What is Your Favourite Analog OSC Waveform and Why?

[HideawayStudio]

So - if you were only allowed to use one oscillator waveform on your analog synth - which one would it be and why?

[Synthaholic]

Sawtooth - it has the most harmonics so it's the most useful waveform for subtractive synthesis.

Runner-up would be pulse, w/PWM.

[Gianni]

Sawtooth. You can't go wrong witn a sawtooth, again for the rich harmonic content. Deep basses, warm pads, brasses, strings, juicy leads and FX.

[OriginalJambo]

Sawtooth is probably my favourite, but PWM is really useful too!

[Jinsai]

I say "sine wave". Gimme enough of them and I can make any sound!

[HideawayStudio]

yup... all very predictable so far.... for me PWM produces some very interesting sounds. There are many other basic waveforms too you know.... The Minimoog has some interesting ones....

[HideawayStudio]

I say "sine wave". Gimme enough of them and I can make any sound!

erm now thats cheating ... 10 points if you can name a pre 1979 vintage hybrid synth that worked this way to produce basic waveforms!?

[Automatic Gainsay]

Sawtooth-Triangular.

[retrosounds]

Sawtooth-Triangular.

Darn you, I was going to say that.

Sawtooth, richest waveform and has the most possibilities.

[Solderman]

Saw if I can clip it pre-filter. Otherwise PWM. This goes back to the Commodore 64 SID for me, way before I ever played an analog synth.

[pflosi]

i already almost only use saw. except on a 303

[HideawayStudio]

Saw if I can clip it pre-filter. Otherwise PWM. This goes back to the Commodore 64 SID for me, way before I ever played an analog synth.

I wondered how long it would take before someone metioned PWM and SID in the same sentence.

[HideawayStudio]

i already almost only use saw. except on a 303

Let me guess... your into dance music????

[HideawayStudio]

Sawtooth-Triangular.

Good one AG .... can you have a PWM'd sawtooth?.... I don't see any reason why not?

[Mooger5]

Sawtooth has more harmonics but in a poorly featured non-modular such as the SH-101 it can get boring to have just the filter to change the tone. Rather static compared to PW, which lets you choose the shape of the waveform.

And it seems not all waveforms are generated equal. In my Rogue I think the pulse ones originate from clipped sines, and they´re like in figure B:



The text says (B) Deficient in Low Frequency, Phase Advance - so, either it´s a poor design or it´s on purpose. IMO in the case of the Rogue 'deficience in low frequency' means nothing per se, since the filter is overdriven by the raw waveform. In the end the high frequency harmonics are boosted, then trimmed by the low-pass filter while the low frequency content is relatively left intact...