Oscillators
An oscillator generates the tone a synth starts from. The waveform sets which harmonics are in it. Pulverisateur has three oscillators plus noise.
An oscillator generates the tone. The filter, the envelopes, and the effects only reshape it. The waveform decides which harmonics are there to reshape.
| Sine | The fundamental only. Soft, with no edge for a filter to bring out. |
|---|---|
| Triangle | A few odd harmonics. Still mellow, a little more present than a sine. |
| Sawtooth | Every harmonic, quieter as they go up. The usual start for a bass or a lead. |
| Square | Odd harmonics. Hollow. |
| Noise | Every frequency at once, no pitch. Raw material for hats, breath, and the click at the start of a drum. |
A filter can remove harmonics. It cannot supply ones the waveform never had, which is why a sine stays soft however far you open the cutoff. Pulverisateur is the plain version of this layout: three oscillators and a noise source.
Two oscillators on the same note are thicker than one when one of them is a few cents sharp or flat. You hear a slow beating. That interval is under pitch. Unison stacks several copies from a single note and detunes them for you. A wavetable plays a row of stored shapes instead of one fixed waveform.