UADx PolyMAX Synth Explained

If you're looking for vintage, analog synth tones in a softsynth package, UAD's PolyMAX will fit the bill and then some. In this PolyMAX video course, synth expert Eli Krantzberg will take you on a comprehensive tour of this stellar-sounding instrument and show you how you can achieve all the warm, thick analog goodness you want in no time at all. You'll learn the ins and outs of every component - from the oscillators, filter, and envelopes to the arpeggiator, effects, and more. By the time you're through, you'll be ready to start designing your own sounds to feature in your next production right away! These UADx PolyMAX videos are for new PolyMAX users.

Videos

• PolyMAX Synth Flyover (06:40) - Get a bird's eye video of the signal flow and how all the main controls are laid out in the interface.

• Oscillators (08:19) - Explore the oscillator section, including the FM and Sync functions, pitch modulation, noise sources, and more.

• Understanding Envelopes (05:27) - Get a close-up look at how the envelope parameters affect the volume of notes over their duration.

• Working with the Filter (04:48) - Explore how the filter parameters work in sculpting the frequencies of the sounds generated from the oscillator section.

• Output Section (02:43) - Learn about this final stage of the synthesis signal flow, where we set the positioning of the notes in the stereo field, unison stacking, and how new notes are triggered using the mono, legato, and glide functions.

• Mod Wheel Control (02:28) - See how the mod wheel is assigned and used to modulate either vibrato or filter cutoff and how to set the depth of the pitch bend wheel range.

• Arpeggiator (02:51) - Discover how to get the most out of the simple, intuitive, yet musically effective built-in arpeggiator.

• Effects (05:05) - Explore the simple yet rich and colorful modulation and time-based effects in PolyMAX.

• Creating Drum Sounds (02:39) - Follow along as the white noise generator, along with the filter and amp envelope, are used to create kick, snare, and hi-hat sounds.

• Creating Synth Bass Sounds (03:00) - Two variations of synth bass sounds are created and saved using a mono instance of the PolyMAX Synth.

• Creating Keys (03:39) - Two related but different sounding keyboard patches are created from scratch, each featuring different reverb and effects. Automation of the PolyMAX mod wheel is used to add subtle timbral movement and variation.

• Creating a Pad (02:38) - Explore the different parameters used to create an evocative pad sound with pitch modulation, timbral movement using the LFO, and more.

• Creating a Pluck Sound (02:08) - A percussive pluck is put together and tweaked with unique oscillator shapes, filter modulation, amp envelope settings, effects, and more.

• Arrangement & Playthrough (02:43) - A short arrangement is put together using the sounds and parts created throughout this series. The presets created will be shared and available for you to download and use.