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Controls

There are 3 sections to the UI. The Synth and Effects Tabs and the Settings Menu.

The main Synth tab contains all controls for the synth voices, the mixer, and the performance controls like Mod Wheel and Pitch Bend parameters.

The Effects tab contains all the effects modules and sit in the over all signal chain between everything in the Synth panel, with the exception of the output mixer, and the final audio output. The effects are laid out in order of signal flow starting from the top left and proceeding effect to effect. The last effect in a row then goes to the first (left most) effect in the next row down.

The Settings Menu has is own page here

Most controls should reset to the defaults for the patch you selected, or the init patch if you haven't, when you double click them.


Synth Tab

Oscillators

AccSyn has four oscillators: Sub Oscillator, Oscillator 1, Oscillator 2, and Oscillator 3. They are identical except that the sub oscillator is pitched 1 octave below the played note.

ControlDescription
Wave ShapeSelects the waveform. See the Waveforms section below.
Coarse TunePitch offset in semitones (−12 to +12).
Fine TunePitch offset in cents (−63 to +63).
BoostPer Osillator Clipper output boost (0–30db). Adds harmonic content and dirt before the signal reaches the mixer.
Pitch Envelope AmountDetermines maximum pitch above or below the fundamental that the envelope controls. +/- 1 octave
Shape Parameter 1Waveform dependent.See the Waveforms section below.
Shape Parameter 2Waveform dependent. See the Waveforms section below.

Waveforms

IndexNameShape Parameter 1Shape Parameter 2Notes
0SineN/AN/A
1TriangleN/AN/A
2SquareN/AN/A
3SawN/AN/ARising sawtooth wave
4PulsePulse WidthN/AWidth adjustable pulse
5RampN/AN/AFalling sawtooth wave
6SupersawDetuneN/A7 detunes Sawtooth waves
7AM/RMModulation AmountRing Mod AmountMorph between AM & Ring Mod
8FMModulation AmountRatioBare Bones 2 Op FM
9PMModulation AmountN/APhase Modulation
10BrokenHow Broken?N/ASort of self explanitory
11NoiseN/AN/AN/A

Filter

A resonant lowpass filter placed after the oscillator mix.

ControlDescription
CutoffFilter cutoff frequency in Hz.
ResonanceResonance (peak) at the cutoff frequency.
PolesFilter slope: 1–4 poles (6, 12, 18, or 24 dB/octave).
Key TrackingPositive and negative key tracking. See note.
EG AmountHow much the Filter Envelope modulates the cutoff.
LFO AmountHow much the Filter LFO modulates the cutoff.

Filter Key Tracking Note - The value is bipolar. The key tracking centers around E4/MIDI note 64 which will always get the filter value you set with cutoff and then notes above or below are altered as you change the key tracking. In the middle there is no tracking, To the right you get normal key tracking where the filter opens up as you play higher notes. To the left you get negative key tracking where the higher notes get darker and the lower notes get brighter.

Filter Envelope

An ADSR envelope dedicated to filter cutoff modulation. An ADSR envelope to modulate the cutoff of the filter over time with the played note. The inverted mode flips the envelope so that the filter starts at maximum cutoff frequency (full brightness) and then the envelope lowers the cutoff and brings it back to full based on how you set it.

Due to the interaction of the filter envelope sustain and the need for there to be somewhere for the cutoff to go I suggest starting with the cutoff either all the way off, or maybe in the center and tune by ear from there.

ControlDescription
AtkAttack time in milliseconds.
DecDecay time in milliseconds.
SusSustain level (0.0–1.0).
RelRelease time in milliseconds.
InvertedInverts the envelope shape

Filter LFO

A dedicated LFO for filter cutoff modulation

The LFO modulates the cutoff around (above and below) the current frequency set by cutoff slider. It also follows the cut off value produced by the Filter Envelope value so using both can produce some interesting effects.

ControlDescription
FrequencyLFO rate in Hz (or in beat intervals when Clock Sync is enabled.
Wave ShapeLFO waveform (same options as oscillators).
PhaseAdjust the phase of the LFO in real time (0 to 360 degrees)
Clock SyncSyncs the LFO rate to incoming MIDI clock pulses
Key SyncSyncs the LFO rate to each midi note on event. Can be combined with Clock Sync

Amp Envelope

An ADSR envelope to modulate the amplitude of the played notes over time. The inverted mode flips the envelope so that the note starts at maximum amplitude and then the envelope lowers the amplitude and brings it back to full based on how you set it.

ControlDescription
AtkAttack time in milliseconds.
DecDecay time in milliseconds.
SusSustain level (0.0–1.0).
RelRelease time in milliseconds.
InvertedInverts the envelope — amplitude starts at full and decreases on attack.

Pitch Envelope

An ADSR envelope that modulates oscillator pitch. Each oscillator has a Pitch Envelope Amount control that determines how much it is affected.

ControlDescription
AtkAttack time in milliseconds.
DecDecay time in milliseconds.
SusSustain level (0.0–1.0).
RelRelease time in milliseconds.

Mixer

Controls the level, stereo position, and mute state for each oscillator and for the master output.

Per-Oscillator (Sub, Osc 1, Osc 2, Osc 3)

ControlDescription
LevelOscillator output level (0.0–1.0).
BalanceStereo pan (left = −1.0, center = 0, right = 1.0).
MuteSilences this oscillator without changing its level setting.

Output

ControlDescription
LevelMaster output level (0.0–1.0).
BalanceMaster stereo pan.
MuteSilences all output.

Oscillator Options

Global and per-oscillator performance settings.

ControlDescription
PortamentoEnables pitch glide between notes. The UI controls all oscillators together; per-oscillator values can be set manually in patch files.
TimePortamento glide duration.
Hard SyncSyncs oscillator 2's phase to oscillator 1, producing hard sync effect.
Key SyncResets the oscillator phase on each note-on. Useful for consistent attack transients.
Pitch Bend RangeMaximum pitch bend in semitones (2–12).
Velocity CurveShapes how MIDI velocity maps to amplitude. 0.5 is linear; lower values compress dynamics; higher values expand them.
PolarityInverts the polarity of the output signal. Usually not audible on its own; useful when AccSyn is combined with another signal source and phase cancellation occurs.
SustainSustain pedal state (mirrors MIDI CC 64).

Modulation (Mod) Wheel

The midi mod wheel parameter CC#1 controls the range parameter of a dedicated LFO which controls the depth/amount of the effect on the oscillators.

With some exceptions noted in this table that LFO is applied to the pitch of the oscillator producing a Vibrator effect. Here is the effect it has on each oscillator.

WaveshapeTargetEffect Produced
SineFrequencyVibrato
TriangleFrequencyVibrato
SquareFrequencyVibrato
RampFrequencyVibrato
SupersawFrequencyVibrato
AM/RMModulator FrequencyGhostly Overtone Vibrato
FMModulator FrequencyBasic 3rd Operator. Modwheel -> Modulator -> Carrier
PMFrequencyPulsing effect that changes speed in time to the LFO
BrokenFrequencyVibrato
NoiseN/AN/A

The Mod Wheel control section has the following controls for the underlying Mod Wheel LFO

ControlDescription
FrequencyThe LFO's rate in Hz or clock divisions if clock synced
Wave ShapeWave shape for the LFO
PhaseSet the current phase of the LFO. Manually sync to other sounds
Clock SyncSyncs LFO rate to MIDI clock
Key SyncReset the LFO on each key press. Works with or without Clock Sync

Effects Tab

All effects are applied in series after the synthesizer signal chain. Each has an Enable toggle. Disabled effects pass audio through unchanged.

1 — Saturation

Adds harmonic distortion.

ControlDescription
TypeSaturation algorithm.
AmountDrive amount.
Post Saturation Gain CutLevel trim after saturation to compensate for volume increase.

2 — Colour Compressor

Dynamics compression with a colored character.

ControlDescription
ThresholdLevel above which compression is applied.
RatioCompression ratio.
Makeup GainOutput gain to compensate for gain reduction.
BlendWet/Dry signal blend (Left: 0% Wet, Right: 100% Wet)

3 — Wave Folder

Folds the waveform back on itself, adding upper harmonics.

ControlDescription
Fold AmountFolding depth applied to positive samples.
AsymmetricalWhen enabled, positive and negative samples are folded independently.
Negative Fold AmountFolding depth for negative samples (active in Asymmetrical mode).

4 — Bit Shifter

Reduces bit depth for lo-fi aliasing and quantization noise.

ControlDescription
Bit ReductionAmount of bit depth reduction. Higher = more lo-fi.
BlendWet/Dry signal blend (Left: 0% Wet, Right: 100% Wet)

5 — Clipper

Hard clips the signal, adding aggressive saturation at high levels.

ControlDescription
ThresholdClip threshold.
Pre-Clip BoostGain added before clipping to push more of the signal into saturation.
Post-Clip Makeup GainOutput level trim after clipping.
NotchClips the value to 0 rather than to the threshold for more extreme distortion.

6 — Gate Clipping

ControlDescription
ThresholdLevel below which the gate closes.
Pre-Gate CutAttenuates signal before the gate.
Post-Gate Makeup GainAmplifies signal after the gate opens.
NotchClips the value to 0 rather than to the threshold for more extreme distortion.

7 — Wave Rectifier

Flips or removes negative samples, changing the waveform symmetry and adding harmonics.

ControlDescription
Half Wave / Full WaveHalf Wave removes negative samples; Full Wave flips them to positive.
BlendWet/Dry signal blend (Left: 0% Wet, Right: 100% Wet)

8 — Chorus

2 voice chorus effect

ControlDescription
DepthThe depth of the chorusing effect
RateSpeed of the modulation
FeedbackHow much of the wet signal is fed back into the delay buffer
BlendWet/Dry signal blend (Left: 0% Wet, Right: 100% Wet)

9 — Flanger

Flanger effect

ControlDescription
DepthThe depth of the flanger effect
RateSpeed of the modulation
FeedbackHow much of the wet signal is fed back into the delay buffer
BlendWet/Dry signal blend (Left: 0% Wet, Right: 100% Wet)

10 — Auto Pan

Automatically pans the signal between left and right.

ControlDescription
RatePanning speed.
WidthMaximum pan amount.
Wave ShapeLFO shape driving the panning movement.

11 — Tremolo

Modulates the output amplitude.

ControlDescription
RateTremolo speed.
DepthTremolo intensity.
Wave ShapeLFO shape driving the amplitude modulation.

12 — Delay

A simple stereo delay.

ControlDescription
AmountWet delay level.
TimeDelay time.
FeedbackAmount of delay output fed back into the input.