subratactive synthesis

Subtractive Synthesis

Starting with a sound full of harmonics and filtering out unwanted frequencies

Voltage Controlled Oscillator

Creates waveform for sound, pitch determined by oscillation frequency

Triangle Wave

Brighter than sine wave, with quiet overtones, small odd harmonics

Square Wave

Hollow sounding, odd harmonics, richer than triangle wave

Sawtooth Wave

Bright, rich, strong overtones, odd and even harmonics

Pulse Wave

Similar to square wave, varying hollowness by changing pulse width

Sine Wave

Simple, clean, pure sounding, no harmonics

White Noise

Random scattering of all frequencies, sounds like static

Voltage Controlled Filter

Adjust cutoff to filter harmonics, add resonance for boost

Voltage Controlled Amplifier

Controls volume of sound, basic sound control in synthesis

Envelope

Shapes sound by controlling volume or frequency over time

ADSR Envelope

Consists of attack, decay, sustain, release for shaping sound

Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO)

Operates below 20 HZ, modulates sound parameters

Vibrato

Modulating VCO frequency to create pitch modulation

Tremolo

Modulating VCF to control amount of harmonics