Maximize Your MC-505: The Booster
New sound tricks for your old MC-505
Here we discuss the booster function of the STRUCT parameter of the MC-505 synthesizer. This is used to make sounds more harsh by distorting them. It can also make the classic pulse-width modulation sound.
The Booster processing block found in Tone Structures 3 & 4 can be thought of as a simple amplifier or gain stage that has the property of limiting or clipping any waveform that exceeds a certain amplitude. Clipping is normally something that you want to avoid since it introduces signal distortion, often sounding harsh or brittle. It is commonly used, however, as an effect to transform a dull or pure sounding tone into something dramatic. Guitar fuzz boxes using clipping to advantage.
The MC505's Booster block does something similar. Its a pretty simple device. It has a gain setting that can be set to 0, +6, +12, and +18. When the setting is 0 the all of the MC-505's waveforms pass through the booster without changing. Increase the booster's gain and the waveform becomes progressively more "clipped". Basically the top and bottom of the waveform are flattened. This introduces a type of distortion that in turn increases the harmonic content of the modified waveform.
As you increase the booster gain (and hence the amount of clipping) higher frequency harmonics are introduced and strengthen. The more clipping the louder these upper harmonics. A normally mellow sounding waveform like the Triangle wave becomes harsher and eventually sound similar to a Square wave. Normally the clipping is symmetric, that is the top and bottom of the waveform are affected the same. Symmetric clipping introduces odd harmonics into the waveform.
To summarize, the booster it is used to introduce higher order harmonics in the sound by amplifying the input wave until its level is limited by the Booster. This results in the top and bottom of the waveform flattening.
Use the following steps to hear the MC-505's booster in action:
Tone Structure Type 3
Tone Structure Type 4
Tone Structures 3 and 4 are similar to Tone Structure 2 in that they take two tones and combine them in such a way that the two filters are in series and that the amplitude of tone 1 is controlled by its amplifier before it is added to, or mixed, with Tone 2. Structures 3 and 4 differ from Structure 2 in that they both introduce the Booster processing block into the signal path.
Structure 3 places this block after the first filter whereas Structure 4 places it before the first filter. In use these two structures are different in that the pre or post filtering can modify the sound in different ways.
Structure 3 places this block after the first filter whereas Structure 4 places it before the first filter. In use these two structures are different in that the pre or post filtering can modify the sound in different ways.
The MC505's Booster block does something similar. Its a pretty simple device. It has a gain setting that can be set to 0, +6, +12, and +18. When the setting is 0 the all of the MC-505's waveforms pass through the booster without changing. Increase the booster's gain and the waveform becomes progressively more "clipped". Basically the top and bottom of the waveform are flattened. This introduces a type of distortion that in turn increases the harmonic content of the modified waveform.
As you increase the booster gain (and hence the amount of clipping) higher frequency harmonics are introduced and strengthen. The more clipping the louder these upper harmonics. A normally mellow sounding waveform like the Triangle wave becomes harsher and eventually sound similar to a Square wave. Normally the clipping is symmetric, that is the top and bottom of the waveform are affected the same. Symmetric clipping introduces odd harmonics into the waveform.
To summarize, the booster it is used to introduce higher order harmonics in the sound by amplifying the input wave until its level is limited by the Booster. This results in the top and bottom of the waveform flattening.
Use the following steps to hear the MC-505's booster in action:
- Selecting an initialized patch.
- Turn both tones one and two on using the TONE SWITCHES.
- Select a Triangle waveform, like A038 - MG TRIANGLE for Tone 2.
- Turn the amplitude of tone 1 to zero adjusting TONE AMPLITUDE.
- Disable the filters for both tones by selecting NONE.
- From the COMMON (EDIT+11) settings select STRUCT 4.