7FOLD User Manual

1. Introduction

7FOLD is a seven‑oscillator software synthesizer designed for bold, layered, evolving sounds. Each oscillator is identical and fully featured, with its own filter and envelopes, plus global envelopes, a global filter, and global FX.

This manual is written in a clean, hardware‑style format so you can treat 7FOLD like a real instrument: learn it, master it, and push it into places it wasn’t originally “meant” to go.

2. System overview

2.1 Main components

7 Identical Oscillators: Saw, Square, Triangle, Sine; per‑oscillator filter and envelopes.
Global Filter: Master tone‑shaping stage with type, cutoff, resonance, and drive.
Global Envelopes: Global Filter Envelope and Global Amp Envelope.
FX Section: Delay Time, Delay Feedback, Reverb Mix.
Keyboard / MIDI: On‑screen keyboard and MIDI input selection.

2.2 Probable signal flow

Note on signal flow: 7FOLD is under active development. The exact internal routing may evolve. The diagram below represents the most likely signal path based on the current interface and control layout.

Osc 1 ┐ Osc 2 ┤ Osc 3 ┤ Osc 4 ┤ Osc 5 ┤ → Per‑Osc Filters → Per‑Osc Amps → Mixer → Global Filter → Global Amp → FX → Output Osc 6 ┤ Osc 7 ┘

3. Oscillators

All seven oscillators are identical. You can treat them as seven independent voices feeding a shared global chain.

3.1 Per‑oscillator controls

On: Enables or disables the oscillator.
Waveform: Saw, Square, Triangle, Sine.
Detune (semitones): Offsets pitch up or down in semitones for layering and chords.
Level: Output level of the oscillator into the mixer.
Envelope Mode: Shared or Separate (see below).
Amp Envelope (A/D/S/R): Per‑oscillator amplitude envelope when in Separate mode.
Filter Type: Currently Lowpass (future types may be added).
Cutoff: Filter cutoff frequency for this oscillator.
Resonance: Emphasizes frequencies around the cutoff.
Drive: Adds saturation/distortion to the filtered signal.
Filter Env Amount: −100% to +100%, depth and polarity of the filter envelope.
Filter Envelope (A/D/S/R): Per‑oscillator filter envelope when in Separate mode.
Sweep Mode: Hz, Semitones, or Percent.
Sweep Range: Range of modulation applied in the selected Sweep Mode.

3.2 Envelope mode: Shared vs Separate

Shared: Oscillator uses the Global Filter Envelope and Global Amp Envelope.
Separate: Oscillator uses its own per‑oscillator Amp and Filter envelopes.

Use Shared for tight, unified sounds (pads, plucks, stabs) and Separate for complex, layered motion where each oscillator evolves differently.

3.3 Sweep mode

Hz: Sweeps in absolute frequency units.
Semitones: Sweeps in musical pitch intervals.
Percent: Sweeps relative to the current parameter value.

4. Global filter and envelopes

4.1 Global filter

Filter Type: Lowpass (current implementation).
Cutoff: Master tone control after the mixer.
Resonance: Emphasizes frequencies around the cutoff for squelch and bite.
Drive: Adds saturation to the global filtered signal.

4.2 Global filter envelope

Enable: On/Off for the global filter envelope.
Attack / Decay / Sustain / Release: ADSR shaping of the global filter cutoff.
Env Amount: −100% to +100%, depth and polarity of modulation.
Sweep Mode: Hz, Semitones, or Percent.
Sweep Range: Range of the sweep in the selected mode.

4.3 Global amp envelope

Attack: Time to reach full volume.
Decay: Time to fall from peak to sustain level.
Sustain: Level held while a note is held.
Release: Time to fade out after note release.

5. FX section

Delay Time: Sets the delay time.
Delay Feedback: Controls how many repeats occur.
Reverb Mix: Balance between dry signal and reverb.

FX are applied globally after the global amp stage, affecting the entire mixed signal.

6. Keyboard and MIDI

On‑screen keyboard: Click to play notes directly with the mouse.
MIDI Input: Select a MIDI device to control 7FOLD from an external keyboard or DAW.

Velocity sensitivity and aftertouch are not currently implemented. Note dynamics are uniform.

7. Quick‑start cheat sheet

7.1 First sound in 30 seconds

Enable an oscillator: Turn On Osc 1.
Select waveform: Choose Saw for a rich starting tone.
Set level: Raise Osc 1 Level to a moderate value.
Envelope mode: Set to Shared.
Global amp envelope: A: 10–30 ms, D: medium, S: ~70%, R: 200–400 ms.
Global filter: Lowpass, Cutoff around mid, Resonance low.
Play: Use the on‑screen keyboard or a MIDI keyboard.

7.2 Layering oscillators

Turn on more oscillators: Enable Osc 2–3.
Detune: Set Osc 2 to +3 semitones, Osc 3 to −5 semitones.
Adjust levels: Keep each slightly lower than Osc 1 to avoid clipping.
Filter: Use the global filter to tame brightness.

8. Patch examples

8.1 Solid bass

Oscillators: Use Osc 1–2, both Square.
Detune: Osc 1 at 0 semitones, Osc 2 at −12 semitones (sub).
Envelope mode: Shared.
Global amp envelope: Fast attack, short decay, low sustain, medium release.
Global filter: Low cutoff, moderate resonance, a bit of drive.
Global filter envelope: Short attack/decay, positive Env Amount for a punchy “thump.”

8.2 Wide pad

Oscillators: Use Osc 1–5, all Saw.
Detune: Spread semitones slightly (−7, −3, 0, +3, +7).
Envelope mode: Shared.
Global amp envelope: Slow attack, long release, high sustain.
Global filter: Cutoff mid‑low, low resonance.
FX: Increase Reverb Mix, add a bit of Delay Time and Feedback.

8.3 Evolving texture

Oscillators: Use all 7, mix waveforms (Saw, Triangle, Sine).
Envelope mode: Separate.
Per‑osc envelopes: Give each oscillator slightly different A/D/S/R values.
Filter Env Amount: Vary between oscillators, some positive, some negative.
Sweep Mode: Use Percent on some oscillators, Semitones on others.
FX: Moderate delay and reverb for space.

8.4 Pluck

Oscillators: 1–2, Saw or Square.
Envelope mode: Shared.
Global amp envelope: Fast attack, short decay, low sustain, short release.
Global filter envelope: Fast attack, short decay, positive Env Amount.
Filter: Start with low cutoff and let the envelope open it briefly.

9. Workflow tips

Start simple: Design with one oscillator, then layer more.
Use Shared mode first: Get a coherent sound, then switch some oscillators to Separate for complexity.
Global filter as glue: Use it to unify bright, detuned layers.
FX last: Dial in the core tone dry, then add delay and reverb.

10. Troubleshooting

No sound: Check at least one oscillator is On, Level is up, Global Amp Envelope isn’t at zero sustain, and MIDI input is correctly selected.
Sound is too bright: Lower per‑oscillator filter cutoffs and/or the Global Filter cutoff.
Sound is too muddy: Reduce the number of active oscillators or lower their levels; reduce delay feedback and reverb mix.
Clicks or pops: Increase Attack and Release times slightly on the Global Amp Envelope.

11. Glossary

ADSR: Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release – the four stages of an envelope.
Cutoff: The frequency where a filter begins to attenuate the signal.
Resonance: Boost around the cutoff frequency.
Drive: Saturation or distortion applied to the signal.
Detune: Slight pitch offset used to create thickness and chorus‑like effects.
Envelope: A time‑varying control signal used to shape parameters like amplitude or filter cutoff.
Semitone: The smallest standard musical interval in Western tuning (1/12 of an octave).