This is how to use the Surge Synth as an effect plugin (without going mad )
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2019 4:57 am
I was clueless and utterly baffled by how to use Surge as an effect plugin,
but some good folks at kvr helped me get going. Here are the steps:
1. Put Surge on an audio track
2. The Oscillator panel near the upper left of the gui
has a menu in it's lower right corner, choose 'audio input',
and mono or stereo
(this can only be done on one of the oscillators)
3. In the next panel to the right, under 'Polymode',
choose 'Latch'.
4. In the Amp EG section, boost the Sustain and Decay
sliders as desired to let in enough audio input to
hit the Amp and hence the effects, and adjust the other sliders to taste
5. In the upper-right corner of the gui is the FX-Bypass
and Character selector, with seven choices. Choosing 'All'
will bypasss all effects, lets the unneffected audio be heard,
for quick A/B comparisons.
6. On the far right, is the vertical-layout effects selector area,
where eight effects can be shared between the A and B sends,
six for A/B, and a single master effect for both A and B
Click on the darker gray rectangle widgets to choose which one
to choose an effect for.
Below the FX Return level sliders, is a thin white long-oval
effect chooser widget. Click on one of the eight effects slots
above it, for the six A/B and two Master's, and the text in the oval widget
will change accordingly. The right side of the oval has a tiny
black widget that opens the effects chooser menu, and will display
the name of the current selection. Each effect will display it's paramters gui
in this area below the white oval.
That's the i/o of it, use it on any audio source that jackd allows
connected to a Surge audio track. There are excellent jewels to be mined
for effects gurus, remembering the Surge author teamed up later
to create the great Bitwig Studio.
Good luck, and happy effecting!
One more thing, save a project once set up, as choosing a new surge preset
won't the effects settings in place
but some good folks at kvr helped me get going. Here are the steps:
1. Put Surge on an audio track
2. The Oscillator panel near the upper left of the gui
has a menu in it's lower right corner, choose 'audio input',
and mono or stereo
(this can only be done on one of the oscillators)
3. In the next panel to the right, under 'Polymode',
choose 'Latch'.
4. In the Amp EG section, boost the Sustain and Decay
sliders as desired to let in enough audio input to
hit the Amp and hence the effects, and adjust the other sliders to taste
5. In the upper-right corner of the gui is the FX-Bypass
and Character selector, with seven choices. Choosing 'All'
will bypasss all effects, lets the unneffected audio be heard,
for quick A/B comparisons.
6. On the far right, is the vertical-layout effects selector area,
where eight effects can be shared between the A and B sends,
six for A/B, and a single master effect for both A and B
Click on the darker gray rectangle widgets to choose which one
to choose an effect for.
Below the FX Return level sliders, is a thin white long-oval
effect chooser widget. Click on one of the eight effects slots
above it, for the six A/B and two Master's, and the text in the oval widget
will change accordingly. The right side of the oval has a tiny
black widget that opens the effects chooser menu, and will display
the name of the current selection. Each effect will display it's paramters gui
in this area below the white oval.
That's the i/o of it, use it on any audio source that jackd allows
connected to a Surge audio track. There are excellent jewels to be mined
for effects gurus, remembering the Surge author teamed up later
to create the great Bitwig Studio.
Good luck, and happy effecting!
One more thing, save a project once set up, as choosing a new surge preset
won't the effects settings in place
