Adding Synth Sounds

Learn how to use synthesizers to give your compositions unique timbres and textures.

What are Synths?

Synthesizers in Relanote let you control how notes sound. You can use:

• Preset synths - Ready-to-use sounds like Lead, Pad, Bass
• Custom synths - Define your own with oscillators, filters, and envelopes
• Parameter adjustments - Tweak cutoff, resonance, and more

Using Preset Synths

Apply a synth to your melody with the voice function:

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

; A simple melody
let melody = | <1> <3> <5> <3> |

; Apply a lead synth sound
let lead = melody |> voice Lead

lead

Available Presets

Classic Synths

Try these different synth sounds:

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

let melody = | <1> <3> <5> <8> |

; Bright sawtooth lead
let bright = melody |> voice Lead

; Warm sustained pad
let warm = melody |> voice SoftPad

; Thick bass sound
let thick = melody |> voice FatBass

; Short pluck
let plucky = melody |> voice Pluck

bright

8-bit Sounds

Create retro video game music:

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

let melody = | <1> <3> <5> <8> <5> <3> |

; Classic chiptune
let chip = melody |> voice Chiptune

; NES-style sound
let nes = melody |> voice NES

; GameBoy style
let gameboy = melody |> voice GameBoy

chip

Drum Sounds

Add rhythm with synthesized drums:

; Kick drum pattern
let kick = | R - - - | |> repeat 4 |> voice Kick

; Snare on beats 2 and 4
let snare = | - - R - | |> repeat 4 |> voice Snare

; Hi-hat pattern
let hat = | R R R R | |> repeat 4 |> voice HiHat |> volume 0.4

kick

Adjusting Synth Parameters

Fine-tune your sound with parameter functions:

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

let melody = | <1> <3> <5> <8> |

; Darker sound with low cutoff
let dark = melody |> voice Lead |> cutoff 800

; Bright and resonant
let bright = melody |> voice Lead |> cutoff 3000 |> resonance 0.5

; Detuned for thickness
let fat = melody |> voice Lead |> detune 15

; Custom envelope (attack, decay, sustain, release)
let slow = melody |> voice Lead |> adsr 0.3 0.2 0.7 0.5

dark

Combining Synths with Effects

Chain synth parameters with other effects:

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

let melody = | <1> <3> <5> <8> <5> <3> <1> - |

; Full processing chain
let processed = melody
  |> voice Lead
  |> cutoff 2000
  |> resonance 0.3
  |> reverb 0.4
  |> volume 0.8

processed

Creating a Synth Arrangement

Put it all together in a multi-part piece:

scale Minor = { R, M2, m3, P4, P5, m6, m7 }

let main = section "Main" {
  ; Lead melody
  part "Lead" {
    | <5> <6> <5> <3> | ++ | <1> <2> <3> <1> |
  } |> voice Lead |> volume 0.8

  ; Pad chords
  part "Pad" {
    | [<1> <3> <5>] | ++ | [<1> <3> <5>] |
  } |> voice SoftPad |> volume 0.5

  ; Bass line
  part "Bass" {
    | <1> - <1> <5> | ++ | <4> - <4> <1> |
  } |> voice FatBass |> cutoff 300

  ; Drums
  part "Kick" {
    | R - R - | ++ | R - R R |
  } |> voice Kick

  part "Hat" {
    | R R R R | ++ | R R R R |
  } |> voice HiHat |> volume 0.3
}

compose([main])

Custom Synth Definitions

For ultimate control, define your own synth:

; Define a custom synth
synth MyLead = {
  osc: Saw,
  env: { A: 0.02, D: 0.15, S: 0.7, R: 0.2 },
  filter: LowPass(3000, 0.3)
}

synth PunchyBass = {
  osc: Square,
  detune: 5,
  env: { A: 0.01, D: 0.1, S: 0.5, R: 0.2 },
  filter: LowPass(200, 0.4)
}

scale Minor = { R, M2, m3, P4, P5, m6, m7 }

let melody = | <1> <3> <5> <8> |
let bass = | <1> - <1> <5> |

let song = section "Custom" {
  part "Lead" { melody } |> voice MyLead
  part "Bass" { bass } |> voice PunchyBass
}

compose([song])

Exercise

Create a chiptune-style song:

1. Use 8-bit synth presets (Chiptune, NES, GameBoy)
2. Add a bass line with low cutoff
3. Include simple drum sounds

scale Major = { R, M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7 }

; Your chiptune here!
let lead = | <1> <3> <5> <8> | |> voice Chiptune
let bass = | <1> - <1> <5> | |> voice Chiptune |> cutoff 400
let drums = | R - R - | |> voice Kick

lead

Next Steps

• Explore the Synthesizers Guide for complete documentation
• Check out the examples/10_chiptune.rela for more 8-bit ideas
• Try examples/11_synth_advanced.rela for advanced sound design