthesizer. Each synthesizer is unique in the way its filters behave when overdriven. Sampler is flexible in this regard, allowing tonal colors that range from a subtle fuzz to a hard distortion.
Filter configuration buttons: Switch between a series or parallel filter configuration.
Series button: Turn on to pass the signal through the first filter, which forwards this filtered signal through Filter 2. The output signal of Filter 2 is then sent to the input of the dynamic stage (Amplifier section).
Parallel button: Turn on to pass the signal through both filters. If the Filter Blend knob is set to the center position, you’ll hear a 50/50 mix of the signal, routed via Filter 1 and Filter 2. The output signals of the two filters are mixed, then sent to the input of the dynamic stage (Amplifier section).
Tip: If one of the two filters is turned off (bypassed), you can mix the original signal and the filtered signal to create a simple phaser effect, for example.
Filter Blend knob: Set the balance between Filter 1 and Filter 2 in parallel mode. See Crossfade between Sampler filters.
Volume knob: Set the overall output signal level of Sampler. The levels of individual samples or groups of samples are set in the Mapping and Zone panes.
Pan knob: Set the pan position—or balance—of the Sampler output signal.
Create or view a modulation routing with the Synth pane shortcut menu
In MainStage Sampler, Control-click on any parameter in the Synth pane that is available as a modulation target to open a shortcut menu, then choose one of the following:
Add Modulation: Use to create a new modulation routing in the Mod Matrix pane and choose the Source parameter from the pop-up menu.
Show Modulation: Use to highlight all existing modulation routings that use the parameter by activating the view filter in the Mod Matrix pane. See Use the Sampler Mod Matrix.