SYN-06synthesis method

Wavetable synthesis

Draw a single cycle, then scan through a table of them for shifting, evolving timbres.

Wavetable synthesis takes the single-cycle waveform from the start of this Academy and turns it into a whole table of them. Instead of one fixed shape, you scan through many — even ones you draw yourself — so the timbre can shift and evolve as a note plays.

try it — wavetable scan

Drag the scan slider and the wave morphs from a pure sine through hollow and buzzy shapes. Under the hood each position is a different set of harmonics, and the oscillator crossfades between them. Automate that scan with an envelope or an LFO and a single held note can sweep through dozens of timbres.

Because a wavetable is just a list of single cycles, you can also draw your own — sketch a squiggle and it becomes the voice. That is exactly what PS-WAV does.