Korg Forums

wherestino · Joined: 21 Dec 2017 Posts: 2

Hi I am new to the minilogue and I am trying to get the 2 synth sounds that are in the song Just what I need by The Cars. Can anyone tell me the settings to get these sounds? I know the verse and chorus sound different. If anyone can get me there I would so appreciate it.

Thanks,

Mike

megamarkd

wherestino · Joined: 21 Dec 2017 Posts: 2

Thanks for the response. I am super new to this korg minilouge. Can you tell me what settings I should use to get these 2 sounds on the song? I have no idea.

Thanks

megamarkd · Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 7:58 am Post subject:

Okay, I remember when I given (pretty much for free) my MS-20 and was told it was broken and the manual was gone. I had to try to work out what all the dials did having no idea what a VCO, VCA, VCA, Env1/2 or any other of the setting on the synth were. I got a sound out of it that was playable, but it wasn't until I got my M1 and read through the manual that I started to understand the MS-20.
Now if I was to receive a synth with no manual, it's all too easy to find it on the 'net.

The Minilogue is a "subtractive synthesiser"clickylinky meaning it starts with a full bodied tone generated by an oscillator and then shaves it down using filters and amplifiers, thus the subtractive title. Creating sounds on a subtractive synth is like a sculpture; you start with a big lump of raw material and you remove a bit here and a bit there until it sounds like you want it too.

Try these settings to start with:

VCO1 Saw wave (the top one) for the first part and a Square wave for the second part
VCO2 (doesn't matter)
As you are only going to use the one Osc, pitch isn't crucial and can be set to centre (so that playing a C key will produce a C note)

Mixer:
VCO1 full
VCO2 off
Noise off

Filter:
Cutoff 90%ish
Resonance 50%ish
EG Int just a little bit

Amp EG (amplifier envelope generator)
Attack 0
Decay 0
Sustain 10
Release 3ish

EG
Attack 3ish
Decay 3ish
Sustain 8-9
Release set it the same as the Amp EG

As I don't actually own a Minilogue I have no idea beyond the VCO setting what it will sound like. Perhaps someone who does own one could jump in and offer settings that have been tested?

Generally oscillators don't sound too different from synth to synth and filters also are fairly easy to guess settings for, but envelopes can vary wildly in their speeds meaning that same envelope settings on one synth will affect the dynamics of the sound differently to another. Listen to the sound you are trying to emulate and how the tone and volume changes as the note sounds. With the sound in The Cars' song, the volume is pretty much the same from key-on to key-off, but the tone does have some travelling dynamics, thus the slightly different settings for EG2 from that of the basic "on/off" envelope setting for the Amp EG.

Take the settings I have suggested and then start messing with them once you have made them. I can guarantee these settings won't sound exactly like the synth in the song, but will give you an idea of how to set up a synth patch. You will find that after a bit you will start to know how to get to the sound you are chasing.
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