Kyra Sound Programming
99
Waldorf Kyra
Programming Tips – Wave Mode
Overview
Kyra adopts a virtual analogue synthesis model which has
the advantage that it is easy to construct sounds using
intuitive subtractive synthesis. It adds its own twists
though, with the massive wavetables being notable. But
don't be fooled, Kyra is not a ‘rompler’ (sample player)
that plays canned samples, the perfectly-looped, single-
cycle wavetables are designed for crafting new and exci-
ting sounds far beyond that possible with a rompler.
g
Kyra’s wavetables are an important part of the
sonic capabilities of Kyra. Even though they’re sta-
tic you can ‘slice and dice‘ them with the Ring Mo-
dulator, Hard Sync and FM as well as cross-fade
between them with any modulator you wish.
When Kyra is in Dual Mode and Dual Filter mode is also
enabled, each of the Oscillator Groups is routed through its
own, independent filter. If Kyra is in Dual Mode but Dual
Filter mode is off, the two Oscillator Groups will still pass
through two independent filters, but the filters will both be
controlled by a single set of controls and the only diffe-
rence between the two groups will be when stereo LFOs
are used. This is to permit a true stereo signal path.
Wave Mode Sound Sources
Within each oscillator group, you'll find the following
independent sound sources:
Sawtooth
:
A harmonically-rich tone ideal for modeling
with subtractive synthesis.
Pulse
: A basic tone featuring odd harmonics that can be
adjusted from a square wave (manually or via a modula-
tor) to a very thin pulse wave. Pulse width modulation
(PWM) results in a very distinctive classic synthesizer
sound.
Sub Oscillator
: An oscillator that can play at the root pitch
of the Oscillator Group or one octave below. The waveform
can be one of four preset waveshapes, sawtooth, square,
pulse or triangle. Each of the two Oscillator Groups has its
own Sub Oscillator. The Sub Oscillator can be detuned (up
to one semitone each way) relative to its parent group. You
can use the Subs as bass-enhancing sound sources or as
generic, detunable components to add thickness to the
sound. Sub Oscillators in root pitch mode are especially
useful for adding detuning effects to the Oscillator Group
when Hard Sync is enabled as they are not involved in
Hard Sync, FM or Ring Mod effects. In that respect, they
can be viewed as completely independent oscillators.
