May 27, 2024
by GForce Software
Dan Carr, a.k.a. Reverb Machine, is a musician, writer, and sound designer based in Scotland. Reverb Machine is an online platform devoted to delving into the wonders of synthesisers and music production. Explore their website for breakdowns of how popular artists utilize synths and distinctive recording methods. While there, you will also find a fantastic collection of meticulously crafted presets for your favorite synths.
Reverb Machine, who contributed to impOSCar3‘s sound design, kindly agreed to answer a few questions.
Do you have any tips for getting great-sounding patches?
Using filter resonance effectively can really help a synth sing. It sometimes gets associated too much with dramatic filter sweeps, but tasteful use of filter resonance can be used to add high-end sizzle, mid-range character, or provide a more aggressive edge to bass tones. It interacts nicely with noise as well as distortion and chorus effects. Pushing the resonance to self-oscillate, where the filter becomes an additional oscillator sound, is also a fun, inspiring way of discovering unique sounds.
Which of your impOSCar3 patches do you consider your personal favourite?
I particularly like the Daft Voice preset for its distinctive, vowel-like quality that hits a perfect tonal sweet spot. It’s fun to jam with when finding new chord progressions.
Is there anything, in particular, you liked about impOSCar3?
The impOSCar filter is really unique; it has a separation control that allows for splitting it into two resonant peaks. This control can be modulated with envelopes and LFOs, which lets you get really creative and create all sorts of unique sounds that you can’t create on other synths. The simple but lovely sounding ring-mod is also a nice treat.
What’s your favourite synthesiser?
My go-to has always been the Roland Juno series and their software emulations. They strike a good balance of simplicity and versatility, and they’ve been used by so many of my favourite artists.