Instruments
Dawnamite Synth
Classic subtractive synthesizer.
In this guide
Add it to a track
Select a MIDI track and choose this instrument from Library → Instrument Tools. Instruments turn notes into sound; an empty MIDI region needs notes before it will play.
Controls
| Control | What to listen or look for |
|---|---|
| Waveform | Chooses the oscillator waveform and its basic harmonic character. |
| Volume | Sets the signal level leaving this stage. |
| Octave | Moves pitch up or down in whole octaves. |
| Tune | Makes fine pitch adjustments in cents; 100 cents equals one semitone. |
| Attack | Sets how quickly the envelope reaches its peak after a note starts. |
| Hold | Keeps the noise envelope at its peak before it releases. |
| Release | Sets how quickly the envelope fades after the note is released. |
| Flt. Order | Sets how steeply the filter attenuates frequencies beyond its cutoff. |
| Flt. Cutoff | Sets the frequency where the filter acts on the sound. |
| Flt. Q | Sets the filter's resonance or bandwidth; higher values make a narrower, stronger emphasis. |
| Decay | Sets how quickly the envelope falls from its peak to the sustain level. |
| Sustain | Sets the envelope level held while a note remains pressed. |
| Flt. Env. | Sets how strongly the envelope moves the filter cutoff. |
| Flt. Kbd. | Makes the filter cutoff follow the pitch of the played note. |
| Play Mode | Chooses whether the instrument plays one note at a time or multiple notes together. |
| Glide time | Sets how gradually pitch slides from one note to the next. |
| Unisono | Layers multiple voices on each note for a thicker sound. |
| Detune | Makes fine pitch adjustments in cents; 100 cents equals one semitone. |
| Stereo | Adjusts the difference between the left and right channels to change stereo width. |
| LFO Shape | Chooses the waveform of the repeating modulation. |
| Rate | Sets how fast the modulation cycle repeats. |
| Vibrato ⦿ | Sets the depth of LFO pitch modulation. |
| Tremolo ⦿ | Sets the depth of LFO volume modulation. |
| Cutoff ⦿ | Sets how strongly the LFO moves the filter cutoff. |
| Noise | Turns the noise source in the B / Noise section on or off. |
| LFO Timing | Chooses a free rate or a tempo-synchronized division. |
| Division | Sets the musical division when LFO Timing is Tempo. |
Work with this device
Start with a short passage that represents your material. Change one control at a time. Compare at a similar listening level, using the device's power control to bypass it. Save a version of the project before making a large change.
Current behavior
The oscillator controls repeat for A and B. The B / Noise section also has Noise On and its separate level. Amp and filter envelopes keep separate timing settings even where their parameter names repeat. LFO Timing switches the Rate control between free speed and tempo Division. The graphs describe settings and live modulation context; a fixed oscillator shape is not a recording oscilloscope.
Dawnamite user guide for macOS. For changes between versions, see update history.