Synthesizing StringsLesson 1 of 6

Why Strings Sound Like Strings

THE CONCEPT

A real string section sounds lush because dozens of players are never perfectly in tune with each other. Each bow stroke starts at a slightly different moment. Each instrument has its own resonance. Synthesizing strings means recreating that controlled imperfection — primarily through unison detuning and slow, gentle attacks.

TRY IT

Hit Trigger Note with the default fast attack and listen. Then drag the ATTACK knob slowly to the right (try 200–400ms) and trigger again. Hear how the sound swells in instead of snapping on — that's the bow catching the string. Combine a slow attack with a little detune for instant string warmth.

OSC + ENVELOPE

115Hz · sawtooth

OUTPUT

OSCILLATOR · OSC1 +DETUNE · OSC2 −DETUNE

115HzFREQ

0¢DETUNE

75%GAIN

ENVELOPE (ADSR)

8msATTACK

189msDECAY

70%SUSTAIN

818msRELEASE

OCT 4

NO MIDI

ASDF…=WHITE · WETYUO=BLACK

THINGS TO NOTICE

✦Sawtooth waves have the harmonic richness of a bowed string.

✦Even 5–10 cents of detune between two oscillators creates a chorus-like width.

✦A slow attack (100–300ms) softens the transient and sounds more bowed.

✦Real strings have a slight pitch wobble — that's vibrato, which we'll add with an LFO.