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Table Of Contents
CommentsWaveform
Well suited for vibrato effectsTriangle
Well suited for helicopter and space gun sounds. Intense
modulations of oscillator pitch with a sawtooth wave lead to
“bubbling” sounds. Intense sawtooth modulations of lowpass filter
cutoff and resonance create rhythmic effects.
Sawtooth
Ideal for smooth, even modulations. Its position on the Waveform
Shape slider enables you to smoothly morph between sawtooth
and square/rectangular waves.
Sine
Use of the square/rectangular waves will periodically switch the
LFO between two values. The right-hand rectangular wave switches
between a positive value and zero. The left-hand rectangular wave
switches between a positive and a negative value set to the same
amount above/below zero.
Square and Rectangle
The right-hand waveform on the Waveform Shape slider
outputsrandom values. A random value is selected at regular
intervals, as defined by the LFO rate. The termSample & Hold (S &
H) refers to the procedure of taking samples from a noise signal at
regular intervals. The values of these samples are thenheld until the
nextsample is taken.
Tip: A random modulation of oscillator pitch leads to an effect
commonly referred to as arandom pitch pattern generator orsample
and hold. Try using very high notes, at very high rates and high
intensities—you’ll recognize this well-known effect from hundreds
of science fiction movies!
Sample & Hold
Using Ultrabeat’s LFO Waveform Cycles Parameter
An LFO normally oscillates continuously. On percussive signals it can, however, be
interesting to limit the LFO cycles (repetitions of the entire waveform) to a defined number.
Ultrabeat allows you to set the number of LFO cycles with the Cycles parameter. After
completing the defined number of cycles, the LFO stops oscillating.
Tip: Try small Cycles parameter values, with the LFO source used to control the Volume
(Level) of one or both oscillators. This will create typical drum flams or hand claps.
The range of Cycles parameter values extends from 1 to 100. Turn the knob to its maximum
value (all the way to the right) to create an infinite number of cycles (standard LFO
behavior). A Cycle value of 1 allows the LFO to function as an additional, albeit simple,
envelope generator.
The Cycles parameter can also determine whether the LFO (waveform) is started from
the beginning, at a 0-crossing point, with each note trigger, or whether it simply continues
oscillating.
A Cycles value of Inf (Infinity) forces the LFO to run freely. It is not reset by incoming MIDI
note on messages.
283Chapter 11 Ultrabeat