From wave sequencing to gated pads and basses — it can all be done with Logic's ES2 synth!
One of the best features of Logic's ES2 synth is its Vector Envelope section, which can create effects ranging from rhythmic‑pattern gate effects, through wave‑sequenced patches to tempo‑sync'ed wobbles. We'll be looking at how to do all these things in this article.
Logic Notes | SOS September 2011 by Sound On Sound
Gate Crashing
Gated synth sounds have appeared on records such as Timbaland's 'The Way I R' and countless dance tracks before it. Lots of software instruments, such as ReFX's fantastic Vanguard and Nexus, come with a dedicated rhythmic‑pattern gate effect, but ES2 doesn't have a pre‑configured gate effect that you can simply turn on. However, it's easily capable of producing these gated effects using its vector engine.
To get started, call up ES2 on a software instrument channel, then go to the Tutorial preset bank and choose the Vector Start preset. ES2 now displays the Vector Envelope. This is a multi‑point, loop‑capable control source that allows us to store a selection of captured scenes from the 'triangle' mixer and X‑Y Planar Pad and modulate between them at the desired rate. Helpfully, there are preset starting points to speed up operation. (By the way, the Vector button to the right of the envelope switches between this view and the normal view of ES2's modulation matrix.) 
An overview of the Vector Envelope of ES2.
- Go to the Time Axis and Control‑click on it to bring up the Vector Envelope Shortcut menu, from which you should choose 'Initialise to 16/16 loop'. This preset will create 16 equidistant snapshot points that will form the backbone of our gate effect.
- Next, we'll need to set what the Vector Envelope will control. To do this, go to the Vector Mode box, located to the right of the Vector Envelope, and set it to 'XY'. We will not want to vary the oscillator mix.
- To the left of the Vector Mode box is the Target box, which works in conjunction with the X‑Y pad, allowing us to set the Control Target for the X and Y axes. We want to generate a gate effect, so set the X Target to Amp: this will allow us to modulate the level of an ES2 voice.
- Next, set the Intensity parameter, which is displayed as Int and is found just below the X Target, to 1.00.
- Now select point one on the Time Axis and click the Solo Point button to turn off the Vector, which will allow you to hear the settings of an individual point.
With point one soloed, go to the X‑Y pad and move the centre point to the left: you should hear the amplitude of the voice decrease. If you move the point to the right, you will hear the amplitude of the voice increase. Go through the 16 separate points and set them as follows: 1 Centre; 2 Left; 3 Centre; 4 Left; 5 Centre; 6 Centre; 7 Centre; 8 Left; 9 Centre; 10 Left; 11 Centre; 12 Left; 13 Centre; 14 Centre; 15 Centre; 16 Left.
- Click the Solo Point button off to hear the Vector cycle through the 16 points, while you play a chord on your keyboard. You should be hearing a gated pattern, which plays a little slower than is ideal. To speed it up, move the Loop Rate slider below the Vector envelope to halfway along, so that the 16 divisions now happen within half a bar, effectively doubling the speed of the gate effect.
Control‑clicking on the Vector Envelope allows you to choose the 'Initialise to 16/16' loop preset, which can be adapted for use as a gate effect.We can also alter how smoothly the Time Axis morphs between points. To smooth the gate effect, go to the Curve box and change it from Hold+Step to Linear. You should now hear a smooth fade between points. We can also vary the destination, so try setting the X Target in the Target Box to Cutoff 2, so that our gate pattern modulates the cutoff of filter 2.
I've made two audio examples to show off two variations of this patch, and also added a bit of thickening, courtesy of Logic's in‑built plug‑ins. To hear them, go to /sos/sep11/articles/logicaudio.htm.
Patch Work
The ES2's vector object also allows us to create complex evolving patches. Call up ES2 and load the Vector Start preset. This time, set the Vector Mode to Mix, so that the Vector's timeline will be a series of snapshots of the oscillator mixer that fade from one point to the next. This can be particularly effective when used with evolving pad sounds. First, let's set each of ES2's oscillators to a different waveform and pitch.
- Go to Osc 1 and Ctrl‑click on the Sine wave to reveal the 100 Digiwaves. from which you should choose 07‑syn2. Repeat for Osc 2, but this time choose wave 33‑organ 2 and set the coarse pitch to 12 semitones up.
- Finally, go to Osc 3 and choose wave 17‑clav2. Set its coarse pitch to 12 semitones down.
- Now solo point one on the Time Axis and slowly move the oscillator mixer from oscillator 1, at the top, to oscillator 3, at the bottom.
It's straightforward to use the Vector Envelope in ES2 to automate a similar result. Here's how:
- With point one on the Time Axis selected, set the mixer to the top, so that just oscillator 1 is heard.
- Now click point two, and set the oscillator mixer to the far left point, so that only oscillator 2 is heard.
- Click point three and set the oscillator mixer to its lowest point so that just oscillator 3 is heard.
Setting the Vector Mode to Mix allows you to position the triangle mixer snapshots at different points on the Vector Envelope, and then morph between them at a user‑definable rate.
- In the Time Axis, set the time between point 1 and point 2 to 920ms, and that between points 2 and 3 to 1200ms.
The Vector Envelope settings for the patch that can be heard in audio example three. Note that there are no X and Y targets, as we are using the Vector Envelope to simply morph between the oscillator mixer snapshots. - To add further points to the Vector Envelope, you can Control‑click on the Vector Timeline and select 'Insert Point to the Right of Selected Point'.
You should now have a basic evolving pad, to which you can add extra filter modulation and effects. Audio example three (see screen below) is this patch passed through a few of Logic's plug‑ins.
It's well worth experimenting with using the Loop Rate slider to speed up the modulation between oscillators. Setting the oscillators to different pitches can create a simple arpeggiated effect, which can be especially effective with pad sounds. Check out audio example 3b to hear this.
Wave Sequencing
To create a wider range of evolving timbres, it's possible to do wave sequencing with ES2's Digiwaves.
- Once again, call up ES2 and load the Vector Start preset.
- Set the Osc1 wave to the first Digiwave Sine (six o'clock), the Vector mode to Mix + XY, the X Target to Osc1 Wave and the intensity to 0.05.
- Now solo point one and move the X-Y pad to the right of the centre point. You should hear ES2 cycle through the first few Digiwaves.
- This time we'll create a couple more points on the Time Axis by hand. Shift‑click on the Axis between two points to create a new point.
- Now, for each point adjust the X-Y pad to a different value on the X axis, so that each point 'transitions' to a new wave selection. Turning the Loop Mode to Forward will loop the Time Axis. This can then be tempo sync'ed by setting the Loop Rate slider to a bar division, which can be great for creating rhythmic pads or dubstep wobbles.
Audio example four is a customised version of this basic patch that has been thickened via ES2's unison mode and chorus, and has had delay and reverb added to it.
On The Pulse
By modulating the mix of the three oscillators, you can create pulsating dubstep bass patches. Using the patch you created above, try setting the Loop mode to forward and the Loop Rate slider to 1/8 note. This will cause your Vector Envelope to repeat every eighth note. Alternatively, create a patch in which the filter is modulated by an LFO and then use the Vector Envelope to modulate the oscillators' waves (as in the fifth of my audio examples).
I hope this article has highlighted just how flexible the Vector Envelope in ES2 can be. I'd definitely encourage you to start using it when you create your own ES2 patches.
