A detailed workflow for effective sound design using a subtractive synthesizer revolves around a systematic approach to manipulating its core components—oscillators, filters, and envelopes—to craft a specific, evolving sound texture. Subtractive synthesis, as the name suggests, begins with a harmonically rich sound source (the oscillator) and then shapes it by filtering and modifying it with envelopes and other modulation sources.
The first step involves selecting the oscillators. Most subtractive synthesizers have multiple oscillators that can be set to various waveforms, such as sine, triangle, square, and sawtooth. Each of these waveforms has a unique harmonic content that affects the overall timbre. For instance, a sine wave produces a pure tone with no harmonics, whereas a sawtooth wave is rich in both even and odd harmonics, making it suitable for creating bright, buzzing sounds. The choice of oscillator waveform will be fundamental to the sound we will make. It would make sense to pick a richer waveform such as a sawtooth if we want a more prominent or aggressive sound, or a sine wave if we want a purer, more subdued one. A simple example might include combining a sawtooth wave for a main aggressive tone, and a triangle wave pitched an octave higher for a gentler supporting one. Sometimes tuning the oscillators away from each other will provide phasing or chorus type effects making the tone thicker.
Next, oscillator tuning, including coarse and fine tuning, and the use of unison or detune features, contribute to the overall texture. A slightly detuned unison can give ....
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