Beatmaker

Pluck (percussive, decaying)

• Square + triangle, slight detune
• LPF cutoff 4kHz, resonance 0.5, envelope 80%
• ADSR: A=1ms D=200ms S=0.0 R=300ms → Works for arpeggios and bass lines.

Macro Controls — Every Synth Needs At Least One

A macro knob moves multiple parameters at once. One sweep = dramatic transformation. This is what separates a sound design tool from a parameter spreadsheet.

Good macros:

• TEXTURE → drive + filter resonance + envelope decay
• SPACE → reverb size + pre-delay + mix
• MOVEMENT → LFO rate + LFO depth + chorus rate
• OPEN → filter cutoff + reverb mix + output gain

Implementation:

float macro = apvts.getRawParameterValue("macro_open")->load();
float cutoff = baseCutoff * std::pow(10.0f, macro * 2.0f); // opens filter
float reverbMix = macro * 0.4f;                             // adds space

Preset Names — Vibe, Not Settings

✅ "Club Room" "Dark Hall" "Vintage Grit" "808 Warmth" "Punchy Bus"
❌ "Preset 1"  "Room 2.1s" "Algorithm B"  "Comp Medium"

5 presets = safe default / genre staple / character / creative / extreme

Genre awareness:

• Hip-hop/Trap: short punchy reverbs, dark delays, sub weight, 808 saturation
• House/Techno: BPM-synced delays, room verbs, filter sweeps
• Pop/R&B: lush plate reverbs, subtle chorus, polished compression
• Ambient: long evolving reverbs, modulated delays
• Lo-fi: tape saturation, bandwidth limiting, subtle wobble

Parameter Naming — Producer Language

❌ cutoff_frequency → ✅ TONE or BRIGHTNESS
❌ pre_delay_ms     → ✅ SEPARATION
❌ lfo_rate_hz      → ✅ SPEED
❌ feedback_gain    → ✅ REPEAT or TRAILS
❌ harmonic_dist    → ✅ DRIVE or GRIT
❌ osc_detune_cents → ✅ DETUNE or WIDTH

Short labels, ALL CAPS, max 8 characters for knob labels.

Control Hierarchy

Primary zone (large, center): the ONE thing that defines this plugin Secondary zone: shaping controls
Tertiary: technical controls (HiCut, LowCut, oversampling) — hidden or footer

What producers use daily:

• Reverb: Mix → Decay → Damping. Pre-delay = advanced.
• Delay: Time (synced) → Feedback → Mix. Filter = bonus.
• Compressor: Threshold always, Ratio occasionally, Attack/Release rarely.
• Synth: Filter cutoff always. Macros always. ADSR occasionally.

Don't make prominent: oversampling factor, phase inversion, internal routing, algorithm IDs.

Red Flags

• Default sounds like a test tone or silence
• Opens too loud (first thing = turn down volume)
• 0-1 knob ranges without units
• Parameters that don't audibly change anything
• Generic names, no personality
• No macro controls on a synth