Adding The LFO
Let's add an LFO to our synth. We are going to use it to modulate the pitch. As with pitchbend, remembering that the frequency scale is logarithmic, we are going to multiply the oscillator frequency with some variant value.
Create a macro called LFO with Frame panel mode. Make one output, called 'Pitch'. Multiply the Pitchbend module output value by the LFO Pitch output and route it into oscillator. We suggest that you do not insert the LFO macro between the pitchbend and oscillator because later you may want to use LFO to modulate the filter and/or amplifier, so this way we have a more general structure.
We also suggest that you multiply the pitch-bent frequency by the LFO output rather than routing the LFO-multiplied OnFreq through the Pitchbend. The reason is as follows. The signal at the output of the Pitchbend module is not changing continuously, but only in response to incoming MIDI events (NoteOn-s and Pitchbend-s). This allows the SynC Modular to optimize the evaluation by evaluating this part of the signal path only when there's an incoming event of one of the two specified kinds (called event-rate signal). On the opposite, the LFO output signal changes continuously and the modulated frequency would also change continuously, so that the SynC Modular would have to evaluate it for each output sample (called continous-rate signal). So we just suggest that you make the event-rate signal path as long as possible, saving a bit of CPU time.
Switch inside the LFO macro. Create a Sine oscillator (Standard->LFO->Sine). The main difference between the oscillators within the LFO menu group and the oscillators in the Oscillators menu group is that they are not antialiased. The antialiasing is not required for non-audible low frequencies (actually it is even not required for the audible low frequencies).
Create a knob, called Rate (range [0.1..20], scale logarithmic) and route it to the Sine. Create a knob called Pitch (range [0..12], scale linear) and multiply its output with the Sine's output (use Mult module). Process the Mult module's output with dP2FF module (create one) and route the FF output to the pitch output of the LFO macro. Right-click dP2FF module, select Show Panel and change the precision to some other setting than infinite (otherwise the module would consume a significant part of CPU time). Now we have a variant frequency factor at the LFO's output, changing in the range set by the Pitch knob of the LFO.
Listen to the sound this time. Remember to adjust the LFO parameters on the panel.
That's all with synth creation tutorial. You can read on to learn how to use the multitimbral features of the SynC Modular.
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