The most basic element of the sound created by Boom is the main oscillator. The oscillator is responsible for the wave's basic properties such as frequency, duration, and amplitude. You can select the oscillator type (Sine, Square, Saw and Triangle) by using the wave type menu field. By sliding the sliders across, you are able to select the frequency of the wave (the starting frequency when using the frequency envelope), duration of the wave, and amplitude (volume) of the wave.
The frequency envelope is applied to the wave to give a dropping sound to the output wave. The most used application of this is in dance kick drums or laser shots. The frequency envelope can be modified by changing the value in the text box or by clicking around (and dragging) in the frequency envelope view.
The amplitude envelope is applied to change the shape of the amplitude of the output wave. Applying an amplitude envelope to a sound causes a 'trailing' effect by gradually (or rapidly) decreasing the amplitude of the wave. The Amplitude envelope can be modified by changing the value in the text box or by clicking in the amplitude envelope view.
Distortion changes the shape of the output wave. The distortion slider allows you to add the desired amount of distortion to the output. A sample of how one cycle of the output wave will be affected is displayed in the distortion view.
The presets section allows you to open and save the parameters which you may have modified. These parameters are saved into preset files which can be loaded again later on for further tweaking or even shared with others.
The filter section is responsible for controlling Boom's built-in 24db resonant filter. The cutoff slider changes the cutoff frequency of the filter. The resonance slider adjusts the filter's Q (quality) amount. If you don't know much about the technical aspect of the filter, the purpose is just this - go nuts with it!
NOTE: Be weary of your filter values! If the wave disappears in the output window, just slide the filter's sliders around until you get a wave that you like. This 'disappearing act' occurs when the wave has become quiet to the point of complete silence.
NOTE: Sometimes modifying the resonance causes the wave to 'clip'. In this case, either move the amplitude slider down to reduce distortion, or leave that raw, nasty clipping sound everyone loves. You be the judge!
The output view displays the output wave so you can visualize any of the changes you have made to any of the parameters. The output view is updated as you change any of Boom's parameters. The spacebar may be pressed at any time to quickly play the sound so you don't have to go down and hit the Play button all the time. If you want to hear your wave over, and over, and over, just check the 'Repeat' box and set your desired BPM. The wave is repeated at that BPM and is stopped by hitting the 'Stop' button. Any changes you make while the loop is playing are immediately applied to the output wave. Delays may occur during the playback because Boom needs to regenerate the whole wave every time. When previewing longer-duration sounds, you will really notice this side effect.
NOTE: Occasionally, you will experience a click between sounds when looping. This is caused by the sample getting cut off before having a chance to return to zero. In that case, lower the BPM until you get a desired repeating pattern without the annoying clicks.
The output wave can be saved in 16bit 44100hz MONO format by clicking the 'Save' button and choosing a file name and location.
NOTE: You cannot save the 'repeating' output of the wave. You only get a one-shot sample. Use 3dmiX, IK Multimedia's Groovemaker, Softjee's Digital Tracker, or an equivalent software package to create more advanced loops containing Boom's output.
If you are still having trouble using Boom after reading this file, you can email support@supermegaultragroovy.com. You can also check www.supermegaultragroovy.com for some online tutorials (coming soon).
To check for updates to Boom and any general information about SuperMegaUltraGroovy and their software, check out www.supermegaultragroovy.com.
1.1 - Added Spacebar Previews, Live drawing updates, and some minor bugfixes.
1.0 - Initial Release
Boom is Copyright (c)2000 SuperMegaUltraGroovy Software