SYNTHS - Oscillator Knowledge

What are the four common waveforms found in most synthesizers?

• Sine, Square, Triangle, Sawtooth

• Pulse, Noise, Sine, Square

• Triangle, Sawtooth, Noise, Pulse

• Sine, Triangle, White Noise, Pink Noise

Oscillator detuning affects the character of a pad sound by:

• Making the sound more static and thin

• Adding movement and thickness to the sound

• Reducing the stereo width of the sound

• Making the sound quieter

Harmonic content refers to the presence of additional frequencies in a waveform. How do different waveforms affect harmonic content?

• All waveforms have the same harmonic content.

• Sine waves have no harmonics, while square and sawtooth waves have more harmonics.

• Square waves have no harmonics, while sine and sawtooth waves have more harmonics.

• Sawtooth waves have no harmonics, while sine and square waves have more harmonics垣

Oscillator sync is a technique in synthesis. What is its effect on timbre?

• It creates a richer, more complex timbre by forcing one oscillator to restart its cycle with another.

• It reduces the volume of the sound produced.

• It eliminates all harmonics from the sound.

• It increases the pitch of the oscillator.

The primary benefit of using multiple oscillators in pad design is:

• Increased polyphony

• Richer and more complex sound textures

• Lower CPU usage

• Faster attack time

Pulse width modulation alters a square wave's sound character by:

• Changing its frequency

• Changing its amplitude

• Changing its harmonic content

• Changing its phase

What effect does phase cancellation have when combining multiple oscillators?

• It increases the overall volume.

• It causes certain frequencies to be reduced or eliminated.

• It adds distortion to the sound.

• It makes the sound brighter.

Sawtooth waves are particularly useful in synthesizer sound design because:

• They produce only pure sine tones.

• They contain both even and odd harmonics, creating a rich, bright sound.

• They are completely silent.

• They are only used for percussion sounds.

Oscillator drift refers to which of the following, and why might it be desirable in pad sounds?

• The gradual change in pitch of an oscillator, adding warmth and movement to pad sounds

• The sudden increase in volume of an oscillator, making pads more aggressive

• The reduction of harmonics in an oscillator, making pads sound dull

• The synchronization of multiple oscillators, making pads sound uniform

The blend ratio between oscillators affects the overall timbre by:

• Changing the pitch of the sound

• Altering the harmonic content and texture

• Increasing the volume only

• Reducing the number of oscillators