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rez
u s e r m a n u a l
www.ugoaudio.com
1
Overview
Rez is a seemingly basic synth, but it’s capable of a very wide range of sounds. While Rez has a
bunch of cool features, the beating heart of Rez is its filter. It’s made from multiple chained filters
acting as a single powerful filter and it’s highly resonant, providing Rez with its distinctive character.
Top that off with distortion, a phaser, various oscillator modulations, delay, and a killer programmable
arp and arp sequencer, and you’ve got a powerhouse of a synth in a very small package. From funky
squishes, beastly basses, and screaming leads, to tight arpeggiations, swirling rhythms, atmospheres,
bells, and interesting effects, you’ll find it all here.
Important note about the filter
While much effort has been put into making the filter easy to work with at extreme resonance levels,
strong frequency spikes are still quite possible. To reduce the risk of blowing out your speakers or your
ears, keep the volume levels low when working with high resonance levels, at least until you have
tested your preset over your controller’s full range. This is especially true when distortion is activated,
and also in the upper registers of your MIDI controller.
Skins
Rez comes with two GUIs, yellow and black, each built into its own DLL file. The two versions of the
synth are identical except for the color of the interface and each will load the same presets.
If only one DLL appears in your plug-in list...
The yellow and black versions of Rez need to use the same VST ID so that they can load the same
presets...but unfortunately some hosts do not allow plug-ins with the same VST ID to all be shown at
the same time, instead the host will only show one.
If only the black (or yellow) version is showing in your host, and you want to use the other one, try putting it in a sub-folder. For some hosts, this solves the problem. Other hosts may allow you to optionally
activate plug-ins that they ignored during the scan. Regrettably though, some hosts simply refuse to
show both at the same time no matter what you do.
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Installation
Just place the Rez folder into your host’s VST plug-in directory. Yup, that’s it. Nice and simple.
Presets
The presets built into Rez are excerpts from the commercial banks available for
it. Each comes with 128 presets, and are very affordably priced. So if you like the
way the included presets sound, you’ll love the full banks.
To purchase the banks, either click on the “Buy Presets” button on the GUI or go to
www.ugoaudio.com/soundware.
Main
VOL
Controls the overall volume of the synth.
AFTER
Switches the aftertouch support on/off. Aftertouch will modulate detune,
PH1, and PH2 (phase adjustments).
RTRG
Sets whether or not the envelopes retrigger when playing legato. This affects both the amp and
filter envelopes.
BEND
Sets the range in semitones (up/down) that the pitch bend on your controller will affect Rez.
RSET
When activated, this will cause the oscillator phases to reset when the following controls are all set to
zero and are not being modulated: Age, Detune, Phase Adjust 1, Phase Adjust 2.
Oscillator
WAVEFORM
Sets the waveform for oscillator 1 (the primary oscillator). The sub-oscillator consists of a layer of the
selected waveform with a triangle.
OCT1
Sets the pitch for oscillator 1.
OCT2
Sets the pitch for the sub-oscillator. This has a lower range than oscillator 1 as its primary use is to
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give the sound a bigger bottom.
SUB
Adjusts the volume of the
sub-oscillator on/off. Use this
to fatten up the sound or to
add notes to a patch that
uses noise.
AGE
Adjusts the degree that the pitch will be modulated by noise. At low settings it can add a nice bit of
body and texture to the sound. At higher settings it sounds like a hive of angry bees are powering the
oscillators.
LOW
Brings in a combination of bit crushing and sample rate reduction. The higher the setting, the more lofi
and distorted the sound will be.
PRT
Adjusts how much portamento (glide) effect you will get between notes.
DT
Sets the amount of detuning applied to the oscillators.
PH1
Sets the phase offset of the main oscillators.
PH2
Adjusts the amount that the output of oscillator 1 can modulate the phase of the sub-oscillator, often
adding a metallic character to the sound. Tip: Try this with a sine wave and a little distortion to shape
the waveform.
P1M / P2M
These two switches allow the LFO to modulate the phase parameters.
LFO
The slider sets the amount that the LFO will modulate the phase of
the oscillators.
SPEED
Sets the speed of the LFO.
WAVEFORM
Sets the LFO’s waveform.
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Arpeggiator
The arpeggiator in Rez is considerably
more complex than the average arp, offering not only timing control but pattern
programming and step sequencing control over gate time, portamento, cutoff,
and phaser frequency. This allows you to
create fantastic melodic and percussive
patterns to propel or accent your songs.
Additionally, the arpeggiator in Res is a phrase arp - meaning that the notes are triggered in the order
you play the keys.
Important note about timing and resets
The arp sequencer resets with MIDI note-on, as well as when you press play in your host sequencer.
However, there can unfortunately still be a lag before the arp starts. To ensure your arp will play back
in time, start your host playback a bit before the start of the bar. If this is not possible at the time, the
arp will snap back into sync when it receives the next MIDI note. Alternatively, you can also press the
manual reset button.
ON
Unsurprisingly it turns the arp on...but it also has a special feature: it
turns off when you click it again. Gotta love modern technology.
LCH
When switched on, the arp will keep playing after you’ve let go of the
keys. Note: Changing presets while an arp is latched can potentially
cause stuck notes.
DIRECTION
Selects the playback direction for the sequencer. Keep in mind that this does not affect the order of
the notes, but rather just the direction of the sequencer that controls when any note is triggered. There
are three options:
Forward: Sequencer plays forward, wrapping back to step 1 after the final step has played.
Bounce 1: Once the final step has played, the sequencer runs in reverse, then bounces back
to play forward again.
Bounce 2: Similar to Bounce 1 except that the first and last steps on each bounce are played
twice.
SPEED
Selects the speed the arpeggiator will play in relation to the host tempo. The options range from rather
slow to very fast, plus two additional odd-time speeds.
OCT
Sets the octave range for the arp.
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STPS
Sets the number of steps for the arp, from 1 to 16.
LVL DISP
Selects which step modulation is displayed: Gate Time, Portamento, Cutoff, or Phaser Frequency.
G+
Adds an adjustable amount of extension to the gate time. This is most helpful for when you’re
playing at slow speeds but want each step to remain active for longer.
CT+
Controls how much the cutoff sequencer can affect the filter cutoff. This is handy for when
you need the sequencer to remain in a smaller modulation range, but still want the program-
ming convenience of using the full range of the step sequencer control bars.
ARP SEQ: First Row - step on/off
Each of these buttons controls when a note will play.
ARP SEQ: Second Row - step indicator
Lights up to show you what step the sequencer is on.
ARP SEQ: Third Row - step mod display
Adjust these bars to control the level of each step for the function indicated in the LVL DISP. (Gate
Time, Portamento, Cutoff, or Phaser Frequency.)
ARP SEQ: Fourth Row - step sequencer functions
These four switches turn on/off the step sequencer modulation for each of the following functions:
GT - Gate Time
PR - Portamento
CT - Cutoff
PH - Phaser Frequency
RESET
Clicking this will reset the sequencer to step 1. If you’re having problems getting Rez to reset properly
at note-on, you can try sequencing/automating a quick on/off of this switch right before the first step
needs to play.
Filter
CUT
Adjusts the filter cutoff.
SEP
This control offsets the cutoff setting between some of the multiple filters within Rez, smoothing out the sound when at higher
resonance settings and providing a more “vocal” sound. Tip: If
you’re looking for a good “squish” to your filter sound...crank
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up the resonance, modulate the cutoff, then fine tune the cutoff and separation until you dial in what
you’re looking for.
RES
Filter resonance - as noted earlier in the manual, this thing can deliver some serious resonance, so
beware when using this at higher volumes and when the distortion is on.
VEL
Controls how much the cutoff will react to key velocity.
LFO
Adjusts how much the LFO will modulate the cutoff.
WAVEFORM
Sets the LFO’s waveform.
SPEED
Sets the speed of the LFO.
Envelopes
For the most part, the amp and filter envelopes work the same:
A - speed of the attack phase
D - how long before the envelope decays
S - level of the envelope’s sustain phase
R - how long the envelope release time will be
LVL
This function is only on the filter envelope, and it controls how much the envelope can modulate the filter cutoff. Tip: To add a percussive sound to the
beginning of your preset, try keeping the attack and sustain at zero, add a
tiny bit of decay time, and adjust the level and cutoff sliders accordingly. This
will make the cutoff quickly jump from a higher setting to a lower one. Depending on your settings, the results can be a click, pop, thump - until you
start hitting longer decay times when you’ll hear the filter sweep better.
Drive
This is the first effect in the effects chain, and its effect can range from a slight bit
of boost and dirt to a fire breathing fury. You’ll find that the strength/character of
the Drive can be highly dependent on the oscillator and filter settings, so it’s worth
adjusting settings while the drive is on to see how things may change.
ON
Another magical and highly complex control - turns on/off the overdrive.
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GAIN
Adjusts the amount of overdrive in the sound.
TONE
Three flavors of tone:
Warm: Relatively full bodied for the majority of its range, without too much high end.
Bright: Lots of highs but retaining the lows too. This one really has some teeth. Tip: At its
lowest settings, this one is great for adding a little bit of a boost and life to a sound, without
overdriving it too much.
Thin: Upper mids and highs, all the way. Want the tonal equivalent of the sharp edge of a tin
can, or broken glass? You’ll find it here.
Phaser
In addition to the usual swooshing effect of most phasers, this one also has a rather vocal quality to it, making it
sound almost like a cross between a phaser and a formant filter. Also, you’ll find that this has two extra features
that most phasers don’t have. The first is that you don’t
have to have it modulated at all, if you don’t want to. This
lets you use the phaser as another tone shaping option.
The other feature is that the frequency can be modulated
by key velocity, which provides some rather fun filter-style effects.
The phaser is the second effect in the chain. So when all 3 effects are turned on, the phaser will fall
between the overdrive and the delay.
ON
You’ll never guess what this switch does.
WET
Sets the wet/dry (pre/post phaser) mix.
FRQ
Adjusts the frequency.
FBK
Adjusts the feedback. Raising it will make the effect more prominent and resonant.
VEL
Sets the amount the phaser frequency gets modulated by key velocity.
LFO
Adjusts how much the LFO will modulate the frequency.
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WAVEFORM
Sets the LFO’s waveform.
SPEED
Sets the speed of the LFO.
Delay
The final effect in the signal chain, this is actually 2 delays running parallel. You can set the speed of each delay separately, as
well as their distance from each other in the stereo field - allowing for ping-pong effects.
ON
Oh, mysterious control...when will you finally reveal your secrets?
MOD
Adjusts the amount that the delay time will be modulated by an internal LFO. This alters the pitch of
the delay. When used lightly it can add a little extra life and body to the sound. At higher settings, it
gets more trippy.
VOL
Controls the volume of the delay.
FBK
Controls the delay’s feedback - the number of times it repeats. The effect has been adjusted so that
when the delays are set to different speeds, both repeat for roughly the same length of time.
WD
Adjusts the width - how far the delays are separated from each other in the stereo field. The higher the
setting, the further the delays are panned apart from each other. At the lowest setting, both are set to
center.
SPEED
Sets the speed for each delay. The delays will sync to your host’s clock.
DOT
Dotted notes.
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TroubleShooting
Problem - The arp is starting too late.
The arp sequencer resets with MIDI note-on, as well as when you press play in your host sequencer.
However, there can unfortunately still be a lag before the arp starts. To ensure your arp will play back
in time, start your host playback a bit before the start of the bar. If this is not possible at the time, the
arp will snap back into sync when it receives the next MIDI note. Alternatively, you can also press the
manual reset button.
Problem - A note is sticking.
In some situations, when switching presets when the arp is still playing (especially when the arp’s
latch function is on) notes can get stuck. So if you’ve got a stuck note, try turning the arp on/off.
Problem – Arpeggiator gate settings sound a little different in different hosts.
This seems to be an issue with how the arp divides the MIDI-in various hosts. So far, it only seems to
differ very slightly, so a minor adjustment of the gate will get the preset sounding fine again.
Problem - Only one DLL appears in your plug-in list.
The yellow and black versions of Rez need to use the same VST ID so that they can load the same
presets...but unfortunately some hosts do not allow plug-ins with the same VST ID to all be shown at
the same time, instead the host will only show one.
If only the black (or yellow) version is showing in your host, and you want to use the other one, try putting it in a sub-folder. For some hosts, this solves the problem. Other hosts may allow you to optionally
activate plug-ins that they ignored during the scan. Regrettably though, some hosts simply refuse to
show both at the same time no matter what you do.
10
Credits
Rez 3.0
Created by Ugo (Chris Sciurba)
Website - www.ugoaudio.com
Email - ugo@ugoaudio.com
This plug-in incorporates SynthEdit modules and prefabs by:
Dave Haupt - www.dehaupt.com
Chris Kerry - www.chriskerry.f9.co.uk
Kelly Lynch - www.rubidiumhexafluorosilicate.com/synthedit
Lance Putnum - www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~ljputnam/synthedit.html
Rick Jelliffe - extra.schematron.com
Scoofster Modules - scp.web.elte.hu/synthedit
Attila Fustos - www.vstline.com
Many thanks to the beta testers:
Jeff Rhodes (Perimeter Sound Arts)
Musical Gym
rsmus7
VSTJuNkiE
Antoine Bertier
Thanks also to the artists who created demo songs for me:
Andy-B aka reusenoise - www.reusenoise.com
Cosmic Ram - www.cosmicram.com
Doc Jon - soundcloud.com/docjon
evo2slo - soundcloud.com/evo2slo
GilJ - soundcloud.com/gilj
HiEnergy - soundcloud.com/HiEnergy
Irion Da Ronin - www.myspace.com/iriondaronin
John Engle - soundcloud.com/jingle
shadoe42 - soundcloud.com/shadoe42
Spidergod (Darren Fisher) - spidergod.bandcamp.com
Taotekid - taotekid.bandcamp.com
The Second Division - www.facebook.com/seconddivision
Trackdriver - soundcloud.com/thetrackdriver
Tristeza Orange - www.acustronica.com/artists/66-tristeza-orange.html
Vox - www.myspace.com/voxproject
ZeroChamber - www.zerochamber.com
And finally, thanks to Amber, who helped proofread the website and manual (including this sentence).
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