Audio Damage Basic - Manual (Page 7)

Oscillators And Noise:!
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The three oscillators in Basic are the source of the audio signal. They are all identical, with the exception that OSC 2 and OSC 3 can
be synced to OSC 1. We’ll talk about that in a bit. !
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The oscillators are of a type commonly referred to as “wavetable” oscillators. In a traditional oscillator in a synthesizer, either analog
or digital, the different waveforms are created as needed via mathematical methods. In a wavetable oscillator, the waveform is a
sample, usually a single cycle wave, arranged in a table. Hence the name. !
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In the case of Basic, there are six waveform samples, which you can select
with the multi-switch under the “OSC” name. !
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1.Triangle: This is a triangle waveform taken from a Minimoog. It has a warm,
smooth timbre that is useful for “hollow” sounds and sub bass. The filters have
little effect on this waveform, because it doesn’t have many high harmonics. !
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2. Sawtooth: So-called because it looks like the teeth of a saw. This particular
sawtooth wave is sampled from the Oberheim SEM, an analog synth from the
late 1970s. This is a very bright timbre, and is the waveform that responds best
to filtering. !
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3. Digigrit: This waveform is lifted directly from the ROM of a classic digital
synth from the late 1980s, and is included mainly because we thought it
sounded cool. This waveform doesn’t have much low harmonic content; sounds
that use it exclusively will not have any “bottom” or bass. !
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4. Pulse 20%, 5. Square, and 6. Pulse 80%: These three waveforms, also
taken from the Oberheim SEM, are similar, varying only in pulse width. They
are, in timbre, somewhere between the smooth sound of the triangle and the
brashness of the sawtooth.!
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In addition to the three oscillators, you’ll see a fourth control, labeled “NOISE,”
that lives between OSC 2 and OSC 3. This controls the amplitude of a white
noise source. !
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