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September 23, 2025 · 1 min read

Programming synth sounds from one note across 12 layers

Tom KirkmanIndependent Project Manager

Tomorrow I plan to dive deep into synthesizer music programming on my ancient E-MU synths, and make musical sounds using only 1 note, for 3 minutes.

The task is not to twiddle knobs in real time to change the sound, but to *program* beforehand,
filter delayed programs
onto filter delayed programs
onto filter delayed programs,
to slowly but radically change the sounds in a multitude of sonic ways.

If I stack this single note with 12 different sounds all playing the same note, and with slightly different programming envelopes, the overall sound should be … unconventional, and certainly not boring.

How long it will take to program these sound envelopes is a mystery to me.

Into the unknown !

FROM THE THREAD

Tom's notes 5

  1. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Bob Johnson

    I'm planning to use harmonically rich sounds to mess with.
    Usually I write bright and cheery music.
    The events of the last 2 weeks have been draining.

  2. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Gerry Deagnon

    that's an awesome sequence 😆

  3. Tom Kirkman

    Thanks Cliff Saunders. In depth programming of synthesizer filters for gradually shifting of dozens of audio characteristics is something I have not done before.
    While it is simple enough to twist a few knobs on a synthesizer to tweak the sound, this is different.
    Programming a single note to gradually morph over time, with overlapping instructions, of shifting filters controlling other shifting filters which are contolling other shifting filters.

    The 25 year old E-MU Proteus hardware synthesizer engine is a total beast of capabilities.

  4. Tom Kirkmanreplying to Perry Roberts

    yep

  5. Tom Kirkman

    Some very technical background for what spurred me to experiment.

    =================

    ... a huge modulation matrix:

    96 connections per preset, with a long list of sources like pink, white noise and different Random Generators.

    Clock dividers, crossfaders, 3 ADSR envelopes with +/- polarities, with 6 stages which can be synced to the tempo, etc...

    Between a source and a destination, you can use lag processors, which modify the signal between two points (example LFO --->Filter).

    ... There are so much tools at your disposition to sculpt an infinite amount of great, original sounds.

    Each waveform layer inside a preset has its own set of patchcord connections (24 slots per sample).

    ... Three presets can be layered in a single patch with the link function.
    That boosts the possibilities X3:

    - 24 LFOS per patch
    - 288 patchcords
    - 12 different filters

    You can spend a week programming one of those massive super-sounds, using three user preset locations to create a single sound.

    Now, add a powerful, magnific sequencer integrated, a vast arpeggio section and intuitive control of external gear. ...

    https://gearspace.com/board/showpost.php?p=12773816&postcount=207

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