wavetables new

wavetables

A 16-voice wavetable drone synth for monome norns.

Each voice uses three wavetable oscillators and a low-pass filter. Use LFOs to move through the waves.

Install

Ensure norns is up to date. Visit http://norns.local and run ;install https://github.com/aidanreilly/wavetables in the maiden console.

Then SYSTEM => RESET to pick up the SuperCollider engine, and restart.

You can add @catfact's z_tuning mod for microtuning. Install it with ;install https://github.com/catfact/z_tuning. Enable it under SYSTEM => MODS, then reset and restart. With the mod enabled, the top screen row shows the selected tuning and its root frequency in place of note and fine, and fine tune no longer applies.

Play

Select a root note and scale in the norns params menu. 16 frequencies from that scale are spread across the voices.

Raise a few voice levels, set bank and wave to taste, then bring up lfod and lfor to set the wave morph. osc spread in the params menu fans the three oscillators in each voice apart so they morph independently.

Controls

K2 flips the screen between the voice level sliders and the param editor, so the six rows of per-voice params are reachable without the norns params menu.

Per-voice params

• bank selects a wavetable bank, and wave sets the starting wave within it.
• lfo rate, lfo depth, and lfo shape set the speed, range, and pattern of wavetable morphing.
• fine tune offsets the voice pitch from its note value in cents.
• detune spreads the voice's three oscillators either side of the main voice pitch.
• cutoff and slope set the low-pass filter frequency and steepness.
• smpl bitrate selects the sample rate and bit depth for lo-fi processing.
• env sets the amplitude envelope.
• pan positions the voice in stereo.
• vol sets the voice's level.

Global params

• root note and scale mode set the notes assigned across the voices. A MIDI note on sets root note.
• lfo spread offsets the morph LFO phase from one voice to the next, so the 16 voices do not morph in lockstep. At 0 they all sit at the same point in the sweep.
• osc spread offsets the morph LFO phase and rate across the three oscillators within each voice. It applies the same spread in every voice.
• amp slew sets how fast a voice's level follows a change, whether from a fader, E3, or the params menu.
• fader play mode switches the faders between setting levels and playing them.
• lfo shape (all) and global env delay rand write the same value into all 16 per-voice params, which you can then change individually.
• global panning sets every voice to centre, or alternates the voices left and right.
• auto bind 16n binds an attached 16n to the voices. Set it to no to ignore incoming CC. 16n param jumps decides whether a fader takes its voice straight to the fader position, or waits until the fader comes near the voice's current value. Wave mode always jumps.

Wave mode

K3 enters wave mode and K3 again leaves it. In wave mode E1 selects the voice, E2 sets its bank and E3 its wave, and the sliders give way to a live scope of the selected voice's wave as it morphs.

Moving a 16n fader in wave mode selects that voice, so the screen shows all of its values, and sets its wave straight to the fader's position.

Play mode

fader play mode turns the faders into struck keys. Move one and its voice sounds; stop moving and the voice falls silent. A fast sweep is loud and a slow nudge is quiet.

play sensitivity sets how much movement counts as full level, and play release hold how long a voice waits before falling silent.

16n faders drive the 16 voice levels, or their wave positions in wave mode, or play the voices in play mode.

Credits

Based on sines. Included wavetable ROMs are from Synth Tech WaveEdit. lib/16n.lua by @p3r7.