Synapse Antidot, User Manual

Page: 16 / 40

sound dull. This is because the pitch, filter cutoff and
volume are steady in this stage and do not change.
This is where LFOs (low frequency oscillators) come
into play. LFOs work just like ordinary oscillators,
generating a periodic signal using similar waveforms
(see fig. 3.8). They are inaudible, however, and their
only purpose is to continually change one or more as-
pects of the sound. The most typical applications are
modulating the volume, cutoff or pitch, resulting in
a vibrato or tremolo effect. Antidote’s two LFOs are
much more capable than that, however, as almost any
parameter discussed so far can be used as a modu-
lation destination. Additionally, LFOs can modulate
each other in volume or frequency to obtain yet more
interesting variations.
Sawtooth Pulse
Sine Noise
Figure 3.8: Basic LFO waveforms.
The two LFOs are controlled by the sections labelled
LFO 1 and LFO 2 on the left and right side of the user
interface. The LFO can target an arbitrary sound pa-
rameter, which can be chosen by clicking on the drop-
down list box. Sometimes it is desirable to control
more than just a single target; in this case, the modu-
lation matrix can be used, which is covered in a later
chapter of this manual.
Shape
Use the drop-down list to select one of the available
waveform shapes (see fig. 3.8). Sawtooth, Ramp, Tri-
angle and Sine are periodic waveforms. S+H Noise
(Sample-and-Hold Noise) is a random signal. It can
be used for special effects or to simulate the behavior
of old analog hardware.
RATE
By default, LFOs run at a constant rate specified in
Hz, independent of the MIDI note played. Typical set-
tings are between 3-6 Hz for vibrato or tremolo effects.
When the
SYNC switch is enabled, the rate is speci-
fied in units of the current song tempo, such as quar-
ters, eights or sixteenths notes, with either their stan-
dard durations, or in triplet (T) or dotted (*) form.
Examples:
•
1/4 specifies the duration of a quarter note.
16 Antidote User’s Manual