I just got my op1 last month and this is the first challenge on this forum that I have been able to take advantage of. However, I’m getting really lost inside both of these engines though (not in a good way). I guess I am not understanding how each engine works in relation to how it changes the sound. Is each preset unique to one another? Or is the engine creating these by transforming a default “sound” with the parameters? For instance, would I be able to enter the Back Bass preset, and with enough fiddling, get to something that sounds like the Haunted preset? It says to avoid using the presets if possible in the Battle, so I thought I could start with any preset, and modify it to get synth, bass, percussion etc… All I have found so far is that I can make the starting preset sound different, but it still holds many of its basic characteristics. If I want a bass sound, do I have to start with a bass-like preset? Also, I turn the encoders to adjust the sonic characteristics of each note, but I don’t know why the sound is reacting the way it is. I just twist until I find something I like. It’s a ton of trial and error and I have lost nice sounds because I turned the wrong knob or forgot to write down the settings. It is a fun process to discover these sounds but at the same time it can be frustrating to twist away and come up without a usable sound (for the current project). For example, I took a preset in Dbox, did some twisting, and came up with a really nice synthy sound that I would have liked to use chromatically in my song. However since it was in Dbox, it was only available on one key. I tried to transpose the settings in Dbox to the Dsynth engine but not all the parameters were the same and what I came out with didn’t sound anything close to the sound I produced in Dbox. Is that sound forever stuck to one key in Dbox? I tried looking for a good resource online that would explain how these engines work but I didn’t find anything substantial. Anything you guys could offer would be great.
Sorry, can’t really help with the synthesis query but top tip - you can copy and paste the settings on each key on Dbox by pressing the key and lifting then dropping. Change the pitch and repeat. Alternatively, find a sound you like and sample it.
Welcome to the forum! 
Thats a good tip. Something fun to experiment with.
Don’t forget you can Shift+knob to access other parameters.
Sorry, can’t really help with the synthesis query but top tip - you can copy and paste the settings on each key on Dbox by pressing the key and lifting then dropping. Change the pitch and repeat. Alternatively, find a sound you like and sample it.Welcome to the forum!
Wow, this changes everything I only recently learnt about dropping individual drum samples into other kits and lift+dropping finger sequences. I’ve had the OP-1 for a few years and I can’t believe I didn’t know these features…
Not sure Cuckoo quite knows what’s going on either, but fun to watch him mess about with the Dsynth:
I also can't believe I didn't know this! I've had the OP-1 for a number of years and am often amazed that there are still little things to learn and discover.Sorry, can’t really help with the synthesis query but top tip - you can copy and paste the settings on each key on Dbox by pressing the key and lifting then dropping. Change the pitch and repeat. Alternatively, find a sound you like and sample it. Welcome to the forum! :DWow, this changes everything :D I only recently learnt about dropping individual drum samples into other kits and lift+dropping finger sequences. I've had the OP-1 for a few years and I can't believe I didn't know these features...
Afraid I don't have any tips to help with Dbox/Dsynth, I find it the least usable of any of the synth engines to be honest, which is strange since in theory it offers the most complexity.
Slightly off topic, but does anyone else wish they'd port the PO-32/Microtonic engine to OP-1?
Not sure Cuckoo quite knows what's going on either, but fun to watch him mess about with the Dsynth:
I watched through this and enjoyed it for sure. It looks like he is using the earliest version of the Dsynth as there are no presets at all when he selects it from the menu. It looks like he is able to create a nice bass sound as well as different synth tones from whatever the base sound is. I was under the impression that Dsynth/Dbox were sandbox engines where anything was possible. I still don’t know if thats true or not. Haha.
I wish I understood DSynth/DBox better, they’re the wildest and most complicated synth engines IMO.
I love reading your descriptions of the different OP-1 sound engines. I’ve banged my head on DSynth for hours but never got anything that I really liked out of it, so I gave up. But having read your explanations I’ll take another look.
I wish I understood DSynth/DBox better, they're the wildest and most complicated synth engines IMO.There was a previous thread of speculation but I think no real details: https://operator-1.com/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/35709/Anyway, here are my wild speculations:AFAIK the idea behind both DBox and DSynth is "2 enveloped oscillators modulating each other".Each oscillator has a pitch control (Blue), waveshape (Green), and amplitude envelope (White); you get to osc2's properties by holding shift.AFAICT Orange changes the type and strength of cross-modulation between the two oscillators (and/or the mix level of the oscillators) -- I have *no* idea what is where, but to me it sounds like there are regions of FM, AM, and other ring-mod-like cross-modulations. I think maybe the starting region around 1-2 features some plain non-modulated osc output, maybe in this case the Mode control is cross-fading between the two oscs? Hard to say :/(It would be cool if we could collectively try to map the different "modes" to really have a better idea of what's where)
There's also a filter at the end of everything, I don't know for sure but it sounds like it has some amount of fixed resonance, and as you turn shift+Orange CW it sweeps through low-/band-/high-pass (or maybe just crossfades between LP and HP?).The envelopes are AD where as you sweep from CCW to CW, you start with 0-attack and very short decay, and then get increasingly long decay, until on the right side you get more of a triangle shape as attack time increases. At least, that's what I think and the graphics suggest this, but who knows, TE are sneaky ;)In DSynth, osc1's pitch tracks the keyboard so there's no direct control for it, and instead the Blue encoder is a "macro" control that lets you change the depth and polarity of both envelopes at the same time. With the Blue encoder fully CCW both envelopes are set to full depth and AD polarity, and this control scrolls through various permutations of envelope depth and polarity as you turn CW, until you end with full depth and upside-down envelopes.
I have no idea whether the envelopes are only used to control the volume of each oscillator, or whether they also modulate oscillator shape and/or cross-modulation in any way. I think they might just be osc volume.In terms of oscillator shape.. who knows. I would love to hear other people's opinions! Green definitely changes the timbre of things, but IMO it doesn't really match the saw/square/sin graphics that are displayed. I honestly don't really know what's going on here, but there's a lot of variation possible and it can have a profound difference on the sound. I swear that the top setting for osc2 produces just a single pulse and not a constant wave, but who knows. Do these controls also change the envelopes or cross-modulation? I'm not sure.One really useful trick I found is that if you dial the 2nd osc's pitch down to almost 0 (i.e out of the audible range and into LFO range) and set its shape to the bottom setting (sin/triangle?), it lets you hear the different types of modulation (changeable via Orange) a lot better, i.e FM is audible as a very obvious sweeping up/down in pitch, AM is an obvious sweeping up/down of volume.Anyway... if anyone has more info, I'd love to hear it :)
Dude, that was so helpful. Thankyou!
Your analysis is super insightful, thanks! Your blog was an amazing reading as well, you should apply at TE for a job
Ah your the guy with the blog about the synth explanations @raigan? That was super helpful and well observed. Totally demystified Dr Wave and the rest.
Also excellent explanation above.
To my ears I was thinking Dsynths blue control was osc mixer aswell as mod direction, amount and polarity. ie top line flat just sent that osc to audio output and bottom osc was modulator, which we can switch between the two. Then everything between for mix and cross mods, with the white envelopes as speed and also hold/release effect after 12 o’clock.
But I will have to go back and try to hear for what you are saying. (I trust your advice-I’m from memory).
Super helpful info here on the DSynth/Dbox. just discovered another way to play the DBox chromatically:
I think @raigan is correct about the blue encoder on DSynth. It controls depth and polarity of two envelopes. It’s confusing, because (I think) one of them has sustain and another doesn’t. Also, it seems they can (like the graphics suggests) open to mid-level, then go up or down, then get back to mid-level.
White controls timing on those envelopes.
Dim-red controls frequency of some hardwired resonant bandpass filter, which doesn’t seem to be tuned to the keyboard.
Dim-blue controls relative speed of the second oscillator that starts as nothing then goes through LFO range, then gets way into sonic range.
Red flips through LFO shapes and modulation modes, and changes other things in weird ways. Number markings seem to be completely off. Also, there are weird “sweet spots” that you can’t get to aside from moving the knob through a region or using a value LFO.
Green controls oscillators. The graphics are completely misleading. I think the top one goes through variations of a sawtooth, then adds noise and finally goes into a single-cycle mode at 100%.
Dim-green does something similar, but for the second oscillator.
Cheers everyone! I hope someone with a lot of patience and an oscilloscope manages to solve some of these mysteries
It’s a bit sad that DSynth has a window that looks like an oscilloscope, but doesn’t do anything useful in practice. I’m perpetually annoyed that digital synthesizers don’t have output oscilloscope as a standard feature. It’s very easy to plot the signal if you capture it before DA converter. Also, you know the note, so you could cheat for detecting window size.
Sampler engine allows you to examine waveforms if you zoom in. Not sure how accurate it is, though. And it doesn’t have a single knob that would allow you to scroll through the waveform - you need to turn two. (BTW, this kind of param would get OP-1 70% there in terms of wave-table synthesis.)
I do have an old analog oscilloscope, but it’s a pain to connect to audio sources. I need to make an audio cable with some section exposed for probes.
I got the oscilloscope working. Busted up an old pair of cheap earplugs to connect the probe. Not much useful info on DSynth. The waveform are too weird and change in really strange ways. When they start to phase and get noisy it’s hard to lock on. Also, seems the oscilloscope has some issues, but it does lock on more stable tones just fine.
Maybe I should try this thing on a more conventional synth first. And other engines when I get bored.
While searching for a hh sound on dbox It felt like the env Page also affects the synth engine. More than just an effect on the amplitude of a sound. Anyone else discovered that?
Maybe I should try this thing on a more conventional synth first. And other engines when I get bored.Good plan, might get an oscilloscope going on the Organelle.