[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":765},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:\u002Flearn\u002Fmodulation":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"article":6,"body":7,"description":757,"extension":758,"meta":759,"navigation":6,"path":760,"seo":761,"seoTitle":762,"stem":763,"__hash__":764},"pages\u002Flearn\u002Fmodulation.md","Modulation: making sounds move",true,{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":742},"minimark",[10,14,18,30,35,38,62,65,69,77,114,125,268,273,283,287,307,311,323,346,426,510,514,521,600,604,607,615,659,676,680,695,699],[11,12,5],"h1",{"id":13},"modulation-making-sounds-move",[15,16,17],"p",{},"So far every knob has stayed where you left it, unless an envelope was pushing it around. But a sound that never changes gets boring fast. Real sounds move all the time: a singer's vibrato, wind gusting, a wah pedal opening and closing.",[15,19,20,24,25,29],{},[21,22,23],"strong",{},"Modulation"," means using one signal to change another over time. It's the reason modular synths exist: every knob with a jack next to it can be moved by ",[26,27,28],"em",{},"any"," signal you patch into it. Once that clicks, you stop thinking \"what does this module do?\" and start thinking \"what could move this?\".",[31,32,34],"h2",{"id":33},"source-destination-amount","Source, destination, amount",[15,36,37],{},"Every modulation has three parts:",[39,40,41,49,55],"ul",{},[42,43,44,45,48],"li",{},"A ",[21,46,47],{},"source",": something that moves. An LFO, an envelope, a sequencer, your hand on a pad.",[42,50,44,51,54],{},[21,52,53],{},"destination",": the knob it moves. Filter cutoff, pitch, volume, delay time…",[42,56,57,58,61],{},"An ",[21,59,60],{},"amount",": how far it moves it.",[15,63,64],{},"Change any one of the three and you get a different effect from the same patch.",[31,66,68],{"id":67},"the-lfo-a-hand-that-never-gets-tired","The LFO: a hand that never gets tired",[15,70,57,71,76],{},[72,73,75],"a",{"href":74},"\u002Fmodules\u002Flfo","LFO"," (low-frequency oscillator) is an oscillator that's too slow to hear, anywhere from one cycle every few seconds to a few cycles a second. You don't listen to it; you patch it into something and it moves that thing back and forth for you.",[39,78,79,85,91],{},[42,80,81,84],{},[21,82,83],{},"Rate"," sets how fast it moves.",[42,86,87,90],{},[21,88,89],{},"Depth"," sets how big the movement is.",[42,92,93,94,97,98,101,102,105,106,109,110,113],{},"The wave buttons set ",[26,95,96],{},"how"," it moves: ",[21,99,100],{},"SIN"," sweeps smoothly, ",[21,103,104],{},"TRI"," goes up and down in straight lines, ",[21,107,108],{},"SAW"," ramps then snaps back, ",[21,111,112],{},"SQR"," jumps between two settings.",[15,115,116,117,120,121,124],{},"Kables draws a ",[21,118,119],{},"ring"," around any knob that's being modulated, showing where the signal is pushing it right now. Watch the rings: they're the best way to ",[26,122,123],{},"see"," modulation.",[126,127,131,138],"try-it",{"lesson":128,"title":129,":unpatched":130},"04-movement-with-lfos","Let an LFO turn the knob","true",[15,132,133,134,137],{},"The modules are on the rack with no cables. The VCA's ",[21,135,136],{},"Bias"," is already up, so this voice drones rather than playing notes, leaving you free to listen to the filter.",[139,140,141,179,193,212,224,252],"ol",{},[42,142,143,144,147,148,151,152,154,155,157,158,160,161,164,165,170,171,170,175],{},"Patch the VCO's ",[21,145,146],{},"OUT"," into the filter's ",[21,149,150],{},"IN",", the filter's ",[21,153,146],{}," into the VCA's ",[21,156,150],{},", and the VCA's ",[21,159,146],{}," into the Output's ",[21,162,163],{},"MONO",". A steady drone. ",[166,167],"wire",{"from":168,"to":169},"vco.out","vcf.in"," ",[166,172],{"from":173,"to":174},"vcf.out","vca.in",[166,176],{"from":177,"to":178},"vca.out","out.in",[42,180,181,182,185,186,188,189],{},"Patch the Keyboard's ",[21,183,184],{},"V\u002FOCT"," into the VCO's ",[21,187,184],{},", so the keys change the pitch. ",[166,190],{"from":191,"to":192},"keys.pitch","vco.pitch",[42,194,195,196,199,200,203,204,207,208],{},"Now the modulation: patch the LFO's ",[21,197,198],{},"±"," output into the filter's ",[21,201,202],{},"CV",". The filter starts sweeping all by itself. Watch the ring around its ",[21,205,206],{},"Cutoff"," follow the LFO. ",[166,209],{"from":210,"to":211},"lfo.out","vcf.cv",[42,213,214,215,217,218],{},"Change the LFO's wave to ",[21,216,112],{},": now the filter jumps between two settings. ",[219,220],"knob",{"module":221,"param":222,"is":223},"lfo","wave","square",[42,225,226,227,229,230,233,234,237,238,240,241,170,244,170,247],{},"Move the LFO's cable from the filter's ",[21,228,202],{}," to the VCO's ",[21,231,232],{},"FM"," jack and raise the VCO's ",[21,235,236],{},"FM Amt"," a little. Still on ",[21,239,112],{},", the pitch jumps between two notes: a trill. ",[166,242],{"from":210,"to":243},"vco.fm",[245,246],"unplug",{"from":210,"to":211},[219,248],{"module":249,"param":250,"above":251},"vco","fm","2",[42,253,254,255,257,258,260,261,170,264],{},"Switch the LFO back to ",[21,256,100],{}," and turn its ",[21,259,83],{}," up to about 5 Hz: now the pitch wavers smoothly. That's vibrato. Same source, new destination, a completely different effect. ",[219,262],{"module":221,"param":222,"is":263},"sine",[219,265],{"module":221,"param":266,"above":267},"rate","3",[269,270,272],"h3",{"id":271},"how-much-depth-times-amount","How much? Depth times amount",[15,274,275,276,278,279,282],{},"Two knobs set how far a modulation reaches: the source's own level (the LFO's ",[21,277,89],{},") and the destination's amount knob (the filter's ",[21,280,281],{},"CV Amt","). If a modulation is too wild or too subtle, either one will fix it. Destinations without an amount knob take the signal as it is, which is where the next module comes in.",[269,284,286],{"id":285},"up-and-down-or-just-up","Up and down, or just up?",[15,288,289,290,292,293,296,297,300,301,303,304,306],{},"The LFO has two outputs. ",[21,291,198],{}," swings both ways around zero, from −Depth to +Depth, so it pushes a knob up ",[26,294,295],{},"and"," down from where you set it. ",[21,298,299],{},"+"," stays positive, from 0 to +Depth, so it only pushes up. Use ",[21,302,198],{}," for vibrato that wobbles around the note, and ",[21,305,299],{}," when you want, say, a filter that only ever opens from where it sits.",[31,308,310],{"id":309},"scale-offset-the-signal-adapter","Scale & Offset: the signal adapter",[15,312,313,314,318,319,322],{},"Signals rarely arrive at exactly the size you need. ",[72,315,317],{"href":316},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fattn","Scale \u002F Offset"," is the tiny module that fixes that, and it does it with one rule: ",[21,320,321],{},"output = input × Scale + Offset",".",[39,324,325,334,340],{},[42,326,327,330,331,333],{},[21,328,329],{},"Scale"," below 1 makes a signal smaller. Negative ",[21,332,329],{}," flips it upside down.",[42,335,336,339],{},[21,337,338],{},"Offset"," shifts it up or down.",[42,341,342,343,345],{},"With nothing patched in, it just outputs the ",[21,344,338],{},": a fixed voltage you can send anywhere, like a knob on a cable.",[126,347,350,353],{"lesson":128,"title":348,"add":349},"Too much wobble","attn",[15,351,352],{},"The LFO patch from the start of this guide, droning away, with a spare Scale \u002F Offset beside the Keyboard.",[139,354,355,370,395,408,416],{},[42,356,357,358,229,360,362,363,365,366,170,368],{},"Move the LFO's cable from the Filter's ",[21,359,202],{},[21,361,184],{},". The pitch swoops a whole octave up and down: ",[21,364,184],{}," has no amount knob, so the LFO arrives at full size. Far too much. ",[166,367],{"from":210,"to":192},[245,369],{"from":210,"to":211},[42,371,372,373,375,376,378,379,185,381,383,384,386,387,170,390,170,393],{},"Put the Scale \u002F Offset in between: the LFO's ",[21,374,198],{}," into its ",[21,377,150],{},", and its ",[21,380,146],{},[21,382,184],{},", in place of the LFO's cable. It still swoops, because ",[21,385,329],{}," 1 changes nothing. ",[166,388],{"from":210,"to":389},"attn.in",[166,391],{"from":392,"to":192},"attn.out",[245,394],{"from":210,"to":192},[42,396,397,398,400,401,170,405],{},"Turn its ",[21,399,329],{}," down to about 0.02: the swoop shrinks to a gentle wobble. ",[219,402],{"module":349,"param":403,"below":404},"scale","0.05",[219,406],{"module":349,"param":403,"above":407},"-0.05",[42,409,410,411,413,414],{},"Turn the LFO's ",[21,412,83],{}," up to about 5 Hz: vibrato. ",[219,415],{"module":221,"param":266,"above":267},[42,417,418,419,421,422],{},"Now turn the Scale \u002F Offset's ",[21,420,338],{}," up to 1: the whole thing jumps up an octave. Offset adds the same amount all the time, so it moves the wobble without changing its size. ",[219,423],{"module":349,"param":424,"above":425},"offset","0.9",[126,427,430,433],{"lesson":428,"title":429},"24-scale-offset-signal-surgery","Two more tricks",[15,431,432],{},"Two more jobs for the same little module: a second voice that always plays in harmony with you, and notes that get darker instead of brighter.",[139,434,435,445,467,494],{},[42,436,437,438,441,442],{},"Play a few notes on ",[21,439,440],{},"A–K",". Each key plays two notes at once, a fifth apart. ",[443,444],"play",{"times":251},[42,446,447,448,450,451,453,454,456,457,459,460,170,464],{},"That's the Scale \u002F Offset beside the Keyboard. Nothing is in its ",[21,449,150],{},", so it sends out just its ",[21,452,338],{},", 0.58 (about 7\u002F12 of an octave), into the second VCO's ",[21,455,184],{},", where it adds to the keyboard's pitch. Turn its ",[21,458,338],{}," to about 0.33: now the second note is a major third above. ",[219,461],{"module":462,"param":424,"above":463},"attn#fifth","0.3",[219,465],{"module":462,"param":424,"below":466},"0.36",[42,468,469,470,472,473,475,476,478,479,481,482,484,485,170,488,170,491],{},"The other Scale \u002F Offset sits between the ADSR and the Filter's ",[21,471,202],{},". With ",[21,474,329],{}," −1 and ",[21,477,338],{}," +1 it turns the envelope upside down, so each note starts dark and brightens as it fades. Set its ",[21,480,329],{}," to +1 and ",[21,483,338],{}," to 0, and play: it now passes the envelope through unchanged, and notes start bright and darken, the usual way round. ",[219,486],{"module":487,"param":403,"above":425},"attn#flip",[219,489],{"module":487,"param":424,"above":490},"-0.1",[219,492],{"module":487,"param":424,"below":493},"0.1",[42,495,496,497,475,499,501,502,504,505,170,508],{},"Set them back to ",[21,498,329],{},[21,500,338],{}," +1 and play again. Watch the ring around the Filter's ",[21,503,206],{}," dip on each note instead of jumping up. ",[219,506],{"module":487,"param":403,"below":507},"-0.9",[219,509],{"module":487,"param":424,"above":425},[31,511,513],{"id":512},"mixing-modulation","Mixing modulation",[15,515,44,516,520],{},[72,517,519],{"href":518},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fmixer","Mixer"," doesn't care whether it's mixing sounds or control signals. Mix a slow LFO with a faster one and you get a wobble that's more complex and less predictable than either. And because every input in Kables adds up all the cables plugged into it, you can also just patch two sources into the same jack.",[126,522,525,531],{"lesson":128,"title":523,"add":524},"Mix two LFOs","lfo,mixer",[15,526,527,528,530],{},"The LFO patch from the start of this guide, droning away, with its LFO moved down into a row: a second LFO and a Mixer wait next to it. Keep an eye on the ring around the Filter's ",[21,529,206],{},": it shows the mixed signal as it moves.",[139,532,533,557,579,590],{},[42,534,535,536,538,539,542,543,545,546,548,549,170,552,170,555],{},"Route the LFO that's already moving the Filter through the Mixer: move its cable from the Filter's ",[21,537,202],{}," to the Mixer's ",[21,540,541],{},"IN 1",", then patch the Mixer's ",[21,544,146],{}," into the Filter's ",[21,547,202],{},". Nothing changes yet: the ring still sweeps slowly. ",[166,550],{"from":210,"to":551},"mixer.in1",[166,553],{"from":554,"to":211},"mixer.out",[245,556],{"from":210,"to":211},[42,558,559,560,562,563,565,566,569,570,572,573,170,576],{},"Now the second LFO, next to it: turn its ",[21,561,83],{}," up to about 6 Hz and patch its ",[21,564,198],{}," into the Mixer's ",[21,567,568],{},"IN 2",". The ring now sweeps slowly ",[26,571,295],{}," flutters fast on top, and you can hear both. ",[219,574],{"module":221,"param":266,"above":575},"4",[166,577],{"from":210,"to":578},"mixer.in2",[42,580,581,582,584,585],{},"Turn the Mixer's level ",[21,583,251],{}," down and back up: the flutter shrinks and grows on top of the sweep. ",[586,587],"turn",{"module":588,"param":589},"mixer","l2",[42,591,592,593,596,597],{},"Turn level ",[21,594,595],{},"1"," all the way down: the slow sweep disappears and only the flutter is left. ",[219,598],{"module":588,"param":599,"below":404},"l1",[31,601,603],{"id":602},"you-are-a-modulation-source-too","You are a modulation source too",[15,605,606],{},"Modulation doesn't have to come from a machine. Controllers turn your movements into signals, and those signals can go anywhere an LFO could.",[15,608,609,610,614],{},"The ",[72,611,613],{"href":612},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fxy","XY Pad"," sends two signals at once, one for left-right and one for up-down, plus a gate while you touch it. Patch X to pitch and Y to a filter and you're playing two knobs with one finger.",[126,616,619],{"lesson":617,"title":618},"37-xy-pad-play-by-touch","Play by touch",[139,620,621,639],{},[42,622,623,624,627,628,631,632,170,636],{},"Drag inside the pad: ",[21,625,626],{},"left–right"," picks the note, ",[21,629,630],{},"up–down"," opens the filter. Press to play, let go to stop. ",[586,633],{"module":634,"param":635},"xy","x",[586,637],{"module":634,"param":638},"y",[42,640,641,642,645,646,649,650,652,653,170,656],{},"The X signal slides smoothly, so it passes through a ",[21,643,644],{},"Quantizer"," that snaps it to the notes of a scale: a theremin that can't play a wrong note. Patch the pad's ",[21,647,648],{},"X"," straight into the VCO's ",[21,651,184],{}," instead, in place of the Quantizer's cable, for a true, slidey theremin. ",[166,654],{"from":655,"to":192},"xy.x",[245,657],{"from":658,"to":192},"quant.out",[15,660,609,661,665,666,670,671,675],{},[72,662,664],{"href":663},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fgamepad","Gamepad"," and ",[72,667,669],{"href":668},"\u002Fmodules\u002Ftilt","Phone Tilt"," modules do the same with a game controller's sticks and buttons, or by tilting and shaking a phone. They need the hardware to make any sound (",[72,672,674],{"href":673},"\u002Fplay?lesson=41-gamepad-and-phone-tilt","lesson 41",").",[31,677,679],{"id":678},"where-modulation-goes-next","Where modulation goes next",[15,681,682,683,686,687,691,692,322],{},"Once you're used to LFOs, try sources that ",[26,684,685],{},"don't"," repeat: random voltages, chaos and physics. They get their own section in the ",[72,688,690],{"href":689},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmelody-and-chance","melody & chance guide",". And when modulation speeds up into the audio range, it stops sounding like movement and starts changing the tone itself: that's ",[72,693,232],{"href":694},"\u002Flearn\u002Ffm-and-distortion",[31,696,698],{"id":697},"what-to-remember","What to remember",[39,700,701,714,725,728,734,739],{},[42,702,703,705,706,708,709,711,712,322],{},[21,704,23],{}," is one signal moving another. Every modulation has a ",[21,707,47],{},", a ",[21,710,53],{}," and an ",[21,713,60],{},[42,715,57,716,718,719,721,722,724],{},[21,717,75],{}," is a slow oscillator you don't listen to. ",[21,720,83],{}," is speed, ",[21,723,89],{}," is size, the wave is the shape of the movement.",[42,726,727],{},"Same source, different destination, different effect: LFO on cutoff is a sweep, on pitch it's vibrato, on a VCA it's tremolo.",[42,729,609,730,733],{},[21,731,732],{},"rings"," around knobs show modulation as it happens.",[42,735,736,738],{},[21,737,317],{}," shrinks, flips and shifts signals so they fit.",[42,740,741],{},"Your hands, a pad, a gamepad or a phone are modulation sources too.",{"title":743,"searchDepth":744,"depth":744,"links":745},"",2,[746,747,752,753,754,755,756],{"id":33,"depth":744,"text":34},{"id":67,"depth":744,"text":68,"children":748},[749,751],{"id":271,"depth":750,"text":272},3,{"id":285,"depth":750,"text":286},{"id":309,"depth":744,"text":310},{"id":512,"depth":744,"text":513},{"id":602,"depth":744,"text":603},{"id":678,"depth":744,"text":679},{"id":697,"depth":744,"text":698},"Why modulation is the heart of modular synthesis. How LFOs move knobs for you, what CV is, how to scale and flip signals, and how to play a synth with an XY pad, a gamepad or a phone.","md",{},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmodulation",{"title":5,"description":757},"What is modulation on a synth? LFOs, CV and patching explained","learn\u002Fmodulation","wNsV8oTGAiaOIM0UiPQabLPfiAZKOHfC5AAwF5dPbTo",1792599837968]