Oscillator types: Type, Wave, Timbre and Shape
Pick one of the MicroFreak's engines with Type, then use the three knobs that change meaning with each one.
The oscillator is digital, and the Type knob chooses which of its engines is running. There are 22 in firmware 5.0, from plain waves to physical models, speech and samples. Wave, Timbre and Shape are always the three sound knobs, but the screen renames them for each engine.
- What the Type knob does and why the MicroFreak has so many engines
- How Wave, Timbre and Shape change meaning with each engine
- How to read the screen to know what a knob is doing now
- Which engines play samples, and which use a microphone
The steps7 steps
- The first engine is BasicWaves. Play a note and turn Wave. The screen calls it Morph: it sweeps square, then saw, then two saws.
Stuck?
Hold a key, then drag the Wave knob, the second oscillator knob.
- Turn Timbre. In BasicWaves it is called Sym: it sets the pulse width of the square, or the phase between the two saws.
Stuck?
Timbre is the third oscillator knob. Hold a note while you turn it.
- Turn Shape. Here it adds a sine sub-oscillator underneath, so the sound gets heavier.
Stuck?
Shape is the last oscillator knob. Turn it up past the middle.
- Now turn Type to a different engine and watch the screen: the names under Wave, Timbre and Shape change with it.
Stuck?
Turn the Type knob, the first oscillator knob, a few steps.
- Play a note and turn all three knobs again. Same knobs, different jobs: that is the whole idea.
Stuck?
Hold a key and move Wave, Timbre and Shape each a couple of times.
- Visit a few more: turn Type through several positions and play each one. There are engines that sound like strings, bells, organs, noise and voices.
Stuck?
Move Type a little at a time and play a key after each move.
- One engine can speak. This sound uses Speech: play a key and sweep Shape. With Wave in the numbers library, Shape counts through the words.
Stuck?
Hold a key and drag the Shape knob slowly.
Type picks the engine and the other three knobs shape it, whatever the engine. Engines that play samples are covered in the Samples lessons, and the vocoder works on a microphone signal.
On the real MicroFreak
Holding Shift while you turn Wave, Timbre or Shape gives the opposite knob speed to the one set in Utility (Osc Knob Speed, Slow by default). In both speeds the knobs speed up when you turn them quickly. Type can be modulated from the matrix, and the sample engines play from the sample slots; the vocoder engine works on a microphone signal on the headphone socket.
Questions2
Which engine should a beginner start with?
BasicWaves, the first one: its Wave knob morphs from square to saw, Timbre sets the pulse width and Shape adds a sub-oscillator. It is the easiest to hear what each knob does.
Why do some engines make no sound?
The sample engines play stored samples, so which slot you pick matters. The vocoder works on a microphone signal; without one you hear only its raw carrier tone.