You've seen some patches and are desperate to start patching yourself? Here's a couple of things that are interesting to know.
What connects where, some signal types:
- audio: usually red or green, frequency is at samplerate and AC.
- freq: blue, a DC value, adjusted to the samplerate, so osc outputs the right pitch for the corresponding note. Freq has linear relation to pitch.
- note: mostly used to control Key Follow, independant of samplerate.
- gate & esync: MVC usually makes Gate. Esync tells MVC when the gate is closed. Connect MVC gate to the input of and envelope. Typical use: In monophonic patches, shortcut gate and esync, in polyphonic patches let the ADSR tell MVC when it's finished it's envelope cycle. For volume control, connect the envelope's output to a VCA.
- various mod signals: velocity, aftertouch, envelope, LFO, ... can be used to modulate filter cutoff or other modules with (usually) blue input connectors. Do not connect these to freq inputs of osc unless you really want to.
On a synth start patch in my Mod Folder, I have:
- MIDI to MVC A
- MVC Gate connected to it's Esync input
- MVC's Gate going to an ADSR's Gate input
- ADSR's Out to Exp VCA
- VCA to a poly out to Audio Out
- and then I can start adding osc, filters etc, from which I connect the mix to the free input on the VCA.
To toy around with modular, it's fun just to insert a filter module between it's Audio In and Out, then start adding modulation parameters as it works out: an LFO to cut-off freq, or an MVC with envelope to cut-off freq etc.
Have fun patchin'!!