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Joshy
Total Posts: 1823
Joined 08-05-2007 status: Guru |
I know they sound different, because there are both hard sync and PWM samples in my XS, but what are the other differences between the two? |
pianokim
Total Posts: 810
Joined 02-09-2003 status: Guru |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW
Joshy - somebody else can probably give you a more in depth description than me, but basically Hard Sync or Oscillator Sync and PWM are two very different methods of analog synthesis.
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Cowzar of Cunka
Total Posts: 344
Joined 10-10-2003 status: Enthusiast |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW
Click for Pulse Width Modulation explanation
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Joshy
Total Posts: 1823
Joined 08-05-2007 status: Guru |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW Thanks guies for the explanations. The XS has the best hard sync and PWM samples I’ve ever heard, and that was one of the main reasons I got it. I know the difference in the sound, but I didn’t know the technical differences between the two. I’m still not sure I understand how an LFO can modulate a pulse width. Does it take two oscelators to do it? |
pianokim
Total Posts: 810
Joined 02-09-2003 status: Guru |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW
< Does it take two oscelators to do it?>
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slargthorb
Total Posts: 123
Joined 07-28-2002 status: Pro |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW I’ll echo Kim about sample-playback not cutting it when it comes to sync. Virtual analog really doesn’t do it either. Like the Super Jupiter mentioned above, my JX-8P has an AMAZING hard sync lead sound that I’ll never get tired of and that nothing else comes close to duplicating. From a muted, subdued tone at the lowest velocity to an absolute explosion of overtones when you hit the key hard, there are at least 5 or 6 distinct tonal gradations in between. And that is not mentioning the ever evolving decay sounds for each of those velocities when you hold a note. It’s a double-edged sword though because once you play a ‘real’ hard sync sound on one of those keyboards, anything else really isn’t the same! |
kpatz
Total Posts: 397
Joined 08-24-2007 status: Enthusiast |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW
An analog synth generally will have a pulse width control (knob) on it. You turn it all the way one way, you get a square wave. As you turn the PW knob, the pulse width narrows and the sound changes. Now if you turn the knob back and forth rhythmically, the pulse width changes from wider to narrower and back over and over. That’s all the LFO is doing in PWM. You can hear it in the XS’s PWM samples. You can also observe what different pulse widths sound like by going through waveforms 1037 through 1043. 1037-1039 are 10% pulse waves, 1040-1041 are 25% pulse waves, and 1042-1043 are 50% pulse (aka square) waves.
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Joshy
Total Posts: 1823
Joined 08-05-2007 status: Guru |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW
Thanks guies! I’ll have a look at those waveforms. If I can figure out how to get the LFO to crossfade between elements, I may be able to get a convincing PWM effect using the waveforms mensioned above. That’s one thing wave sequencing would be good for.
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kpatz
Total Posts: 397
Joined 08-24-2007 status: Enthusiast |
Re: What’s the difference between hard sync and PW
Wave sequencing would give a jerky version of PWM. Usually PWM is done with a sine or triangle LFO so it transitions smoothly.
It depends on the type of modulation. If one oscillator is modulating the pitch (frequency) of the other, that is FM or cross modulation. If one oscillator modulates the amplitude of the other, that’s AM or ring modulation. IIRC the Prophet can also do filter FM, which is like oscillator FM except the oscillator modulates the filter cutoff instead of the 2nd oscillator.
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