I think those are reasonable expectations of synced LFO's within a
DAW or perhaps within a VA synth. However, I do not think that is a
feature one would expect of an analogue modular. When working with
analogue, I just assume that I have to go back to the beginning and
reset everything in order to have repeatable results.
I also think that a module that accepts an analogue clock input
rather than MIDI is more useful in the context of an analogue modular
synth. While there are many devices that can convert MIDI clock into
analogue, MIDI clock cannot be produced or processed with the modular
itself.
Afaik, the Serge quadrature oscillator has some sort of "freeze"
function, but in general, one does not expect an LFO to be able hold
a voltage. However, since an LFO that could sync to an incoming
clock would have to be digital, adding such a feature (such as adding
a switched jack that would only allow the LFO to run when held high)
would not be difficult. This could also be easily implemented in a
module that accepted either MIDI or DIN sync.
Regardless, I believe that MIDI will become obsolete, but a square
wave is immortal in its simplicity.
On 3/2/06, Adam Schabtach put forth:
>Not meaning to rain on anyone's parade, but syncing the frequency of an LFO
>to MIDI clocks is probably only about half of the battle you're trying to
>fight. The other half is syncing the phase of the LFO to measures. If you
>don't have phase sync also, the LFO's phase will vary with respect to the
>rest of the music every time you start/restart your sequencer. Whether or
>not this is an issue depends on your needs, of course, but typically people
>want phase sync when they want "tempo-synced LFOs." So part of this
>hypothetical LFO would have to include parsing the other MIDI real-time
>commands (in addition to clock) and acting accordingly.
>
>Then, of course, you have to decide whether you always want your various
>wave shapes to have the same phase relationship to the beginnings of
>measures, and if not, how to control this relationship.
>
>--Adam
>(author of several plug-ins with tempo-synced LFOs)