User`s manual

Page 54
Voyager OS User’s Manual - Glossary
Page 55
Voyager User’s Manual - Glossary
Timbre – Pronounced ‘tamber’, it refers to the quality of a sound by its overtones. An unprocessed sawtooth
wave has a bright timbre, while a triangle wave has a mellow timbre.
Tremolo – Technically a form of low frequency amplitude modulation, tremolo is a smooth audible pulsing of
volume. In synthesizers, tremolo is produced when a 5-6Hz LFO triangle or sine wave signal is applied to a
voltage controlled ampli er.
Waveform – The shape of an oscillator’s vibration. This shape determines its timbre. Commonly used
waveforms in subtractive synthesis include sawtooth, triangle, square, or rectangular. Different waveforms
have different timbres. A sawtooth has the greatest number of harmonics, and sounds bright and buzzy.
A square wave has only odd harmonics, and sounds bright but hollow, like a clarinet. A rectangular wave
can vary in shape, but typically has a bright but thin sound, and a triangle wave’s harmonics are so low in
amplitude that it sounds muted and  utelike.
VCA – Short for Voltage Controlled Ampli er, a VCA is an ampli er circuit where the gain is a function of the
control voltage. In the Voyager, the VCA is paired with the Volume Envelope Generator to specify the
articulation of a sound. Another CV source for the VCA in the Voyager is the Volume CV Input.
VCF – Short for Voltage Controlled Filter, a VCF is a  lter circuit where the  lter cutoff frequency is a function of
the control voltage. A VCF is used to control the timbre of a sound. In the Voyager, the VCF is paired with
the Filter Envelope Generator for dynamic control. Other CV sources for the VCF include the Keyboard
Amount, Modulation Matrix and Filter CV Input.
VCO – Short for Voltage Controlled Oscillator, a VCO is an oscillator circuit where the oscillator frequency is a
function of the control voltage. In the Voyager, the VCO is primarily controlled from the keyboard. Other
CV sources for the VCO include the Modulation Matrix, and Pitch CV Input.
Vibrato – Technically a very low frequency modulation, vibrato is a smooth, mild pitch warble. In synthesizers,
vibrato is produced when a 5-6Hz LFO triangle or sine wave signal is applied to a voltage controlled
oscillator, causing the pitch to deviate slightly above and below the base frequency.
Voyager OS – A monophonic analog performance synthesizer that is a successor to the classic Minimoog
Model D.