Kretzonizer 4.0 - User Guide

Welcome to the Kretzonizer 4.0, a powerful and versatile web-based synthesizer. This guide will help you understand its features, make your first sounds, and unlock its full potential.

1. Quick Start: Hearing Something Fast!

Goal: To get sound playing immediately and understand the basic ways to generate new ideas.

1. Play the Default Sequence: When you first open Kretzonizer, it loads with a default sequence already programmed. Simply find the Transport section (below the main controls) and click the "Play" button. You should hear a sequence playing right away! Use the "Stop" button to end playback.

2. Find New Ideas (Optional): Once you've heard the default sequence, you can instantly create new patterns and sounds:

• For a new melody: Click the "Randomize Sequencer" button. This will keep the current sound but fill the sequencer with new random notes. Press Play to hear it.

• For a new sound: Click the "Randomize Synth" button. This generates a completely new sound patch with random settings. Press Play to hear it with the current sequence.

3. Volume Check: If the sound is too loud or quiet, find the "Volume" slider in the Mixer / Master section and adjust it.

4. No Sound? First, check that the Master Volume isn't at zero. Second, browsers sometimes require a user interaction to start audio; click anywhere on the page and press "Play" again. Also, ensure the Amp Env "Sustain" or "Release" values are not both zero, as the sound might be too short to hear.

2. What Just Happened?

You used the Sequencer (the grid of boxes) to tell the Synthesizer (all the knobs and selectors) which notes to play and when. The Transport controls (Play/Stop/BPM) manage the playback of the sequence.

3. Interface Overview

The interface is divided into three main areas:

• Controls (Top Area): This is the synthesizer's 'brain', where you shape your sound. It's divided into modules:

• Oscillator 1 & 2: The primary sound generators.

• Mixer / Master: Blends the oscillators, controls master volume, and manages Portamento (glide).

• Filter: Shapes the tone by removing frequencies, making the sound brighter or duller. It has its own envelope.

• Amp Env: Shapes the volume of a note over time (its Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release).

• LFO: A Low-Frequency Oscillator to automatically create rhythmic modulation like vibrato or filter sweeps.

• Pitch Env: An envelope to modulate the pitch of the oscillators over time.

• Effects: Adds professional-sounding Delay (echo) and Reverb (space) to your sound.

• Transport (Middle Area): Contains playback controls like Play/Stop, BPM (tempo), and utility buttons like Randomize, Save/Load, Export, and the new Sequencer Length control.

• Sequencer & Velocity (Bottom Area): The grid where you program your melodies and rhythms. The Velocity Container below it controls the volume of each individual note.

4. Core Synth Concepts: The Details

Oscillators (OSC 1 & 2)

These are the heart of your sound.

• Waveform: The basic timbre of the sound.

• Sawtooth: Bright and buzzy.

• Square: Hollow and reedy.

• Pulse: A thinner version of the Square wave.

• Sine: A pure, clean tone.

• Triangle: Softer than a Square, with gentle harmonics.

• Noise: Static hiss, great for percussion.

• Pitch: Transposes the oscillator's pitch up or down in semitones (from -12 to +12).

• Detune: Slightly alters the pitch of one oscillator. Small amounts create a thick, chorus-like effect.

• Octave: Shifts the pitch up or down by entire octaves.

• Shape/PW & PW ON Toggle: This slider alters the character of certain waveforms and can be toggled on or off with the PW ON button. It is active for Pulse, Square, and Sine waves, changing their timbre from thin to fat.

Mixer / Master / Portamento

• Osc Mix: Blends the audio from Oscillator 1 (left) and Oscillator 2 (right). The center is an even mix.

• Volume: The final output volume of the synthesizer.

• Portamento: Creates a smooth glide in pitch between consecutive notes.

• Toggle Button: Turns the effect on or off.

• Time: Sets the duration of the pitch slide.

Filter

This shapes the tonal character of your sound.

• Cutoff: The most important filter control. It sets the frequency for filtering. Lower values result in a darker, duller sound; higher values create a brighter sound. This control is logarithmic for more precise adjustments in the lower frequencies.

• Resonance: Boosts the frequencies around the cutoff point, creating a 'whistling' or sharp resonant peak.

• Filter Env (Envelope): This section, enabled by the ENV ON toggle, automatically sweeps the filter cutoff for every note played.

• F.Amount: Determines how much and in which direction the cutoff sweeps (positive for up, negative for down).

• F.Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release: Control the speed and shape of the filter sweep, similar to the Amp Env.

Amp Env (ADSR)

This controls the volume profile of each note from start to finish.

• Attack: The time it takes for a note to reach full volume.

• Decay: The time it takes to drop from the peak attack level to the sustain level.

• Sustain: The volume level the note maintains while it's being held.

• Release: The time it takes for the note to fade to silence after it has been released.

LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator)

Use the LFO to create repeating modulation.

• LFO ON Toggle: Enables or disables the LFO section.

• Waveform: Sets the shape of the LFO's modulation (e.g., Sine for smooth wobbles, Square for abrupt changes).

• Rate: The speed of the LFO, measured in cycles per second (Hz).

• Amount: The intensity or depth of the modulation.

• Target: What the LFO will control. Options include oscillator pitch (vibrato), filter cutoff (wah-wah), volume (tremolo), and more.

Pitch Env

Similar to the other envelopes, but it modulates the pitch.

• ENV ON Toggle: Enables or disables the pitch envelope.

• P.Amount: How much the pitch will change, measured in cents (100 cents = 1 semitone). Useful for creating percussive blips or pitch sweeps.

• P.Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release: Controls the shape of the pitch change over time.

Effects

• Delay (Echo)

• ON/OFF Toggle: Enables or disables the delay effect.

• Time: Sets the time between echoes, synced to the sequencer's tempo (e.g., 1/4, 1/8d, 1/16t).

• Feedback: The number of echoes that occur before fading out.

• Mix: The balance between the original ("dry") sound and the echoed ("wet") sound.

• Ping-Pong Toggle: When enabled, the echoes will alternate between the left and right stereo channels.

• Reverb (Space)

• ON/OFF Toggle: Enables or disables the reverb effect. Note: Controls may be disabled briefly on load while the effect initializes.

• PreDelay: A short delay before the reverb sound begins.

• Tone: A filter that controls the brightness of the reverb. Lower values are darker and more subtle.

• Mix: The amount of reverb added to the sound.

5. Using the Sequencer

• Sequencer Length: Use the "Steps" number input in the Transport section to set the length of the sequence, from 3 to 32 steps.

• Activate/Deactivate Steps:

• Left-click an empty step to activate it.

• Right-click a step to deactivate it.

• Double-click a step to toggle it on or off.

• Set Pitch: Left-click and hold on an active (green) step, then drag the mouse up or down to change its pitch.

• Set Velocity: In the Velocity Container grid below the sequencer, left-click and hold on a bar, then drag up or down to set the volume for the corresponding step.

6. New Features & Utilities

• Clear Sequence: Instantly deactivates all steps in the sequencer.

• Randomize Synth: Creates a brand-new, random sound patch. Excellent for getting inspired.

• Save/Load Preset: Save your entire creation—synth patch, sequence, and tempo—to a .skrtz file. Use Load Preset to open it again.

• Export to WAV: Renders the current sequence (honoring the current step length) to a high-quality WAV audio file.

7. Troubleshooting

• Sound is Muddy/Dull: Increase the Filter Cutoff. Reduce the Reverb Mix.

• Sound is Too Harsh: Decrease the Filter Cutoff and/or Resonance. Try softer oscillator waveforms like Sine or Triangle.

• Clicks/Pops: Fast envelope Attack times can cause clicking. Try increasing the Attack time slightly (e.g., to 0.002s or more).

• Timing Stumbles: If the sequencer timing feels off, your computer may be under heavy load. Try closing other demanding browser tabs or applications.

Have fun experimenting! The best way to learn is to twist the knobs, randomize the settings, and explore the vast sonic landscapes the Kretzonizer 4.0 can create.