Synth

The Synth is Jam Club's flagship instrument: a two-oscillator subtractive synthesizer with an amplitude envelope, a filter with its own envelope, and access to the full modulation system. Everything else in the app is about arranging sound; this is where you build it.

The signal path

A note travels through the synth in a fixed order:

oscillator 1  ┐
              ├──► filter ──► amp (VCA) ──► effects ──► mixer
oscillator 2  ┘

Two oscillators are mixed together, shaped by a low-pass filter, then levelled by an amplifier under the control of the envelope. Modulation can reach into almost every stage of this path.

Oscillators

The Synth has two independent oscillators, each with:

Waveform

Choose between sine, triangle, sawtooth and square. Sine is pure and hollow; triangle is soft; sawtooth is bright and buzzy — the classic choice for bass and leads; square is hollow and reedy.

Tuning and pipe length

Tuning offsets the oscillator's pitch, and pipe length divides its frequency to drop it into a lower register. Detuning one oscillator slightly against the other is the standard trick for a thicker, moving sound.

Gain

Sets each oscillator's contribution to the mix, letting you blend the two waveforms rather than choosing between them.

The amp envelope (ADSR)

The amplitude envelope decides a note's shape over time:

• Attack — how long the note takes to reach full volume. Short for percussive, long for swelling pads.
• Decay — how long it takes to fall from the peak to the sustain level.
• Sustain — the level a held note settles at.
• Release — how long the note takes to fade after you let go.

The filter

A low-pass filter sits after the oscillators, removing high frequencies above its cutoff point.

Cutoff and resonance

Cutoff sets where the filter starts removing content — sweeping it is the single most recognisable synth gesture there is. Resonance (Q) emphasises the frequencies right at the cutoff point, adding a vocal, whistling peak that becomes more dramatic the higher you push it.

The filter envelope

The filter has its own envelope with an amount knob controlling how far it swings the cutoff. This is what gives a sound its opening "wow" or its percussive bite — the filter opens as the note starts and closes as it decays, independently of the volume.

Modulation

Every Synth has access to the modulation matrix: LFOs, the Chaosillator, drawn motion gestures and an audio-in envelope follower, routed to pitch, cutoff, resonance, amplitude, pan and oscillator morph. This is a large enough subject to have its own page.

Presets

The preset menu ships factory sounds grouped into Bass, Lead, Pad, Keys, FX and Movement categories, and you can save your own. See Presets.