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How to use the Wub machine

The Wub machine is a powerful monophonic synthesizer and one of Soundation’s Virtual instruments. Monophonic means you can only play one note at a time which makes it perfect for basslines and lead melodies. It also allows the notes to glide from one to another. The Wub machine is especially great for creating gritty, growling, wobbling, and screaming sounds thanks to its special features.

wub-machine-module.jpg
  • Murk bass
  • French lead

Adding Wub machine presets [Beginner]

  1. 1
    Open Soundation and create a project
  2. 2
    Click on Instrument presets in the Sound library
  3. 3
    Search for “Wub machine”
  4. 4
    Drag in a preset to the Arrangement area
  5. 5
    Start playing or drawing in notes

Making Wub machine sounds [Pro]

  1. 1
    Open Soundation and create a project
  2. 2
    Click on Add channel and add an Instrument channel
  3. 3
    Change the instrument to Wub machine in the Bottom panel
  4. 4
    Click on Edit Wub machine to open the instrument
  5. 5
    Start tweaking the settings to your liking

Osc 1 & 2

Oscillator 1 and 2 each produce 1 waveform and their options are identical. Click on the tabs to access the different oscillators.

Type

You can choose between three different waveform types — Triangle, Sawtooth, and Square. The difference between them is the harmonics. The harmonics of a sound is what gives it its tone and character. Choose the Triangle for a soft sound, the Sawtooth for a rich sound, and the Square for a distorted sound.

Pitch

Pitch adjusts the pitch of each oscillator in a range of -24 to +24 semitones.

Most of the time, you only want to change to a different octave. This means it will play the same note but in a higher or lower register. For this, you should stick to 0, -12, -24, +12, and +24 semitones. For a bass, you might want to drop the pitch down 1 or 2 octaves (-12 and -24) and for a lead, you might want to pitch it up 1 or 2 octaves (+12 and +24).

Gain

Gain lets you control the loudness of the individual oscillators. Turn the Gain all the way down if you want to disable an oscillator.

Shape

Shape adjusts the shape of the waveform. Turning it up will introduce more harmonics and make it sound brighter.

Glide

Turning up the Glide will make the pitch transition time between two notes longer. Set it to 0% for no glide.

Pan

Pan adjusts the stereo position of the oscillators. Pan one oscillator to the left and the other to the right for a wide sound.

Reese

With Reese enabled, oscillators 1 and 2 will be detuned away from each other. This results in a modulating thick sound that is perfect for Reese bass sounds.

Sub

The Sub oscillator will always play notes in the sub-bass range. This means that if you play high notes on the keyboard, the Sub oscillator will automatically transpose them down to a lower octave for a consistent bass sound. Gain, Shape, and Glide work the same as with oscillators 1 and 2.

Volume LFO mod

With Volume LFO mod activated, the volume (loudness) of the Sub will be modulated by the LFO. If deactivated, there will be no volume modulation.

Bypass filter

With Bypass filter activated, the Sub will not go through the Analog filter section. This is great for when you want to filter and modulate the regular oscillators but keep the sub-bass stable. If deactivated, the Sub will go through the Analog filter section just like oscillators 1 & 2.

Analog filter section

In the Analog filter section, you can shape the timbre of the synth by filtering away certain frequencies.

Type

There are five different types of filters to choose from: Low-pass, High-pass, Peak, Notch, and Bandpass. These filter types will cut the frequencies differently in relation to the Cutoff.

  • Low-pass lets the frequencies lower than the Cutoff pass through while cutting the higher frequencies
  • High-pass lets the frequencies higher than the Cutoff pass through while cutting the lower frequencies
  • Peak boosts the frequencies around the Cutoff
  • Notch cuts the frequencies around the Cutoff
  • Bandpass lets the frequencies around the Cutoff pass through while cutting the higher and lower frequencies

Cutoff

Cutoff is the frequency point that you can move up or down. This will change the tone and timbre in various ways depending on the filter Type.

Res

Res is the resonance of the filter. Turn it up to increase the emphasis around the Cutoff point. This creates a ringing, whistling, or vocal quality. It also brings down the cut frequencies even more.

Drive

If you Drive the filter with more gain, you get a more distorted and aggressive sound.

LFO section

LFO stands for a “low-frequency oscillator”. Unlike regular oscillators, an LFO doesn’t produce any sound but instead modulates other parameters with its waveform. In the Wub machine, it can automate the filter Cutoff and the volume of the Sub.

Type

Type is the waveform shape of the LFO. There are five types: Sine, Triangle, Sawtooth (negative ramp), Sawtooth (positive ramp), and Square. This controls the movement of the modulation.

Speed

Speed sets the speed of the LFO. Set it low for a slow modulation and set it high for a fast fluttering modulation.

Depth

Depth controls how much the LFO should affect the movement of the Cutoff.

Phase

Phase adjusts the starting position of the LFO waveform.

Key tr

Turning up Key tracking will set the speed of the LFO to your keyboard. The LFO will be faster for higher notes and slower for lower notes.

Retrigger

With Retrigger activated, The LFO will restart with every new note.

Loop

With Loop activated, the LFO will be looped and continue uninterruptedly. If deactivated it will only go through the waveform once similar to an envelope.

M.S.L. / Filth / Unison

M.S.L.

M.S.L. is a limiter, that simply put, “makes shit louder”. Turn it up to make the synth sound more aggressive and in-your-face.

Filth

Filth is a bit-crusher which adds a lo-fi quality to the sound. Activate it and turn up the Amount to increase the effect. This works great for chiptune or other instruments inspired by 8-bit video games.

Unison

Unison makes the synth fatter and thicker by adding more voices and detuning them away from each other. Activate it, control the number of voices with Count and turn up the Amount to detune them more.

Start using the Wub machine

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