Preset count is the number every synth bank leads with, and it's the wrong one. A deep dive into modulation depth — rate diversity, modulation amount, and cross-parameter coupling — and why fifty deeply-programmed patches often outlast five hundred shallow ones.
Automation gets treated as a mixing chore, added after the arrangement is finished. Designed at the same time as the notes, it's the difference between a cue that sits flat and one that actually moves.
