i open sylenth1

i initialize...its a saw 1 voice

I lower the sustain to Zero

Why am i hearing CLICK CLICK CLICK every time a midi note hits?

with sustain at 0 shouldn't it have no sound?

i am trying to understand why every time a midi note hits it causes it to CLICK when the sustain is 0

 

Hello dear @petrrr, attached is a picture with the ideal settings of the ADSR. Please set sustain always around 75 -80%.
You can also memorize them and always use them.

 

And when we need a slower attack? and/or a shorter release with less decay and sustain?. there`s no such thing as ideal settings for ADSR.

 

Hi @rudolph, this is just a tip to help a beginner. Of course if you master sound design it's like you say.

 

It`s better to help beginners with true information, not just an easy to swallow “tip“ that later can cause a bad habit. Just my humble opinion.

 

decay is at 0......

everything is at 0 i was trying to see why the sound cannot be gone completely

but i guess u're right maybe even decay at 0 causes that short burst of clicky sound

 

So you want it to have no key click at all? That is the attack being set above 0. As already suggested, the low attack setting is possibly still going to produce some form of transient anyway. Just a smaller one. I just checked on an analog and it does the same thing. neat. The answer is because it is the correct behavior, it should click unless you do something about it.

 

Last edited: Oct 8, 2022

No one has explained why there is a click: It's due to fast amplitude change. Going from silent to loud very quickly, creating a (higher frequency) click. A sine wave does not have harmonics, but when you turn on and of the volume you get a transient that plays in the (fast) tweeter rather than the (slow) woofer.

You can, as said, remove the click by upping the ADSR attack and release times. You can also add a lowpass filter to remove the high frequency content.

 

Helping a beginner? How? This "information" is completely misleading.

Exactly

Exactly

....................

@petrrr, I've installed Sylenth to be sure to give you the right answer.

Look at the up part of the synth, in the center, there is the part that says "AMP ENV A"

There are 4 faders there, ADSR, in the init preset, the S (sustain) one should be at max by default. If it is at minimum level, this is when you listen to a click. So, simply open the sustain progressively and you'll listen to the sound of the wave form.

Now the technical explanation of why is there still a sound while all envelope parameters are at zero: That's because the attack and/or the decay times are not really zero and they let pass a short part of the sound before it get to sustain zero. This behavior is typical of analog synthesizers.
Click:

 

Last edited: Oct 9, 2022

See picture 1 - you hear nothing of the music ! See picture 2 - you hear music !

 

Last edited: Oct 10, 2022

You complete misunderstood what I wrote.
Read again.
Post title :
"Whats causing the clicky sound? Sylenth1 init patch question"
(Not "what's the supposed to be ideal sustain level" which btw does not exist.)
I've taken in account op's problem/question and explained why he is hearing a click while using Sylenth init preset.
And then I explained why this happened.
In his case, he is hearing only a click because all the parameters of the amp envelope are at zero.
I have not said that an amp envelope should be that way.

So please read my answer to op.

About sustain always at 80%, if you do that you lose a lot of flexibility, because the relationship between sustain level and attack and decay can make feel very differently that attack and decay time, so there is no rule about sustain level, because it all depends of what you want to achieve.

 

Last edited: Oct 9, 2022

The AMP ADSR controls the volume over time, making the sound more or less loud.

 

Last edited: Oct 10, 2022

Spoiler: The Amplifier ADSR Envelope: How to manipulate analog synth parameters

The Amplifier ADSR Envelope: How to manipulate analog synth parameters

ADSR stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release, and each one of these four parameters (or “stages”) of the envelope affects how loud your analog synth sound will play over time.

In “Creating and modifying sounds on analog synths“, New York composer, producer, and keyboardist Enrico de Trizio gave advice on getting to know analog synthesizers and how to use these amazing instruments to jumpstart your creativity and music making.

The Amplifier ADSR envelope
Learning how to navigate the Amplifier ADSR envelope is a key step in getting the sounds you want from many analog synthesizers — and digital ones as well. ADSR stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release, and each one of those four parameters (or “stages”) of the envelope affects how loud the instrument plays over time, from when you first hit a key to after you release it and the note fades to silence. Here are some details to help you get started.

Attack
Turn this knob to adjust how quickly a note you play achieves full volume after you hit a key. A low attack setting means the note plays at full volume very quickly, like someone hitting a snare drum, while a higher attack means you will hear a noticeable crescendo from silence to full volume — more like a chorus or orchestra swelling into its part in a piece. If you’re playing a searing, guitar-like riff, you will likely want a short attack; if you’re looking for ambient clouds of sound to back up an ethereal vocal, a longer attack time can help provide the effect you’re looking for.

Decay
Once a sound you’ve activated hits its full volume, it won’t necessarily stay there. Depending on how you’ve programmed your instrument, the sound might drop down to a lesser volume, and the decay setting determines how quickly it does that. Think of this parameter in terms of a horn section, where there might be a loud initial stab of a note, but then the volume fades to a quieter level. If you want ambient synthy atmospherics, a longer decay might give you the texture you’re looking for.

Sustain
A note will typically stay at a constant volume until you release the key (after the decay parameters have run their course). Sustain indicates the volume at which that note will play as long as you hold the key down. If you want to create a percussive synth bass sound for a propulsive track, for example, you may want a low sustain level, so it’s the rhythmic attack of the note that gets the most attention. If, instead, you want big swells, like a synthetic orchestra, you may want your sustain level to be high so your notes can sing in full glory for as long as you hold the key(s) down.

Release
After you let go of the key or keys you’re playing, the notes can cut to silence nearly instantly — or take a while to slowly fade into nothing. The release parameter lets you control this. If you’re playing a rapid-fire, percussive line, you may want to keep your release low so your playing doesn’t get mushy and hard to decipher. On the other hand, more textural approaches for something smooth or ambient can benefit from a longer release that allows your notes to gradually fade after you release them.

As you’re experimenting with ADSR settings with your own synths, de Trizio recommends remembering how each individual parameter affects the sound you’re creating. “Attack, decay, and delease behave in the time domain, meaning they affect how quickly or slowly things happen to the sound, while sustain acts in the domain of amplitude, meaning it doesn’t affect timing, it affects the level — or volume — of the note you’re playing. This distinction is important, and it’s what most people have a hard time with.”

As per de Trizio’s advice in the previous article, the best way to learn these parameters — and nearly everything else about analog synths — is to sit down with one, twist some knobs, play some notes, and see what happens. There’s nothing like experimentation to help you learn how to dial in sounds, discover new sonic possibilities, and take your music in unexpected directions.

Source: https://blog.discmakers.com/2018/01...pe-how-to-manipulate-analog-synth-parameters/

 

Last edited: Oct 10, 2022

Again, as an example, 4 snythesizers that start with an INIT preset. As you can see, the AMP ENV preset is never zero.

 

Last edited: Oct 10, 2022

I never said that init level was zero by default...
You are over reacting and making this personal...
Cool down

 

O.K thanks for your help.

 

Last edited: Oct 10, 2022