How to Create Amazing Sounds with Serum v12.09b4 - The Ultimate Wavetable Synth for Windows
Xfer Records - Serum v12.09b4 (Windows 32-bit 64-bit): A Review
If you are looking for a powerful, versatile, and user-friendly wavetable synthesizer for your music production needs, you might want to check out Xfer Records' Serum v12.09b4. This software synth is widely regarded as one of the best wavetable synths on the market today, offering a truly high-quality sound, a visual and creative workflow-oriented interface, and a plethora of features and functions to make creating and altering sounds fun and easy.
Xfer Records - Serum v12.09b4 (Windows 32-bit 64-bit)
In this article, we will review the latest version of Serum for Windows 32-bit 64-bit systems, covering its main features, benefits, system requirements, installation process, wavetable synthesis and editing capabilities, oscillators and filters settings, envelopes, LFOs, modulation options, effects rack, global parameters, presets management, user interface customization, and more.
By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of what Serum v12.09b4 can do for you, and why it is a dream synthesizer for many music producers.
Introduction
What is Serum and why is it a dream synthesizer?
Serum is a software synthesizer that uses wavetable synthesis to generate sounds. Wavetable synthesis is a form of synthesis that involves using multiple waveforms to create complex timbres. Unlike traditional subtractive synthesis, which uses filters to remove frequencies from a single waveform, wavetable synthesis allows you to blend, morph, and modulate different waveforms to create new sounds.
Serum is a dream synthesizer because it offers a truly high-quality sound, a visual and creative workflow-oriented interface, and the ability to go deep when desired. Serum has a built-in wavetable editor that lets you create your own wavetables in a variety of ways such as importing audio files, drawing waveforms, using mathematical formulas, or processing existing wavetables with various effects. You can also import wavetables from other sources, such as other synths, samples, or online libraries. Serum lets you see what you are doing with its graphical display of the wavetables and the waveforms, making it easy to understand and manipulate the sound.
Serum also has a flexible and intuitive modulation system that lets you drag and drop modulation sources (such as envelopes, LFOs, velocity, or MIDI CC) to any parameter you want to modulate. You can also use the modulation matrix to fine-tune your modulation settings and routings. Serum has four envelopes and four LFOs that can be synced to the tempo, triggered by notes, or looped in various ways. You can also draw your own custom shapes for the LFOs, or use one of the many presets available.
Serum has two main oscillators, a sub oscillator, and a noise oscillator, each with its own wavetable and settings. You can use unison, detune, warp, phase, and pan modes to shape the sound of each oscillator. You can also use FM, AM, RM, or sync modes to modulate one oscillator by another. Serum has a variety of filter types, including low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch, comb, formant, phaser, flanger, and more. You can use the filter to sculpt the sound of each oscillator individually or together.
Serum has a built-in effects rack that lets you add up to 10 effects to your sound. You can reorder, bypass, solo, and mix the effects as you wish. The effects include distortion, compression, EQ, chorus, delay, reverb, flanger, phaser, hyper/dimension, and multiband compressor. Each effect has its own parameters and options to tweak.
Serum has a global section that lets you control the master volume, pitch bend range, portamento, velocity, polyphony, and oversampling of the synth. You can also use the global section to access additional features and functions, such as randomizing parameters, copying and pasting settings, resampling sounds, saving and loading presets, and more.
What are the main features and benefits of Serum?
Here is a summary of the main features and benefits of Serum:
FeatureBenefit
High-quality wavetable synthesisCreates rich and complex sounds with minimal aliasing and artifacts
Built-in wavetable editorLets you create your own wavetables in various ways and import wavetables from other sources
Visual and creative interfaceLets you see what you are doing with the wavetables and the waveforms and makes it easy to understand and manipulate the sound
Flexible and intuitive modulation systemLets you drag and drop modulation sources to any parameter you want to modulate and fine-tune your modulation settings and routings with the mod matrix
Four envelopes and four LFOsLets you shape the sound over time with various modes and options
Two main oscillators, a sub oscillator, and a noise oscillatorLets you blend, morph, and modulate different waveforms to create new sounds
Variety of filter typesLets you sculpt the sound of each oscillator individually or together with various modes and options
Built-in effects rackLets you add up to 10 effects to your sound and reorder, bypass, solo, and mix them as you wish
Global sectionLets you control the master volume, pitch bend range, portamento, velocity, polyphony, and oversampling of the synth and access additional features and functions
Presets managementLets you browse, load, save, and organize presets for sounds, wavetables, LFO shapes, and effects
User interface customizationLets you change the skin color, size, and layout of the synth to suit your preferences and workflow
Compatibility and supportLets you use Serum as a standalone application or as a VST/AU/AAX plugin in your DAW and get support and updates from Xfer Records
</ What are the system requirements and installation process for Serum v12.09b4?
To use Serum v12.09b4, you need a Windows 32-bit or 64-bit system with at least 2 GB of RAM and 1 GB of free disk space. You also need a compatible host application that supports VST, AU, or AAX plugins, such as Ableton Live, FL Studio, Cubase, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, or Reaper. You can also use Serum as a standalone application without a host.
To install Serum v12.09b4, you need to download the installer from the Xfer Records website or from your online account if you have purchased Serum. You need to enter your serial number and email address to activate Serum. You can also use the offline installer if you have no internet connection. The installer will guide you through the installation process and let you choose the plugin formats and locations for Serum. You can also install the factory presets and wavetables during the installation process.
Wavetable Synthesis and Editing
How does Serum use wavetable synthesis to create high-quality sounds?
Serum uses wavetable synthesis to create high-quality sounds by using multiple waveforms to generate complex timbres. A wavetable is a collection of waveforms arranged in a sequence or a grid. Each waveform has its own shape, frequency, amplitude, and phase. Serum can play one or more waveforms from a wavetable at a time, and can blend, morph, and modulate them to create new sounds.
Serum has two main oscillators that can load any wavetable from the built-in library or from external sources. Each oscillator can play up to 256 waveforms from a wavetable at a time, and can interpolate between them smoothly or abruptly. You can use the wavetable position knob to manually scan through the waveforms in a wavetable, or use an envelope, an LFO, or another modulation source to automate the wavetable position. You can also use the warp knob to apply various effects to the waveforms in a wavetable, such as bend, sync, flip, mirror, quantize, remap, and more.
Serum uses high-quality resampling and interpolation algorithms to ensure that the sound quality of the wavetables is preserved at any pitch or position. Serum also uses oversampling and antialiasing techniques to reduce aliasing and artifacts that may occur when playing high-frequency or modulated waveforms. Serum allows you to adjust the oversampling level from 1x to 8x in the global section, depending on your CPU usage and sound quality preferences.
How can you import, create, edit, and morph wavetables in Serum?
Serum has a built-in wavetable editor that lets you import, create, edit, and morph wavetables in various ways. You can access the wavetable editor by clicking on the pencil icon on the top right corner of each oscillator. The wavetable editor has four tabs: Single, Formula, Morph, and Process.
The Single tab lets you import or create a single waveform for each frame of the wavetable. You can import an audio file (such as a sample or a synth recording) and use the FFT analysis to convert it into a waveform. You can also draw your own waveform using the mouse or a tablet pen. You can use various tools to edit your waveform, such as smooth, fade, normalize, crossfade, crop, and more.
The Formula tab lets you create a waveform using a mathematical formula or an expression. You can use various functions, operators, variables, and constants to define your formula. You can also use presets or randomize your formula.
The Morph tab lets you morph between two or more waveforms in a wavetable using various modes and options. You can use crossfade, spectral, harmonic, or phase modes to morph your waveforms smoothly or abruptly. You can also sort, reverse, or shuffle your waveforms before morphing them.
The Process tab lets you apply various effects and transformations to your wavetables as a whole or to individual frames. You can use normalize, fade edges, remove DC offset, remove fundamental, add/remove harmonics, resample, quantize, and more. What are some examples of wavetable manipulation techniques and effects in Serum?
Here are some examples of wavetable manipulation techniques and effects that you can use in Serum to create interesting and unique sounds:
You can use the warp knob to bend, stretch, squeeze, or twist the waveforms in a wavetable using various modes, such as bend +/-, asym +/-, sync, flip, mirror, quantize, remap, and more. You can also modulate the warp knob with an envelope, an LFO, or another modulation source to create dynamic and expressive sounds.
You can use the FM (frequency modulation), AM (amplitude modulation), RM (ring modulation), or sync modes to modulate one oscillator by another. This can create complex and harmonically rich sounds that are not possible with a single oscillator. You can also adjust the modulation amount and ratio to control the intensity and pitch of the modulation.
You can use the unison mode to stack multiple copies of the same waveform and detune them slightly to create a thicker and wider sound. You can also adjust the unison voices, detune amount, blend, phase, and pan settings to fine-tune your unison sound. You can also use different unison modes, such as super, classic, or noise, to create different types of unison sounds.
You can use the sub oscillator to add a lower octave or a different waveform to your sound. You can also use the direct out option to bypass the filter and effects for the sub oscillator. You can also use the noise oscillator to add a noise layer or a custom sample to your sound. You can also use the one-shot and key tracking options to control how the noise oscillator plays.
Oscillators and Filters
How many oscillators and filters does Serum have and how do they work?
Serum has two main oscillators, a sub oscillator, and a noise oscillator. Each oscillator has its own wavetable and settings. The main oscillators can load any wavetable from the built-in library or from external sources. The sub oscillator can load any basic waveform from a list of options. The noise oscillator can load any noise sample from the built-in library or from external sources.
The main oscillators have four knobs: wavetable position, warp, pan, and level. The wavetable position knob lets you scan through the waveforms in a wavetable manually or with modulation. The warp knob lets you apply various effects to the waveforms in a wavetable using different modes. The pan knob lets you adjust the stereo position of each oscillator. The level knob lets you adjust the volume of each oscillator.
The sub oscillator has three knobs: octave, pan, and level. The octave knob lets you transpose the sub oscillator up or down by octaves. The pan knob lets you adjust the stereo position of the sub oscillator. The level knob lets you adjust the volume of the sub oscillator.
The noise oscillator has four knobs: pitch, pan, level, and phase/random. The pitch knob lets you transpose the noise oscillator up or down by semitones. The pan knob lets you adjust the stereo position of the noise oscillator. The level knob lets you adjust the volume of the noise oscillator. The phase/random knob lets you adjust the phase or randomness of the noise oscillator depending on the mode.
Serum has two filters that can process each oscillator individually or together. Each filter has seven knobs: filter type, cutoff, resonance, drive, fat, mix, and key tracking. The filter type knob lets you choose from various filter types, such as low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch, comb, formant, phaser, flanger, and more. The cutoff knob lets you adjust the frequency at which the filter starts to attenuate frequencies. The resonance knob lets you boost or cut frequencies around the cutoff frequency. The drive knob lets you add distortion or saturation to the filter output. The fat knob lets you increase the filter output level without clipping. The mix knob lets you blend between the dry and wet signals of the filter. The key tracking knob lets you modulate the cutoff frequency by the note pitch. How can you use unison, detune, warp, phase, and pan modes to shape your sounds?
One of the ways to shape your sounds in Serum is to use the unison, detune, warp, phase, and pan modes for each oscillator. These modes let you add width, depth, movement, and character to your sounds by manipulating the waveforms in different ways.
The unison mode lets you stack multiple copies of the same waveform and detune them slightly to create a thicker and wider sound. You can adjust the number of unison voices, the amount of detune, the blend between the center and the sides, the phase alignment, and the stereo panning of the unison voices. You can also choose from different unison modes, such as super, classic, or noise, to create different types of unison sounds.
The warp mode lets you bend, stretch, squeeze, or twist the waveforms in a wavetable using various effects. You can adjust the amount and direction of the warp effect using the warp knob. You can also choose from different warp modes, such as bend +/-, asym +/-, sync, flip, mirror, quantize, remap, and more. Each warp mode has its own parameters and options to tweak.
The phase mode lets you adjust the starting point of the waveform cycle for each oscillator. You can adjust the phase offset using the phase knob. You can also choose from different phase modes, such as zero (which resets the phase to zero every time a note is played), random (which randomizes the phase every time a note is played), or off (which lets the phase run freely).
The pan mode lets you adjust the stereo position of each oscillator. You can adjust the panning using the pan knob. You can also choose from different pan modes, such as normal (which pans the oscillator left or right), dual (which pans two copies of the oscillator in opposite directions), or split (which pans two copies of the oscillator in different directions depending on their frequency). How can you use the filter types, cutoff, resonance, drive, fat, mix, and key tracking to sculpt your sounds?
Another way to shape your sounds in Serum is to use the filter types, cutoff, resonance, drive, fat, mix, and key tracking for each filter. These settings let you attenuate or boost certain frequencies in your sounds by applying different types of filters and effects.
The filter type lets you choose from various filter types, such as low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, notch, comb, formant, phaser, flanger, and more. Each filter type has its own characteristics and sound. You can also choose from different filter models, such as analog, digital, or scream, to emulate different types of filters.
The cutoff lets you adjust the frequency at which the filter starts to attenuate frequencies. You can adjust the cutoff using the cutoff knob. You can also modulate the cutoff with an envelope, an LFO, or another modulation source to create dynamic and expressive sounds.
The resonance lets you boost or cut frequencies around the cutoff frequency. You can adjust the resonance using the resonance knob. You can also modulate the resonance with an envelope, an LFO, or another modulation source to create resonant and sharp sounds.
The drive lets you add distortion or saturation to the filter output. You can adjust the drive using the drive knob. You can also choose from different drive modes, such as soft, hard, diode, or tube, to create different types of distortion sounds.
The fat lets you increase the filter output level without clipping. You can adjust the fat using the fat knob. You can also use the fat mode to add extra harmonics or noise to the filter output.
The mix lets you blend between the dry and wet signals of the filter. You can adjust the mix using the mix knob. You can also modulate the mix with an envelope, an LFO, or another modulation source to create parallel filtering effects.
The key tracking lets you modulate the cutoff frequency by the note pitch. You can adjust the key tracking using the key tracking knob. You can also use the key tracking mode to invert or scale the key tracking effect. Envelopes, LFOs, and Modulation
How many envelopes and LFOs does Serum have and how do they work?
Serum has four envelopes and four LFOs that can be used to shape the sound over time with various modes and options. Each envelope and LFO has its own graphical display that lets you see and edit the shape and settings of the modulation source.
The envelopes are used to control the amplitude, pitch, filter, or any other parameter of the sound with a predefined curve. Each envelope has four stages: attack, decay, sustain, and release. The attack stage determines how long it takes for the envelope to reach its maximum level. The decay stage determines how long it takes for the envelope to drop from its maximum level to its sustain level. The sustain stage determines the level that the envelope holds until the note is released. The release stage determines how long it takes for the envelope to drop from its sustain level to zero.
The LFOs are used to modulate the amplitude, pitch, filter, or any other parameter of the sound with a periodic waveform. Each LFO has various parameters and options to control the shape, speed, phase, and mode of the modulation source. The shape parameter lets you choose from various waveform types, such as sine, triangle, saw, square, noise, or custom. The custom option lets you draw your own waveform using the mouse or a tablet pen. You can also use presets or import waveforms from other sources. The speed parame