Cecilia 5

What is Cecilia 5?

Cecilia is an audio signal processing environment aimed at sound designers. Cecilia mangles sound in ways unheard of. Cecilia lets you create your own GUI using a simple syntax. Cecilia comes with many original built-in modules and presets for sound effects and synthesis.

Ajax sound studio’s description of Cecilia 5

Cecilia 5 is a program mainly designed to alter and affect the sound, by using modules. Each module has a set of modifiers, all able to be automated. But the software also allows synthesis with the same controls.

How to use Cecilia 5

There are three main sections to Cecilia. The left side has the Transport panel, In/Out, Post-Processing and presets which I will call the Processing section. The section at the bottom, contains all the modifiers for the module but I will be calling is the sliders. Finally, the large grey square in the middle is where all the automation are made and previewed, called the grapher.

Processing section

• Transport panel – Contains the play/stop button, record button and a timer to show the time in the project.
• In/Out – This is where you select the audio sample, change the file name, change the duration, gain, peak and how many audio channels.
• Post-Processing – Here you can select a multitude of effects to add onto the project, such as reverb, filters, chorus, gate, distortion, etc.
• Presets – This is where you can load up a preset of the specific module that is in use.

Sliders

the sliders have all modifiers for the module, here you can slide them to get the sound you want. But, to automate the sliders you have to use the grapher.

Grapher

The grapher is a visual representation of the slider automations. Alongside the toolbar on top, this is the main workspace of Cecilia. In the top left, is the grapher popup, here you can select the slider to edit and automate.

Next to the grapher popup, there are multiple functions being:

• Save the current line
• Load a previous saved line
• Reset the line
• Hide/unhide the current line

On the right hand side, you have the mouse functions where the mouse controls these tools.

• Pointer tool – To select and create nodes for the line
• Pencil – To draw lines
• Magnifying glass – To zoom into the automation
• Hand – To grab and move lines

Next to these are line generators, these tools will create lines to the set degrees. The generators are:

• Random line – Various stochastic function generators.
• Sine wave – Various waveform function generators.
• Function – Various function processors which modify the current line’s points.