Image line software SAWER OVERVIEW User Manual

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Sawer

Sawer is a vintage modeling synthesizer, that can cut through a mix with precisely articulated and punchy
sounds.

Overview

Sawer Development

Filters & Oscillators

Sawer pays homage to the envelopes and filters of a rare 1980s 'Soviet era' analog synthesizer, Polivoks .
Maxx has devoted meticulous attention to the detail of Sawer's filter design, ensuring Sawer delivers a
unique sonic character reminiscent of the Polivoks hardware. But Polivoks, like all analog synthesizers,
wasn't without its problems. Keeping the oscillators stable and in tune has been likened to 'moving a pile of
live frogs, by wheelbarrow', impossible! As Sawer is algorithmic, this solves the problems of tuning and
stability, however, in the same way electrical component instability makes analog gear unique (if not
cranky), Sawer benefits from the 21st century equivalent, a coding error.

While programming the SAW oscillator, Maxx accidentally set some incorrect variables and immediately the
sound gained bass, acquired some light but pleasing noise on the attack and an overall richer sonic
spectra. Maxx realized this was not a mistake, it was a discovery. Builing on this sound Maxx added some
frequency modulation to give it a touch of analog 'authenticity' and so Sawer was born.

Physical Envelopes

Sawer carries forward the 'physical' envelopes first heard in Toxic Biohazard. Physical envelopes are so
called as they are modeled on the physical decay & resonance of natural sounds. Rendered in real-time,
without interpolation to avoid noise artifacts, they allow Sawer to deliver incredibly fast, sample-accurate,
envelopes.

Features

Sawer has the following key design features -

Voicing

Main oscillator for subtractive synthesis: SAW shape with Sync frequency.
Sub oscillator (-2 to +2 octaves) with level, phase & detune controls.
1 NOISE Oscillator.
Variable polyphony (1 to 24 voices).
8 voice UNISON with user-adjustable stereo panning, detune and 'Octaver'. The Octaver expands the

harmonic range and flexibility of the unison sound. Additionally it allows to support the creation of
realistic 'vox-like' effects.

Modulation

SYNC frequency modulation.
RING modulation.
2 ADSR envelope generators (one user-assignable to modulation parameters).
4 FILTER modes - low pass (24 & 12 dB/Oct), band pass and high pass. Sawer features a warm,

analog-modeled filter with self oscillation. The Sawer filter can sound bright and clean passing high­frequencies transparently or 'gritty and grungy' with the addition of resonance (including carefully
crafted distortion) for that 'exciting' sound.

Keyboard and Velocity tracking for the filter.

Effects

CHORUS provides a fat and warm sound with excellent unison emulation.
PHASER great for stereo 'panning' effect.
DELAY effect, with tempo-synced click-free stereo delays and delay time modulation. Lo-cut and hi-

cut for trancers!
REVERB simulating acoustic spaces.

Performance

Muti-mode Arpeggiator.
MIDI learn feature with the ability to save/load MIDI setups to/from a patch.
MIDI MODULATION MATRIX - Controller parameters (e.g. LFO and MOD WHEEL) can be assigned to a

wide range of performance parameters in Sawer.

Sawer Online

Hear demo tracks, check for updates or purchase Sawer online at www.image-line.com

Plugin Credits:

Sawer was created by Maxx Claster exclusively for ­Image Line Software BVBA

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Sawer - General Settings & Controls

General Settings & Controls

The Master Controls section provides a range of global controls as described below:

Program management

BANK: Several options for managing banks -

Bank names - Displays the names of banks available to load.
Online content - Opens the online-content browser where you can download new Sawer patches

and banks (if available).

PRG (Program) - Drop-down menu containing the list of preset sounds in the current Bank.
OPTIONS -

Save Program - Save the current program (sound) as a single file.
Load Program - Load a single program (sound). Note: this will overwrite the currently selected

program in the loaded bank.

Reset Program - Reset Sawer program to the default state.
Import CC Map - Load a Continuous Controllers MIDI setup from preset file.
Reset CC Map - Reset the Continuous Controllers MIDI settings to the default state.

MIDI Controls

CTRL (Control): Shows the active MIDI control and value.
LINK: Link the last touched MIDI parameter (on your controller) to the selected target in Sawer.
UNLINK: Unlink the displayed link-relationship.
PARAM: Displays the value of the currently selected parameter.

Voice Controls

POLYPHONY: Set 4 to 24 note polyphony. Polyphony sets the maximum number of notes that can
sound at one time. With lower polyphony numbers the 'voice stealing' will occur, this can help to keep
CPU loads down.

BEND RANGE: Sets the maximum pitch bend range in semitones (1 to 12).
?: Sawer information.

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Sawer - Master Controls

Master Controls

The Master Controls section provides a range of global controls as described below:

Amplifier

LEVEL - Final output volume control.
PANNING - Final output panning.
ADSR - Note volume envelope controls:

ATK (Attack) - Note volume ramp-up speed.
DEC (Decay) - Note volume ramp down speed (after reaching the maximum level set by the

Attack).

SUS (Sustain) - Note volume when held (after the Decay time has completed).
REL (Release) - Note volume release rate (decays to silence).

Tuning

TRANSP (Transpose) - Controls the global pitch in semitones.
FINE - Controls the global pitch in cents (1/100th semitone steps). The range is -100 to +100 cents

with 0 in the middle position (vertical knob).

Portamento

Portamento is used to slide between notes or create legato effects.

STATIC/VARI (Static / Variable) - Static : Glide time is static. Notes will glide at a variable rate so
that glide-time is independent of the jump size. Variable: Glide time is variable depending on jump
size. The glide rate is fixed so larger note intervals will take longer.

BEND/HELD - Bend: All notes will glide. Held: Only held (overlapping) notes will glide.
GLIDE TIME Controls the slide-rate between notes.

Voicing

MONO/POLY (Monophonic/Polyphonic) - Monophonic: playback mode, only one note will play at
a time. Polyphonic: playback mode, multiple notes will play, up to the maximum set by the General
Settings POLYPHONY option.

OCT (Octave) Even numbered UNISON voices are shifted up one octave.
RETRIG (Retrigger) All unison voices are retriggered and phases reset at note on.
UNISON VOICES Set the number of unison voices from 1 to 8. 1 = No unison. Unison is similar to

chorus in that copies of each voice (note) are detuned and panned to create a thicker audio texture.
UNISON DETUNE - The relative detuning of the unison voices. Higher levels creates a more discordant

sound.
UNISON PANNING - The relative stereo panning of the unison voices. Higher levels create a wider

stereo field.

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Sawer - Oscillators

Oscillators

Oscillators are the basic sound sources of a synthesizer, Sawer has 2 Oscillators (Main and SUB Oscillator)
and one 'Noise' source. The main oscillator generates SAW shapes that can be further filtered. The SUB
Oscillator can generate SAW or SQUARE shapes and has level, phase, octave and detune controls. These
oscillators features together with 'Unison' in the Master Controls section and the Effects Section allowoscillators features together with 'Unison' in the Master Controls section and the Effects Section allow
Sawer to create thick, lush textures and cutting leads.

Controls

Main SAW oscillator -

NOISE LVL (Level) - Controls the level of the Noise oscillator. Noise can be used to give a sharp,

breath or metallic attack quality to sounds.
SYNC FREQ - When Sync is selected (the switch is to the upper right of the Sync-knob), the Main-

oscillator syncronizes its phase to (an unheard oscillator's) frequency. In other words, every time the
Sync-frequency oscillator completes a cycle the Main-oscillator is forced to reset it's cycle from the
beginning. This adds in harmonics or overtones to the sound. Automating the Sync-frequency control
is an effective way of generating cutting and evolving saw-sounds.

Sub Oscillator

RETRIG (Retrigger) - Resets the phase of the Sub Oscillator at note-on events.
INVERT - Inverts the phase of the Sub Oscillator.
SQUARE - Sets the oscillator to a square wave.
LEVEL - Relative volume of the Sub-Saw.
PHASE - Phase relationship between the Sub-saw and Main-Saw oscillators.
OCTAVE - Changes the pitch of the Sub-oscillator in octaves.
DETUNE - Offsets the tune of the Sub-oscillator.

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Sawer - Filter

Filter Section

The Sawer filter can be used to shape the output from the Oscillators transforming the sound into
something completely new. The Sawer Filter operates in LowPass (two filter slopes 12 & 24 dB/Oct), High
Pass and Band Pass modes as described below.

Filter Controls

CUTOFF - Sets the filter cutoff frequency. Try automating this filter knob for interesting sound
variations. The LFO section can be used to control the Cutoff knob or the ENVELOPE section below.

RESO (Resonance) - Filter resonance introduces a frequency boost, just prior to the cutoff slope, this
gives the sound a metallic or 'resonant' quality.

KBD TRK (Keyboard Tracking) - This links the cutoff frequency to the MIDI note number. Low notes
will have a lower cutoff frequency for a 'darker' sound while higher notes will have a higher cutoff
frequency for a 'brighter' sound. The amount of keyboard tracking controls the strength of this effect.

VEL TRK (Velocity Tracking) - This links the filter cutoff frequency to note velocity. Soft notes will
have a darker more muted sound while hard notes will have a brighter sound. The amount of velocity
tracking controls the strength of this effect.

MODEToggles the filter between -

LP 12 / 24 - Low-Pass (12 or 24 dB per octave), frequencies below the cutoff are allowed to pass,

those above are filtered out.
BP - Band-Pass, a band of frequencies are allowed to pass, those above and below the center of the

band (controlled by the CUTOFF knob) are filtered out.
HP - High-Pass, frequencies above the cutoff frequency are allowed to pass, those below are filtered

out.

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Sawer - Modulation

Modulation

Sawer provides an Envelope and LFO source that can be used to control a number of destination controls
on the interface. Modulation is critical for achieving the most interesting and evolving sounds.

Envelope Controls

A modulation envelope responds to note events as follows:

ADSR -

ATK (Attack) - Modulation envelope ramp-up speed.
DEC (Decay) - Modulation envelope ramp down speed (after reaching the maximum level set by the

Attack).

SUS (Sustain) - Modulation envelope note sustain level (after the Decay time has completed).
REL (Release) - Modulation envelope note release rate (decays to silence).

AMPLITUDE - Is a multiplier factor, or the amount of Modulation Envelope applied to the Destination

control.

DESTINATION - Select the Envelope to modulate:

CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.
SYNC FRQ (Frequency) - Main oscillator synchronization frequency.SYNC FRQ (Frequency) - Main oscillator synchronization frequency.
SUB PHASE - Sub-oscillator phase.SUB PHASE - Sub-oscillator phase.
MASTER FRQ (Frequency) - Master tuning frequency.MASTER FRQ (Frequency) - Master tuning frequency.

LFO Controls

LFO is a 'Low Frequency Oscillator' that is an Oscillator that creates an output changes at a rate between 0
and 10 Hz. This generator is used to control parameters inside Sawer to add motion or variability to sounds
in order to make them more interesting or a 'human' feeling.

SPEED - LFO speed, between 0 and 10 Hz.
ATTACK - Fade-in for the LFO, ramps up the LFO amount. This is linked to a note-on event.
RELEASE - Fade-out for the LFO, ramps down the LFO amount. This is linked to a note-release event.
AMPLITUDE - A multiplier or amount of LFO to be applied to the Destination control.
RETRIG (Retrigger) - Restarts the LFO cycle at the start of each note.
TMP SYNC (Tempo Sync) - Synchronizes the LFO speed to the host tempo. When selected the SPEED

knob now controls the tempo sync from 1/16th to 32/4.

INVERT - Inverts the phase of the LFO waveform.
SHAPE - Select the LFO shape (TRIANGLE, SAW, SQUARE, RANDOM).
LFO DESTINATION LFO Destination, select from -

CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.
SYNC FRQ (Frequency) - Main oscillator synchronization frequency.SYNC FRQ (Frequency) - Main oscillator synchronization frequency.
PHASE - Sub-oscillator phase.PHASE - Sub-oscillator phase.
FREQ (Frequency) - Master tuning frequency.FREQ (Frequency) - Master tuning frequency.
NOISE - Controls the Oscillator noise level.NOISE - Controls the Oscillator noise level.
LEVEL - Master volume.LEVEL - Master volume.
PAN - Master panning.PAN - Master panning.

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Sawer - Effects

Effects

The effects are important to add 'polish' to your sounds. Sawer offers CHORUS , PHASER , DELAY and
REVERB , To activate the effect, click on the 'ON' button next to the effect name (it will light red).

CHORUS

The Chorus effect results from the interaction of several copies of the original sound that are detuned by a
very small and continuously variable amount. It is called 'Chorus' because it can make a single voice sound
like that of a chorus of singers (all slightly out of tune relative to each other) to create a thick and lush
texture. The Chorus in Sawer does not have delay time control, rather delay time is modulated with the
main LFO, so it varies from zero to "depth" in range. With rate at which the pitch variations occur is
controlled by "rate" knob.

DEPTH - Depth of the chorus detuning.
RATE - The speed at which the chorus voices change pitch (in Hz).
MIX - The amount of wet (effect) added to the dry sound (i.e. Full-Left is 100% Dry + 0% Wet, Full-

Right is 100% Dry + 100% Wet).

PHASER

Phasing is closely related to Flanging. Various frequencies in the original signal are delayed by different
amounts, causing peaks and troughs in the output signal. Phasing and flanging sound similar, as both
come from combining delayed versions of the signal with the original. However, the Phasing effect is
significantly more intense, with a greater 'sweeping' effect across the spectrum.

CENTER - Center frequency around which the phase inversion occurs.
RATE - Controls the LFO detune speed between phaser voices.
DEPTH - Control the range (depth) of the phasing effect.
FDBK (Feedback) - Increases the amount of signal fed back into the phaser for a more complex

sound.
MIX - Mix between the wet and dry signal. Effect level in other words.

DELAY

Delay is an echo-based effect. Very short values of the delay time controls can produce a 'reverb' like
sound while longer asymmetrical settings are great for left-right 'ping-pong' effects.

LEFT - Delay time for the left channel.
RIGHT - Delay time for the right channel.
FDBK (Feedback) - Adjusts the level of the delay feedback. Greater levels produce more echoes.
M DPTH (Modulation Depth) Delay Time Modulation Depth. This is an internal LFO that can modulate

the delay time.
LO-CUT - Low Cut, sets a high-pass filter amount applied to the delay feedback loop. That is, the longer

the tail of echoes, the less low frequencies they will contain. The sound becomes 'thinner'.
HI-CUT - High Cut, sets a low-pass filter amount applied to the delay feedback loop. That is, the longer

the tail of echoes, the less high frequencies they will contain. The sound becomes 'darker'.
MIX - The amount DELAY effect added to the dry sound.

REVERB

Reverb, short for reverberation, simulates acoustic spaces. If you clap your hands in a bathroom and in a
concert hall, the two sounds will be quite different. In enclosed spaces reflections overlap one another to
create a 'reverberant' sound. Sawer's reverb parameters allow you to simulate different types of acoustic
spaces. If you want to give your patches a realistic (live) feel, then use of reverb is critical.

DECAY - The time it takes the reverberation to fade away. Higher values make the room sound like it
has hard shiny surfaces. Lower values more muted and padded.

HI-CUT - Changes the cut-off frequency of a low-pass filter. Use this to remove high frequencies from
the reverb, or to make the room sound duller.

DAMP (Damping) - Damping, adjusts attenuation of the high frequencies in the reverb signal.
Damping refers to the rate at which the high frequencies decay relative to the low frequencies. This level
control causes the sound to become gradually muffled and warmer. The frequencies affected are
controlled by the HI-CUT knob.

MIX - Mix between the wet (reverberant) and dry signal.

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Sawer - Arpeggiator

Sawer Arpeggiator

The Sawer Arpeggiator can sync the playback of various patterns to the host tempo allowing you to create
complex melodies while holding down notes or chords, instant gratification is yours!

Controls

MODE - Select from one of 5 modes:

UP: Notes are played back from the lowest to the highest held and then the arpeggiator loops back to

the start (e.g. 1,2,3,4 - 1,2,3,4 etc).
DOWN: Notes are played back from the highest to the lowest held and then the arpeggiator loops

back to the start (4,3,2,1 - 4,3,2,1 etc).
UP/DN (Up/Down): The note sequence runs up and down those held (e.g. 1,2,3,4,3,2,1 -

1,2,3,4,3,2,1 etc).

RND (Random): Notes are played back in random order from among those held.
PLAY - Select to turn on the Arpeggiator.
SYNC: Tempo Sync, this determines how quickly and in what time signature the Arpeggiator will play

relative to the host tempo. 1/32 (32nd notes) is the fastest setting while 3/4 (whole notes) is the
slowest.

RANGE: Select the number of octaves the pattern will be played over. Select from 1 to 4 octaves.

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Sawer - MIDI Modulation Matrix

MIDI

The MIDI Modulation Matrix provides the ability to route a MIDI controller to a range of targets in Sawer,
as described below. Note: MIDI assignments are saved on a per-program (sound) basis.

Controls

The matrix provides 6 Source & Destination pairings. That is 6 MIDI controller source to Sawer destination
controls.

SOURCE - Click on the Source Name area to open a drop-down list of MIDI sources.
AMNT (Amount) - The amount of modulation that the source will apply to the destination.
DESTINATION - Click on the Destination field to open a drop-down menu of Sawer controls.

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Credits

Sawer Webpage

Sawer at www.image-line.comSawer at www.image-line.com

Manual:

Scott Fisher & Maxx Claster. No one reads the manual!

Distributed by

Image Line Software BVBAImage Line Software BVBA

Kortrijksesteenweg 281
B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem

BelgiumBelgium

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Credits

Sawer Webpage

Sawer at www.image-line.comSawer at www.image-line.com

Manual:

Scott Fisher & Maxx Claster. No one reads the manual!

Distributed by

Image Line Software BVBAImage Line Software BVBA

Kortrijksesteenweg 281
B-9830 Sint-Martens-Latem

BelgiumBelgium