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To clone the 808 snare sound
1 Load the Standard Tutorial setting.
You are now ready to replicate the resonating filters of the 808 snare using two cleverly
programmed phase oscillators.
2 Assign slightly different Slope values to two phase oscillators, and detune them by almost
an octave.
3 Adjust the tonal relationship between the oscillators so that it is uneven—from E3 to F2,
for example.
4 Control the volume of each oscillator with a different envelope. Adjust the decay times
so that the envelope for the lower-tuned oscillator has a longer decay time than the very
snappy envelope setting for the higher oscillator.
5 Feed the output of both oscillators into Ultrabeat’s main filter, and hollow out the sound
with a highpass filter. Activate the filter bypass button in both oscillators. Choose the HP
12 setting in the filter, a Cutoff value around 0.40, and a Resonance value of about 0.70.
You have just cleverly emulated both of the 808’s resonating filters. Shifting the pitch of
both oscillators simulates the behavior of the 808’s Tone control, by the way.
To complete the 808 emulation by adding some noise
1 Switch the noise generator on, and activate the highpass mode in its filter (HP).
2 Set the Cutoff value to about 0.65, Resonance to 0.35, and add a little Dirt (around 0.06).
The noise generator provides the sustained snare sound. It should be shaped by its own
envelope—independent of the decay phases of both oscillators—to get 808-like results.
Changing the volume of the noise generator simulates the snap parameter of the 808.
Note: The 808 snare drum described is listed as “snare 3-808” in the Tutorial Kit, at a pitch
of F#1. It also features an interesting EQ setting.
Ultrabeat Tutorial: Changing Dynamics with Velocity
Use the 808 snare drum sounds in the Tutorial Kit to explore the possibilities Ultrabeat
offers for implementing velocity.
To use velocity modulation
1 Select the “snare 3-808” sound.
310 Chapter 11 Ultrabeat