Oscillators

From MadTracker Wiki

An oscilator is an device that creates an certain waveform. This can be either low frequency, at audio frequency, or at clock frequency

Low Frequency

An LFO (low frequency oscilator) generates a waveform at an lower then audible frequency, generaly this means it oscilates between 0.1Hz and 75Hz, but these values variate between differents types of LFO's. They are mainly used to control other devices, for example in madtrackers Analog Filter you can use a sine-LFO to modulate the cutoff frequency. Old analog step-sequencers before the midi age relied on LFO's to give other machines commands and to send the tempo thru by using pulse-LFO's

Audio Frequency

An oscilator generating a waveform that is audible, that means between 20 and 20KHz ( 20.000 Hz ). Most of the oscilators you'll find in VST instruments are like this. You can also use these oscilators to control other devices much like the LFO, but at a higher speeds, this can result in AM Synthesis or FM Synthesis.

Clock Frequency Every one has atleast one of these, or you wouldn't be reading this. Your CPU is controlled by an Oscilator running at clock frequency, it may even be one of those fancy ones that can go up to 4Ghz ( 4.000.000.000 Hz ). Most of the time they just generate a pulse, this then starts an calculation, and that over 4.000.000.000 a second!