9

Table Of Contents
Tip: The type of modulation that occurs can vary significantly when different waveforms
are chosen for Oscillator 2—the modulating oscillator—in particular.
Using Ring Modulation in the ES2
Ring modulation is a powerful tool for the creation of inharmonic, metallic, bell-like
sounds. The spectra resulting from its use are inharmonic at almost every frequency ratio.
The ring modulator is a device that dates back to the early days of the synthesizer.
How a Ring Modulator Works
A ring modulator has two inputs. At the output you hear both the sum and difference
frequencies of the input signals. If you ring modulate a sine oscillation of 200 Hz with a
sine oscillation of 500 Hz, the output signal of the ring modulator will consist of a 700 Hz
(sum) and a 300 Hz (difference) signal. Negative frequencies result in a change to the
phase polarity of output signals.
How Ring Modulation Works in the ES2
You can set Oscillator 2 to output a ring modulator signal by choosing the Ring setting
with the Oscillator 2 Wave knob. Feel free to experiment with different Frequency (main
and fine tune) values for one, or both, oscillators.
The Oscillator 2 ring modulator is fed with the output signal of Oscillator 1 and a square
wave—generated by Oscillator 2 itself. The pulse width of this square wave can be
modulated (see Using Pulse Width Modulation in the ES2).
Tip: Use sawtooth and rectangular (pulse width modulated) input signals from Oscillators
1 and 2, respectively, to create a much more complex output signal. The use of these
harmonically rich waveforms results in a number of extra sidebands becoming audible.
Using Digiwaves in the ES2
In addition to the basic synthesizer waveforms, all of the ES2 oscillators provide 100
additional waveforms, called Digiwaves. These are very short samples of the attack
transients of various sounds and instruments.
55Chapter 5 ES2