Tuba
This has the same patching as the Trumpet patch, but with different settings.
1: Use a sawtooth wave.
2: ENV-A is controlling both the filter cutoff and amp level. Patch ENV-A to filter FM1.
3: Amp Envelope Attack: Brass sounds reach full volume quickly but with a slight buildup. Give ENV-A a fast but not instantaneous attack. This mirrors the time it takes for the player’s breath and lip vibrations to stabilize.
4: Amp Envelope Release: Use a short release time. Brass instruments cease producing sound abruptly after the player stops blowing.
5: Brass instruments take a moment for the pitch to stabilize, and are initially raspy. Use a fast burst of rapid modulation to simulate this:
Patch the MIDI trigger to the slew limiter to use it as a decay only envelope. Set the slew time just enough to make the initial attack inharmonic.
Patch the slew limiter to VCA-B CV.
Patch the LFO to VCA-B in.
Patch VCA-B to VCO-A FM1.
Keep the amount of FM on VCO-A very subtle. Try it with positive and negative amounts of FM.
6: Use a low filter frequency. Brass instruments start low and increase frequency as the note stabilizes.
7: Set the filter to LP4 for a softer more mellow sound.
8: Set keyboard tracking to 50%. This mirrors the nonlinear increase in brightness on real brass instruments.
9: Use VCO-B to add vibrato that comes in only on sustained notes:
Patch MIDI velocity to VCO-B pitch.
Set VCO-B to LFO range.
ENV-B is set to have a slow attack that will only be high on sustained notes.
Use the ring mod as a VCA: Patch ENV-B to the ring mod input on the left (replacing the VCO-A normalization). VCO-B is already normaled to the ring mod’s right input. ENV-B will control the shape of VCO-B.
Patch the ring mod to filter FM3.
Keep the amount low.
Try out different VCO-B speeds.
Further Reading
Gordon Reid delves into the fundamentals of synthesizing wind instruments, explaining the similarities between vibrating strings and air columns in pipes, and how to recreate them.
Synthesizing Brass Instruments
Explains the principles of synthesizing brass instruments, using subtractive synthesis to recreate realistic trumpet-like sounds.
Roland SH101 & ARP Axxe Brass Synthesis
How to synthesize brass sounds on simple monosynths like the Roland SH101 and ARP Axxe by adapting idealized brass patches to suit their more limited capabilities.
Gordon Reid demonstrates how to create brass patches on the Minimoog.
A YouTube video where Steve Porcaro demonstrates how to synthesize a synth brass lead by focusing on shaping the attack using sharp, transient "blip" envelopes on one oscillator.