Sequential Prophet VS - Vector Synthesis

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In this mixer design, then, each mixture point represents a dierent timbre
resulting from the unique combination of the four source waveshapes. New
waveshapes can be created (edited) with the joystick in a similar fashion, then
retained in RAM and assigned to any oscillator position (A - D), for remixing
into yet more new timbres.
VECTOR SYNTHESIS
While it sounds very complex, the basic concept of vector synthesis is quite
simple. It just means that while the note is playing, instead of staying in one
place, the oscillator mixer point can be made to move throughout the mixture
plane. The movement can be slow or fast, simple or complex, occasional
or constant. In all cases, the output from the oscillator section will be one
waveshape that changes timbre more or less quickly, as the point moves. This
dynamic movement of the mixture point results in complex and lively timbre
modulation unlike anything heard before. And since dierent waveforms often
have dierent energies, variations in eective loudness are also created in
addition to timbral changes.
In geometry, vectors represent quantities that not only have a value, but have a
direction as well. In other words, a vector describes the movement of a point.
The advantage of the coordinate system is that regardless of how complex
the desired movement is, it can be described by simply changing the values
of only two numbers, which of course represent the x and y_ axes. Depending
on exactly how the x and y_ values change, the vector can move the point in
simple straight lines or in elaborate geometric shapes or curves.
In addition to the physical movement with the joystick already mentioned,
there are a variety of faster, electronic means available for moving (modulating)
the mixer point. The mixture point can be moved independently along either
axis by either LFO, by the key position, velocity, or keyboard pressure. The
mixer point can also be moved along both axes simultaneously by the mixer
envelope generator (discussed in Section 8).
Of course with several modulation sources applied to each axis, the vector
movement of the mixture point becomes very complex and hard to imagine.
Fortunately, because the eect of dynamic wave mixing is not predictable,
to produce interesting sounds it is not even necessary to think about the
exact movement of the point. (That is for the computer to gure out!) It is only
necessary to learn how to use the mixer modulation sources.
For example, those with some math or electronics background may be better
able to intuitively picture the movements which will result from applying one
LFO triangle wave to the A-C axis and the other to the B-D axis. Similar
to Lissajous patterns, you can make the mixture point move in a diamond
through all four quadrants, or trace gure-8s. But no one knows what this
movement will sound like when it is actually mixing specic waveforms. The
connection between the mathematical picture of the mixer point in motion and
the resulting sound is something which must be heard empirically with specic
waves to be understood.
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