1---
2title: First Effects
3layout: ../../layouts/MainLayout.astro
4---
5
6import { MiniRepl } from '../../docs/MiniRepl';
7import QA from '@components/QA';
8
9# First Effects
10
11import Box from '@components/Box.astro';
12
13We have sounds, we have notes, now let's look at effects!
14
15## Some basic effects
16
17**low-pass filter**
18
19<MiniRepl
20 client:visible
21 tune={`note("<[c2 c3]*4 [bb1 bb2]*4 [f2 f3]*4 [eb2 eb3]*4>")
22.sound("sawtooth").lpf(800)`}
23/>
24
25<Box>
26
27lpf = **l**ow **p**ass **f**ilter
28
29- Change lpf to 200. Notice how it gets muffled. Think of it as standing in front of the club with the door closed 🚪.
30- Now let's open the door... change it to 5000. Notice how it gets brighter ✨🪩
31
32</Box>
33
34**pattern the filter**
35
36<MiniRepl
37 client:visible
38 tune={`note("<[c2 c3]*4 [bb1 bb2]*4 [f2 f3]*4 [eb2 eb3]*4>")
39.sound("sawtooth").lpf("200 1000 200 1000")`}
40/>
41
42<Box>
43
44- Try adding more values
45- Notice how the pattern in lpf does not change the overall rhythm
46
47We will learn how to automate with waves later...
48
49</Box>
50
51**vowel**
52
53<MiniRepl
54 client:visible
55 tune={`note("<[c3,g3,e4] [bb2,f3,d4] [a2,f3,c4] [bb2,g3,eb4]>")
56.sound("sawtooth").vowel("<a e i o>")`}
57/>
58
59**gain**
60
61<MiniRepl
62 client:visible
63 tune={`$: sound("hh*16").gain("[.25 1]*4")
64
65$: sound("bd*4,[~ sd:1]*2")`}
66punchcard
67/>
68
69<Box>
70
71Rhythm is all about dynamics!
72
73- Remove `.gain(...)` and notice how flat it sounds.
74- Bring it back by undoing (ctrl+z)
75
76</Box>
77
78Let's combine all of the above into a little tune:
79
80<MiniRepl
81 client:visible
82 tune={`$: sound("hh*8").gain("[.25 1]*4")
83
84$: sound("bd*4,[~ sd:1]*2")
85
86$: note("<[c2 c3]*4 [bb1 bb2]*4 [f2 f3]*4 [eb2 eb3]*4>")
87.sound("sawtooth").lpf("200 1000 200 1000")
88
89$: note("<[c3,g3,e4] [bb2,f3,d4] [a2,f3,c4] [bb2,g3,eb4]>")
90.sound("sawtooth").vowel("<a e i o>")`}
91/>
92
93**shape the sound with an adsr envelope**
94
95<MiniRepl
96 client:visible
97 tune={`note("c3 bb2 f3 eb3")
98.sound("sawtooth").lpf(600)
99.attack(.1)
100.decay(.1)
101.sustain(.25)
102.release(.2)`}
103/>
104
105<Box>
106
107Try to find out what the numbers do.. Compare the following
108
109- attack: `.5` vs `0`
110- decay: `.5` vs `0`
111- sustain: `1` vs `.25` vs `0`
112- release: `0` vs `.5` vs `1`
113
114Can you guess what they do?
115
116</Box>
117
118<QA q="Click to see solution" client:visible>
119
120- attack: time it takes to fade in
121- decay: time it takes to fade to sustain
122- sustain: level after decay
123- release: time it takes to fade out after note is finished
124
125
126
127</QA>
128
129**adsr short notation**
130
131<MiniRepl
132 client:visible
133 tune={`note("c3 bb2 f3 eb3")
134.sound("sawtooth").lpf(600)
135.adsr(".1:.1:.5:.2")
136`}
137/>
138
139**delay**
140
141<MiniRepl
142 client:visible
143 tune={`$: note("[~ [<[d3,a3,f4]!2 [d3,bb3,g4]!2> ~]]*2")
144 .sound("gm_electric_guitar_muted").delay(.5)
145
146$: sound("bd rim").bank("RolandTR707").delay(".5")`}
147/>
148
149<Box>
150
151Try some `delay` values between 0 and 1. Btw, `.5` is short for `0.5`
152
153What happens if you use `.delay(".8:.125")` ? Can you guess what the second number does?
154
155What happens if you use `.delay(".8:.06:.8")` ? Can you guess what the third number does?
156
157</Box>
158
159<QA q="Click to see solution" client:visible>
160
161`delay("a:b:c")`:
162
163- a: delay volume
164- b: delay time
165- c: feedback (smaller number = quicker fade)
166
167</QA>
168
169**room aka reverb**
170
171<MiniRepl
172 client:visible
173 tune={`n("<4 [3@3 4] [<2 0> ~@16] ~>")
174.scale("D4:minor").sound("gm_accordion:2")
175.room(2)`}
176/>
177
178<Box>
179
180Try different values!
181
182Add a delay too!
183
184</Box>
185
186**little dub tune**
187
188<MiniRepl
189 client:visible
190 tune={`$: note("[~ [<[d3,a3,f4]!2 [d3,bb3,g4]!2> ~]]*2")
191.sound("gm_electric_guitar_muted").delay(.5)
192
193$: sound("bd rim").bank("RolandTR707").delay(.5)
194
195$: n("<4 [3@3 4] [<2 0> ~@16] ~>")
196.scale("D4:minor").sound("gm_accordion:2")
197.room(2).gain(.5)`}
198/>
199
200Let's add a bass to make this complete:
201
202<MiniRepl
203 client:visible
204 tune={`$: note("[~ [<[d3,a3,f4]!2 [d3,bb3,g4]!2> ~]]*2")
205.sound("gm_electric_guitar_muted").delay(.5)
206
207$: sound("bd rim").bank("RolandTR707").delay(.5)
208
209$: n("<4 [3@3 4] [<2 0> ~@16] ~>")
210.scale("D4:minor").sound("gm_accordion:2")
211.room(2).gain(.4)
212
213$: n("[0 [~ 0] 4 [3 2] [0 ~] [0 ~] <0 2> ~]/2")
214.scale("D2:minor")
215.sound("sawtooth,triangle").lpf(800)`}
216/>
217
218<Box>
219
220Try adding `.hush()` at the end of one of the patterns in the stack...
221
222</Box>
223
224**pan**
225
226<MiniRepl
227 client:visible
228 tune={`sound("numbers:1 numbers:2 numbers:3 numbers:4")
229 .pan("0 0.3 .6 1")`}
230/>
231
232**speed**
233
234<MiniRepl client:visible tune={`sound("bd rim [~ bd] rim").speed("<1 2 -1 -2>").room(.2)`} />
235
236**fast and slow**
237
238We can use `fast` and `slow` to change the tempo of a pattern outside of Mini-Notation:
239
240<MiniRepl client:visible tune={`sound("bd*4,~ rim ~ cp").slow(2)`} />
241
242<Box>
243
244Change the `slow` value. Try replacing it with `fast`.
245
246What happens if you use a pattern like `.fast("<1 [2 4]>")`?
247
248</Box>
249
250By the way, inside Mini-Notation, `fast` is `*` and `slow` is `/`.
251
252<MiniRepl client:visible tune={`sound("[bd*4,~ rim ~ cp]*<1 [2 4]>")`} />
253
254## modulation with signals
255
256Instead of changing values stepwise, we can also control them with signals:
257
258<MiniRepl client:visible tune={`sound("hh*16").gain(sine)`} punchcard punchcardLabels={false} />
259
260<Box>
261
262The basic waveforms for signals are `sine`, `saw`, `square`, `tri` 🌊
263
264Try also random signals `rand` and `perlin`!
265
266The gain is visualized as transparency in the pianoroll.
267
268</Box>
269
270**setting a range**
271
272By default, waves oscillate between 0 to 1. We can change that with `range`:
273
274<MiniRepl client:visible tune={`sound("hh*16").lpf(saw.range(500, 2000))`} />
275
276<Box>
277
278What happens if you flip the range values?
279
280</Box>
281
282We can change the modulation speed with slow / fast:
283
284<MiniRepl
285 client:visible
286 tune={`note("<[c2 c3]*4 [bb1 bb2]*4 [f2 f3]*4 [eb2 eb3]*4>")
287 .sound("sawtooth")
288 .lpf(sine.range(100, 2000).slow(4))`}
289/>
290
291<Box>
292
293The whole modulation will now take 8 cycles to repeat.
294
295</Box>
296
297## Recap
298
299| name | example |
300| ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
301| lpf | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`note("c2 c3 c2 c3").s("sawtooth").lpf("<400 2000>")`} /> |
302| vowel | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`note("c3 eb3 g3").s("sawtooth").vowel("<a e i o>")`} /> |
303| gain | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`s("hh*16").gain("[.25 1]*2")`} /> |
304| delay | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`s("bd rim bd cp").delay(.5)`} /> |
305| room | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`s("bd rim bd cp").room(.5)`} /> |
306| pan | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`s("bd rim bd cp").pan("0 1")`} /> |
307| speed | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`s("bd rim bd cp").speed("<1 2 -1 -2>")`} /> |
308| signals | `sine`, `saw`, `square`, `tri`, `rand`, `perlin`<br/><MiniRepl client:visible tune={`s("hh*16").gain (saw)`} /> |
309| range | <MiniRepl client:visible tune={`s("hh*16").lpf(saw.range(200,4000))`} /> |
310
311Let us now take a look at some of Tidal's typical [pattern effects](/workshop/pattern-effects).
first-effects.mdx