Ensemble Synth Tutorial + Composition

For my final tutorial and composition I decided to go with the Ensemble Synth in Logic also known as the ES E. It is a digital synth based on Subtractive synthesis. ES E is known for its ability to quickly create warm and rich pad and ensemble sounds. The oscillator used in ED E is very harmonics-forward and thus very quick to form pretty and gentle sounds that are easy on the ears but also can be quite cinematic and atmospheric. At First glance this is a synth that appears very simple and perhaps less complex or diverse than many other more button-heavy synths but this one has all it’s bases covered in a very compact form factor.

The ES E includes the following sections on its face:

Oscillator Levels

LFO and Filter Levels

The Envelope Levels (which in the case of the ES E only focuses on Attack and Release while Decay and Sustain are kind of decided based on where you set those so it takes a tiny bit of getting used to if you are more familiar with the usual ADSR form factor.)

The Output on the far right works as like a sort of quick jump setting to add some spice over your settings for sound

This is a synth that is not specifically designed in reference or to replace another vintage synth but instead fills a space for ease of creation for ensemble pads.

As an additional part of this assignment we were also tasked with creating a piece of music exclusively using the synth of choice so I present to you my entry.

I liked the general sound of the dark synth pad preset so it gave me something to immediately work on however I knew that I wanted slightly more sudden notes that would hold some resonance and would take a while to fully release as I wanted them to kind of fill the air while I layered the other tracks. This essentially took over the introduction and I wanted it to give off a sort of uncomfortable feeling as the prettier sounds tried to fight their way through.

For the second track I went with the Ice Synth preset because it sounds very cold very lonely but with a bit of sharpness to it and so I knew what I had to do. I killed the resonance I didn’t want this track to linger I wanted every note to swell up after hitting sharply. I wanted this to add tension to the beginning of the song. something hurts but we can’t always put our finger on it. I tweaked the wave form a fair amount and though the sound kept its integrity it also brought some much needed space to the soundscape.

Finally the setting I spent the most time fine tuning. Started as a hollow pad preset that I tweaked and messed with until it felt soft and pretty but also ugly and almost too bright. A sound that felt like the title I was going for Body Dysphoria a feeling of uncertainty in one’s own body. I wanted this one to sit and build not slowly but continuously I wanted it to feel strong in its low and high end. A song that is almost off putting but somewhat pretty. A story of heartache but not heartbreak. A story told within one’s self no outside force necessary, no other party. A song made up purely of gentle discomfort.

With more time and more experience I would have made this a much more gradual song with many more tracks and very sparse drums that crash and roll very quietly and arhythmically. Out of time and out of sequence.

I would have perhaps tried to shape more directly harsh and digital sounds but I wanted this to sound how we as humans can often feel on our lowest days.