Machine
THERE LEAD: a lead synth you play with a ribbon, keys or your webcam
THERE LEAD is the LEAD machine in EASY RAVE, a free melody synth in your browser named after the theremin. You can play it on a big on-screen ribbon, on your keyboard, by clicking notes into a piano roll, or by moving your hand in front of a webcam with CAM. It has an arpeggiator, a HARMONY section that adds voices in key, glide and vibrato.
What is THERE LEAD?
THERE LEAD is the lead synth in the EASY RAVE rack, labelled LEAD: the machine for melodies, hooks and riffs. Its name comes from the theremin, the early electronic instrument played by moving your hands in the air, and it is the machine in EASY RAVE built most for playing by hand rather than programming.
How can you play THERE LEAD?
| Way to play | How |
|---|---|
| The ribbon | Hold A anywhere: a big ribbon appears across the screen. Move the mouse sideways to change the note, drag up for vibrato |
| The keyboard | Press LIVE and the number keys play notes of the scale; − and + change octave |
| CAM | Press CAM, allow the webcam, and move your hand: closer is higher, height is volume. See play a theremin with your webcam |
| MIDI | Connect a MIDI keyboard in the settings, then press LIVE |
| The piano roll | Click notes onto the grid, like any sequencer |
Press ● REC to record what you play. The lead records your performance freely, not snapped to a grid; if you want it tighter afterwards, Q quantises it to the grid you choose.
What do the controls do?
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Wave screen | Click to change the oscillator: SAW, SQU or TRI |
| CUTOFF | Brightness of the lead (hold C and turn the mouse wheel to sweep it) |
| RESONANCE | How much the filter whistles around the cutoff |
| LFO | A slow automatic sweep of the filter, for a wobble |
| GLIDE | How smoothly it slides between notes |
| LENGTH | How long a note rings after you let go |
| HOLD | The note keeps playing after you let go, until the next note |
| VIBRATO | Switches on vibrato, a gentle pitch wobble |
What do ARP and HARMONY do?
ARP turns held keys into a pattern. Hold 2 or more number keys and the lead plays them one after another in time: UP, DOWN, UP-DOWN or RANDOM, at 1/16, 1/8 or 1/8T, across 1 or 2 octaves.
HARMONY stacks extra voices on every note you play, always inside the scale, so they fit the song:
| HARMONY | Adds |
|---|---|
| OFF | Just the notes you play |
| 3RD UP | A third above |
| 5TH UP | A fifth above |
| 3RD DOWN | A third below |
| OCTAVE | The same note an octave up |
| 3RD + 5TH | A full chord on every note |
Play a single line with 3RD + 5TH and it turns into moving chords.
Which presets come with it?
PRESETS has 6 starting points: Rising arp, Hook line, Long pad, Offbeat stabs, Octave run and Slow lead. Load one under a beat, then replay it your own way on the ribbon.
Frequently asked questions
Is THERE LEAD a real theremin?
No. A theremin is a hardware instrument played between 2 antennas. THERE LEAD is a synth in EASY RAVE that borrows the idea: with CAM, your hand's distance from the webcam sets the pitch and its height sets the volume, all in your browser.
Can I play melodies without knowing the notes?
Yes. The number keys play notes of the scale you picked, so every key fits. HARMONY adds matching voices, and ARP turns held keys into patterns, so simple input already sounds musical.
What makes a good lead sound?
Start with SAW for a bright lead or TRI for a soft one, add a little GLIDE, and use REVERB and DELAY from its SOUND EFFECTS rack for space. Keep the lead's EQ BASS low so it does not fight the bassline.