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Creating Pink Noise with Sytrus: A Step-by-Step Guide

May 17, 2024

Pink noise, often referred to as 1/f noise, is a signal with a power spectral density inversely proportional to its frequency. In simpler terms, pink noise is a balanced, natural-sounding noise that covers the entire audio spectrum. It is often used in sound editing and mixing, as well as in acoustics research and testing. In this guide, we will show you how to create pink noise using Image Line's Sytrus, a powerful and versatile software synthesizer.


Step 1: Load an instance of Sytrus
To get started, open your digital audio workstation (DAW) and load an instance of Sytrus. You can create a new instance by selecting 'Add a New Channel' and searching for Sytrus in the list of available plugins.


Step 2: Initialize the Sytrus preset
When Sytrus opens, the default preset is loaded. To create pink noise from scratch, we'll need to initialize the preset. Simply right-click on the main menu of Sytrus, click ‘Preset’ and choose ‘Default’.


Step 3: Adjust the Oscillator settings
Pink noise needs many frequencies to be generated simultaneously. In Sytrus, this can be achieved using the OSC section. In the default preset, OSC is located in the top-right corner with a default sine wave shape.


To create pink noise, we need to change this shape to a noise waveform. Click on the small arrow in the bottom-right corner of the OSC section, and select 'Noise' from the dropdown menu.


Step 4: Modify the filter settings
Now that the noise waveform is active, we must modify the filter settings to achieve the desired pink noise effect. In the top-left corner of Sytrus, there is a Filter 1 section.


Set the filter mode by clicking the top-left knob, and choose the high-pass filter option. Turn up the fine-tuning knob (labeled 'Q') to its maximum value to eliminate low frequencies.


Step 5: Adjust the volume envelope
In the bottom-center of Sytrus, there is an Envelope section where we can shape how the sound evolves over time with relation to its amplitude, pitch, and other parameters. For pink noise, we want a constant sound, so ensure the envelope is deactivated. To do so, click on the small button labeled ‘Vol’ right above the envelope panel until it turns grey.


Step 6: Set the mixer output
Finally, route Sytrus to a mixer channel, and adjust the output fader if necessary. At this point, you should now have successfully created pink noise with Sytrus!


To sum it up, creating pink noise To sum it up, creating pink noise with Sytrus is a straightforward process involving the initialization of Sytrus' default preset, altering the oscillator settings, modifying the filter parameters, adjusting the volume envelope, and setting the mixer output. With this guide, you can now effortlessly produce pink noise and incorporate it into your audio productions.


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