Welcome to Synthara!

You’ve found the most intuitive way to learn the art of sound synthesis. Whether you’ve finished the “Explorer Tour” or just want to dive in, this guide will help you understand the controls at your fingertips.

Quick Start: Making Sound

  1. Click anywhere on the Synthara interface. Your browser may ask for permission to play audio—please allow it.
  2. Press keys on the virtual piano keyboard at the bottom. You should hear a sound!
  3. Turn the large Master Volume knob in the bottom-right module to adjust the overall level.

Module Breakdown: The Signal Path

Your sound travels from left to right, top to bottom through these modules. Each one shapes the sound in a unique way.

1. Oscillators (OSC 1 & OSC 2)

What they do: This is the heart of the synth; they generate the raw sound. You have two of them, which can be blended for a richer tone.

Controls:

  • Waveform: Selects the basic character of the sound. Sawtooth and Square are bright and buzzy, while Sine and Triangle are softer and purer.
  • Detune: Slightly changes the pitch of one oscillator relative to the other. A small amount of detune makes the sound “fatter” and more alive.

2. Filter

What it does: This sculpts your sound by removing frequencies, like a tone knob on a guitar.

Controls:

  • Type: We default to Low-Pass, which cuts high frequencies. This is the most common filter type for making sounds warmer or darker.
  • Cutoff: This is the most important knob here. It determines which frequencies get cut. A low cutoff results in a dark, bassy sound; a high cutoff is bright and open.
  • Resonance: Boosts the frequencies right at the cutoff point, creating a “bubbly” or “resonant” peak.

3. Amp Envelope (ADSR)

What it does: This shapes the volume of your sound over time, every time you press a key.

Controls (ADSR):

  • Attack: How long it takes for the sound to fade in. (Slow attack = swelling pad)
  • Decay: How long it takes to drop to the sustain level.
  • Sustain: The volume the note holds at for as long as you hold the key.
  • Release: How long the sound rings out after you let go of the key. (Long release = echoey, atmospheric sound)

4. LFO (Low-Frequency Oscillator)

What it does: This is an “invisible hand” that automatically turns other knobs for you to create movement and modulation.

Controls:

  • Destination: Tells the LFO which knob to control (e.g., Oscillator Pitch for vibrato, or Filter Cutoff for a “wub” sound).
  • Rate: How fast the LFO oscillates (the speed of the wobble).
  • Depth: How much the LFO affects the destination knob. At zero, it does nothing.

5. The Explorer Tour

Feeling lost? Just click the “Start the Tour” button at any time to relaunch the interactive, guided lessons.

Happy Synthesizing!