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Chapter 12 Retro Synth 224
Retro Synth FM oscillator controls
The synthesizer oscillators are used to generate the basic tonal color. This signal is then sent to
other parts of the synthesizer engine for shaping, processing, or manipulation. See Retro Synth
lter controls, Retro Synth amp and eect controls, Use Retro Synth modulation, and Retro Synth
global and controller settings.
In FM synthesis, the basic sound is generated by setting dierent tuning ratios between the
modulator and carrier oscillators and by altering the FM intensity. The tuning ratio determines
the basic overtone structure, and the FM control sets the level of these overtones.
At the core of Retro Synth’s FM synthesis engine, you’ll nd a multiwave modulator oscillator—
the (Wave) Shape slider, and a sine wave carrier oscillator—the FM (Amount) slider. The basic
sine wave of the carrier oscillator is a pure, characterless tone.
To make things more sonically interesting, the modulator oscillator is used to modulate the
frequency of the carrier oscillator. This modulation occurs in the audio range (you can actually
hear it), and results in a number of new harmonics becoming audible, thus changing the
tonal color.
The pure sine wave (of the carrier oscillator) is combined with the newly generated harmonics,
making the sound much more interesting.
You can make ne changes to the tuning ratio of the two oscillators (and therefore the levels of
the harmonics) by adjusting the Harmonic and Inharmonic controls.