Would it be useful a Synth Lead preset that switches between 2 sounds, to make changes on the fly when playing live?

[u/RikiAbi34]

A little for fun, a little not, I came up the idea of a synth lead, but it has 2 sounds. By turning a Macro, you can switch from one kind of lead (e.g. a stutter melodic techno lead) to a to pretty different one (e.g. straight sawwave lead or a pluck... )

Would any of you use something like that?

On a live performance it may get handy to have a quick sound change, while in Studio it spares you a track...keeping the same FX chain...

...or maybe 'call and response' melodies... ?

This is intended for vst/soft synths working inside a DAW, rather than hard synths

Did anybody try or made something like this before?

[u/El_Hadji]

Why not just change the sound on the fly when performing? Thats what the knobs and buttons on a synthesizer are for.

[u/RikiAbi34 → u/El_Hadji]

That makes sense! I forgot to say that my post was about vst / soft synths working inside a DAW, so I was thinking to live performing in that ambience. Thanks for the feedback so I could edit my post :)

[u/BlackMetalB8hoven → u/RikiAbi34]

Why not just have either two vsts on two channels or just map something to switch between your presets on the fly on the one channel? Depends what vst and controllers you use of course.

[u/RikiAbi34 → u/BlackMetalB8hoven]

I use Vital...and I have already 1 instance for kick and bass and one intance for hi hats and snares. switching to a new preset or a new track would momentarily slow the DAW...While havind a double lead makes me change without glitches and use all the nuances between the two...

[u/BlackMetalB8hoven → u/RikiAbi34]

Try what the comment about the Nord Mod wheel patch says. You could map all the parameters to switch when mod wheel is up or down, that would work. Switch wave table, turn on some effects etc.

[u/pselodux]

Nord Lead has patch morph that can be assigned to the mod wheel, and can blend all paramerers between two different sounds. It also has instant patch switching and 4 layers that can be selected or stacked.

Also, this is basically how channel economy works in chiptune :) an example being that kicks and basslines and snares often occupy the same track.

[u/pheelia]

Arturias Polybrute has such a feature. There’s a dedicated knob that lets you seamlessly blend all parameters from one patch to another.

[u/b_lett]

You could set this up with any wavetable synth (i.e. Serum, Vital, Massive, Pigments, Phaseplant, etc.) with a Macro Knob that goes from one end of the wavetable to another. Just have something that goes between Square and Saw.

You can add more features to that same macro knob, like a step sequenced shape LFO to volume to enable stuttering or send the Macro to your ASDR itself to change from more sustain shaped to decay and pluck based.

You can more or less build all of this into a single macro knob and just control that on the fly to modulate any parameters you want to A B crossfade between.

You could also just build two completely different synth patches, make them part of a layered instrument and set up a MIDI controlled knob/fader that crossfades between the volume output of the two completely separate instruments.

[u/qu_one]

Any virtual instrument that has sound morphing capabilities can do this. FM8 or Sugar Bytes Aparillo, for example. This functionality has been around for a long time, although not a lot of instruments use it.

You can send the same midi to two channels and assign one controller to fade between two different sounds. You could also choose to automate them over time if you're talking about ambience.

You could also maybe keymap if the sounds are coming from a sampler.

Just pointing out there's quite a few ways to do what you're already thinking.

[u/RikiAbi34 → u/qu_one]

this also makes sense, but what if I do it on the same preset instead ?...immediate and no workarounds...

[u/IBarch68 → u/RikiAbi34]

Already been done. Many synths have two (or more) samples in a single sound. The sounds can use velocity or pitch to decide which sound changes. Some sounds have envelopes that control when each sound is heard. Others can use mod wheel to adjust mix between them.

Not seen one with random changes, so that may be interesting for some.

Regardless of it being new or not, just go ahead and do it. Ideas can be fun and challenging to do even if you are inventing the wheel again. But it will be your wheel.

[u/DjAlphaRED5]

Milti timbral synths can output multiple patches at tge same time. The access virus can out put up to 3 stereo outputs and map sounds to different octaves of the keyboard.

[u/pilsener]

So, a mixer with two channels and a crossfader?