Moog Music Minimoog Voyager XL - Manual (Page 97)

Page 98
Voyager XL User’s Manual - Glossary
Page 99
Voyager XL 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 amplifier.
Waveform – The shape of an oscillator’s vibration. This determines its timbre. Commonly used waveforms
in subtractive synthesis are 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 flutelike.
VCA – Short for Voltage Controlled Amplifier, a VCA is an amplifier 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 filter circuit where the filter 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 XL – A 40th anniversary edition of the Minimoog Voyager, a monophonic analog synthesizer designed
by Bob Moog that is a descendant of the classic Minimoog.