Arturia Moog Modular V, Руководство пользователя

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ARTURIA – MOOG MODULAR V – USER’S MANUAL 103
6 The basics of subtractive synthesis
Of all of the forms of sound synthesis, subtractive synthesis is still one of the oldest and most fre-
quently used today. This method was developed from the 60’s on Moog analog synthesizers, and
then later on ARP, Buchla, Oberheim, Sequential Circuits (Prophet series), Yamaha (CS series), Ro-
land, Korg (MS and PS series) to name but a few. This synthesis technique is still used on most of the
current digital synthesizers, added to sample reading or wave tables, which have progressively re-
placed analog oscillators since the 80’s. The modular Moog systems, and your Moog Modular V, rep-
resent the best illustration of the immense possibilities of subtractive synthesis.
Modular synthesizers use a certain number of base modules, placed in sections where the size varies
in relation to the importance of the systems. These modules, once connected, allow the creation of
a multitude of sounds.
6.1 THE THREE MAIN MODULES
6.1.1 The oscillator or VCO
The oscillator (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) can be considered as the starting module (with the
noise module that we often class among the oscillators) for the creation of a sound on a modular
system. It is here that the first sound signal is created and we can consider the oscillator like the
strings of a violin which, when stroked or plucked, vibrates to create a sound.
The main oscillator settings are:
The pitch determined by the oscillation frequency.
The oscillator frequency setting is done with two controllers: firstly the Range selector which main-
ly determines the fundamental frequency, often expressed in feet: 32,16,8,4,2 — the highest num-
ber (32) gives the deepest tone, and on the other hand, 2 gives the highest tone; Secondly, the fre-
quency setting which will tune the oscillator more precisely.
The waveform , which determines the harmonic richness of the audio signal. 4 waveforms are avail-
able on the Moog Modular V:
• The sawtooth is the richest audio signal of the 4 available waveforms (it contains all of the
harmonics at decreasing volume levels in high frequencies). Its “brassy” sound is ideal for
brass sounds, striking bass sounds or rich accompaniments.