Charlatan 3 Virtual Analog Synthesizer: Getting Started

Every virtual analog synth, Charlatan 3 included, follows the same path from oscillator to speaker. Learn that path once and every synth in your folder makes sense. This tutorial-style guide walks the signal chain, then builds four classic patches with concrete values. The names of some knobs will differ in the actual plugin, so I have kept everything generic; check the developer's page for the specific feature list and format support.

The signal path in one picture

Sound begins at the oscillators, passes through a mixer, then a filter, then an amplifier. Envelopes and LFOs move things along the way.

• Oscillators: choose the waveform. Saw is bright and full, square is hollow, triangle is soft, sine is pure.
• Filter: a low-pass removes highs. Cutoff sets where, resonance emphasises that point.
• Amp envelope: shapes volume over time with attack, decay, sustain and release.
• Filter envelope: shapes brightness over time. This is what gives a pluck its snap.
• LFO: a slow wave that wobbles pitch, cutoff or volume.

Patch 1: Fat mono bass

1. Two saw oscillators, one detuned by about 7 cents, the other an octave down.
2. Low-pass filter, cutoff around 30 percent, resonance around 20 percent.
3. Filter envelope: attack 0, decay 200 ms, sustain low, amount moderate.
4. Amp envelope: attack 0, decay 300 ms, sustain full, release 80 ms.
5. Set the voice mode to mono or legato if the synth has one, so notes glide cleanly.

Patch 2: Warm pad

1. Two saws or a saw and a square, detuned a few cents apart.
2. Cutoff at half way, gentle resonance.
3. Amp attack 600 ms to 1 s, release 1.5 s.
4. Slow LFO on cutoff at 0.2 Hz with low depth.
5. Add chorus and a long reverb after the synth.

Patch 3: Pluck lead

1. One saw, one square an octave above at lower level.
2. Amp envelope: zero attack, decay 250 ms, sustain zero, release 150 ms.
3. Filter envelope mirrors it with a high amount so brightness snaps down.
4. Add a short ping-pong delay at dotted eighth for movement.

Patch 4: Sweeping brass stab

1. Two saws, moderate detune.
2. Filter envelope with attack around 80 ms, decay 300 ms, high amount and medium sustain.
3. Amp attack fast, release 200 ms.
4. Layer three notes in a chord and play short.

Making synths sit in a mix

• High-pass pads and leads around 100 to 150 Hz so they do not muddy the bass.
• Keep the bass mono below about 120 Hz.
• Ride the resonance carefully; sharp resonant peaks can spike levels. Check your headroom with the gain staging guide.

Installing safely

Use the developer's page for the download and check which plugin formats and operating systems are supported before you run an installer. Free and paid tiers of synths change; verify the current price on the official page. If you want other synths to compare, DSK Dreamz and Odin 2 are on this site, and the free VST collection lists many more.

Ten-minute practice drill

Load an init patch, where every knob starts neutral, and do this each day for a week. Minute one to three: choose a waveform and sweep the cutoff while holding a note. Minute four to six: add resonance and hear how the sweep gets vocal. Minute seven to nine: shape the filter envelope and set the amount high and low. Minute ten: save whatever you made with a name that describes the sound. Building patches from scratch teaches more than scrolling presets, and your own saved sounds become a signature that presets cannot supply.

Genre tips and troubleshooting

• Synthwave: detuned saw pads with slow attack, gated reverb, and an arpeggiated pluck at sixteenth notes.
• House: short, filtered chord stabs with the cutoff envelope decaying in under 200 ms.
• Ambient: long releases, slow LFO on cutoff and a lot of high-cut reverb.
• Bass too boomy: raise the filter cutoff slightly and high-pass below 35 Hz.
• Lead too harsh: lower resonance or switch a saw to a triangle for the second oscillator.
• Notes cut off early: release is too short or voice count is limited; lengthen release.

Mini A/B: detune amount

Play a held chord on the pad patch and set oscillator detune to 3 cents, then 10, then 20. Loudness-match each pass. At 3 cents the sound is smooth and clean; at 10 it is wide and lush; at 20 it starts to feel out of tune against other instruments. Most mixes settle between 6 and 12 cents. Repeat with the bass patch, where less detune usually keeps the low end solid.

FAQ

What does virtual analog mean?

Software that models the behaviour of analog hardware synthesis, usually with oscillators, filters and envelopes.

Why does my synth click when I play?

Attack may be at zero on a very low sound. Add a few milliseconds of attack or release.

How do I make patches less static?

Add slow modulation, either an LFO on cutoff or pulse width, and automate a macro over time.