Attack
Operation Manual
16
Waldorf
FM (Frequency Modulation)
Sets the amount of frequency modulation that is applied to Oscillator 1 by Oscillator 2.
The sound will get more metallic and sometimes even drift out of tune. Triangle waves,
sine waves and noise are especially suited for FM. To change the frequency modulation
dynamically, use an envelope or velocity. The FM range of the Attack is very wide, so
that you can generate nearly chaotic FM out of periodic waveforms like sine waves.
This is necessary to create hi-hats.
If you use noise as FM source, the sound will become more tonal when you use higher
FM
settings. To create a vibrato, set Oscillator 2 to a deep pitched triangle waveform
and use very low FM settings. Playing this sound at low octaves creates a wobble effect.
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FM background hints: The frequency modulation of the Attack modulates the pha-
se of Oscillator 1 with the amplitude of Oscillator 2. This effect can be very
strong, such that there can be phase overflows by a factor of 8. This creates noisy
waveforms – perfect for drum sounds. Lower FM settings generate many different
spectra of a metallic character. A FM envelope can change the metallic character
to chaotic FM, also necessary for drum sounds. Another point to observe is that
FM into the Attack is scaled linearly.
FM Env
-100%...100%
Sets the amount of FM with Envelope 1 or 2 (depending on the settings). Positive a-
mounts will raise FM when envelope modulation is applied. Negative amounts will lo-
wer FM when envelope modulation is applied. Use this parameter to create time-
dependent FM changes.
FM Vel
-100%...100%
Determines the amount of influence the selected envelope has on FM, based on key
velocity. This parameter works similarly to the
FM
Env
parameter, but with the diffe-
rence that its intensity is velocity based. Use this feature to give a more expressive cha-
racter to the sound. When you hit the keys smoothly, only minimal modulation is ap-
plied. When you hit harder, the modulation amount also gets stronger.
The overall modulation applied to FM is calculated as the sum of both the
FM Env
and
FM Vel
parameters. Therefore you should always bear this total in mind, especially
when FM does not behave as you expect. You can also create interesting effects by set-
ting one parameter to a positive and the other to a negative amount.
Mixer Section
In the Mixer, you control the volumes of the two oscillators. Ring
modulation and Crack modulation can be applied optionally to extend
the Attack´s tonal range.
Summary of Contents for Attack
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