Unlocking Tunefish: Patch Ideas and Sound Design TricksTunefish is a compact, CPU-friendly virtual subtractive/FM hybrid synth that has gained a loyal following due to its surprisingly rich sound, flexible modulation, and low system demands. This article dives deep into patch creation and practical sound-design techniques for Tunefish, walking you from basic patch structure to advanced tricks that help you squeeze expressive, modern sounds out of this small powerhouse.
What Tunefish Does Well (Quick Overview)
Tunefish’s strengths include:
- Light CPU usage, making it ideal for dense projects and live performance.
- Dual oscillator architecture with multiple synthesis modes (subtractive + FM possibilities).
- Flexible modulation routing, including LFOs, envelopes, and keyboard tracking.
- Built-in effects such as delay, chorus, and simple filtering for quick polish.
- Compact GUI that presents essential parameters clearly — fast to program.
Basic Patch Anatomy
A typical Tunefish patch consists of:
- Oscillator 1 & 2 — main sound sources (saw, pulse, sine, or FM algorithms)
- Mixer — levels, panning, cross-modulation
- Filter section — cutoff, resonance, filter type (lowpass, highpass, bandpass)
- Envelopes — amplitude (AMP), filter (ENV), plus extra modulation envelopes
- LFOs — for vibrato, tremolo, filter movement
- Effects — delay, chorus, bitcrush (depending on Tunefish version)
- Mod matrix — route LFOs/envelopes to almost any parameter
Patch Idea 1 — Warm Analog Bass
Goal: a thick, playable bass with punch and character.
Settings overview:
- Osc 1: Saw wave, detune slightly (0.02–0.08) if using dual-osc layering.
- Osc 2: Sub sine one octave below, mixed around -6 to -12 dB.
- Filter: 24 dB lowpass, cutoff around 80–150 Hz, moderate resonance (0.2–0.5).
- AMP ENV: Fast attack (0–10 ms), short decay (80–140 ms), low sustain (0.2–0.6), short release (50–120 ms).
- Filter ENV: Medium decay, low sustain to create punch on attack.
- Add slight drive/saturation via built-in overdrive or external plugin.
- Use mild mono/glide (portamento) for legato bass lines.
Tip: For extra grit, modulate filter cutoff with a low-rate noise LFO or add a bit of FM from Osc 2 routed subtly to Osc 1.
Patch Idea 2 — Glassy Plucks for Arps
Goal: bright, percussive pluck ideal for arpeggios.
Settings overview:
- Osc 1: Bright pulse or saw with pulse width around 20–40%.
- Osc 2: Detuned saw an octave up, low mix.
- Filter: 12 dB lowpass with cutoff high (1–3 kHz) and low resonance.
- AMP ENV: Very fast attack, very short decay (10–60 ms), zero sustain, short release.
- Filter ENV: Quick attack, short decay to emphasize initial transient.
- LFO: Fast, subtle amplitude or pitch modulation for shimmer.
- Add delay with short feedback and sync to tempo for rhythmic interest.
Tip: Layer with a high-passed noise oscillator (if available) for extra percussive bite.
Patch Idea 3 — Evolving Pads
Goal: lush, moving pads that change over time without automation.
Settings overview:
- Oscillators: Use two detuned saws with opposite detune directions; add slight FM for complexity.
- Filter: Lowpass with slow-moving cutoff; moderate resonance.
- AMP ENV: Slow attack (300–800 ms), long release (800 ms–2 s), sustain high.
- Use at least one LFO with slow rate (0.05–0.5 Hz) modulating filter cutoff and oscillator pitch slightly.
- Add a second LFO with phase offset modulating pulse width for movement.
- Apply chorus and long, subtle delay for depth.
- Use unison/stacking (if present) or emulate by detuning oscillators.
Tip: Assign velocity to filter cutoff for expressive dynamics.
Patch Idea 4 — Aggressive Leads
Goal: cutting, aggressive lead that sits on top of a mix.
Settings overview:
- Osc 1: Saw with medium-high detune and a bit of PWM or hard sync if supported.
- Osc 2: Slightly detuned saw or square for thickness; add FM for harshness.
- Filter: High resonance (0.6–0.9), cutoff around 1–2 kHz.
- AMP ENV: Fast attack, moderate decay, sustain medium-high.
- Use envelope to modulate filter with moderate amount and quick attack for bite.
- Add fast LFO to oscillator pitch for subtle vibrato; assign aftertouch or mod wheel to depth.
- Effects: Bright chorus, short slap delay, and gentle bit reduction for character.
Tip: For extra presence, split the lead into two instances — one dry with high mids, one distorted and panned opposite.
Patch Idea 5 — FM Bells and Metallic Textures
Goal: bell-like tones with inharmonic richness.
Settings overview:
- Use FM routing between Osc 1 and Osc 2; set carrier to sine/triangle and modulator to higher frequency ratio (e.g., 2.7–6.3).
- Modulation index: experiment from low (0.5) to high (6–12) for different brightness and inharmonicity.
- Filter: Highpass to remove low rumble, or gentle lowpass to smooth harshness.
- AMP ENV: Very short attack, medium decay, low sustain.
- Add stereo chorus and long delay with filtered feedback for shimmer.
- Use velocity to control FM amount for expressive dynamics.
Tip: Slight detuning of the modulator creates beating and a richer sound.
Modulation Routing Techniques
- Use envelopes to shape not only amplitude and filter but also FM index, oscillator mix, or pulse width.
- Create rhythmic motion by syncing an LFO to host tempo and using stepped shapes for gated effects.
- Velocity → filter cutoff or FM amount adds expression; mod wheel → LFO depth or vibrato for performance control.
- For subtle motion, route a very slow LFO to detune one oscillator slightly (0.01–0.05) for vintage drift.
Creative FX & Processing Tips
- Parallel processing: send a copy through distortion/saturation and blend to taste for weight without losing dynamics.
- Multiband processing: high-pass the source and saturate only the mids for presence.
- Sidechain-compress melodic patches lightly to create breathing movement with kick drums.
- Use tempo-synced delays and modulated chorus for stereo width and rhythmic interest.
- For lo-fi textures, add bitcrushing or sample-rate reduction on a parallel bus.
Workflow & Patch Management
- Start from a simple init patch and lock down core oscillator/timbre before adding modulation.
- Save variations (e.g., +drive, +pad, +arp) rather than overwriting a single patch when experimenting.
- Label patches with descriptors like “bass—round—slowdecay” to find them quickly.
- Use MIDI CC mappings for the most commonly tweaked parameters: cutoff, FM amount, reverb send, and LFO depth.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Thin sound: increase harmonic content via FM, add a sub oscillator, or layer a filtered square.
- Muddy low end: lower filter cutoff or high-pass layer portions; tighten envelope to reduce sustain.
- Phasing/unstable stereo: reduce extreme detune or use mono mode on bass parts.
- CPU spikes: reduce unison/voices, lower sample rate, or freeze/print heavy instances.
Final Thoughts
Tunefish rewards experimentation. Its small interface hides flexible routing and a range of synthesis approaches — from subtractive warmth to FM metallicism. Use the patch ideas above as starting points, then tweak modulation routings, envelopes, and effects until the sound breathes. Keep versions as you explore; some of the best patches come from unexpected parameter changes.
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