how fat can mx4 sound?

[paradeatw]

hmmm... detune with 30+??? lol... no seriously though, it seems it's near impossible for me to find a thick and juicy synth sound... i do love this little app and have said that from the beginning, but maybe i am expecting too much more out of it as time has gone by? i was just stacking 3 MX4s... one panned left, one center and the 3rd panned right... crazy detuning and increased poly but it all just sounds harsh and angry... not big and fat? is there a way to adjust stereo spread within the detune? i dunno... lol anyone figured this piece of alien technology out yet?

[polyslax]

Assuming you've tried the Unison Multiplier with some Stereo Detune? That's plenty fat for me.

[chrispick]

I don't know how to get that electronica fat sound with MX4 since I don't own it, but I think a lot of the super-fat you hear on commercial CDs comes from outboard gear like a Virus or a Nord, often run through outboard pres.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

hmmm... detune with 30+??? lol... no seriously though, it seems it's near impossible for me to find a thick and juicy synth sound... i do love this little app and have said that from the beginning, but maybe i am expecting too much more out of it as time has gone by? i was just stacking 3 MX4s... one panned left, one center and the 3rd panned right... crazy detuning and increased poly but it all just sounds harsh and angry... not big and fat? is there a way to adjust stereo spread within the detune? i dunno... lol anyone figured this piece of alien technology out yet?

I'll have to look back at some projects I did about a year ago. I was also unable to get MX4 to fatten up, but I did manage to do so eventually. If I can dig up a patch or two I'll try to post the parameters.

[stretta]

This is an area where maybe MX4 provides too much control.

1) Detune the oscs from each other
Hold down the command key to invoke 'fine' mode and add a slight pitch offset +/- (.10) from each other. Pan the oscs.

2) Add a little pitch wobble to the oscs.
Select an LFO and select the 'random walk' shape. Assign this to one or more oscs. If you assign the same LFO to more than one osc, invert the phase of the LFO assignment on that osc. Use two wobbly LFOs for more random drift.

3) Use constant pitch ratio detuning.
Use 3-10 and select constant pitch ratio (CPR) This controls pitch offset for unison note onset. It does not control pitch deviation after the note has begun. This is critical for the unison multiplier to sound properly. If it isn't enabled, then unison notes will have exactly the same pitch.

4) Enable unison multiplier
2 or more to taste.

5) Enable stereo detuning.
A little dab will do ya

6) Add fundamental
Sometimes the perception of fat has everything to do with a simple sine wave in the lower registers.

7) Add some LPF resonance and modulate the filter with a little envelope 'thwap'
This will add some interest in the lower register.

8 Enable analog mode.
It is usually on all the time anyway.

[stretta]

Oh, and when programming the LFOs that modulate pitch, set the start phase to 'random'

[paradeatw]

wow... thanks for the effort! i will try the aove paramter tweeks...

[paradeatw]

well, i got some patch going... sounds pretty good... it's def bigger and badder but something still seems to fall short in richness i think... ho hum i'll keep playing around - i have faith, especially since i brought trilogy back after buying it and not unwrapping...lol... hoping mx4 will pull through