ES1 emulates the circuits of analog synthesizers in a simple, streamlined interface.
ES1 produces sounds using subtractive synthesis. It provides an oscillator and sub-oscillator that generate harmonically rich waveforms. You subtract (cut, or filter out) portions of these waveforms and reshape them to create new sounds. The ES1 tone-generation system also provides flexible modulation options that make it easy to create punchy basses, atmospheric pads, biting leads, and sharp percussion.
If you’re new to synthesizers, see Synthesizer basics overview, which will introduce you to the terminology and give you an overview of different synthesis systems and how they work.
ES1 is divided into six main areas.
Oscillator parameters: Located in the upper left, the oscillators generate the basic waveforms that form the basis of your sound. See ES1 oscillator parameters overview.
Global parameters: Located in the bottom green/gray strip, global sound control parameters are used to assign and adjust global tuning, activate the in-built chorus, and so on. You can use the chorus to color or thicken the sound. See ES1 global parameters.
Filter parameters: Located in the upper-middle section with the circular Filter area as well as the Drive and Key scaling parameters, the filter is used to contour the waveforms sent from the oscillators. See ES1 filter parameters overview.
Amplifier parameters: Located in the upper right, the amplifier parameters allow you to fine-tune sound level behavior. See ES1 amplifier parameters.
Envelope parameters: Located to the right in the dark green/gray area, the ADSR sliders are used to control both filter cutoff and the amplifier level over time. See ES1 envelope parameters overview.
Modulation parameters: Located to the left and middle in the dark green/gray area, the modulation sources, modulation router, modulation envelope, and amplitude envelope are used to modulate the sound in a number of ways. See ES1 modulation parameters overview.