Why do I hear a phasing effect from my synth?

Modified on Thu, 29 Jun, 2023 at 10:07 AM

Waveform phasing is a phenomenon that occurs when multiple oscillators are present in a signal. Even once multiple oscillators are in tune with one another, they will not be identical, their waveforms will phase against each other ever so slightly. In a drone, this is heard as phasing, in a more rhythmic setting this can be perceived as changes in volume and/or presence throughout a musical part.

 

A useful analogy to consider is two strings, on a guitar for example, tuned to the same pitch. When plucked together their sound will not be uniform or singular. 

 

To avoid waveform phasing, you can turn sync on while leaving the frequency knob in the centre position. 

 

Here are some examples of waveform phasing:

WaveformPhasing.MOV

Waveform Phasing-Drone.wav

Waveform Phasing-Sequence.wav

Was this article helpful?

That’s Great!

Thank you for your feedback

Sorry! We couldn't be helpful

Thank you for your feedback

Let us know how can we improve this article!

Select at least one of the reasons
CAPTCHA verification is required.

Feedback sent

We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article