Melody: Part 3 – Envelopes, ADSR, Oscillators & Waveforms 1hr 10mins

In the last lesson, you learned about Fibonacci and why the numbers 1, 3 and 5 are so important in creating arpeggios and chords!

You also worked on one of your first layered melodies with a bassline, accompaniment and a lead!

Now that you know how to use scales, arpeggios and chords, today we are going to start finally getting some hands-on experience with synthesizers and learn all about MIDI!

In this final melody lesson, you also get your Hogwarts acceptance letter & learn about the fabled ADSR.

You will also get a crash course on adjusting a synthesizer’s waveforms, glide and other knobs to create unique sounds!

Table of Contents

1:00 – Free Synthesizers & Effects Downloads

1:34 – Introducing MIDI

2:38 – History of MIDI

3:23 – Origin of the “Piano Roll”

3:58 – MIDI Controller Hardware

4:59 – Your Hogwarts Acceptance Letter

5:25 – Envelopes

5:46 – Timbre

6:51 – Introduction to ADSR

7:46 – Timeline of ADSR

8:08 – A – Attack

9:03 – D – Decay

9:25 – S – Sustain

10:28 – R – Release

11:04 – Hold

11:15 – Delay

11:52 – HANDS ON DEMO – Opening the Project File

12:51 – Example of an Envelope

14:58 – Examples of Attack

19:09 – Examples of Decay

23:51 – Examples of Sustain

26:20 – Examples of Release

27:54 – Applying This Knowledge

29:19 – Using ADSR on an Arpeggio With Delay

31:35 – Using ADSR on a Pad to Create Dynamics

34:06 – Using ADSR on a Bassline

36:33 – Using ADSR to Create a Lead

38:11 – What it All Sounds Like Put Together

40:00 – QUIZ!

44:09 – How MIDI & ADSR Work Together

46:37 – Introduction to Waveforms

47:55 – What Waveforms Look Like

49:24 – Sine Waves in Action

50:08 – Square Waves in Action

51:23 – Triangle Waves in Action

52:16 – Saw Waves in Action

54:08 – Oscillators Use Waveforms to Create Sound!

54:35 – Glide

57:23 – Monophonic vs. Polyphonic

57:58 – Voices

59:23 – How Synthesizers Work

1:01:41 – Using the Classroom Forum

1:02:42 – MIDI Recap

1:04:03 – MIDI Controllers in Action

1:06:41 – Time to Take EXAM 1!!!!

Project File Download

Click Here to download the Ableton Project File for this lesson!

Once downloaded, right click the .zip file you downloaded and select “Extract Folder” or “Extract Here.”

Once it is extracted, open the folder and open the file titled “Lesson 2.C – How to Change Timbre With Envelopes & ADSR.als”

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