Kits n stuff

[Guido Goebertus]

>Irish wrote:

>Now, what I'd like to do is learn some theory, especicically as it relates to our mutual interest :),but to start out it might help me to understand what all these things (like LFOs, VCFs, filters, modulators, etc.) DO individually and when hooked together.

All of this synth. building blocks are dealing with CONTROL VOLTAGES.
For example: a LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) ,usually with sine/triangle/square-wave output is able to modulate a VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) or a VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter).
A VCO is the unit which produces the sound you can hear when you play a keyboard. It has a sound output with different harmonical content. (e.g. different timbres/waveforms).

When you modulate a VCO with an LFO's SINEWAVE you'll get a vibrato effect by low depht settings, and a siren effect by deep settings.
A TRIANGLE will produce simulair effects, a SQUARE wave is much more choppy and radical, but all of these effects are pitch related.

The same thing goes when you modulate a VCF with an LFO waveform: you'll get periodical changes in timbre depending on the LFO waveform you use and the speed of the LFO.
In general: Deep modulation settings provide more radical changes in the resulting sound. But all of this will be timbre related.

ADSR generators are also controllers, they control the shape of the resulting sound, assignable to VCF (timbre), VCO (pitch) and VCA (volume).

ADSR stands for: Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release (Envelop Generator).
Supllied to a VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) it controlles the range between (fast attack) piano or string (slow attack) like sounds. So this one is volume related (contour).
But supplied to a VCO it will be pitch related, and to a VCF timbre related.

So, in short: LFO's and ADSR's and the like are controllers and blocks like VCO's and VCF are receiving that info and become controlled.

In general, you should experiment with this, that is if you own an (analog) synth, you do, don't you???

Guido /THD Studio