[sdiy] Multiple oscillator detuning

[Richard Wentk]

No, constant detuning sounds good for oscillators. 

If you use controlled random drift there's always the possibility that the drift offsets will all drift in the same direction at the same time, shifting the tonal centre and creating a lumpy sound.

Constant detuning sounds smoother. 

In my experience the best sound for detuning is mirrored random offsets on either side of the main pitch with an exponential distribution, so the probability of a given offset decreases the further away you are from the center pitch.

If you change the random offsets for each note in a polyphonic patch you can get very lush sounds indeed, especially if you also change the pulse width or waveform. 

This is way too complex for hardware, so you really have to use software for it. But it can sound very nice indeed, especially with 20 or 30 oscillators per note. 

Richard

On 10 Dec 2012, at 05:36, Paul Perry wrote:

> Surely the detuning should not be constant over time?
> That couldn't happen in nature.
> I'd suggest a 1/F modulation.
> Still, the answer is in our ears.
> 
> paul perry Melbourne Australia
> 
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