Steinberg Studio Case VST Instruments Operation Manual

VST InstrumentsD’cota SE 6 – 91
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3.Save the desired D’cota SE program bank in that folder, under the 
name “DcotaSEdef.fxb”.
The next time you launch D’cota SE, your saved bank will open as default.
The window overview
D’cota SE is an analog synth that uses classic subtractive synthesis, 
the most common synthesis method. See page 93 for details. 

VST Instruments6 – 92 D’cota SE
The parameters in the lower section of the window
In the lower section of the window, you find parameters for modulation 
and output. See page 106 for details.
Editing methods
Changing parameters in the D’cota SE control panel is very straight-
forward – click and drag to turn dials or move graphic elements (enve-
lope segments, etc.), click buttons to turn them on or off and click 
pop-up menu boxes to select waveforms and other options. A few 
things to note:
•Holding...

VST InstrumentsD’cota SE 6 – 93
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The synthesis section
D’cota SE is modelled on subtractive synthesis, the method used in 
classic analog synthesizers. 
The synthesis section in the upper part of the window has the follow-
ing basic features:
•Multimode filter
Two lowpass and a highpass filter type – see page 103.
•Two oscillators, each with 4 standard waveforms plus an assortment 
of specialized waveforms.
See page 96.
•Frequency Modulation (FM). 
See page 101.
•Arpeggiator.
See page 105.
•Ring...

VST Instruments6 – 94 D’cota SE
Creating a synth sound with PWM – a brief 
tutorial
Here’s how you create a basic synth Program that uses PWM (Pulse 
Width Modulation) in the synthesis section:
1.Select a default empty Program.
If you play a few notes you should hear a very basic static sound, that 
uses one oscillator producing a Sawtooth waveform.
2.Turn up the Osc 2 parameter clockwise in the Mixer section all the way.
Now two oscillators are used. The sound is still basically the same, 
just a little...

VST InstrumentsD’cota SE 6 – 95
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A new dial appears named “WM”. Wave modulation works by adding a 
phase-shifted copy of the oscillator output to itself, which produces 
waveform variations. In this case, two Sawtooth waveforms are used, 
which produces a Pulse waveform. Still the sound is fairly static. Apply-
ing modulation to the WM parameter will make things more interesting.
8.Click the “C” button to bring up the Controller strip.
This is where you assign controller modulation to parameters....

VST Instruments6 – 96 D’cota SE
11.Click the “C” button again to close the Controller strip.
12.Locate the LFO 1 section in the lower left section of the D’cota SE 
window, and turn the LFO 1 “Level” parameter clockwise to about a 12 
o’clock position.
Now if you play, you can hear the typical sound of PWM! By adjusting 
the WM dial for Osc 1 the timbre is changed. Setting the WM dial 
somewhere around 12 o’clock produces smooth modulation, turning 
it hard left or right produces a more “pulsating” type...

VST InstrumentsD’cota SE 6 – 97
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Selecting a waveform
1.To select a waveform, click in the name field under the corresponding 
“Osc 1 or Osc 2” label, and select a waveform from the pop-up menu 
that appears.
The method used is identical for both oscillators, as are the available waveforms.
2.To hear the signal generated by the oscillator(s), the corresponding 
“Osc” dial in the Mixer section must be turned clockwise to a suitable 
value (normally between 0.50 - 1.00). 

VST Instruments6 – 98 D’cota SE
About the waveforms
Each oscillator has 13 waveforms to choose from. These can be 
divided into two groups:
•The classic waveforms (Sawtooth, Square, Triangle and Sine). These are the 
fundamentals of the substractive synthesis and have been used in many syn-
thesizers since the beginning of the “analog” era.
•The more complex waveforms (Parabolic, Formant 1 and 10, Vocal A, Add 3, 
Octave, Prime, ResoPulse and slope). These additional waveforms include 
e. g. “rounded”...

VST InstrumentsD’cota SE 6 – 99
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Oscillator 1
Oscillator 1 acts as a “master” oscillator. It determines the base pitch 
for both oscillators, and acts as the modulator source when using fre-
quency modulation (FM). Oscillator 1 features the following parameters:
Parameter Value Description
Pitch +/- 48 semitones This determines the base pitch used by both oscil-
lators. 
Fine +/- 50 cent Fine tunes the oscillator pitch in cent increments 
(100ths of a semitone). This also affects both os-...

VST Instruments6 – 100 D’cota SE
Oscillator 2
Oscillator 2 features the following parameters:
Parameter Value Description
Coarse +/- 48 semitones This determines the pitch used by oscillator 2 rela-
tive to the tuning of oscillator 1. 
Tune +/- 50 cent Fine tunes the oscillator 2 pitch relative to oscilla-
tor 1 in cent increments (100ths of a semi tone). 
WM (Wave 
modulation)0-100 This parameter dial is only visible if the WM button 
is activated. Wave modulation works by adding a 
phase-shifted copy...