11
The oscillators, filter, modulators, and other parts are connected in the most useful ways for
producing and modifying electronic signals that result in sounds. Unlike on a modular synthesizer,
many connections between the Sub 37’s various parts are hardwired, meaning that it is not possible
to change the routing of the pathways that connect them.
The electrical signals within a synthesizer are either audio signals or control signals, depending on
the pathway they follow. Typically, an audio signal begins with an oscillator and passes through the
filter on its way to the audio output. Control signals are used to change things, like the pitch, timbre,
waveshape, or loudness of an audio signal.
Any time a signal controls something, no matter whether it’s controlling an audio signal or another
control signal, we say that it modulates it. In synth-speak, you could say that a steering wheel
modulates a car’s direction and the accelerator pedal modulates its speed. When you play the Sub 37’s
keyboard, the key you press modulates the instrument’s pitch. You can modulate filter cutoff by turning
a knob manually, or you can apply a control signal from a low-frequency oscillator or envelope to
modulate it electronically. It’s worth noting that a control destination can be modulated by more than
one control source.
The diagram below illustrates how the Sub 37 generates sound. It shows the flow of audio signals,
represented by solid lines, and control signals, represented by dotted lines.
You can control the Sub 37 using control voltages and MIDI commands. When the Sub 37 receives
either a control signal from the onboard keyboard or a Note On command from an external MIDI
source, it responds by sending a gate signal to trigger the envelopes and a control voltage (CV) to
control oscillator pitch. The envelopes respond by sending control signals to the amplifier and filter.
Every knob and button on the Sub 37 transmits MIDI data (when in NRPN Mode). This functionality is
useful for recording your knob turns and button presses into a computer-based DAW, as well as for
controlling external devices using the Sub 37’s front-panel controls. All the settings that make up a
patch are called its parameters, which is simply another name for settings.
VCA
SUB 1
VCO 1
VCO 2
NOISE
EXT. AUDIO
FEEDBACK
MIXER
EXT
AUD
H. PHONE
AUDIO
AUDIO
OUT
VCO 1
SUB
VCO 1
WAVE
VCO 2
WAVE
NOISE
CORE
VCO 1
CORE
VCO 2
CORE
FDBK/EXT
AUDIO LVL
VCO 1
SUB LVL
VCO 1
LVL
VCO 1 MOD
& CNTRL
PITCH 1 CV
& MOD
NOTE
SYNC
PITCH 2 CV
& MOD
OSC 1-2
SYNC
FILTER EG
CV & MOD
VCA EG
& CV
RESO-
NANCE
VCO 2 MOD
& CNTRL
VCO 2
LVL
NOISE
LVL
LADDER
FILTER
FILT SLOPE
SELECT
MULTIDRIVE
MULTI-
DRIVE
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
