KOOROW
UAD PolySynth brings real analog colour and buzz to your leads. In this lesson KOOROW introduces the plugin and designs a hard FM lead with it, the kind you hear in psytrance, darkpsy and hitech. The method relies on a continuously morphing waveform, FM from the second oscillator, random FM amounts from a sample-and-hold LFO and the built-in arpeggiator.
The video is in Persian. This article walks through every step in English.
About the synth
- A rich analog sound, with the buzz and colour of analog gear.
- Not an emulation of one specific synth. It combines the character of classic analog polysynths, KOOROW names the Prophet and the Roland Juno, so the texture it gives is very full.
- Universal Audio is, in his view, one of the companies with the closest emulations of real analog devices, from synths to legendary compressors like the Fairchild. He recommends it if you are after that quality.
Where this FM lead fits
A hard FM lead like this one works in psytrance, darkpsy and hitech, though not in forest. Use it anywhere you want to give your track a peak, energy and excitement.
Learn the concept, not the knobs
KOOROW always tells his students to learn things in depth rather than memorising what each knob does. If you understand synthesis, every synth is a search for the same things: where are the oscillators, the envelopes, the LFOs, the filters? Some synths add extras: space effects like delay and reverb, modulation effects, an arpeggiator. Don’t overcomplicate it.
Step 1: Write the note
The first step of sound design is writing the note. Because he wants to use PolySynth’s own arpeggiator, KOOROW writes a single long note and stretches it to the end of the clip. It starts at C3 and gets moved later to suit the FM. The project is in D harmonic minor, and the note you use should belong to your track’s scale. Turning on Ableton’s scale view hides every note outside it. Make it legato.
Step 2: Find your way around
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| Oscillator 1, oscillator 2 | The two sound sources, each with its own settings |
| Mixer | How loud oscillator 1 and 2 are, plus pink or white noise |
| Filter, LFO | Tone shaping and movement |
| Output | Unison on or off, or make the synth mono |
| Mod wheel, pitch bend | Link anything to the mod wheel to move it from your controller |
| Arpeggiator, mod FX, space FX | Phaser, flanger and chorus; delay and reverb |
| Amp envelope | The envelope that is always on the volume, like on every synth |
Wherever you see a mod knob, you can send an envelope or an LFO to the parameter next to it.
Step 3: A morphing waveform
A great option in this synth: the waveform does not just switch between saw and square. It morphs continuously from saw to square, and then into pulse width, where the square becomes asymmetric with one side smaller than the other. You get a whole range of waves instead of four basic ones.
Step 4: FM from oscillator 2
- Set oscillator 1 to saw and turn up its FM. The source of the FM is oscillator 2.
- Set oscillator 2’s coarse pitch. It was at -12, and KOOROW ends up at -24.
- Switch oscillator 2 to square.
Even before anything else it sounds huge. Then the white mod ring on the FM amount: send the LFO to it, in sample & hold, synced to 1/8. Now every eighth note gets a random amount of FM from oscillator 2 on oscillator 1, which adds a lot of variation.
Step 5: Filter and arpeggiator
- Filter in band mode with a little resonance. KOOROW does not like a lot of resonance.
- Arpeggiator on, without octave range, at 1/16. A random arp mode is available, but the randomness already comes from the sample & hold.
- For a harder sound, play the note a little lower.
Step 6: Release, automation and delay
Raise the release and the notes get a tail, run into each other and turn springy. Link the release and the cutoff to the mod wheel and record automation. It is similar to automating the arpeggiator gate in his earlier videos. Finally a delay: amount 30, time 1/8, feedback 30.
He calls it “endless possibilities”. The sync knob, oscillator 2’s other roles and even bass lines are still untouched, and he plans more videos on this synth.
Design leads that cut through
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