Music and Computers

Low Frequency Modulation

In this example, we are using a sine wave oscillator to modulate (wiggle) the frequency of a triangle wave oscillator. The SineOscillator frequency is set to a very low value, like 5-10 Hz so that it causes a slow wiggle in the TriangleOscillator frequency. The SineOscillator in this situation is referred to as an LFO, or "Low Frequency Oscillator". The sine wave is added to a constant value that determines the center frequency of the TriangleOscillator.
ToDo:

Increase the "Modulation Depth" fader. Notice that it causes the frequency wiggles to get bigger. This controls the amplitude of the SineOscillator.
Increase the "Modulation Frequency" fader. Notice that it causes the frequency wiggles to get faster. This is sometimes called "Modulation Rate". This controls the frequency of the SineOscillator.
Set the Modulation Depth to 0.0 and then move the "Center Frequency" fader. Notice that the sine oscillator goes up and down in pitch without any modulation.
Set the ModDepth and the ModFreq faders to their maximum values. Set the "Center Frequency" to about 150.0. Notice how when the output of freqAdder goes low, the frequency of the triOsc is at its lowest.