Creating Modulation Matrices for Modern Synthesizers and Effects in Csound and Cabbage

Accepted to the 6th International Csound Conference.

Abstract

When designing synthesizers and effects often the most important and characteristic component is its modulation capabilities. When looking at commercial hardware such as pedals by Chase Bliss, essentially every parameter can be modulated internally, as well as controlled via MIDI and CV. Alternatively, hardware such as Sequential’s Prophet 6 offers limited customizable modulation, which helps establish the synthesizer’s signature sound. Internal modulation presents an interesting problem as one doesn’t want to limit the modulation capabilities of the user, while also not sacrificing CPU. One solution is to build all-encompassing internal routing matrices into your plugins. The following paper will explain how to create a routing matrix for synthesizers and effects inspired by the one in Ableton’s wavetable synthesizer.

Keywords: Csound, Cabbage, ntrpol, Modulation, Matrix, Plugins