15
TRY THIS
OSCILLATOR SYNC
With the
HARD SYNC OSC 2
button engaged, you can step through the harmonic series by
turning oscillator 2’s
FREQUENCY
knob. To begin, make sure both oscillators are turned up
in the mixer. Turn both
OCTAVE
knobs to their lowest settings, and then press the
HARD
SYNC OSC 2
button so that it’s illuminated. Begin with the
FREQUENCY
knob turned fully
counterclockwise and slowly turn it while listening for how the overtones change. Using your
ears, try to step through each harmonic one at a time. Now turn oscillator 2’s
OCTAVE
knob
to its 8’, 4’, and 2’ settings and slowly turn the
FREQUENCY
knob again to hear the harmonic
series in successively higher octaves.
MIXER
OVERVIEW
The mixer lets you combine audio signals from each of the Sub
Phatty’s four internal inputs. Each has a dedicated knob for controlling
its relative level. In addition to level knobs for each oscillator, the
mixer has level knobs for the sub oscillator and noise generator. When
a level knob is turned fully counterclockwise, its input is effectively
turned off. Turning it clockwise from 0 increases the level until it
reaches its maximum at 12. Settings higher than 6 overdrive the filter,
meaning that you can specify which sources are distorted and which
simply pass through the filter.
MIXER CONTROLS
OSC 1:
Use this knob to control oscillator 1’s level. Settings higher than
6 push the level beyond unity, imparting gentle filter distortion. A
setting of 6 or below delivers a clean signal to the filter.
OSC 2
: Use this knob to control oscillator 2’s level. Settings higher
than 6 push the level beyond unity, imparting gentle filter distortion.
A setting of 6 or below delivers a clean signal to the filter.
SUB OSC
: Use this knob to control the sub oscillator’s level. Settings
higher than 6 push the level beyond unity, imparting gentle filter
distortion. A setting of 6 or below delivers a clean signal to the filter.
The Sub Phatty’s sub oscillator is always tuned exactly one octave below oscillator 1’s pitch, and its
waveform is always a square wave. Typically, the sub oscillator adds a solid foundation to the Sub
Phatty’s sound. It is especially useful for crafting monstrous Moog bass patches.
NOISE:
Use this knob to control the Sub Phatty’s noise generator level. Settings higher than 6 push the
level beyond unity, imparting gentle filter distortion. Noise is useful for programming punchy percus-
sion and other unpitched sounds.
Whereas an oscillator generates a pitched waveform, noise is an unpitched sound source. Just as white
light contains all colors of the visual spectrum in equal proportion, white noise contains a random
distribution of all audible frequencies. Every frequency has equal amplitude. We hear white noise as
a constant ssshh sound, like an FM radio between stations. Because of the way our brains respond to
white noise, the higher frequencies sound more prominent than the lower ones.
The Sub Phatty’s noise generator produces a signal called pink noise. Pink noise has equal amplitude in
every octave, making it sound deeper than white noise—more like the sound of a waterfall. Most syn-
thesists consider pink noise more useful than white noise.
