Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc

• 06 The Digital Oscillator

  • The Digital Oscillator is the very heart of the MicroFreak. It's the digital circuit that generates the core sound of this instrument. The other parts of the MicroFreak - the Analog Filter, the Envelopes, and the LFO - exist only to shape/mangle/wobble the sound of the Digital Oscillator.
  • Oscillators come in two flavors; analog and digital. Digital oscillators have advantages over analog oscillators: they are capable of generating a much broader palette of waveforms and are more flexible and stable than their analog counterparts. Analog filters, on the other hand, have something special to them.
  • The MicroFreak offers you the best of both worlds: a digital oscillator and an analog filter.
  • The Oscillator in the MicroFreak is unique in that it can emulate many different synthesis models. In the history of electronic music, many gifted sound engineers developed unique ways of generating sounds. Voltage Controlled Oscillators, the pitch of which could be controlled with an external voltage, FM oscillators that created timbres by modulating two or more oscillators, Harmonic oscillators use combinations of harmonics to create complex

    timbres. You'll find many of these Oscillator models in the MicroFreak, and we hope you'll have as much fun with them as the engineers who designed them.
    

  • At Arturia, we are fans of Mutable Instruments. They permitted us to implement some of their open-source Oscillator designs in the MicroFreak, for which we are very grateful as they add a lot to the sonic potential of the MicroFreak.
  • The BASS, SAWX and HARM have been developed by Noise Engineering. The oscillators are special versions of the oscillators included in Noise Engineering's Virt Iter Oscillator Platform. The Virt Iter comes with these same three oscillator models but can be flashed with other models.

  • Note/Info The explanation of the parameters below is intended for advanced users. The best way to understand what the parameters do is to tweak the knobs and use your ears to experience the sonic results. The knowledge you gain in this way is usually more valuable than understanding the mathematical function of a parameter.
    

  • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/01 as Soundgen

    • 06.01 The oscillator as a sound generator

      • When you hear a sound, you hear air vibrating against the eardrum of your ear. As humans, we can hear frequencies in the range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. As you age your ability to hear high frequencies will gradually diminish. At 65 you'll probably hear only frequencies up to 6000 Hz. But that is enough to be able to enjoy timbral variations in music.
      • The ear can perceive sound around 50 Hz as bass (think huge organ pipes), but around 30 Hz it's difficult for the ear to hear a sound as a pitch; it's perceived as a low rumble. In electronic music, low-frequency sounds are often used as voltage or control signals to modulate another module. An LFO is an oscillator specifically designed to generate frequencies in this range. The LFO in the MicroFreak can generate signals in the range from 0.1Hz to 100Hz. Please refer to Microfreak/UG/08 LFO for details.

      • Note/Info Modulation is not limited to this range; some audio oscillator models in the MicroFreak use a second oscillator to modulate their own frequency.
        

      • The Digital Oscillator
        • 
      • The Digital Oscillator can play notes in the range from C-2 to G8. Although the MicroFreak keyboard spans only two octaves, you can shift the range it plays up and down.
      • Freaky idea: Applying a (very) small dose of randomness to the pitch of the digital oscillator will make someone who listens to your track sit up and pay attention.
  • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/02 Param Controls

    • 06.02 The Parameter Controls

      • The parameter controls bring the Digital Oscillator to life in different ways.
      • Type selects an oscillator model, each with its own character. Type can also be modulated: changing models rapidly with the LFO creates abrupt changes in timbre. The Envelopes, keyboard pressure, Sequencer, and Arpeggiator can modulate Type too.

      • Note/Info Oscillator Type can be modulated in single-voice and Paraphonic modes. In Paraphonic mode, all voices change to the same Type; Wave, Timbre, and Shape modulation can differ by voice.
        

      • Changing Type shows that model and its current values on the display.
      • Each model has three sound-shaping parameters: Wave, Timbre, and Shape. Their effects depend on the model. Turning a knob shows its current function on the display; the oscillator overview uses those display names and puts the model's screen name in parentheses.
      • Wave, Timbre, and Shape can each be a modulation destination in the Matrix, so a sound can change as the modulation changes.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/02 Param Controls/01 Knob Speed

        • 06.02.01 Knob Tracking Speed

          • Wave, Timbre, and Shape knobs can track in Slow (the default) or Fast mode. Set the speed with Utility → Browsing → Osc Knob Speed, or on the Device Tab in Arturia's MIDI Control Center when the MicroFreak is connected.
          • Hold Shift while turning one of these knobs to use the opposite speed temporarily: Fast when set to Slow, or Slow when set to Fast.
          • Slow allows precise sound-design edits; Fast suits broader changes during a performance. In either mode, the knobs accelerate when turned more quickly.
  • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types

    • 06.03 Oscillator Types: An Overview

      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/01 BasicWaves

        • 06.03.01 Basic Waves Oscillator (BasicWaves)

          • Classic Waveforms Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: Every sound consists of a series of harmonics. The first harmonic is the fundamental, which determines the pitch you hear. The second harmonic is twice as high in pitch, the third is three times as high, and so on. On a guitar, touching the exact middle of a string produces the second harmonic; dividing the string into three parts produces the third harmonic.
          • The second and higher harmonics determine a sound's timbre. The second, fourth, sixth, and eighth harmonics are even; the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth are odd. Odd harmonics can add a more dissonant timbre.
          • Triangle and square waves contain only odd harmonics; a sawtooth contains odd and even harmonics. A sawtooth can emulate bowed strings: the bow catches the string periodically, then slips to its next position, creating a sawtooth-like wave.
          • The four basic waveforms developed in the early days of synthesis are sine, triangle, square, and sawtooth. Each has a different mix of even and odd harmonics. The sine wave is the simplest, with only a fundamental. A square wave has only odd harmonics. To some ears, a square wave sounds more musical than a sawtooth, which contains all harmonics.
          • This oscillator emulates two basic waveforms: square and sawtooth.
          • Morph: Continuously morphs from a square wave to a sawtooth, then to two sawtooths. It changes waveform symmetry.
          • Sym: Morphs between square-wave pulse width and phasing between the two sawtooth copies. It has no effect when Wave is at 50 (sawtooth).
          • Sub: Adds a sine-wave sub-oscillator.
          • Tip: To get a sine wave, use the filter to remove all harmonics. Alternatively, set filter resonance to maximum; the filter then self-oscillates and produces a pure sine wave.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/02 SuperWave

        • 06.03.02 Superwave Oscillator (SuperWave)

          • The Superwave Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: This is a digital waveform animator that creates copies of a waveform and detunes them. Detuning them creates a very fat, lush sound. Unlike more traditional waveform animators that multiply a sawtooth wave, this model allows you to select from four different waveforms.
          • Wave: Selects the waveform to be multiplied: saw, square, triangle, or sinus.
          • Detune: Sets the detuning amount.
          • Volume: Sets the amplitude of the detuned waves.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/03 Wavetable

        • 06.03.03 Wavetable oscillator (Wavetable)

          • The Wavetable Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: In the early '80s, advances in computer technology made it possible to scan through waveforms stored in memory. A waveform consists of short snippets called samples. 256 samples form a cycle of the wave. Each wavetable stores 32 cycles. Moving the Timbre knob moves through these cycles.
          • Once a waveform is stored in memory, its pitch can be changed by changing the speed at which it is read from memory. This is something an analog oscillator cannot do.
          • Table: The Wave knob selects one of the 16 waves stored in the table.
          • Position: Browses the 32 cycles.
          • Chorus: Activates a chorus effect on the wavetable.
          • Tip: Modulate the wave parameter with the LFO or Cycling Envelope to hear the oscillator's full sonic range. This technique is called wavesequencing.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/04 Harmo

        • 06.03.04 Harmonic OSC (Harmo)

          • Harmonic Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: Harmonic oscillators recreate sound by creating and summing harmonics. Varying the amplitude of individual harmonics changes the timbre. This oscillator sums complete waveforms, not just up to eight harmonics, producing more complex sounds than traditional harmonic oscillators.
          • Content: The Wave knob morphs through different tables of harmonic amplitudes and switches between them. Higher values provide tones with richer harmonic content.
          • Sculpting: The Timbre knob morphs between a sine and a triangle wave. A harmonic derived from a sine wave sounds different from one built from a triangle wave.
          • Chorus: Adds chorus to the oscillator sound, making it wider.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/05 KarplusStr

        • 06.03.05 Karplus-Strong (KarplusStr)

          • Karplus Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: Karplus-Strong is a sound synthesis method developed by Kevin Karplus and Alex Strong at Stanford University. It creates realistic drum and plucked-string sounds by looping a short noise burst through a filtered delay. This physical modeling approach recreates an instrument's physical characteristics digitally, such as string bow position, striking force, and the materials' diffusion and damping.
          • In physical modeling, an exciter creates vibrations in a resonator. The exciter can be a bow or a strike, and the resonator can emulate many instrument shapes.
          • Bow: Sets how much bow is added on top of the strike. Bowing creates a continuous tone, while a strike alone creates a decaying tone.
          • Position: Controls where and how hard the resonator is struck. It does not affect the bowed part of the sound.
          • Decay: Sets the resonator's resonance by controlling its decay.
      • The oscillator models from V.Analog through Noise were developed by Mutable Instruments and introduced in its Plaits module in 2018. Arturia included these open-source designs in the MicroFreak. For more detail about the waveforms, see the Plaits manual.
      • The MicroFreak's knob names differ from those in the Plaits documentation:
        • Wave corresponds to Harmonics.
        • Timbre corresponds to Timbre.
        • Shape corresponds to Morph.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/06 VAnalog

        • 06.03.06 Virtual Analog (V.Analog)

          • Virtual Analog Model
            • 
          • Description: Emulates the classic triangle, sawtooth, and square synthesis waveforms.
          • Detune: Sets the detuning between the two waves.
          • Shape: Morphs a variable square wave from a narrow pulse through a full square wave to hard-sync formants.
          • Wave: Morphs a variable saw wave from triangle to sawtooth with an increasingly wide notch.
          • Tip: Combine Detune with keyboard or arpeggio modulation for changing scale variations. On the Matrix, route Key/Arp to Wave.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/07 Waveshaper

        • 06.03.07 Waveshaping Oscillator (Waveshaper)

          • Waveshaper Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: Combines a waveshaper and a wavefolder. The waveshaper changes a wave's rising and falling stages: it can steepen a triangle's rise into a falling saw, or change the curves of either stage. These changes affect the number and amplitude of harmonics, with more harmonics producing a richer, sometimes sharper, sound. The original model was based on a feature of the Serge waveshaper.
          • A wavefolder folds a wave back on itself. Unlike boosting a digital waveform until its top clips off, folding preserves the waveform by turning it back on itself.
          • Wave: Sets the waveshaper waveform.
          • Amount: Sets the wavefolder amount.
          • Asym: Sets waveform asymmetry.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/08 Two Op.FM

        • 06.03.08 Two operator FM (Two Op.FM)

          • Two operator Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: FM synthesis began with Dr. John Chowning's work at Stanford University in the late 1960s. The first FM synthesizer ran on a mainframe computer—roughly a room full of refrigerators.
          • Chowning found that modulating a waveform with others tuned to the harmonic series could emulate many acoustic instruments. Inharmonic relationships produced bell-like tones and other intricate sounds that were difficult for analog synthesizers of the time to reproduce.
          • This oscillator uses two sine-wave oscillators, each modulating the phase of the other, to create a wide range of sounds.
          • Ratio: Sets the frequency ratio between the oscillators.
          • Amount: Sets the modulation index.
          • Shape: Sets feedback, with operator 2 modulating its own phase.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/09 Formant

        • 06.03.09 Granular formant oscillator (Formant)

          • Granular formant Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: Granular synthesis chops a wave into tiny pieces called particles, then rearranges, multiplies, and combines them. This model rearranges particles into formants and filtered waveforms.
          • Interval: Sets the frequency ratio between formants one and two.
          • Formant: Sets the formant frequency.
          • Shape: Sets formant width and shape by controlling the window applied to the sum of two synchronized sine oscillators.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/10 Chords

        • 06.03.10 Chords (Chords)

          • Chords Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: Chords mode turns the digital oscillator into four voices that can play and modulate chords.
          • The first note of a chord is its root. The third determines whether the chord is minor, three half-steps above the root, or major, four half-steps above it. Adding voices further shapes the minor or major feel.
          • A major chord may sound forceful and happy, while a minor chord may sound sad to listeners raised with Western music. Responses to major and minor scales differ across cultures.

          • Note/Info For more on music theory, search the web or YouTube.
            

          • Note/Info Paraphony is disabled in Chords mode. The last key pressed becomes the root note, and only one chord can play at a time.
            

          • Type: Selects the chord:
            • Octave
            • 5th
            • sus4
            • Minor
            • Minor 7
            • Minor 9
            • Minor 11
            • 6th and 9th added
            • Major 9
            • Major 7
            • Major
          • Inv/Transp: Changes the chord inversion and frequency range. The chord stays the same, but the pitches are combined differently as the Timbre knob moves or is modulated externally.
          • Example: Hold a C major chord (C/E/G) and turn Timbre to the right. At position 10, the chord reaches its first inversion; turning further produces other inversions.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/11 Speech

        • 06.03.11 Vowel and speech synthesis (Speech)

          • Vowel and speech synthesis Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: The Speech oscillator draws on speech synthesis research begun by Texas Instruments in the late 1970s, which led to the Speak & Spell talking toy. Vowels use unrestricted airflow while the throat and tongue shape their sound; consonants delimit and shape vowels.
          • Microfreak/UI/Oscillator/Knob/Type/Speech/Type
            • The Microfreak/UI/Oscillator/Knob/Wave knob scans
              • 1 - formants from 0 to about 100,
              • 2 - then libraries of colors,
              • 3 - numbers,
              • 4 - letters, and
              • 5 - words.
          • Microfreak/UI/Oscillator/Knob/Type/Speech/Timbre:
            • Shifts the speech formants up or down.
          • Microfreak/UI/Oscillator/Knob/Type/Speech/Word:
            • The Microfreak/UI/Oscillator/Knob/Shape knob scans subsets of words from the library selected with the Wave knob.

          • Examples

            • Set Wave to its maximum, Timbre to 40, and Shape to 30. Play middle C to hear “Filter.” Enable paraphony to play the word with four voices.
            • Set Wave to 60, Timbre to 46, and Shape to 17. Play middle C to hear “One.”

          • Singing count

            • Activate Arpeggio mode with Arp|Seq.
            • Assign the oscillator Shape parameter to the LFO by pressing Assign 1 and turning Shape.
            • Set the modulation amount to about 80.
            • Select the triangle wave on the LFO and set its speed to about 80 Hz.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/12 Modal

        • 06.03.12 Modal Resonator (Modal)

          • Modal Resonator Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: A modal resonator imitates how an object's shape amplifies some harmonics and dampens others when it vibrates. This lets it mimic instrument bodies such as woodwinds, strings, and drums. It needs an exciter signal to produce sound, as a real instrument needs a bow, drumstick, or breath. Its harmonic structure and the instrument shape it mimics can change as a knob turns or a Matrix source such as the LFO or Envelope modulates it.
          • The resonator also controls how quickly the sound fades. Its damping can change with a knob or a Matrix source.
          • Inharm: Sets inharmonicity, or material selection.
          • Timbre: Sets excitation brightness and dust density.
          • Decay: Sets damping and decay time, which controls energy absorption.
          • Freaky idea: The MicroFreak is paraphonic. Arpeggiate or sequence chords while modulating damping to selectively dampen steps in the sequence or arpeggio.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/13 Noise

        • 06.03.13 Noise Oscillator (Noise)

          • Noise Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: This oscillator mixes a noise source with a sine, triangle, or sawtooth oscillator. Noise particles are tiny noise fragments that originate when noise is sampled down.
          • Wave: Selects the noise source, from particle noise through white noise to metallic noise. Turning the Wave knob clockwise morphs the resulting wave from particle noise to white noise to metallic noise.
          • Timbre: Applies sample-rate reduction to the noise and controls the pitch of square waves in metallic noise.
          • Shape: Crossfades from noise alone at 0%, through noise with sine at 33% and noise with triangle at 66%, to noise with square at 100%.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/14 BASS

        • 06.03.14 BASS Oscillator (Bass)

          • BASS Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: The BASS model is a quadrature oscillator with Sine and Cosine inputs. The Sine oscillator feeds a balanced modulator, and its output mixes with the modulated Cosine oscillator. Saturate, Fold, and Noise control the modulation model.
          • Saturate: Sets the saturation of the Cosine oscillator.
          • Fold: Applies a two-stage asymmetric fold that adds harmonics by folding parts of the wave that fall outside set boundaries back onto the wave. Don Buchla pioneered wavefolding in the early 1970s.
          • Noise: Sets the noise level. Noise phase-modulates the two oscillators in opposite phases and is added between the fold stages.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/15 SAWX

        • 06.03.15 SAWX Oscillator (Sawx)

          • SAWX Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: SAWX creates variations by manipulating a sawtooth wave. It extends the standard sawtooth's harmonic content by modulating its phase with subsampled white noise. Chorus then enhances the result by adding time-shifted copies of the sawtooth.
          • Saw Mod: Sets the gain of a modulus stage.
          • Shape: Sets the chorus amount.
          • Noise: Sets the amount of phase modulation from subsampled white noise.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/16 HARM

        • 06.03.16 HARM Oscillator (Harm)

          • HARM Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: The HARM oscillator creates a waveform by adding harmonics or partials to a fundamental frequency.
          • Spread: Sets the relation between partials. At zero they are in unison; at maximum they are an octave apart. Intermediate positions interpolate linearly in frequency.
          • Rectification: Adjusts rectification of the individual partials, similar to a half fold.
          • Noise: Sets the amount of phase-modulated noise and the master clip level.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/17 WaveUser

        • 06.03.17 User Wavetable Oscillator (WaveUser)

          • User Wavetable Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: WaveUser works like the Wavetable oscillator, with two differences: MIDI Control Center can load user wavetables, and the Shape knob controls bit depth instead of chorus.
          • A user wavetable bank contains 16 tables, each with 32 cycles of 256 samples. When no user bank is present, the factory wavetable bank loads automatically.
          • Table: The Wave knob selects one of the 16 waves in the table.
          • Position: The Timbre knob browses the table's 32 cycles.
          • Bitdepth: The Shape knob changes the wave's bit depth for a digital lo-fi character.
          • MIDI Control Center instructions for loading wavetables are in the Wavetables tab.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/18 Sample

        • 06.03.18 Sample

          • Sample Oscillator Model
            • 
          • Description: The Sample oscillator works like WaveUser, with user samples loaded through MIDI Control Center. The MicroFreak stores 128 samples, with up to 210 seconds of audio in total.
          • To browse samples, hold Shift and turn the Type knob. This opens the sample select menu for the unit's 128 slots; repeat the gesture to leave the menu.

          • Note/Info When adjusting Sample parameters, | Smp at the top of the screen means the sample select menu is still open.
            

          • Sample display showing | Smp and the Start parameter
            • 
          • Start: The Wave knob sets the sample's starting point, from 0 at the beginning to 100 at the end.
          • Length: The Timbre knob sets sample length from -100 to 100. Negative values play the sample backward.

          • Note/Info With Start at 100 and Length at -100, the sample plays backward from its end to its start.
            

          • Loop: After setting Start and End with Length, Loop crossfades between those positions. At 100, only a very short part at the end of the sample loops.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/19 Scan Grains

        • 06.03.19 Scan grains

          • Scan grains oscillator model
            • 
          • The Scan grains oscillator plays short slices (grains) of a loaded sample. Each grain has a volume envelope for a smooth sound, and the oscillator scans from the sample's start to its end at a user-defined speed.
          • Scan: The Wave knob sets scan speed by moving the grain start position.
          • Density: The Timbre knob sets how often a grain is generated.
          • Chaos: The Shape knob adds randomness to density, size, pitch, and other parameters.
          • Sample browsing and parameter adjustment work like the Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/18 Sample.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/20 Cloud Grains

        • 06.03.20 Cloud grains

          • Cloud grains oscillator model
            • 
          • The Cloud grains oscillator plays a loaded sample with control over its start point and grain generation.
          • Starts: The Wave knob sets the grain start position.
          • Density: The Timbre knob sets how often a grain is generated.
          • Chaos: The Shape knob adds randomness to density, size, pitch, and other parameters.
          • Sample browsing and parameter adjustment work like the Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/18 Sample.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/21 Hit Grains

        • 06.03.21 Hit grains

          • Hit grains oscillator model
            • 
          • The Hit grains oscillator is a granular engine with a sharp volume envelope, designed for percussive patches.
          • Start: The Wave knob sets the grain start position.
          • Density: The Timbre knob sets how often a grain is generated.
          • Shape: The Shape knob sets grain size and envelope.
          • Sample browsing and parameter adjustment work like the Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/18 Sample.
      • Microfreak/UG/06 Dig Osc/03 Types/22 Vocoder

        • 06.03.22 Vocoder Oscillator (Vocoder)

          • Vocoder Oscillator Model
            • 
          • This oscillator acts as the Vocoder's carrier and provides waves rich in overtones. Select the waveform with the Wave encoder.
          • Wave: At 0%, it produces a sawtooth. Around 11%, it becomes a pulse wave with a 50% duty cycle. From there the pulse width increases clockwise until it reaches a 99% duty cycle at 90%. From 91% to 100%, it produces noise.
          • Timbre: Changes the frequency range used for analysis and resynthesis. Voice formants are frequency peaks; for example, a “U” often has peaks near 330 Hz and 1260 Hz, with variation across speakers and cultures. The synthesis filters recreate the input loudness contour in the selected range. Narrowing the range reduces the frequencies the Vocoder monitors, improving response time and frequency output.
          • Shape: Sets the bandwidth of the individual bandpass filters. Higher settings narrow the frequency response, emphasizing more pronounced harmonics.

          • Note/Info Oscillator type cannot be modulated while the Vocoder oscillator is active.