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To bring some extra life to the generated sounds the EG’s are equipped with knobs to regulate the depth of the modulation, and the impact of the note-on velocity to the modulation depth.Įxcept for the pitch modulation section, the EG’s have a knob to control the key follow parameter too. In MSEG mode the EG’s can be set to loop as well.Įach line has three envelope generators (ADSR or MSEG), one for pitch modulation, one for modulating the amount of phase distortion applied, and one for the amplifier. The 8-stage MSEG’s are capable of more complex modulation patterns and thus can add to more evolving and finetuned sounds. While the ADSR envelopes are easier to program, and might offer a good start on programming the synth, the MSEG’s offer the most flexible control over the modulation. There’s an ADSR mode which gives you the more traditional ADSR envelope generators to use, and there’s the MSEG mode which brings you the power of Multi Stage Envelope Generators as used originally on the CZ synthesizers. The envelope generators come in two flavors. When using two lines mixed there are some controls for detuning the second line in the mix (octaves, semitones and some finetuning). Ring mode applies a ring modulation effect to the signal which can generate some nice metallic timbres. “Noise mode” modulates the pitch of the second line in the mix with a random noise function which adds some noise to the sound, or more accurately – will give the sound a more noise-like character.
To bring some more sonic variety to the table there’s a modulation mode switch which you can enable to “noise mode” or “ring mode”. The two “lines” of the synth can be mixed in 1, 2 and 1+1/1+2 which of course, adds nicely to the sonic palette the synth can generate. By switching the phase reset off you’ll get a more mellow sound. This gives a more “punchy” and predictable sound like you’d want for a tight and punchy bass. VirtualCZ GUIįurthermore, the oscillator section has a switch to enable and disable the phase reset on the oscillators which can be useful in the monophonic mode of the synth. The result of turning up the DCW knob sounds something like opening a filter on a subtractive synthesizer. This DCW setting than can be used as an offset for further modulation with the envelope generators of the synth. When the DCW knob is somewhat open, say, in the middle, you’ll hear a result in between the basic sine and the selected waveform(s). When the DCW knob is fully up you’ll hear the waveform(s) you selected for that “line”. The base waveform when the DCW knob is down, is a sine wave. They give a more sharp sounding result a bit similar to using a resonant filter.īy turning up the DCW knob you control how much phase distortion is applied, which in effect alters the resulting waveform. The “reso” waveforms are hard-synced sine waves with a sawtooth, triangle or a trapezoid envelope. VirtualCZ knows eight waveforms: sawtooth, square, pulse, double sine, saw pulse, reso1, reso2 and reso3. The selected waveforms are the resulting waveforms which are produced by modulating the phase of the sine oscillators. One for each alternating cycle from the oscillator. With VirtualCZ you can select two waveforms per oscillator. By modulating the phase of these sinewaves we can produce different waveshapes much like the well known saw, square, pulse, etc. It utilizes two “lines” in which both have a digital oscillator producing a sine wave. VirtualCZ uses a synthesis technique called “phase distortion”. The different functions of the synthesizer are nicely grouped together in separate sections on the user interface. In my opinion it fits the synthesizer well. The user interface of VirtualCZ has a kind of retro look which clearly is a nod to the original CZ synthesizers.
#Virtual cz synth from plugin boutique software#
Today I’ll review Plugin Boutique’s VirtualCZ which is a software emulation of the CZ series of synthesizers. This technique has similarities with the more complex frequency modulation synthesis technique which was used in synthesizers like the Yamaha DX7. The CZ series were digital synthesizers which made use of a synthesizing technique called “phase distortion”. In the late 1980’s the manufacturing of the CZ series ceased production.
#Virtual cz synth from plugin boutique full#
It was the time of iconic digital synthesizers like the Yamaha DX7.Īt that time, Casio was most known for its series of home keyboards and had stepped into the professional synthesizer market with its Casio CZ-101 synthesizer, followed over time by its successors – the CZ series.īeing affordable and quite capable of producing good sounds that were full of character, the Casio CZ series became quite a success. Synthesizer technology began to move from analog to the then upcoming digital technology. In the 1980’s synthesizers around that time were almost exclusively dedicated hardware devices.
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