Spectrasonics Omnisphere Tutorial Ep.4 - Frequency Modulation

Summary

In this tutorial from the Spectrosonics series, the focus is on frequency modulation (FM) in Omnisphere, a powerful sound synthesis technique. The video explains how FM uses a modulator oscillator to alter the pitch of the host sound, with adjustable depth and frequency. It demonstrates how to select different waveforms for modulation and the importance of musical ratios in setting the modulation rate. The tutorial also shows how to control the modulator's wave shape and sync settings, and concludes with an example of FM applied to a preset for a dramatic effect, encouraging viewers to explore FM's creative potential.

Takeaways

• 🎛️ The tutorial is about using frequency modulation (FM) in Spectrasonics' Omnisphere, a feature accessible via the FM symbol on the interface.
• 🔊 FM uses a hidden oscillator as a modulator, which is independent of the main oscillators and is used to apply modulation to the host sound's pitch.
• 📈 The default view of FM has controls set to mid and boost by default, but these can be adjusted to introduce pitch modulation.
• 🔁 The pitch of the sound oscillates quickly with FM, even with minimal adjustments to the frequency slider, and can reach speeds into the low-frequency oscillator (LFO) territory.
• 📊 Increasing the depth slider in FM increases the amount of pitch variance, shaping the modulation's intensity.
• 📐 FM offers a variety of waveforms for modulation, including access to all wave tables in the synthesizer, allowing for diverse modulation shapes.
• 🎶 The frequency setting in FM determines the speed of modulation, with certain musical values represented by lines on the interface, such as 0.25 for a perfect fourth.
• ⚙️ Users can manually input values for precise modulation settings, such as typing '0.5' to set the modulation rate to halfway between the minimum and maximum.
• 🔄 The 'boost' button in FM amplifies the modulation effect, making changes more dramatic and pronounced.
• 🎼 The modulator in FM can track with the pitch of the keys pressed, or this tracking can be disabled for a consistent modulation speed across all octaves.
• 🔧 FM's modulator wave shape can be customized using the same functionality available for the primary oscillator, including shape symmetry and sync options.
• 🌐 The tutorial concludes with a demonstration of FM on a preset sound, showing the dramatic effect it can have on the timbre and character of the sound.

Q & A

What is the tutorial series about?

The tutorial series is about Spectrosonic's Omnisphere, focusing on different processing options available to oscillators, starting with frequency modulation.

How do you access the frequency modulation option in Omnisphere?

You access the frequency modulation option by pressing the FM symbol, which takes you to the oscillator zoom page and directly to the frequency modulation subpage.

What is a modulator in the context of frequency modulation in Omnisphere?

A modulator in Omnisphere is an independent oscillator that applies modulation to the host sound's pitch, separate from the main oscillators A, B, C, and D.

What does the depth control do in frequency modulation?

The depth control in frequency modulation determines the amount of pitch variance or modulation being applied to the primary sound.

What is the purpose of the shape control in frequency modulation?

The shape control in frequency modulation dictates the form or waveform of the modulation over time, which can be any waveform available in the synthesizer.

How does the frequency control affect the modulation speed?

The frequency control determines how fast the modulation takes place, with higher values leading to faster oscillation of the pitch.

What is the significance of the lines on the frequency modulation slider?

The lines on the frequency modulation slider represent musical ratios that are sympathetic with the underlying pitch, providing natural and pleasing modulation rates.

How can you precisely set the frequency modulation value?

You can precisely set the frequency modulation value by right-clicking and entering a parameter value manually or by using the control-click method to set it to exact musical ratios.

What does the 'boost' button do in frequency modulation?

The 'boost' button in frequency modulation increases the range of modulation, making the pitch changes more dramatic.

How does the modulator track with the keys pressed?

By default, the modulator tracks with every key pressed, meaning the modulation speed changes with the pitch of the key. This can be disabled for consistent modulation across all octaves.

How can you control the modulator's wave shape?

You can control the modulator's wave shape using the same functionality available in the primary screen, including shape symmetry, hard sync, and shape symmetry sync.

Outlines

00:00

🎛 Introduction to Frequency Modulation in Omnisphere

This paragraph introduces the topic of frequency modulation (FM) in the Omnisphere tutorial series. The speaker explains how to access the FM feature within the oscillator settings and highlights that it utilizes a hidden oscillator, referred to as a modulator, to apply pitch modulation to the host sound. The default settings are described, and the speaker notes that without adjusting any parameters, the modulated sound will be indistinguishable from the original. The paragraph sets the stage for exploring the depth and frequency parameters that will affect the modulation characteristics.

05:01

🔊 Exploring Modulation Depth and Frequency in FM Synthesis

The speaker delves into the effects of adjusting the depth and frequency sliders in the FM synthesis process. They demonstrate how even slight adjustments can lead to rapid pitch oscillations, noting the limitations in speed that prevent the modulation from serving as a vibrato effect. The importance of wave shape in defining the modulation form is emphasized, with the availability of various waveforms, including custom wave tables, to shape the pitch variation. The paragraph also touches on the musicality of modulation rates that correspond to natural harmonic relationships, such as octaves and perfect fifths, and the use of the 'boost' function to intensify modulation effects.

10:08

🎵 Modulation Tracking and Wave Shape Customization

This section discusses the tracking feature of the modulator, which adjusts the modulation speed based on the pitch of the key pressed. The speaker shows how to disable this feature for consistent modulation across all pitches. Further customization options are explored, including the ability to alter the modulator's wave shape using the same tools available for primary oscillators, such as shape symmetry and sync. The paragraph concludes with a practical demonstration of FM synthesis applied to a preset sound, highlighting the dramatic effect FM can have on the character of a sound and the strategic use of modulation rates aligned with musical intervals.

🎉 Conclusion and Encouragement to Explore FM Further

The final paragraph wraps up the tutorial by summarizing the fun and creative potential of frequency modulation in Omnisphere. The speaker encourages viewers to subscribe for more tutorials and expresses hope to see them in the next episode, indicating a series of educational content aimed at helping users master the software's capabilities.

Keywords

💡Spectrosonic

Spectrosonic is a term that refers to the study of sound and its properties, often used in the context of sound synthesis and audio engineering. In the video, it is likely the name of the tutorial series or the software being used, which focuses on sound design and synthesis, as indicated by the discussion of oscillators and frequency modulation.

💡Omnisphere

Omnisphere is a software synthesizer known for its wide range of sound design capabilities. It is mentioned in the script as the tool being used for the tutorial, with a focus on exploring its processing options such as frequency modulation.

💡Frequency Modulation (FM)

Frequency Modulation is a synthesis technique where the frequency of a carrier wave is varied by the amplitude of a modulating signal. In the video, FM is one of the processing options available in Omnisphere, used to create complex and evolving sounds by modulating the pitch of the oscillators.

💡Oscillator

An oscillator in the context of synthesis is a module that generates a periodic waveform, such as a sine wave, sawtooth, or square wave. The script discusses accessing the frequency modulation feature through the oscillator zoom page, indicating the importance of oscillators in sound synthesis.

💡Modulator

A modulator is an independent oscillator used to apply modulation to another sound or parameter. In the script, the modulator is used to apply pitch modulation to the host sound, creating the characteristic FM synthesis effect.

💡Depth

In the context of modulation, depth refers to the extent or amount of modulation applied. The script describes adjusting the depth slider to control the pitch variance of the modulated sound, demonstrating how depth affects the intensity of the FM effect.

💡Waveform

A waveform represents the shape and form of a wave, which in synthesis determines the timbre of the sound. The video discusses different waveforms like sine, triangle, and sawtooth, and how they can be used to shape the modulation applied to the pitch of the primary sound.

💡LFO (Low-Frequency Oscillator)

LFO stands for Low-Frequency Oscillator, which is used to apply slow, cyclic modulation to parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter cutoff. The script mentions that at the slowest speed, the modulation approaches LFO territory, indicating the range of modulation speeds available.

💡Waypoints

Waypoints in the script refer to specific values on the modulation frequency slider that correspond to musical intervals, providing natural and pleasing modulation rates. The lines on the slider are waypoints, which are used to achieve musical and harmonious modulation effects.

💡Boost

Boost in the context of modulation increases the intensity or amount of modulation applied. The script describes using the boost button to make the modulation effect more dramatic, showcasing how it can enhance the impact of the FM synthesis.

💡Tracking

Tracking refers to how the modulation effect follows or responds to the pitch of the played notes. The script explains that by default, the modulator tracks with every key pressed, but this can be disabled to achieve a consistent modulation effect across all pitches.

💡Wavetable

A wavetable is a series of waveforms that can be scanned through to create complex sounds. The script mentions accessing every single wavetable in the synthesizer to apply different shapes to the pitch modulation, demonstrating the versatility of wavetable synthesis.

💡Symmetry

Symmetry in waveforms refers to the balance and mirroring of wave shapes. The script discusses the functionality of shape symmetry in the modulator, which can affect the character of the modulation and the overall sound.

💡Preset

A preset is a pre-configured sound or setting in a synthesizer. The video script mentions a preset that uses FM to create a dramatic sound effect, illustrating how presets can be customized using FM synthesis techniques.

Highlights

Introduction to frequency modulation as one of the six processing options in Omnisphere.

Accessing the frequency modulation option via the FM symbol on the oscillator zoom page.

Frequency modulation uses a hidden oscillator as a modulator, independent from the main oscillators.

The modulator applies pitch modulation to the host sound, creating a vibrato-like effect.

Default settings of the modulator do not alter the sound, requiring manual adjustments for noticeable effects.

Depth and frequency sliders control the intensity and speed of pitch modulation.

The modulation shape can be altered using different waveforms available in Omnisphere.

The frequency modulation speed can be fine-tuned using the parameter value entry.

Natural musical ratios like octaves and perfect fifths are emphasized in the modulation speed options.

The boost function intensifies the modulation effect for a more dramatic sound.

Modulation tracking can be disabled for consistent modulation speed across all pitches.

Control over the modulator's wave shape is available using the same functionality as the primary screen.

Demonstration of the sound difference between dry waves and those using frequency modulation.

Practical application of frequency modulation in a preset for a more dramatic and less harsh sound.

Frequency modulation set at 0.25 for a common and pleasing sound effect in presets.

Conclusion emphasizing the creative potential and fun of working with frequency modulation in Omnisphere.

Transcripts

hello welcome back to the spectrosonics

omnisphere tutorial series

still struggling to find an easy way to

say that today we're having a look at

frequency modulation one of the six

processing options available to to both

oscillators

and we access it by pressing the little

fm grayed out

fm symbol down here and that gets us

into the oscillator zoom page

and takes us immediately to the

frequency modulation option

this is actually the same zoom page for

all of these

features we're going to have a look at

just that whichever one you click on

takes you by default to that sub page

so here we have frequency modulation

i've initialized the sound we've got our

simple um

sawtooth sound and there it is

now what frequency modulation does is

uses yet another one of omnisphere's

hidden oscillators

it has four dedicated oscillators for us

to listen to

a b c and d but it also uses hidden

oscillators behind the scenes for

various of its

um processing options and frequency

modulation is one of those

because we have this thing called a

modulator this is an oscillator

completely independent from all of the

other ones that we've talked about so

far

and what this is going to do is apply

modulation

to the host sound

this square saw bright sound

uh modulation to its pitch so what i'm

going to do is this is the default

view that you get with both of these

controls set to mid

and set to boost by default i'm going to

actually

override all of that that's what i want

it to look like

so as things stand at the moment there's

going to be no difference between

played sound without modulation

and with modulation it sound exactly the

same

now what i'm going to do is introduce a

little bit of depth

a little bit of frequency and then

let's see what we've got now

now the first thing to note is that the

pitch is

oscillating really pretty quickly i've

hardly touched the frequency slider

and it's already jiggling backwards and

forwards really quite quickly

its absolute slowest speed

we just about get into what's called lfo

territory

where the the uh the modulation that's

being applied to the pitch

is slow enough for us to really take

note of so this entire frequency range

is really pretty fast you don't really

have the opportunity to act as a vibrato

engine which you do

in some other frequency modulation

engines just to point to note

so the more that i increase the depth

slider

that pitch variance is going to increase

so that's the amount of modulation

that's being applied

this shape over here is telling us what

form that modulation is going to take so

if i switch this

to a triangle instead

again a linear variation over time

rather than the sine wave constantly

changing one

and if we have a saw you're going to get

a ramp effect

but those are just the simple shapes

we've got access to every single wave

table in the synthesizer

so we can apply any one of the wave

table

shapes to it and it'll do that

to the pitch of the primary sound

frequency obviously determines how fast

the modulation takes place and can you

see these little lines

you're going to want to use those quite

regularly because that's where you get

the most musical

options for your frequency modulation

i'm going to take us back to a

simple sine wave keep everything nice

and simple

and i'll start increasing the uh the

frequency

rate and you'll you'll hear what i mean

[Music]

so in no time at all it's no longer

possible

to identify individual modulations

as it approaches this little line

seems to kind of fall in sync now can

you see i can't quite

get that slider exactly on the line

the line actually represents 0.25 what i

can do is right click

enter parameter value so if you want an

absolutely accurate

way of getting to each one of these

waypoints then you can always

and type it in manually so if i want to

go halfway

i mean we know we can control click but

i can also type 0.5 and it take me

straight there

and the difference between 0.5 and 0.56

is you know reasonably significant and

each one of these waypoints

[Music]

get something that's fairly musical

because

the rate at which the modulator is

varying the pitch

of the sound is sympathetic

with the underlying pitch our ears love

natural multiples

octaves are the purest and that's two to

one and then the perfect fifth is the

next

purest sound at three to two and so

our brains absolutely love natural

smooth nice round numbers

and that's what you get with these

little lines so don't take them for

granted they do

mean something but that's not not to say

that you can't

stick the slider right in the middle of

that range

an entirely different affair altogether

the boost button down below

does exactly what it says it makes the

change more dramatic

so if i press it i'll just get this back

to 0.5 again

play a three note chord

and then boost it

[Music]

so let's try to catch just what the

boost is doing there by bringing these

values down

to a more manageable level

[Music]

pretty nasty stuff going on

that's with the boost on and with the

boost off

so the range of modulation is

dramatically increased

now by default the modulator tracks with

every key that you press

but we can disable that so i'm just

going to set it slightly above zero

and play a low note

high note much faster every octave that

i come down

aggressively slows down because the

modulation is tracking

with the pitch of the key turn tracking

off

same speed everywhere

then we've got complete control over the

modulators

wave shape using all of the same

functionality that we had

in the primary screen shape symmetry

hard sync

shape symmetry sync

[Music]

so this is now the shape of the

modulator that i'm changing

you can see the graphic

morphing through the wave table

here's symmetry well i've got a sine

wave here i'll need to switch to a

different wave

sine wave is perfectly symmetrical so

that's not going to work

there we go

and similarly with sync so this is kind

of funny this is a hidden

modulator oscillator being modulated

by a hidden sink oscillator

that's all very well and good from a

theory point of view but we've been

dealing with very dry waves and it

sounds a bit harsh

so i thought what it quite nice to do is

to find

a sound that really

uses fm a little bit better so this um

preset here there's tons of other stuff

going on fx and all sorts of things

but all we're really interested in is

going down to a single

layer turn the frequency modulation off

this is the native

sound of the preset

[Applause]

turn fm on

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

and now we've got this kind of dramatic

sound that's not quite as

hideous as a sawtooth

[Applause]

you see it's actually set to exactly

0.25

you'll see this a lot with presets they

set the

frequency modulation exactly on these

lines

uh that's a top tip i think

it's really cool

and the sound takes off and disappears

frequency modulation is a pretty big sun

pit

lots of fun to be had with this one hope

you enjoyed the video if you did please

consider subscribing hit notifications

you'll catch me for the next episode

hope to see you then

you