Wavetable: Animate Tone Without Moving the Notes

Keep the sound source unambiguous

This example uses the original modeled Harmonics table. Sprite 1 and Sprite 2 both read Modeled; no captured sprite bank or factory preset is needed. Level 2 and Sub are zero so only oscillator 1 contributes. The original MIDI chord sequence triggers the synth, rather than playing a recording of a pad.

The modeled engine generates a small set of band-limited waveform frames and interpolates between them. Basics moves through simple harmonic shapes, Harmonics moves a spectral emphasis over a weaker harmonic bed, Formant moves a vowel-like emphasis, and Pulse varies its harmonic profile. These are four procedural families, not an imported acoustic recording or a promise of an unlimited table library.

Freeze the movement before trying to explain it

1. Set Env>Pos to zero. The initial setting is 0.65; removing it stops the second envelope from moving position.
2. Move Pos 1 slowly from about 12% toward 70%. Listen for a change in harmonic emphasis while the played chord remains the same. Keep Cutoff and oscillator tuning unchanged.
3. Return Pos 1 to 12%, then restore Env>Pos to 0.65. Listen within each note, not only at the next chord change.

Env shapes loudness. Env 2 supplies a separate modulation contour. Its A is 900 ms here, so the position movement builds gradually; D brings it back toward the S level afterward. Shorten A if the gesture takes too long to appear on short notes. Increase it when a sharp spectral onset draws attention away from the chord's arrival.

Do not confuse a spectral sweep with a filter sweep

Env>Filt is zero in the starting example. Raising it moves filter cutoff in octaves, whereas Env>Pos moves through waveform frames. A filter removes or emphasizes portions of the existing spectrum; position changes the spectrum being generated. Test them separately before using the same envelope for both.

Filter offers LP, HP and BP. Leave LP fairly open while comparing tables; a low Cutoff can hide most of their differences. Later, lower Cutoff to fit the sound behind another part. Res may make a narrow frequency region stand out, so reduce it if the comparison becomes dominated by a whistle rather than the moving waveform.

Position has endpoints. Starting near the top and adding a large positive envelope amount can spend much of the note at the upper limit. If a scan seems to stop moving, reduce the amount or move the base position inward. A negative Env>Pos reverses the direction; it does not reverse MIDI playback.

Add another oscillator only when it has a role

Raise Level 2 modestly with Sprite 2 still Modeled. Table 2 and Pos 2 set its own starting character, while Det 2 offsets tuning in cents. A little detuning can produce beating; more is not automatically wider or more musical. Listen on sustained intervals and lower the second level if it clouds the chord.

Env>Pos and LFO>Pos affect both oscillator positions in this implementation. They are not independent modulation matrices. Use their different base positions for contrast. LFO>Pos adds repeating movement; LFO>Pitch bends pitch instead. Begin with one destination so you can tell timbral motion from vibrato.

Sub adds a lower oscillator one or two octaves down. On chords, that means extra low notes for every voice, not one intelligent bass part. Keep it low when the arrangement already has bass. Finish with Release and Volume: a longer tail can connect chords, but overlapping harmony and extra level can disguise whether the sound design actually improved.