
17
Coarse tuning is another basic tool in the construction of sounds. The most practical use of coarse detuning
involves transposing a VCO by one or more octaves. When doing this however, always make sure that the
Detune parameter is set to 0. You may even transpose an oscillator or CS2x Layer by a whole 4 Octaves!
With a bit of luck you can program some impressive sounds using this feature. Intervals other than octaves
may also be used for some specialized sounds, mostly 4ths or 5ths (5 or 7 semi-tone intervals), major or
minor 3rds (3 or 4 semi-tones) as well as major or minor 7ths (10 or 11 semi-tones).
So, now you know how and when to tune the oscillators, i.e. the CS2x Layers. We all know however that “it’s
the sound that makes the music”, so let’s look at the VCO waveforms in more detail. Just as different synthe-
sizers” filters all sound very different, VCOs, too, all have their own distinctive sound. Some analogue synths
even allow smooth step-free transitions between sawtooth and triangle waves, two waveforms per oscillator
and other such fun things. The CS2x isn’t the odd one out here. It is possible for instance to coax two Saw-
tooth Waves
with different sound characteristics from it. The first wave (TP002) corresponds to sawtooth
waves that have already proven successful with the Yamaha SY99 and SY85 synthesizers. What is new
here, however, is the second, more transparent sawtooth waveform (TP004). We don’t wish to be secretive
about this one: the sound is based on a multi-sample, transposed by an octave via the pitch envelope, which
gives the sound its fresh tonal shade. There won’t be many of the dinosaur analogue synths that can serve
up such a brilliant waveform – this wave is particularly recommended for Dance and Techno tracks. By the
way you will probably want to use this wave as a starting point for your own analogue sounds, so we have
added a second VCO and detuned both oscillators against each other (TP003/005).
Another of analogue synthesis” strong favourites is the Square Wave
(TP006): this is actually a specific
pulse waveform with a peak-trough relationship of 50%. To maintain some oscillation you again have to use
two VCOs and slightly detune them against each other. The square wave however is more sensitive to this
than the sawtooth wave. The best results are obtained with minimal detuning. You may also need to reduce
the second VCO’s level a little (TP007). To be honest, though, this really is a matter of personal taste.
Pulse waveforms
, unlike periodic square waves, describe the percentual relationship between the wave’s
peeks and troughs. As a rule of thumb: moving further away from the consistent square oscillations (50%)
results in an more nasal sound. Pulse widths less than 10% are – musically speaking – less prolific. At worst
your waveform will approach a pin shaped pulse, i.e. the wave is barely audible. Contained within the wave
reservoir are many useful pulse waves, with wave ratios varying between 25% (TP008) and 10%(TP009).
The latter is often used to emulate the sound of a clarinet.
Another typical tool in analogue synthesis is the oscillator synchronization
(or oscillator sync), originally
devised to avoid the inevitable drift between two VCOs. This method opens the doors to the delectable “sync
sounds”, two examples of which exist as ROM samples in the CS2x’s memory (TP010/ 011).
Illustration: The VCO Waveforms: Sawtooth, Square, Pulse
Komentáře k této Příručce