LinPlug SaxLab User Manual

u s e r m a n u a l

Copyright LinPlug Virtual Instruments GmbH 2004-2014.
All rights reserved.

Welcome

Thank you for purchasing a LinPlug SaxLab 2 license.

SaxLab 2 is a professional, flexible and easy-to-use virtual wind instrument
designed for creating music on your computer.

SaxLab 2 uses multi-sample playback of wind-instrument samples and
incorporates a specially designed four-voice crossfade system that is capable
of creating highly realistic wind instrument sounds. SaxLab 2’s key features
include an easy-to-use interface, a wide range of high-quality samples, an
effects section that includes chorus and reverb, as well as extensive real-time
modulation options. Special attention has been paid to making the
performance controls as rich and responsive as possible, so that the
instrument can be realistically “played”.

This manual describes all aspects of SaxLab 2 and is designed so that your
use of this software is as efficient and enjoyable as possible. At LinPlug we're
very proud of SaxLab 2; it's the result of many years of research and
synthesizer programming experience. We hope you get a lot of pleasure using
SaxLab and that it becomes an integral part of your music-making.

Peter Linsener and the LinPlug team, January 2014

Concept by Luigi Felici and Peter Linsener

Instrument by Luigi Felici, Peter Linsener and Pavol Markovič

Graphics by Shaun Ellwood and Branislav Pakić

Sounds by Luigi Felici

Manual by Chris Share

Special Thanks to Wellington and William

All technical specifications of the product specified in this manual may be subject to change
without notice. The document may not be changed, especially copyright notices may not be
removed or changed. LinPlug and all LinPlug product names are trademarks of LinPlug
Virtual Instruments GmbH. Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.,
registered in the U.S. and other countries. The Built for Mac OS X graphic is a trademark of
Apple Computer, Inc., used under license. The Audio Units logo and the Audio Units symbol
are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft® and Windows® are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Cubase and VST are
registered trademarks of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.

Table of Contents

Installation..........................................................................................................4

Features.............................................................................................................5

Overview............................................................................................................ 6

Main................................................................................................................... 8

Body.................................................................................................................10

Tune................................................................................................................. 11

Presets.............................................................................................................12

ECS..................................................................................................................14

Amplitude Envelope.........................................................................................15

Performance.................................................................................................... 17

LFO.................................................................................................................. 25

Deviation.......................................................................................................... 27

Effects.............................................................................................................. 28

Chorus..........................................................................................................29

Reverb..........................................................................................................29

Rear Panel....................................................................................................... 30

Registration......................................................................................................31

Support.............................................................................................................31

Glossary...........................................................................................................32

MIDI Implementation Chart..............................................................................34

Appendix A: Using TUN Files.......................................................................... 35

Installation

Installation on PC

SaxLab 2 comes with its own Installer. After downloading SaxLab 2 you will
find a file named "SaxLabInstallerNNN.exe" (where NNN is the respective
version number) located in your web browser’s download folder. Double-click
on this program to begin the installation process. The Installer will guide you
through the installation process.

Make sure you choose the right installation directory, so your host software
finds the SaxLab 2 VSTi. Refer to your host software's manual if you are
unsure about where the host software plug-in directory is located.

The instrument file "SaxLab2.DLL" and all of SaxLabs sound data will be
placed in the chosen directory. The next time you start your host software
SaxLab 2 will be listed in the VST Instrument list.

Installation on Mac

SaxLab 2 comes with its own Installer. After downloading SaxLab 2 you will
find a file named "SaxLabInstaller200.dmg" located in your web browser’s
download folder. Double-click this file to decompress and open the image,
then double-click the installer program to begin the installation process.

The installer will guide you through the installation process. The instrument
file "SaxLab" and the SaxLab 2 Presets will now be placed in the appropriate
directory for virtual instruments on your Mac. The next time you start your host
software SaxLab 2 will be listed in the AU and VST instrument list.

Common to Mac and PC

Once SaxLab 2 is installed it must be registered using your personal serial
number. This registration process is described in the Registration section of
this manual.

If you have any questions regarding the installation of SaxLab 2 please
contact our support team at www.linplug.com/support/support.htm.

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Features

SaxLab 2 contains a range of features designed to make your music-making
more efficient and enjoyable. These features are listed below:

§ Monophonic multi-sample playback with internal four-voice
crossfade.

§ An adjustable mix of three sound layers for each note: the “Air”
layer, the “Keys” layer and the “Pitched” layer.

§ Air/Keys and Pitched sound layer crossfade point is set by MIDI
velocity.

§ Many different SoundSets for various wind instruments.

§ User-definable, velocity-sensitive amplitude envelope.

§ Tonal characteristics of the instrument’s overall sound can be

defined by the user.

§ Real-time control of the instrument’s brightness, reverberation
amount and “Growl” effect.

§ Three modes of mono performance: Legato, Retrigger, Alternate

§ Control of Pitch Bend and Scoop.

§ Random pitch deviation per note.

§ Random “air” deviation per note.

§ Random body frequency deviation per note.

§ Envelope, LFO and MIDI-controlled vibrato and tremolo.

§ Stereo chorus and stereo reverb effects.

§ Microtuning support.

§ MIDI control available for every instrument parameter.

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Overview

SaxLab 2 is a monophonic wind instrument synthesizer with some unique
features. The synthesizer is based upon a multi-sample-playback design and
includes a three-layered, four-voice crossfade for each note produced.

The structure of SaxLab 2 synthesizer can be divided into nine sections:
Tune, Preset, Envelope, Body, Main, Performance, LFO, Deviation and FX
(Effects).

Audio signals are generated by a sample-playback synthesizer that gets
pitch ,velocity and controller information from the instrument's MIDI input. The
MIDI input is automatically connected to MIDI output of the host software.
SaxLab 2 receives MIDI on all channels simultaneously.

SaxLab2’s Sound Set determines the samples that are used by the
instrument. The Sound Set is selected in the Sound Set popup menu located
in the Main section. The particular scale tuning used by the SoundSet is set in
the instrument’s Tune section, along with its overall tuning settings.

In SaxLab 2, a note consists of three layers: the Main layer, the Keys layer
and the Air layer. The Main layer contains the pitched component of the
sound. The Keys layer contains the characteristic key “clicks” heard in some
wind instruments (especially in saxophones and clarinets ). The Air layer
contains the breath and “airflow” sounds that are an important part of the
sound of a wind instrument.

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The relative levels of the three layers are set using controls in the instrument’s
Main section. The relative levels of the three layers also respond to MIDI note
velocity. For example, when playing soft notes, the volume level of the Air and
Keys layers increases with respect to the Main layer. This replicates the
behaviour of a real wind instrument which becomes relatively “noisier” as it is
played more quietly. When playing louder notes the Main layer becomes
proportionately louder and comes to dominate the sound.

The Main layer of each SaxLab 2 note also includes an internal four-voice
crossfade which enables smooth legato transitions from one part of a note’s
envelope to another. This crossfade also enhances note-to-note transitions
which are very important in recreating realistic wind instrument sounds.

The output of the sample-playback oscillator is routed to SaxLab 2’s Body
section. The Body section contains a filter which modifies the frequency
spectrum of the oscillator's output. Here the overall tonal characteristics of the
currently loaded SoundSet can be modified.

An important part of the sound of a real acoustic instrument arises from the
real-time modulation of its sound. SaxLab 2 enables the user to modulate its
sound using three sources: envelopes, LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and
MIDI controllers.

SaxLab 2’s Amplitude Envelope section is used to control the way that the
instrument’s amplitude varies over time and includes controls for Attack Time,
Decay Time and Release Time. A second modulation source is SaxLab’s LFO
which can be mapped to either or both of the sound’s amplitude and pitch and
so can be used to create either tremolo or vibrato effects. A third modulation
source is real-time MIDI controllers. These can be mapped to numerous
destinations. Examples include MIDI Velocity to the amplitude envelope
depth, Modulation Wheel to LFO depth and MIDI Breath Control to brightness.

Note that for a realistic emulation often the control of SaxLab “Bright” by
Velocity leads to a more realistic performance than using the “Amp” by
Velocity. Actually Velocity should control more of the brightness (“Bright”) and
less of the amplitude (“Amp”).

Another important part of the sound of a real acoustic instrument is that no
two notes are exactly the same. No matter how hard the player may try, each
note is slightly different. Our ears are very sensitive to these differences and
can easily detect when two notes are identical. For this reason, SaxLab 2
incorporates Body, Air and Pitch Deviation controls which introduce small
random variations to the Body filter, the “air” component of the sound, and to
the overall pitch of the note each time a note is triggered.

SaxLab 2’s Effects section contains two effects: Chorus and Reverb. The
Chorus effect can be used to "thicken" a single sound creating the impression
that it contains multiple voices. The Reverb effect is used to create the
impression that the instrument is being played in a real acoustic space.

SaxLab 2.1.6 User Manual Page 7

The audio outputs of SaxLab 2 are automatically connected to the input of
your host software's mixer. Here you can set the pan position of SaxLab 2's
output. Hopefully, this section has given you a brief overview of how SaxLab 2
works. More detailed information can be found in the following sections.

Main

SaxLab 2’s Main section is located in the middle of the instrument’s Front
Panel. It contains controls for selecting the current Sound Set as well as for
setting the relative levels of the instrument’s three sound layers. It also
contains a MIDI indicator that shows when incoming MIDI Note-on messages
are received.

Sound Set: SaxLab 2’s Sound Set control is used for selecting the current
Sound Set. Each Sound Set is a collection of samples that the instrument
uses to generate sound. Each Sound Set is made up of three layers: the Main
layer, the Air layer and the Keys layer. These three layers are mixed to
produce the instrument’s overall sound. The Sound Set should not be
confused with a Preset. The former is a collection of samples used by the
instrument, while the latter is a “snapshot” of all the instrument’s current

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settings, and an associated Sound Set. As such, many Presets can utilize the
same Sound Set.

Keys: The Keys control sets the volume of the Keys sample layer. This layer
contains the characteristic key “clicks” usually heard in saxophones and
clarinets. Increasing the value of the Keys control makes the Keys layer
louder with respect to the instrument’s other two layers.

VOL (Volume): The VOL (Volume) control sets the volume of the pitched
sample layer. This layer contains the pitched component of the sound.
Increasing the value of the VOL (Volume) control makes the pitched
component of the sound louder with respect to the instrument’s other two
layers.

Air: The Air control sets the volume of the Air sample layer. This layer contains
the breath and “airflow” sounds that are an important part of the sound of a
real wind instrument. Increasing the value of the Air control makes the Air
layer louder with respect to the instrument’s other two layers.
Note: When using “Layered” or “Soft” Sound Sets it is recommended to only
use very low “Air” noise settings since these sets include soft played tones
which are naturally already noisy.

MIDI: The MIDI indicator lights up when any incoming MIDI Note-on
messages are received by SaxLab 2. Clicking and holding down a mouse
button while the cursor is over the MIDI indicator automatically plays a C3
note. The note is turned off when releasing the mouse button.

SaxLab 2.1.6 User Manual Page 9

Body

SaxLab 2’s Body section is located in the middle of the instrument's Front
Panel above the Main section. The Body section contains a filter with three
controls that allow you to shape the overall timbre of the instrument.

RES (Resonance): The RES control is used to set the amount of emphasis
around the filter’s cutoff frequency. Higher settings create a more pronounced
peak in the signal while lower settings produce a flatter response.

FREQ (Frequency): The FREQ control is used to set the frequency at which
the filter begins to take effect. Higher settings produce brighter sounds while
lower settings result in darker sounds.

Bright (Brightness): The Bright control is used to set the brightness of the
instrument’s sound. Higher settings will produce a more strident tone, while
lower settings will produce a softer, cooler sound.

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Tune

SaxLab 2’s Tune section is located on the upper left of the instrument’s Front
Panel. This section consists of four controls: Coarse (Tune), Fine (Tune), the
Tuning Display and Scale.

Coarse (Tune): The Coarse (Tune) control is used to set the overall pitch of
the instrument in semitone steps. Control settings range from -11 semitones
to +11 semitones.

Fine (Tune): The Fine (Tune) control is used to set the overall pitch of the
instrument in cents. A cent is 1/100 of a semitone. Control settings range from

-100 cents (-1 semitone) to +100 cents (+1 semitone).

Note that the overall pitch of the instrument can be raised or lowered by one
octave using a combination of the Coarse Tune control and the Fine Tune
control.

Also note that the Coarse Tune control and the Fine Tune control are used to
set the root note of the current scale. The controls transpose the scale’s
starting pitch to the selected pitch. Remember that if you use tunings other
than Equal Temperament, the overall pitch of the instrument must be set to
the root note of the key in which you wish to work. Otherwise, the notes of the
scale will not have the correct pitch.

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