F_WATERZ — Water & Rain Sound Designer (User Guide)

F_WATERZ is a synthetic water generator for droplets, rain, stream and waterfall textures. It combines event-based droplets (short tonal pings with micro-modulation), a rain layer (noisier, denser events), and a continuous stream/turbulence bed (filtered noise with slow motion). A single Scene control morphs smoothly from isolated drops to gentle rain, heavy rain and stream—no mode-switch clicks.

Quick Start

1. Set Scene low (~0.05) for cave-like droplets. Raise Density to taste (6–10).
2. Shape timbre with Tone (center frequency) and Q. Higher Tone/Q = brighter, pingier drops.
3. Use PitchAmt and PitchDec to control the upward pitch sweep per droplet (depth and speed).
4. Increase NoiseMix as you move towards rain for a splashier, less tonal character.
5. Place the scene with Depth (distance filtering and gain roll-off) and Width (stereo image).
6. Add body with Turbulence (continuous moving noise) and subtle thickness with Stack (micro multi-tap).
7. Balance layers via Level Drop, Level Rain, Level Stream, then set overall Master.

Signal Flow Overview

Droplets and rain are generated as many short-lived voices: each voice blends a sine “ping” with a band-pass-filtered noise burst, shaped by an attack/decay envelope, then distance-processed (high-cut, level, and stereo narrowing). In parallel, a stream/turbulence bed runs continuously (pink/white noise into moving filters). Outputs are summed, optionally micro-stacked (very short dual delays), soft-clipped, and sent to L/R outs.

Continuous Scene Morph

Scene (0→1) crossfades multiple behaviors in one gesture:

• 0.00 = Drops: low event density, higher Q, more tonal (lower NoiseMix), closer perspective.
• ~0.40 = Light Rain: increasing density, slightly lower Q, more noise character.
• ~0.70 = Heavy Rain: high density, lower Q, strong noise component, farther perspective.
• 1.00 = Stream/Waterfall: events are secondary to the continuous bed; Turbulence becomes prominent.

Controls

**Scene**

Smoothly morphs the whole system from droplets → rain → stream. Internally blends density, Q, noise bias, depth and stereo width.

**Density**

Average events per second (Poisson probability per sample). Higher values mean more droplets/rain hits.

**Random**

Humanizes pitch, pan, noise mix and envelope times per event. Keep moderate (0.3–0.7) for natural variation.

**Tone** (Hz)

Center pitch for droplet bands. Typical drops: 800–1500 Hz. Rain tends to work with slightly lower values.

**Q (Resonance**)

Band-pass sharpness for the event timbre. Higher Q = narrower, more tonal “ping”. Lower Q = broader, splashier.

**PitchAmt**

Depth of the upward pitch sweep per drop (up to ~1 octave by default). Real drops “rise” after impact—this captures that effect.

**PitchDec (ms)**

Time constant of the upward sweep. Lower values = faster rise. Typical 40–120 ms.

**VibRate / VibDepth**

Subtle vibrato layered on the droplet pitch for extra liveliness (2–12 Hz / 0–50 cents). Use sparingly.

**NoiseMix**

Blend between tonal sine body and band-pass noise. Low values = clean pings; high values = rainy, splashy events.

**Depth**

Global distance: increases high-frequency roll-off, reduces level, and narrows stereo image for “farther” perspective.

**Width**

Stereo width scaler. Wider for near, narrower for far or heavy rain beds.

**Turbulence**

Continuous moving noise bed (pink/white into slowly modulated filters). Great for streams, waterfalls, and windy rain.

**Stack**

Micro multi-tap (2 ultra-short delays) for cohesion and thickness. Subtle settings (~0.2–0.5) work best.

**Level Drop**

Controls the balance of tonal droplet events (single drips and sparse pings). Raise for cave-like drops, lower when focusing on rain or stream.

**Level Rain**

Controls the balance of the noisier, denser rain-like events. Increase for drizzle or heavy rain textures; reduce when you only want drops or stream.

**Level Stream**

Controls the continuous stream and turbulence layer. Essential for waterfalls, brooks, or ocean surf. Lower when focusing on discrete drops.

**OUT**

Global output gain. Includes a gentle soft clipper to tame peaks and glue layers together.

Suggested Starting Points

• Cave Drips: Scene 0.05, Density 6–10, Random 0.5, Tone 900–1400, Q 8–12, PitchAmt 0.7–1.0, PitchDec 60–120 ms, NoiseMix 0.25–0.4, Depth 0.3–0.5, Width 0.8–1.0, Turbulence 0.1–0.3, Stack 0.2–0.5. Levels: Drop ↑, Rain ↓, Stream ↓.
• Gentle Rain: Scene ~0.4, Density 15–20, Random 0.4–0.6, Tone 2.6–3.0 kHz, Q 5–6, PitchAmt 0.4–0.6, PitchDec 50–80 ms, NoiseMix 0.6–0.7, Depth 0.4–0.6. Balance Rain ↑, Stream ↔.
• Heavy Rain: Scene 0.7–0.85, Density 28–36, Random 0.6–0.8, Tone 1.8–2.2 kHz, Q 3.5–4.5, PitchAmt 0.2–0.4, PitchDec 40–60 ms, NoiseMix 0.8–0.9, Depth 0.6–0.8, Width 0.2–0.4, Turbulence 0.5–0.8. Rain ↑, Stream ↑.
• Stream / Waterfall: Scene 0.95–1.00, Density 8–20 (events secondary), NoiseMix 0.4–0.8, Turbulence 0.6–1.0, Depth 0.7–1.0, Width 0.2–0.4. Stream ↑, others ↓.

CV & Modulation Ideas

• Density CV: Patch slow random or weather-like LFO to evolve scene activity over time.
• Random CV: Animate texture subtlety from static → lively during transitions.
• Stream Mod CV: Move stream cutoff for “gusts” or flow surges (envelope follower from external source also works).
• External Reverb/IR: Short rooms for caves, long plates/halls for outdoor rain. Consider more send for Stream than for Drops.

Production Tips

• EQ Tilt: A gentle high-shelf can push from cave to outdoor drizzle; a low-shelf can add body to waterfalls.
• Layering: Duplicate F_WATERZ on a second lane: one set “near drips”, another “far stream” for cinematic depth.
• Automation: Automate Scene and Density to tell a weather story: dry → drizzle → downpour → runoff.
• Keep It Subtle: Small changes in NoiseMix, Depth, and Stack often read as more realistic than big jumps.

Troubleshooting

• Too tonal / bell-like: Lower Q, raise NoiseMix slightly, shorten PitchDec, or lower Tone.
• Too hissy / shapeless: Increase Q, reduce NoiseMix, reduce Turbulence, or raise Tone.
• Not enough distance: Increase Depth and reduce Width; lower Level Drop vs. Stream.
• Clicks/peaks: Reduce Master slightly, reduce Stack, or lower Density.
• CPU spikes: Lower Density, reduce Stack, shorten PitchDec (voices die faster), or reduce Level Rain.

Credits & Intent

F_WATERZ is designed to cover droplets → rain → stream in one performance-friendly module. The continuous Scene control is the heart of the workflow: start with drops, turn towards rain, then into streams without switching modes or changing patch cables.