Cymatics KEYS

MANUAL v1.0.0

We wanted to make a plugin that has all the sounds from our favorite key instruments we use
for Cymatics samples.

Our goal was NO filler sounds - we only included sounds that we personally would want to use
every day. 100+ presets of pure gold!

There is an advanced section where you can completely customize your sounds with reverb, fx,
resampling, half speed, reverse, filters, and other powerful sound design tools for making your
own sounds from scratch.

Preset Browser

The preset browser can be easily accessed from both the Easy and Advanced views. The
Factory presets are categorized according to type, such as Piano, Pluck, World, etc. The left
and right arrow buttons can be used to audition presets in order.

Source Browser
The core of any Keys preset is its sound sources, which can be selected from the source
browser (available only in Advanced view). Currently there are 30 meticulously deep-sampled
sound sources available in Keys, ranging from iconic electric pianos to rare vintage
synthesizers, acoustic pianos and world instruments. Some sources contain up to 4 velocity
layers, allowing for realistic and expressive playing.

Easy View

Easy view is geared towards beginners and quick preset editing. Presets are easily selectable
from the Preset browser, and all of Keys’ core effects are distilled to 6 easy-to-use parameters.
Changes in those parameters are reflected in Advanced view and vice-versa. Here is a
breakdown of what each parameter does in Easy view (ordered left to right):

● Filter: Controls the lowpass filter cutoff frequency.

● Reverb: Controls the reverb’s dry/wet balance.
● FX A: Controls the depth of modulation effect in slot A.
● FX B: Controls the depth of modulation effect in slot B.
● Movement: Controls the depth of the Movement effect.
● Resampler: Controls the Resampling frequency.

Detailed descriptions of each effect will be given in the section covering Advanced view.

Advanced View

Advanced view allows the user to tweak individual presets or create new ones with much more
control than what is offered in Easy view. At the center of the Advanced view lies the source
browser. Select your sound source (Warning: some sources may take longer to load than others
due to having more velocity layers or longer samples).

Advanced view is divided into several sections which give you deep control over how the
selected source behaves and sounds. We will cover them here.

Reverb

The reverb module contains 6 reverb types which simulate space and ambience in different
ways. The Dry/Wet parameter controls the balance of unaffected vs. reverberated signal, while
the Decay parameter controls how long it takes for the reverberation to settle into silence.

Effects

The Effect module is composed of 3 modulation effects which were specifically designed and
tuned around the sounds recorded for Keys. Two modulation effects can be set independently
and stacked on top of one another using the A/B switch. All effect types have Amount and Rate
(the speed of the effect) parameters.
 ● Chorus - A variable rate chorus closely modelled on the one found in an iconic Roland
synthesizer from the 80s.
● Vibe - A very special modulation effect designed specifically with Keys in mind. This
phaser-like effect is a nearly exact emulation of an iconic pedal famously used by Jimi
Hendrix in the late 70’s.
● Tremolo - A classic modulation effect built-in to many of the most famous electric piano
models.

Movement

The Movement module is designed to impart a vintage-style pitch modulation to your presets, as
though they were recorded onto tape. The A/B switch in this case offers two flavours of pitch
modulation. The A side imparts random pitch fluctuations characteristic of old and garbled
cassette, while the B side generates a more stable wobble-like modulation reminiscent of poorly
maintained reel-to-reel decks. Both modes are governed by Amount and Rate parameters.

EQ

Keys comes equipped with a standard 3 band parametric equalizer with adjustable frequencies.
To change the frequency, hold Shift while hovering your mouse over the band you wish to adjust
and its frequency will become visible. Turn the knob to set the new frequency. This setting will
be saved as part of a preset.

Resample

The Resample module is able to modify the sample rate of Keys’ output in real-time. The
Resampler knob controls the sample rate. Reducing it will create a unique low-pass filtering
effect which sounds as though the instrument is being played under water. The left and right
toggles underneath the main parameter correspond to Pre and Post anti-aliasing filters, which
can introduce varying degrees of bitcrushed sidebands into the signal if disabled.

Half Speed

Half Speed is a unique feature which doubles the length of every sample in the selected source,
while simultaneously transposing them down exactly one octave. Use this feature to extend the
lower range of your source, or to darken your sound considerably. Any natural pitch or timbral
fluctuations in the multi-sample recordings tend to be exaggerated with this switch engaged,
sounding as though a tape is being played back at a lower speed.

Reverse

The function of this switch is self-explanatory. Engaging it will reverse all samples in your
selected source. Note that many of the recorded samples are quite long; If you find that the
notes take too long to “appear” while reversed, simply increase the Start parameter in the
Source Controls section.

Source Controls

These controls govern the basic parameters which determine how your source will sound when
you play the notes.

● Gain: Adjusts the volume of the source.

● Start: Adjusts the start position of each sample within the source. Use this to accelerate
reversed sounds or to remove the attack of sources with sharp transients.

● Velocity: This parameter changes the plugin’s response to incoming MIDI velocities,
particularly useful to keyboard players. Think of this parameter as velocity sensitivity.
Turning it counter-clockwise will take less force to play louder notes, while turning it
clockwise will take more force to produce louder notes. Note that this setting also
changes the velocities required to trigger different velocity layers.

● Random Pan: Increasing this parameter will increase the degree of random panning of
individual voices. Use this to spread out your sound sources across the stereo field in a
natural and unpredictable way.

Filter

The Filter section is composed of Lowpass and Highpass filters with selectable 12 dB/oct and
24 dB/oct slopes, along with an Envelope parameter which adjusts how strongly the Lowpass
filter frequency is affected by the Filter Envelope.

Holding Shift while hovering over the filter Cutoff knobs will allow you to set their resonances
individually. Note that the Lowpass filter is keytracked perfectly by default and acts
polyphonically, allowing you to create unique timbres and overtones by boosting certain
frequencies with the Lowpass Filter’s resonance parameter.

Amp Envelope

The Amplitude envelope polyphonically controls the volume of the selected sound source over
time. It uses standard Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release parameters. Use this to shape the
volume contour of individual notes in your sound. Note that high release values may increase
CPU usage.

Filter Envelope
Similar to the Amp envelope, the Filter envelope polyphonically controls the frequency cutoff of
the Lowpass filter over time. It uses standard Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release parameters.
The intensity of the Filter envelope can be adjusted via the Envelope parameter in the Filter
section.

Support

If you have any questions or issues using KEYS, email support@cymatics.fm