Akai S3200XL

EDIT PROGRAM - SINGLE
S3200XL Operator’s Manual - Version 1.00 Page 77
use with synthesiser effects. You will find that slower LFO speeds are possible
with set to off.
The three fixed parameters for setting up LFO1 are:
This sets the rate of LFO1. This is variable between very slow (01) for such
effects as auto panning and filter sweeps and fast (99) for vibrato and other
effects.
This sets the output level of LFO1. This acts as a master LFO modulation
control for all destinations that have LFO1 routed to them. In this way, if you
wish to change the modulation level going to all destinations easily, simply
change this parameter. The range is 0-99.
NOTE: You may find that nothing happens when you route LFO1 to a destination and set a
modulation level at the destination’s input. This will be because LFO1’s depth is set to 00. This
may seem a strange default at first but the reason is to do with the use of the modwheel for
vibrato. In order to be able to have the modwheel for vibrato as an immediate effect, the LFO
depth needs to be at 00 otherwise, there will be constant LFO modulation of pitch. It is only
when you are using LFO1 to apply a constant vibrato or for something other than vibrato in
special applications that you will need to specifically set the depth control here.
This parameter sets the time it takes for the LFO1 effect to take place after a
note-on. At 00, the effect will be instantaneous but at 99 the effect of LFO1 to
take effect will be delayed. I.e:
NOTE ON
The three ‘VARIABLE’ fields apply to the modulation inputs of LFO1. Although not specifically
named, they relate to the parameters directly to their left - i.e. , and . The
default for these parameters is so that you may affect speed, depth and delay according
to keyboard position, thereby emulating the fact that, for example, high violins’ vibrato is often
slightly faster, deeper and less delayed than low cellos or contrabasses. These parameters
allow you to create quite rich orchestral textures where vibrato is never constant across the
keyboard range.
Of course, you may select other modulation options for these inputs. Here are a few ideas:
• Using LFO1 as an assignment to control its own rate will change the symmetry of the
waveform and you can use this to create new modulation waveforms (i.e. using a square
wave to modulate itself will create an asymmetric pulse wave). Using LFO1 to modulate its
own output level does create an effect but this can best be described as subtle! Applying
LFO1 to modulate its own delay is also very subtle to the point that, with the exception of
very slow sweeps, you probably won’t hear anything!
• Applying a slow LFO2 to speed will give a gradual speed up and slow down of LFO1 rate.
This can be used for special effects, especially in synth sounds - for example, apply a slow
LFO1 mod to the filter cutoff and assign a slow LFO2 to control LFO1’s speed, setting a
value of + 50. Assigning it to depth will cause the effect of LFO1 to whatever destination it
is applied to increase and decrease at a rate set by LFO2. Applying LFO2 to delay will only
have an effect at the point of note-on.