User Manual
PARAMETER REFERENCE MANUAL16
Hint: If you do not make use of either the PulseWidth or Detune parameters, switch back to Wavetable mode
to save on DSP and increase polyphony!
Tips for auditioning the Wavetables
As with the majority of the Wavetable content, it is advisable to audition them at relatively low pitch (we sug-
gest setting Oscillator Semitone to -24). This is because the lowest audible frequency (the fundamental) in
any table is always pitched to middle C3, but in many of the brighter-sounding tables, the fundamental plays
little part in the overall timbre, and the upper harmonics (often where all the action is) can be very difcult to
perceive at high pitch, or are simply ltered out altogether.
Since there are many differences between the tables in terms of their spectral dynamics, it is a good idea
to audition them all in a variety of different ways. Simply sweeping through the Index by hand is one way,
but can give very misleading impressions as to the usefulness of the table. Try rst with a slow LFO (triangle
wave) and then a fast envelope sweep in both directions to get a better idea of what the table may or may
not be good for.
Remember, for those tables with several contrasting waves, subtle modulation is often the key.
Don’t forget to try them all with different settings of the new Interpolation parameter.
Oscillator 1 (Simple Grain Table)
The remaining oscillator modes all make use of a new technology for the Virus TI, called Grain Table. The
basic idea behind this technology, is to take the existing wavetables, and apply similar techniques as
those used in some granular sampling and pitch-shifting algorithms to open up a whole new world of
possibilities. Each of the two main types: Grain Table and Formant Table are presented in both Simple
and Complex formats. In each case, the Simple mode offers fewer parameters, and a higher polyphony
than Complex, with the values of parameters common to each mode remaining constant.
It’s important to note that the characteristics of the Grain Table and Formant Table oscillators are quite
different to those of traditional “granular” sampling/synthesis techniques, which tend to be associ-
ated with other-worldly “clouds” of sound. In the Virus TI, we have instead employed the technology to
achieve a very musical result which should prove every bit as useful as the other oscillator types in all
manner of musical projects.
Mode •
Classic, HyperSaw, WaveTable etc.: Selects the basic type of oscillator.