SourceLab 2
user manual

SourceLab combines sample instruments, sliced loops and wavetable oscillators. A preset can contain up to six sources, a master sequencer and six additional sequencers, editable modulation, six filters and six effect racks. You can start by playing factory presets and move into detailed sound design when you need it.

Your first sound

1. Open Browse, select a bank and category, then click a preset.
2. Play your MIDI keyboard or the on-screen keyboard. A preset containing a sequence may play a whole phrase from one held note.
3. Use the six named macros to change the sound. Their assignments vary with the preset.
4. Adjust the master Gain and AHDSR controls at the top.
5. To play the sound without its programmed sequence, turn off the green sequencer power button beside Sequence.

Choose the right page

How to use this manual

Use the contents on the left or search across the manual. The Parameter index has its own name/description filter and category selector. Control names in tables have permanent links. Images open at full size. Print / PDF prints all chapters, including the parameter index.

This manual covers SourceLab 2.5.2. See Video tutorials & support for guided demonstrations and technical support.

SourceLab is available for macOS and Windows, as a standalone instrument and in VST3, AU and AAX plugin formats. Choose the format supported by your host. Official product and installer information ↗

Standalone audio and MIDI

1. Open SourceLab and use Options for the standalone audio/MIDI configuration.
2. Choose the intended output device and enable your MIDI controller input.
3. Play a simple preset. If it is silent, check the output device, MIDI input, source enable switches and master Gain.
4. Choose a buffer size appropriate to your computer: a smaller buffer reduces playing latency; a larger buffer can improve stability.

Inside a DAW

Load SourceLab on an instrument track and enable MIDI input or record monitoring in the host. Set the track’s MIDI channel and audio routing as required by your DAW. Tempo-synchronised playback follows the host BPM. Additional output buses must be enabled in the host before they can be heard.

Activation and content

Open the top-left menu and choose SourceLab Activation…. Use your Initial Audio account to activate this computer. The activation page and account show your current devices; check the displayed allowance there rather than relying on an older tutorial.

If SourceLab asks for a content folder, select the folder containing its installed library. External disks may require a macOS folder-access grant. For missing browser entries, the main menu includes Rebuild Content Database. Rebuilding the database is a troubleshooting step, not a normal requirement when loading a preset.

Demo behaviour

In demo mode, preset saving is disabled and recalling the instrument’s state in a project requires activation. The demo displays a reset notice after 90 minutes. Save the host project when prompted. Check the notice in your own build before relying on a demo session for permanent work.

1. Select a bank in Preset Banks. On macOS, hold Cmd to select more than one bank or category; the UI also refers to Ctrl/Cmd for tag selection.
2. Select a category, then click a preset. Use Style and Genre tags to narrow the list.
3. Search by preset name or author. Search operates within the current filtered list.
4. Use Reset before searching the entire library. Use Current to navigate back to the loaded preset.

Layer without replacing the whole preset

1. Load your starting preset.
2. Drag another preset onto a free source shortcut A–F, or use the source’s Load Source… selector.
3. Adjust each source’s Gain, Pan and Octave to balance the combination.
4. Lock any source you want to keep before browsing another full preset.

Sequences and highlighted keys

Green keyboard indicators appear on keys that trigger MIDI sequences. Other mapped keys can trigger individual sounds. The meaning depends on the preset’s sequencer ranges and source mapping. If one held note plays a phrase, check Sequence before treating the sound as a normal single-note instrument.

Heat Up and bank skins

When compatible Heat Up 3 content is installed, its instruments can be used as SourceLab layers. Drag further instruments onto free sources to build a combination. Banks may also provide their own skins; these expose selected engine controls and macros. A skin changes the control layout, while the underlying instrument remains editable through the main pages.

Voicing and glide

Set up a playable synth

1. On Source, select Keyboard Tracking or Note On Velocity in the expression list at the lower right.
2. Set Pitch Bend Up and Down independently. For an octave each way, both values are 12. Drag these numerical fields vertically; check both displayed values.
3. The adjacent lock preserves bend ranges when changing presets. Decide whether that is useful for the current audition session.
4. Select Mono for a single-note bass or lead, or an appropriate Poly limit for chords and pads. Set a useful glide time; Poly Glide enables this behaviour in polyphonic mode. Always permits slides between separated notes.
5. For playing dynamics, drag the Note On Velocity output circle to filter Cutoff. Use a modest output/connection amount and compare soft and hard notes.

Pitch Bend ranges are different from the header Pitch transpose knob. Changing the transpose moves the whole instrument; changing the bend range defines what the wheel can do.

Learn and save CC mappings

Right-click a knob to access MIDI mapping, or open Midi CC Mapper… in the main menu. Click Learn, move the intended CC controller, and stop/cancel learning when finished. The mapper includes load/save mapping presets and controls for preset/category navigation. Mapping steps are documented from the build’s labels and help; hardware assignment was not changed during this session.

MIDI preset selection

Use the following MIDI messages to select presets:

Example: to address preset 129 in the selected category, send CC32 = 1, then Program Change = 0. Preset order is the database order within the category, ignoring other browser filters. Invalid addresses are ignored; rapid changes retain the latest request. Some controllers display program numbers as 1–128, so convert their display numbering to the MIDI values above.

• Modulation Wheel: Drag its output to a destination or a modulator’s combine input.
• Velocity: Use Note On Velocity for playing dynamics and Note Off Velocity for release-related variation.
• After Touch / MPE Slide: Use a compatible controller and host configuration to provide these signals.

• Left Rand: Randomises fine pitch for each note.
• Right Rand: Randomises the starting phase. Use zero when a sample should keep its original attack.
• On / Note Off: On enables the source envelope; Note Off makes the layer trigger when you release the key.

• Vel: Sets which note velocities trigger this layer.
• Load Source / arrows / dice: Select existing content. The source lock at the top preserves it when you change presets.

Editing gestures

Double-click a knob to reset it. In this build, the control’s text label advertises double-clicking to enter a numeric value. Distinguish the knob from its value/label. Hovering controls displays help in the status area at the bottom of SourceLab.

Source envelope

The On switch beside the source AHDSR activates that layer’s own amplitude envelope. Note Off becomes available with the source envelope enabled. Its full behaviour and the interaction with the master envelope are explained in Envelopes & Note Off.

Import and movement

Drop a WAV wavetable into a free source and choose Wavetable, or use the table selector. Installed Serum and Sektor wavetable libraries can also be used. Availability depends on installed content and library paths. To create movement, connect an LFO or MSEG to Wt pos and then adjust the connection amount.

• Wt pos: Connect an LFO here to move through the table over time.
• Hold / Wrap / Bounce: Clamp at the ends, restart from the beginning, or reverse direction.
• Tune: Use for ordinary sampled audio converted to an oscillator; leave it off for purpose-made wavetables.

Verified wavetable modulation choices in 2.5.2

The source modulation menu offers None → Frequency Modulation → Amplitude Modulation → Ring Modulation. Choose a process, then a source in its submenu. The resulting label identifies both, for example FM From B, AM From B or RM From B. These three processes were selectable with a Wavetable Oscillator source in this session.

Set a modest Amt first, then compare held notes across the keyboard. Source B can act as a modulator while its audible Gain is reduced. FM Amount and Wt pos can both receive an LFO connection. This creates related changes in brightness and waveform content.

Source Warp choices confirmed in the UI

Sync, Quantise and PWM are separate choices after None. Select a mode before raising its Amt; inspect the display and audition. Try an AHDSR on Sync Amt for a moving lead, or a slow LFO on PWM Amt for a shifting pad. Win and Mix provide additional shaping/blending; evaluate them with the chosen mode.

Use an oscillator as a modulation source

1. Set up a second source with a useful waveform.
2. In the first source’s modulation selector, choose the process and that second source.
3. Raise Modulation Amt gradually.
4. Use Pre to adjust the input to the modulation process.
5. Control the second source’s audible output separately from its role as a modulation source. Lower its output Gain while listening to the resulting FM.

Audio-rate source modulation changes waveform content. The LFOs, envelopes and MIDI expression controls below the sources change parameters over time. Both systems can be used together.

• Modulation: Select a modulation type and source before raising its Amt.
• Pre / Stereo: Pre changes level before FM/AM/RM. Stereo retains the modulation source’s stereo information; stereo FM processes left and right independently.
• Warp / Win / Mix: Choose a warp, set its amount, smooth discontinuities with Win and blend the original signal back with Mix.

View and voice count are separate controls

The Unison tab opens the per-voice editor. The number at its right sets the number of stacked voices; verify that number visually after adjusting it. The editor offers Phase, Oct, Semi, Fine, Pan, Gain and WT Pos bars, plus Detune, Stereo and Wavetable spread controls.

Use up to 24 unison voices per source for wavetables, samples and loops. Voices can have individual pitch, phase, stereo and gain settings. Increasing Unison Voices activates more of the stack; the visible 24-column editor does not imply that all 24 are currently sounding.

• Voice count: The number beside Unison determines how many voices are used.
• Parameter tabs: Oct sets intervals; Fine sets detuning; Pan and Gain control each voice’s place in the mix.
• Clear: Resets the bars for the selected parameter.

An octave stack without another source

1. Set Unison Voices to 2.
2. Open the Oct tab.
3. Set the second voice an octave below or above the first.
4. Balance its level in Gain and widen the pair with Pan if desired.

Add a deliberate intermediate cycle

Double-click empty space on the waveform timeline to add a cycle. Click an existing cycle once to edit it in the graph below. In the example, a new cycle between saw and pulse is selected and drawn as a triangle using time grid 1. Remove DC and Normalise adjust the selected waveform. Resolution 128 generates intermediate frames; Send to A transfers the generated table to Source A. When Sending to A is highlighted, edits are reflected in the destination table.

Designer morph versus source Warp

The Designer morph selector was cycled through the following choices in this build: Fade, Spectral, PWM, Double PWM, Cross PWM, Overdrive, FM, Sync Fade, Sync Spectral, Squish, Snarl A and Snarl B. These processes operate on a timeline segment while generating the table. They are separate from the source Warp selector, whose choices are None, Sync, Quantise and PWM. Select a process, inspect the generated frames and audition the destination; the process names alone do not specify an analog circuit model.

Send to Filter changes the chosen destination to Wavetable Filter and resamples the generated table to its filter-shape resolution, as stated by the button tooltip.

1. Open Source → Wavetable Designer.
2. Click a waveform on the timeline to edit it. Double-click the timeline to add another waveform.
3. Draw the selected cycle with the shape palette and grid, or use supported waveform import.
4. Choose a morph process for the segment between two cycles.
5. Use + to stack morph processes and reorder them as required.
6. Choose Resolution, then send the generated table to a source or export a WAV.

A table can be sent to more than one source so layers share its underlying timbre. Use independent source tuning, unison and Wt pos modulation to make those layers behave differently.

• Send to A–F: Replaces the table material in the destination source.
• Send to Filter: Choose filter 1–6. The destination switches to Wavetable Filter and the shape is resampled for the filter.

• Drop area: Drag a file from Finder or Explorer onto this panel. Choose the playback mode when prompted.
• Source power: After import, check that the source is enabled and its audio reaches an output.

A single audio file

1. Drag an audio file onto an empty source or into the Sample Mapper.
2. When asked, choose One Shot, Loop or Wavetable.
3. One Shot opens Instrument playback. Loop opens Loop Slicer playback. Wavetable opens a wavetable oscillator.
4. Check the root note for an instrument and the sample BPM for a loop before building the preset.

Multiple samples or a sample folder

Dropping a group of samples or a folder offers a drum-kit/instrument choice. Drumkit maps one sample per key, beginning at C1 . Instrument places samples at their root notes and creates playable ranges. Root-note names in filenames, such as C4 or D#5, guide mapping; otherwise SourceLab attempts pitch detection. Inspect the result rather than assuming detection is exact.

SFZ instruments

Drop an SFZ file onto an empty source. SourceLab loads the referenced samples and mapping, including supported velocity and round-robin information. Keep the referenced files available at their expected paths while importing. An SFZ warning can identify missing sample paths or failed loads. SFZ support does not imply that every unrelated SoundFont format is supported.

Add your sample and MIDI folders

The source selector includes User Samples, and the MIDI selector includes User MIDI. Add a folder through the path field or folder chooser, then add it to the stored list. The corresponding remove control removes the stored folder entry. Removing a folder from this list does not delete its files.

Banks and expansions

A downloaded .slbank or compatible .heatupExp can be imported into the library area. The bank menu also includes import and single-file export. SourceLab places bank exports in SourceLab Banks Export on the Desktop. When names conflict, read the choice carefully: Overwrite can replace existing presets; Merge keeps existing conflicting names; Make Unique creates distinct names.

Root note is different from transposition

The root note tells SourceLab which keyboard note represents a sample’s original pitch. Moving the root/mapping changes that reference. Oct, Semi and Fine change playback pitch. Normal sample playback runs faster or slower as notes move away from the root; Maintain Speed separates pitch from duration. Use the correct root first, then transpose deliberately.

Sustained instruments

1. Choose a sample with useful sustained content.
2. Enable Loop and inspect the loop points in the sample editor.
3. Adjust the source or master AHDSR for attack and release.
4. If the loop clicks or sounds unnatural, audition other loop-point candidates and adjust the boundaries.

Read an existing multisample instrument

Factory / Granular / Granular Upright is a useful inspection example. Its Keys source is an Instrument with multiple samples mapped across the keyboard; its separate Mechanics source has its own envelope and Note Off enabled. This shows how a release-triggered mechanical layer can accompany a sampled instrument.

In the mapper, select a sample before editing its root note, velocity bounds or key range. The range tooltip distinguishes dragging an edge to resize from moving the centre, which also shifts the root note. These mappings were inspected here; round-robin creation and external SFZ import remain to be tested.

Select and map a sample

On Source, select Sample Mapper/Editor, choose a source and click a mapped sample. The square root marker represents its root note. Drag range edges to change the keys covered by the sample. Drag the centre to move the range and its root note. The + and − controls shift the source’s whole sample set by one semitone.

• Range edges: Drag an edge to extend or shorten the notes assigned to the sample.
• Centre and root: Drag the centre to move the range and its root note together.
• A–F rows: Each row contains the sample mapping for one source. The + and − buttons shift that source’s entire map by one semitone.

• Root Note: Sets the pitch reference for this sample.
• Semitone / Fine: Adjust its pitch relative to the mapping.
• Gain / Pan: Balance individual samples within an instrument.

Round robin

Place more than one sample on the same key/range. The mapper shows the members of that group and exposes Round Robin. It is also available for grouped loops and wavetables.

Sample playback editing

Turn slices into sequencer notes

1. Load a sample source in Loop Slicer mode and open Sample Mapper/Editor.
2. Inspect the sample's Slice Mode as well as the source-level mode. The per-sample choice overrides the source setting, so different samples on one source can be chopped differently.
3. Check sample BPM and the start/end region. Sync follows project tempo through the time-stretch algorithm. To End allows a triggered slice to continue beyond the next boundary; with it off, playback stops at that boundary.
4. Choose the destination beside Send as midi to…, then click the button. In this test, Master Seq received the generated slice notes.
5. Open Sequence and select Master. Scroll the piano roll to the slice-note register if the view appears empty: the test notes are around C3, below the original viewport.
6. Enable the global sequencer switch and the intended lane. Inspect Loop Start and End; drag the labelled End handle beyond the notes you want included. Disable unused numbered lanes and leave Latch off for hold-to-play behaviour.

With Master Key Track off, incoming keys trigger the fixed slice phrase without transposing the generated note addresses. The Send button tooltip also describes dragging for MIDI export; file export itself was not performed in this pass.

Per-sample slicing and slice MIDI

Build a loop pattern

1. Load a loop and verify its BPM.
2. Choose a slicing mode and adjust detection if required.
3. Play mapped slice keys to check attack boundaries.
4. Choose a destination sequencer and use Send as midi to… to recreate the slice timing.
5. Edit the resulting notes in Sequence to rearrange the loop. Keep Sync enabled when the loop must follow host tempo.

The available automatic modes identified in this build include Initial Slice, Spectral Flux and Spectral Diff. Treat them as alternate detectors, not promises that one algorithm is best for every recording.

Start with a sample or loop source

Granular processing is available for sample and loop playback, not for Wavetable Oscillator mode. Open a source using Instrument or Loop Slicer, select its Granular tab, then enable the separate On switch. Selecting the tab alone does not activate processing. Check Grain Mix too: at 0% the original playback remains dry.

Separate grain duration from grain rate

Size sets the duration of each grain. Density controls their rate. Each has its own timing selector: the inspected Instrument example uses Time for Size and Hertz for Density; the Factory loop example uses Dotted timing for both. Read the resulting milliseconds, hertz or musical fraction instead of assuming equal knob positions mean equivalent timing.

Semi transposes the grains independently of original playback. Grain Gain controls their level. Random Start, Size, Detune, Pan and Gain vary individual grain properties; the Detune tooltip specifies up to two semitones at 100%. Direction Mix blends forward and backward grains. Window Type shapes the grain window, with Window Warp adjusting that function. Hanning and Tukey were selected in this pass; this is not a complete window inventory.

Grain arpeggiation

The granular panel has its own Arp Mode, chord selector and octave range. This is separate from the MIDI sequencer and from routing an LFO to source pitch. Factory examples inspected here use DownUp / +/- Octave and UpDown / Power Chord. This example leaves grain arpeggiation Off.

Example: a granular cloud

1. Start from Factory / Init / Silent Osc 2.
2. Open Load Source on A. In the source browser choose Types / Granular, then Cairo Sands Texture, then its Source A in the right column. This borrows the sample layer; it does not load the complete preset. Inspect the loaded mode and settings rather than assuming every source parameter was copied.
3. Disable B and C. Change A from Loop Slicer to Instrument for pitched keyboard playback, then enable Granular.
4. Use 79.6 ms Size, 46.4 Hz Density, 85% Grain Mix and Tukey window. Randomise Start 42%, Size 22%, Detune 2.5% and Pan 65%. Set Direction to 60% backward / 40% forward.
5. Balance source gain, use a slow amplitude envelope and an independent slow cutoff AHDSR. Save, reload and compare the displayed values.

Example: a synced grain arpeggio

Use Instrument sample playback with Granular On, 100.2 ms grains and Density in Sync mode at 1/8. Arp Mode is UpDown, Chord is Minor 7 and Octaves is 2. Grain Mix is 100%, so the grain engine supplies the signal. The MIDI sequencer remains off.

The Arp Mode selector was cycled through Off, Up, Down, UpDown, DownUp, Random and Random Walk, back to Off. Chord choices inspected include +/- Octave, Major Triad, Minor Triad, Power Chord, Major 7, Dominant 7, Minor 7 and Dim Triad. This chord list is a checked subset, not a complete inventory. Note divisions must be read back after changing Density; its knob scale differs from the LFO rate scale.

Turn a loop into a texture

1. Load a sample or loop and activate Granular On.
2. Increase Mix until the granular sound is clearly audible.
3. Adjust Size and Dense together: change the size of individual pieces and how often they occur.
4. Add Random Start for movement and Random Pan for stereo variation.
5. Choose a grain window and shape it with Window Warp.
6. Optionally add grain-pitch arpeggiation, then use the source envelope and effects to shape the texture.

Shape attack, decay and release independently

The AHDSR editor has separate curve fields above Attack, Decay and Release. Hold the mouse button on a curve field and drag vertically. Watch the shape and read back the curve value; the time knob beneath it remains a separate control. This gesture was verified on AHDSR 9: Attack Curve changed from 0.200 to 0.138, Decay Curve from 0.200 to 0.366, and Release Curve from 0.150 to 0.254. These values are examples, not universal settings.

Use a separate AHDSR on filter Cutoff to shape brightness independently of amplitude. A curved decay changes how the opening settles even when its duration is unchanged.

Independent releases: remove the downstream master gate

A source Release cannot be heard in full if a later amplitude envelope reaches silence sooner. For an independently releasing layer, enable On in every active source envelope and set its own attack, decay, sustain and release.

1. Open Filter and inspect the routing lines.
2. Locate the pink node immediately to the right of the used FX rack (for example FX 1).
3. Right-click that node to remove its Master Envelope connection. It becomes grey and the corresponding pink cable disappears.
4. Check every active source feeding that rack has its own amplitude envelope. Play and release a note to audition its tail.

This pink control is labelled Envelope Input in the tooltip. It is distinct from the audio input on the left of the rack. Disconnect only the rack used by the independent signal path. Alternatively keep the master connected and make its release long enough for the source tails.

Three envelope roles

Source envelope: the AHDSR enabled with On inside an individual source controls that layer. AHDSR modulator: a modulator slot can route an envelope to another parameter. Master envelope: normally shapes the polyphonic signal before the effect stage, and can also be routed as a modulator. These can operate together; one envelope may shorten the audible result of another.

Add a release layer

1. Keep a piano, guitar or other normal Note-On sound in source A.
2. Load a bell, mechanical release noise or finger-slide sample in source B.
3. Enable B’s source envelope, then enable Note Off.
4. Set B’s release long enough for the release sound to be heard.
5. Check the master envelope: it may already be releasing when B is triggered.
6. For independent shaping, inspect Filter routing and remove the shared master envelope only from the intended chain, ensuring every audible chain still has an amplitude envelope.
7. Set related modulators to suitable release/Note-Off triggers when the mode provides them.

Worked connection: an envelope controls LFO depth

1. Choose a spare AHDSR and set its attack, decay, sustain and release.
2. Drag its upper-right output into the lower-left combine input of the LFO.
3. The receiving card exposes a Combine Amount knob and an operation selector. Select * Mult for Multiply; check that it has not been changed to + Add or another operation.
4. At 100% Combine Amount, the envelope can scale the LFO movement across the note. In the tested patch, AHDSR 10 rises in 25 ms, decays in 600 ms and holds at 0.35, so the LFO movement becomes less intense during a held note.
5. Keep the LFO output routed to its intended destinations. The combine input changes the control signal; it does not route audio.

The selector tooltip lists Multiply, Add, Subtract, Divide, CrossFade and Modulo. The tested patch was saved and reloaded with * Mult and 100% Combine Amount intact.

1. Select a modulator slot or performance source.
2. Drag its circular output node to the target knob or its connection node.
3. Alternatively, hold an output node to highlight valid destinations, release, then click the desired destination.
4. Adjust the connection amount in the connection controls.
5. Use connection bypass to compare the result and remove the connection when no longer needed.

• Output node: Drag to the destination knob to make an assignment.
• Combine input: Route another modulator or performance control into this input.
• Combine menu: Choose how the two signals interact, such as Multiply to control modulation depth.

• One control, several destinations: Drag the same macro output to several knobs, then adjust each connection’s amount.
• Naming: Double-click the name. Add a hyphen followed by a description for a more informative performance control.

Combine an LFO with performance control

For a movement controlled by the player, connect an LFO to Wt pos or filter Cutoff. Feed Modulation Wheel into the LFO’s combine input and choose an appropriate combination, such as Multiply. The wheel can then scale the modulation instead of directly sweeping the destination. Check the result with the wheel at both ends of its range.

Six macros

A macro called Reverb, Drive or Gain is not guaranteed to control only that function. Inspect its connected destinations when editing an unfamiliar preset.

Recipe: eight-step pitch pattern

1. Select an LFO card and connect its upper-right output node to a source Semi knob.
2. Set time grid to 8 and height grid to 12.
3. Select the constant/step shape in the palette and draw the eight heights.
4. Enable Sync and choose a useful cycle length, such as one bar. The rate applies to the whole LFO cycle, not to each step.
5. Set Retrigger Mode to Note On for a repeatable starting point. Adjust LFO Gain and destination depth while auditioning the interval range.

The 12 height divisions do not automatically guarantee twelve semitones: the destination modulation depth also sets the pitch span. Keep steps horizontal for stable pitches. Sloping or curved segments intentionally create pitch drift or slides; smoothing can also soften step transitions. Save these as deliberate variants.

Drawing level, DC offset and normalisation

A shape drawn near one edge of the graph can have a large offset and very little changing amplitude. Normalise alone may leave it looking nearly flat because its largest absolute value is already near the limit. Remove DC first to centre the shape, then Normalise to expand its changing component. Inspect the result before deciding whether it suits your modulation. This changes the shape; it is not a substitute for adjusting LFO Gain or the connection amount.

Drawing grids can remain at the previous editor setting when another preset is loaded. Check the displayed time and height divisions before drawing a new pattern.

Drawing gestures

Left-drag to draw the chosen shape into grid sections. Right-drag modifies the drawn shape. Hold Cmd while dragging to draw a line between the start and end positions. A single-cycle WAV can be dropped into the waveform editor.

Typical assignments

Use a subtle LFO on Fine for vibrato, on Pan for movement, or on Cutoff/Wt pos for timbral motion. Use Sync and a retrigger mode when movement must align with a note or sequence; use Free Running when you want the phase to continue across notes.

Shaper as a modulation response curve

Shaper needs an input. Its graph maps the incoming control value to an output value; it is not a free-running oscillator. Connect a MIDI expression or modulator output to the lower input circle, then route the upper output circle to a destination.

1. Select a Shaper card and inspect its editor.
2. Double-click the graph to insert a point. Drag points to set the response. The bottom tooltip also identifies right-click for polarity changes or deleting points.
3. For expressive keys, connect Note On Velocity to the Shaper input and Shaper output to Cutoff. A low middle point holds brightness back through softer playing, then raises it more strongly for harder notes.
4. For rhythmic movement, feed an LFO into Shaper instead. A response that stays low, rises steeply, then stays high turns smooth input motion into a pulse-like output. The LFO card and Shaper card show different resulting shapes.
5. Set the receiving parameter's base value and modulation depth deliberately. Reload the saved preset and inspect both the curve and routes.

The user also identifies a shared curve-editing gesture: highlight a segment, hold the mouse button and drag to bend it in Shaper, LFO, MSEG or AHDSR. Segment highlighting was observed in this pass. Vertical dragging of the dedicated AHDSR curve fields is confirmed in the envelope chapter; bending graph segments in the other editors remains to be verified.

Example: multi-stage wavetable motion

Select an MSEG card before editing its graph, then route the upper-right output to Wt pos. Move graph nodes to create a rise, dip and return. Check Mode, Retrigger and Polarity under the graph; they determine whether a shape repeats, waits or releases. The example uses Loop+Rel with Note On retrigger.

Shaper

A Shaper requires an input signal. Connect a modulator or MIDI expression source to its input and route its output to a parameter. Drag the curve to change the response, double-click to add points, and use the point’s right-click menu for polarity or removal. It remaps incoming values; an unconnected Shaper is not an independent running oscillator.

Two different interpretations of notes

MIDI editing

Re-Imagine in 2.5

The Re-Imagine button creates a MIDI variation from the current piano-roll notes. The manufacturer’s 2.5 announcement says this integration requires ownership of Difro. Add notes and stop recording before generation; use the Original switch for comparing source notes with the last variation. SourceLab 2.5 announcement ↗

A bass and melody from separate patterns

1. Put the bass in source A and the melody in B.
2. Enable only A as the target of sequencer 1, and only B as the target of sequencer 2.
3. Load or record the two patterns.
4. Set their base notes, Key Track and trigger ranges deliberately.
5. Use the global sequencer lock to audition different full presets without changing the pattern setup.

• Range edges: Drag to change the trigger range.
• Range centre: Drag to move the range and its root note.
• Base note: Right-drag vertically to change the sequencer’s base note.

Example: one filter per source

1. Inspect existing audio cables. Right-click Source B’s output node to remove its shared connection to F1.
2. Drag Source B output to the input node of F2.
3. Drag F2 output to the input on the left of FX 1. Keep A routed through F1 to that same rack.
4. Select F1 or F2 and verify the highlighted filter tab before changing its controls. Route a different AHDSR to each cutoff for independent movement.

The captured patch uses A → F1 and B → F2, both feeding FX 1. C is disabled. The Master amplitude envelope remains connected at FX 1; these independent cutoff envelopes shape brightness, not the final amplitude gate.

A source needs an audible route to an output. Enabling a source or an effect alone does not guarantee that the signal reaches it. The Filter page shows source outputs A–F, filter inputs/outputs F1–F6 and inputs for the six effect racks, FX 1–FX 6. Modulation wires affect controls; they do not substitute for an audio connection.

• Source → Filter In: Connect a source’s audio output to the filter input.
• Filter Out → FX input: Connect the filtered signal to the intended rack. Several sources can share a path.
• Envelope connection: Keep an amplitude envelope on every audible path. Modulation cables to knobs control parameters and do not carry audio.

Serial, parallel and independent layers

Use independent routes to apply delay or reverb to one source while keeping another dry. Carefully distinguish a source used to modulate another source from that source’s own audible route. You can preserve the modulation relationship while changing the audible effect path.

Filter families inspected in 2.5.2

The type arrows allow comparison without guessing submenu positions. Confirm the displayed name after each change. Types inspected in the application include:

• SV 12 dB and 24 dB: Lowpass, Bandpass, Highpass, Notch and Peak.
• Unison: Comb Plus, Comb Minus, Phase Filter and Comb Warp. Comb models expose Voices and Spread; Spread requires more than one voice.
• Morphing SVF: Low/Notch/High, Low/Peak/High, Band/Notch/Peak and Low/Band/High. Check the FT Mix control for these models.
• Ladder: Low/Band/High, plus Lowpass, Highpass and Bandpass in 12 dB and 24 dB forms.
• Custom: Drawable IIR Filter and Wavetable Filter.

Recipe: envelope-controlled analog sweep

1. Start with a low cutoff and moderate resonance.
2. Select a spare AHDSR card, not an LFO or MSEG card.
3. Drag its upper-right output to Cutoff. Verify the cable connects to that knob.
4. Shape the envelope: short attack/decay for plucks, or a slower attack and longer decay for pads.
5. Adjust the modulation amount as well as base cutoff, then audition held and released notes.

Example patch: Ladder Lowpass 24dB, base cutoff 420 Hz; cutoff AHDSR attack 1.4 s, decay 2.8 s, sustain 0.28 and release 2 s. This envelope controls brightness separately from the Master amplitude envelope. Quality mode enables oversampling and uses additional CPU.

• WT Pos: Selects the wavetable frame used as a filter response.
• Warp: Stretches or compresses that response around Cutoff.
• Depth: Sets how strongly the table shape affects the response.
• Wavetable selector: Uses the same wavetable library menu as Source wavetable playback.

Filter families

This build contains ladder and state-variable low-, high- and band-pass responses, notch and peak responses, multi-response morph filters, unison comb/phase variants, a Drawable IIR Filter and a Wavetable Filter. The visible controls depend on the selected type; a parameter absent from one type is not necessarily unavailable in another.

Keep space clear with built-in ducking

Reverb and Delay each expose Ducking Thresh and Rel. Their tooltips identify a compression threshold for attenuating the wet signal and a release time for its return to full level. This can help a dry attack remain clear while the ambience rises after it. These controls are distinct from the separate SideChain Comp effect.

Reverb HCut and LCut filter the signal before it enters the reverb algorithm. Damp models high-frequency loss in the room; raising it shortens the tail. Width runs from mono at 0% to full stereo at 100%. Delay has independent left/right timing, Ping Pong and Reverse switches, plus filtering and Drive for the repeats.

Check macros before changing an effect mix

A macro connected to an effect mix can counteract edits made to that effect’s base knob. Open the lower Modulators area on the Effect page to inspect the macro connections. Adjust the macro on Browse when that is the intended performance control, then return to the effect to check the result. In the starting patch, the Chorus, Delay, Reverb, Drive and Compress macros already control effect parameters.

• Enable: Switch a module on to add it to the rack.
• Order: Drag list entries to change the processing order.
• Rack lock: Preserve the selected rack while loading a different preset.

Compressor

Distort

Chorus

Delay

EQ

Filter effect

A filter module inside the rack complements the separate six-filter routing page. Use Type, Morph, Cutoff, Reso and Drive to shape the filter response. Its multi-response Morph blends the surrounding responses. Use Filter for the corresponding concepts; do not assume every special filter-page control is also present in this effect.

Balance

Reverb

Multi Compress

SideChain Comp

Phaser

Build and verify serial and parallel racks

For a serial-to-parallel routing example: Source A passes through Filter 1 into FX 1. FX 1 feeds FX 2 and FX 3; both returns reach Output Bus 1. FX 2 adds Phaser, while FX 3 contains a fully wet Delay. There is no direct FX 1-to-bus path in this example.

1. In Effect / Mixer, inspect the existing rack output-to-bus cable. Remove that direct route through the node's connection menu if the next rack should receive the whole signal.
2. Drag FX 1 Output to FX 2 Input for serial processing. Ensure FX 2 Output reaches an output bus.
3. Add another cable from FX 1 Output to FX 3 Input to create the parallel branch. Selecting or pointing at a node can highlight only its connections; inspect the overall graph away from the nodes too.
4. For the Delay branch, use 100% wet Mix and control the return through FX 3 mixer Volume. For example, use -9 dB, 28% feedback and 1/8T timing with Ping Pong enabled.
5. Filter the repeats separately: the tested Delay Lowcut and Highcut accept Hz values. The saved example reads 250 Hz and 6500 Hz. Do not assume their automation units match the synth filter's normalised setter.
6. Reload the preset and inspect the routing graph, effect enable states, wet Mix and rack return level. Play held and released notes to check the result on the actual audio output.

The Phaser example reads Rate 0.2 Hz, Feedback 22% and Depth 65%. Each rack has its own processing and mixer controls. These observations verify this constructed graph; master-rack menu behaviour, feedback routing and extra host buses still need separate tests.

Serial versus parallel racks

To apply one rack after another, route the first rack’s output into the next rack. To process layers independently, keep their input paths separate and route their rack outputs to the intended output bus. A master rack provides a shared final stage for those paths. Check the complete output graph after making one.

No sound from a rack?

1. Check that it has an input connection on Filter or from another rack.
2. Check Rack Mute, Solo elsewhere, and its mixer level.
3. Check that the rack output reaches the desired Output Bus.
4. For extra buses in a DAW, enable the corresponding host output and route it to the mixer.

Verified save workflow

Use the third item, Save Preset As…, in the top-left menu for a new sound. Fill Preset Name, Author, Bank, Comment and Type, then choose both genre and characteristic tags. Use your own author name and genre Trap; experimental basses can also carry Growl, Aggressive or Dubstep tags as appropriate.

After saving, return to the bank, load the preset and check the name in the top header. Audition it after reloading. A selected browser row and the Preset Info area can lag behind the loaded sound, so check the header as well.

Save a new preset

1. Open the top-left menu and choose Save Preset As….
2. Set a Preset Name, Bank and Type. These three fields are required.
3. Use a personal bank for your sounds rather than mixing them into a factory bank.
4. Add author, genre/characteristic tags and a useful comment.
5. Save under a unique name. Read conflict prompts before allowing replacement.

Overwrite, rename and delete

Overwrite Current Preset replaces the original and its warning says it cannot be undone. Use Save Preset As… for variations you want to keep separately. A preset’s menu includes rename, delete and loading its sources only. Delete sends the preset to Trash, where it can be recovered.

Export a bank

Use the bank menu’s single-file export to package a bank. Exports a .slbank file in the Desktop folder SourceLab Banks Export and drag-and-drop import on the recipient’s system. Before sharing, reopen the exported bank on a clean/test library and verify samples, mappings, MIDI, effects and skin assets.

Skins can provide a bank-specific instrument interface, including macros, browser controls and keyboard elements. They are optional. Use the main navigation to return to the engine pages when a skin exposes only a subset of controls. Bank skins can provide a custom interface and macro layout.

Skin workflow described by this build

1. Choose an installed skin, or use a bank’s skin command.
2. Use Edit Current Skin… or Create New Skin… for editing.
3. In edit mode, right-click to add controls or change options.
4. Link controls to the intended engine parameter or macro.
5. Set the background and move/resize controls for the intended layout.
6. Save under a unique skin name and check the result at the intended size.

Colours and macro images

The main menu contains colour editing and colour-scheme choices. The macro-area menu controls the knob-track colour and backgrounds. The 2.5 announcement adds colour schemes and another way to close skins. Manufacturer update information ↗

An evolving wavetable pad

1. Start with one wavetable source.
2. Set a slower master or source attack and a musical release.
3. Connect an LFO or MSEG to Wt pos with a moderate connection amount.
4. Add a few unison voices, then use Stereo and Detune to spread them.
5. Route through a filter and assign a macro to Cutoff.
6. Add reverb in the chosen FX rack and keep enough dry sound for definition.

A dry bass beneath a processed texture

1. Put the bass in A and the texture in B.
2. Route A into its own filter/rack path and keep its effects simple.
3. Route B into a separate rack with delay or reverb.
4. Balance the two rack outputs in Mixer.
5. Connect a macro to the texture’s Gain and chosen effect Mix controls for one performance gesture.

A natural release sound

1. Keep the main instrument on Note On in A.
2. Load the mechanical or finger-slide sample into B.
3. Enable B’s source envelope and Note Off.
4. Adjust B’s envelope and sample/source velocity range.
5. Check the shared master-envelope route so it does not cut off B.

Variations that retain your pattern

1. Lock the sequencers.
2. Browse alternative full presets or generate a new category-based preset with the large dice.
3. Lock any source or FX rack you want to keep while exploring.
4. Save a useful result under a new name.

An expressive movement macro

1. Connect an LFO to filter Cutoff or Wt pos.
2. Use Mod Wheel at the LFO’s combine input to control movement depth.
3. Assign a macro to complementary effect parameters.
4. Give the macro a short name and a hyphen-separated explanation.
5. Play the patch at minimum, midpoint and maximum control settings before saving.

For installation, licensing or persistent issues, use Initial Audio support ↗. Include SourceLab version, operating system, host and the steps that reproduce the issue.

These tutorials cover the preset browser, importing your own sounds and detailed sound design. The videos show earlier versions of SourceLab; some controls may appear in different positions in version 2.5.2. Video playback requires an internet connection.

Support

For installation, activation or technical support, contact Initial Audio support ↗. Include your SourceLab version, operating system, DAW and the steps that reproduce the issue.

About this manual

This manual covers SourceLab 2.5.2. Product names and interface artwork belong to Initial Audio and their respective owners. SourceLab product page ↗

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