Finally there is Ring modulation. This uses two oscillators but instead of adding them together as would happen in a mixer, they
are multiplied together. This is very similar to FM & produces the kind of effect shown below:
The Ring Mod effect creates metallic & bell like sounds & is used generally for lead sounds but if used subtly can produce Electric
Pianos etc & if used radically can produce unusual sound effects.
All these methods further enhance the basic Oscillator waveforms to include many more or a useful mix of harmonics. Once the
waveforms have been selected you can then “fine tune” the harmonic content of the mixture of different waveforms by passing
them through a “Filter” to remove unwanted harmonics. The filter in an Analogue synthesiser is a very powerful “Tone Control”. Like
the tone control on a stereo, the filter can alter how things sound but it cannot change the style of music being played on the
record, & so the filter in a synthesiser can alter the “tone” of a sound but is restricted by the basic “Timbre” of the waveforms. For
this reason, several waveforms are available at once & you can “Mix” them together to provide more harmonically rich waveforms.
Below is a diagram showing the signal path in the Nova & all the waveforms at various locations.
As can be seen different waveforms are being produced by different oscillators using different techniques. The Oscillators, Ring
Modulators & the Noise Generator are all being Mixed together & feed to the filter. The signal is then in turn fed to the Amplifier.
Oscillator 1 is using a Square wave modulated by Skew & then Softened. To create a sine-like wave except it has an extra bump in
it this produces a Whistle like sound. Oscillator 2 is using a Saw wave modulated by Skew & Sync producing a Harsh sound &
Oscillator 3 is using a Square wave modulated by Skew & Formant width to produce a bright PWM like waveform. The 1*3 Ring
modulator & the 2*3 Ring modulator are producing complex waveforms & these along with all the Oscillators & the Noise generator
are fed to the Mixer.
To Next Page
Loading...
Need help?
General
