Sync Sweep Atmosphere

Sounds like: A held drone whose harsh, tearing harmonics drift slowly in and out.

Sound type: texture · Genre: Ambient, IDM, Experimental · Style: slow atmospheric hard-sync drift, not a growl or lead

A held, evolving texture built around oscillator hard sync swept very slowly, so the tearing harmonic content drifts gradually rather than snapping in a fast growl: the sync sweep here is a slow atmosphere, not a performance gesture.

Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad

Digitone II

Exact match: WAVETONE MOD = HARD SYNC, swept very slowly

SYN page 1 · WAVETONE

• TUN1: +700 cents (swept by MOD page 1)
• WAV1: Saw (PRIM table)
• PD1: 0
• LEV1: 100
• TUN2: 0
• WAV2: Saw (PRIM table)
• PD2: 0
• LEV2: 0

SYN page 2 · WAVETONE

• OFS1: 0
• TBL1: PRIM
• MOD: HARD SYNC
• RSET: ON
• OFS2: 0
• TBL2: PRIM
• DRIF: 0

FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode

• FREQ: 55
• RESO: 30
• TYPE: 0 (LP)

AMP page

• ATK: 110
• DEC: 70
• SUS: 90
• REL: 120
• MODE: ADSR

MOD page 1

• SPD: 6
• WAVE: Triangle
• DEST: SYN: Data entry knob A (TUN1)
• DEP: 70
• MODE: FREE

WAVETONE's MOD HARD SYNC resets Oscillator 1's phase every time Oscillator 2 starts a new cycle. TUN2 sets the audible pitch (Oscillator 2 is the sync master, muted here with LEV2 0), and TUN1 sweeps the harmonic content. The difference from a growl-bass use of this same mechanism is entirely in SPD: pushed very slow (6, versus a fast sweep for a performable growl), so the harmonic tearing drifts gradually as an atmosphere rather than snapping quickly. A slow AMP envelope (ATK 110) makes this a held texture, not a plucked note.

Syntakt

Approximation: No sync on Syntakt: slow filter sweep stands in

SYN — SY RAW

• WAV1: Square
• WAV2: Saw
• TUNE: 64
• DET: 80
• OVER: 20

FLTR PAGE 1

• FREQ: 45
• RESO: 60
• TYPE: Lowpass
• ENV: 70
• ATK: 0
• DEC: 70
• SUS: 30

AMP PAGE 1

• ATK: 110
• DEC: 70
• SUS: 90
• REL: 120

AMP PAGE 2

• MODE: ADSR

SY RAW has no true sync parameter: WAV1/WAV2's Square+Saw pairing against DET 80 gives a beating, harmonically dense edge, and a very slow FLTR envelope (DEC 70, moderate ENV amount) does the drifting-brightness work in place of a real sync sweep. This reads as a slower, more atmospheric relative of the library's sync-growl-bass approximation, not the fast growl itself.

Novation Summit

Exact match: Virtual oscillator sync via VSYNC, swept very slowly

OSCILLATOR 1

• WAVE: Sawtooth
• RANGE: 8'
• VSYNC: 60

MIXER

• Osc 1: 100

FILTER

• SHAPE: LP
• FREQUENCY: 55
• RESONANCE: 30

AMP ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 110
• DECAY: 70
• SUSTAIN: 90
• RELEASE: 120

MODULATION MATRIX

• Slot 1 sA: Lfo1+/-
• Slot 1 Destin: Osc1VSnc
• Slot 1 Depth: +40

LFO 1

• WAVEFORM: Triangle
• RATE: 4

Summit's oscillator sync is real but 'virtual': VSYNC sets the frequency offset of an inaudible virtual master oscillator that re-triggers Oscillator 1. Modulating VSYNC with a very slow LFO 1 (RATE 4, well below a performable growl-sweep rate) is what turns the classic sync sweep into a slow atmospheric drift instead of a fast gesture.

Arturia MiniFreak

Approximation: No sync: VAnalog Shape swept very slowly

OSCILLATOR · Osc 1

• TYPE: VAnalog
• WAVE (Detune): 50 (assumed unison; check by ear)
• TIMBRE (Shape: pulse, high values give hard-sync-like harmonics): 70
• SHAPE (Wave: triangle to saw): 50
• VOLUME: 100

ANALOG FILTER

• TYPE: Low Pass
• CUTOFF: 55
• RESONANCE: 30

ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 110
• DECAY: 70
• SUSTAIN: 90
• RELEASE: 120

LFO

• SELECT/EDIT: LFO 1
• WAVE/LOAD: Tri
• RATE/TRIG: 0.1 Hz

MODULATION MATRIX

• Source (row): LFO 1
• Destination (column): Timbre 1
• Amount: +30

Osc 1 is VAnalog, whose Timbre knob is the pulse Shape: high values give the harsh harmonics of hard oscillator sync (MiniFreak has no true oscillator sync; this is the closest engine). A very slow LFO 1 (0.1 Hz) into Timbre 1 drifts the harmonic content gradually rather than sweeping it quickly. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.

Dreadbox Typhon

Approximation: No sync: VCO1/VCO2 cross-FM position, swept by hand

FRONT PANEL

• WAVE: ~7 o'clock (the FM position, fully counter-clockwise: VCO1 square FM'd by VCO2 triangle)
• TUNE 2: ~3 o'clock (a fixed interval above VCO1, slowly ridden by hand)
• CUTOFF: ~1 o'clock (~45%)
• RESON: ~4 o'clock (~55%)
• EG LEVEL: ~9 o'clock (light)
• AMP TIME: ~9 o'clock (very slow)
• VOLUME: ~12 o'clock

AMP ADSR

• ATTACK: 110
• DECAY: 70
• SUSTAIN: 90
• RELEASE: 120

SET

• VCF FFM: 25

Typhon has no literal sync either, but the WAVE knob's own labelled 'VCO1 square FM'd by VCO2 triangle' position is a real, documented cross-modulation between the two VCOs, the closest genuine analog to sync's harmonic tearing this hardware has. Since TUNE 2 has no assignable LFO destination on this hardware, the slow drift has to be performed by hand on the TUNE 2 knob rather than automated.

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop

Exact match: Mutator OSC Sync mode, swept very slowly

OSCILLATOR 1

• MODE: Single
• WAVE: Saw
• SEMI: 0
• CENTS: 0

MUTATOR 1

• MODE: OSC Sync
• RATIO: 2.000
• DEPTH: 70

FILTER 1

• TYPE: LP Ldr24
• CUTOFF: 55.0
• RESONANCE: 30.0

ENVELOPE 2

• ATTACK: 110 ms
• DECAY: 1500 ms
• SUSTAIN: 90.0
• RELEASE: 1400 ms

LFO 1

• WAVE: Triangle
• RATE: 0.1 Hz

MOD MATRIX

• SOURCE: LFO 1
• DESTINATION: Mutator 1 Ratio
• DEPTH: 40

Mutator 1's OSC Sync mode is real, genuine hard sync, not an approximation. Routing a very slow LFO 1 into Mutator 1's Ratio drifts the sync harmonic content gradually, the atmospheric counterpart to riding Ratio live for a fast growl sweep elsewhere in this library.

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