Sound Design Playbook

Drums · presence

Push your transients front and center

1. Start from Init or Transient Hunter. Keep Link on.
2. Set Disperse Freq near the body of the drum, with a low Q and a moderate Amount.
3. Move Skew a few semitones either way until the hit leans forward.
4. Pull Comp down until it's dense, then try Detector Source Focused to catch the fastest transients.

FX · lasers and zaps

Ray gun from any hit

1. Set Disperse Amount high (24–32) and Q high for a narrow whip.
2. Drag the red node sideways to tune the zap. A higher Freq gives a brighter, shorter pew.
3. Switch Link off and set Reverse to a different frequency for a second beam.
4. Compare with Xiblar's Ray Gun and Photon Torpedo in Laser FX.

Bass & 808 · character

Same pitch, different character

1. Leave the frequencies still. Sweeping Freq on a bass pulls the note around; a static Reverse changes the note's character instead.
2. Switch Link off. Set Reverse Freq near the note's fundamental or first harmonic, and raise Amount until the attack changes shape.
3. Add Tape or Tube Drive for harmonics that read on small speakers, and a touch of Bias for even harmonics.
4. Try Quality Ultra or Pristine for low notes, or leave it at Partial if you prefer the rougher result.

Movement · tempo-synced

Custom automation, tempo/note synced

1. Right-click Disperse Freq › Automate with Mod 1.
2. Choose Ramp Up, Sync, 1 bar, Loop.
3. Set the depth to taste. Turn on +/- for a sweep that moves both ways around your dial.
4. For a shimmer, add a Triangle on Mod 2 at 1/8 driving Skew, with Link on.

Movement · audio-triggered

Per note (hit) automation

Automation can be set to One Shot mode, where each hit triggers the automation. Here it ducks or chops every hit:

1. Right-click Output or Mix › automate with a free slot.
2. Set Mode to One Shot, Trigger to Audio, and draw a shape that dips and recovers.
3. Play the track and raise Thresh until the Trig lamp flashes once per hit.
4. Set the length with Sync, for example 1/8, so the dip lasts the same musical time at any tempo.

Performance · MIDI

Play the effect

1. Set a slot's Trigger to MIDI and Mode to One Shot.
2. Route a MIDI track to Pyrosphere in your DAW and draw notes where you want the movement to fire.
3. Use Fire to audition the shape without MIDI.

Mix · ducking

Make room for the kick

1. On the bass, set Detector Source to External and route the kick to Pyrosphere's sidechain.
2. Pull Comp down until the bass dips under each kick. Use SC HPF to ignore the kick's sub.