Primalux Juniors: Retro Synth Mastery

PRIMALUX JUNIORS

The Art of Synthesis with Retro Synth

Ages: 8-12 | Duration: 60 Minutes

1. What is Subtractive Synthesis?

Imagine you have a big block of marble. To make a statue, you subtract (take away) the pieces you don’t want until you see a shape.

In music production, we start with a “big, buzzy” sound and use a Filter to subtract frequencies until it sounds like a bass, a lead, or a drum!

2. Meet the Retro Synth Modules

💻 Mac Users: Create a new Track by going to Track / New Tracks… or hit Command / Option / “n”. Choose the Blue “Pattern” Box and click on the Details carrot. Under “Instrument” select Logic / Synthesizer / Retro Synth / Stereo. Hit “Create”.
📱 iPad Users: Create a new Project. Select Tracks. Choose the Green MIDI box. It should say “Retro Synth” under MIDI. If it doesn’t, select the “…” menu button and under Patch/Instrument select “Synthesizer / Retro Synth. Hit “Create”.
Note: If you don’t have a MIDI keyboard connected to your computer, for Mac users you can hit “Command / “k” to call up a floating musical keypad, or for ipad, you can select the keybard icon in the bottom right area.

🔊 The Oscillator (OSC)

This is the Engine. It creates the raw sound waves. In Retro Synth, make sure you are on the ANALOG tab for classic sounds.

Shape: Choose between Triangle (smooth), Saw (buzzy), or Square (hollow). The Retro Synth has two Oscillators. Oscillator 1 also has a “noise” oscillator for making percussive effects. You can make the two oscillators the same or choose different ones to thicken the sound.

✂️ The Filter (VCF)

This is the Sculptor. It cuts out the high “fizzy” parts of the sound.

Cutoff: The big knob! Turning it left makes things dark; turning it right makes them bright.
Res(onance): Adds a “whistle” or “peak” at the cutoff point. (Note: On the Mac, the Cutoff and Res options don’t show up as knobs. They are orange text in the Filter area. You can change the numbers by moving them up and down as if they are a slider).

📈 The Envelopes (VCA & VCF)

This is the Shape. It controls how the sound moves over time using ADSR:

Attack (How fast it starts) | Decay (How fast it drops) | Sustain (How loud it stays) | Release (How long it fades out)

🌀 Modulation (LFO)

The LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) is like a “ghost hand” that turns a knob for you. It adds “wobble” or “vibrato” to your sound.

3. ASSIGNMENT: Sound Design Challenges

Follow these steps to build your “Primalux Sound Pack”!

Patch 1: Deep Sine Bass

1. Set OSC Shape to Sine (or a simple triangle). Play a lower octave on your keybpord.
2. Turn Cutoff or Env(elope) down to about 25% (making it “thumpy”).
3. Set Attack to 0 (it should start instantly).
4. Set Sustain to 100% so it stays loud while holding the key.

Patch 2: Smooth String Pad

1. Set OSC Shape to Sawtooth.
2. Set Attack to 50% (the sound should fade in slowly).
3. Set Release to 50% (the sound should linger after you let go).
4. Lower the Cutoff slightly to make it “warm.”

Patch 3: The Electronic Snare

1. Use the Noise generator (found in the OSC 1 section).
2. Set Sustain to 0% and Decay to very short (fast “pop”).
3. Turn Resonance up high to give it a “crack.”

Patch 4: Your Signature Sound

Use everything you’ve learned! Experiment with the LFO to make it wobble or use the Chorus effect at the bottom.

4. Saving & Submitting

To finish the lesson, you must save your work properly and send it to the class portal:

Click/Tap the Library/Patch name at the top of Retro Synth where it says “Default Preset”.
Select “Save…” or “Save As…”
Naming Rule: Name it [YourName]_PatchName (Example: Alex_DeepBass).
Find the file:
- Mac: Go to Music > Audio Music Apps > Plug-In Settings > Retro Synth.
- iPad: Open the Files App and go to On My iPad > Logic Pro > User Patches. If it isn't there, then share the project file instead..
Send a copy of your four patches, or the project file to your iCloud folder via the class portal!