Utterly Noob Question on LFOs

[Asho]

After fiddling and screwing about with my S90, ive come to realise that outside the manual defintion of a what an LFO is (A Low Frequency Oscillation that can be used to create vibrato, wah, tremolo) i have no real understanding for them, and im not sure how to incorporate this into my lead sound.

Can some please explain to be what they do, how to use em, etc etc?

[Luca_Capozzi]

is a modulator, so you can't really hear it. is used to made cyclical modulations. as example.. go into your filter page and find where you can assign a controller to filter frequency. select, now, your lfo and set a depth. try it ;)

Luca

[Azurlake]

I would like to learn using them too, I've just been able to make my lead going from 0 Hz (no sound xD) getting up, if I press A4, to 440 Hz. Repeatedly like once each 5 seconds >_<. Please I want to know how to make WAH effects!!
AND:::::::---> THIS IS IMPORTANT, I always forget to ask... Why, in Cuabse SX3, when pressing down the sustain pedal, I get MUTE on the project???! I don't want to get mute!! How to assign that peddal to make any effect, of just sustain?
THanx folks!

[Omega Monkey]

Uhm, it can be used to create vibrato, wah, and tremelo! I mean thats pretty much what it does. An oscillator just creates a particular shape wave (like saw, square, etc...) at a certain frequency. Normally these frequencies are in the audible range, but when they are very slow (in the range of say 0 to 12 hz or so), they can be very useful to recreate natural vibrato and other modulation effects when used as a control signal for an oscillator operating in a normal range.

Most synths LFOs can be used for multiple purposes and many have more than 1 LFO (my D-50 has a total of 6, 3 per partial). The most typical purposes are to modulate pitch, filter, or amplitude, which would give you your vibrato, wah, and tremelo effects, respectively.

Some unusual effects that can be achieved with vibrato... You could set the pitch modulation depth of an LFO to a musical interval like a fifth or an octave and set the LFO wave to a square wave. This will give you a trill effect not unlike the "ray gun" sounds of 60s sci fi movies when set at fast speeds.

Another option is to set the filter modulation to max and use the "random" or sample & hold setting for the wave. This will give you the Rush Camera Eye sound. Doing the same thing but with pitch modulation gives you the "sci fi movie computer" sound.

Or you could use a square wave with maximum amplitude depth to get a sort of "stutter" effect. The sound will cut in and out at the specified rate. Great for cool rhythmic effects (set it to an 8th or 16th note rate).

But the best way to learn about all this stuff is just to experiment with it yourself.

[Asho]

Cheers guys!

[Azurlake]

Yeah, thankyou!

But please.... Could you, or anyone else, explain here which parameters to select (waveform, amplitude range, "additive" or "modulating" LFOs, timings..... everything) for getting an/some interesting wah effects? Pleeease :confused:
P.S.: I use z3ta+ VSTi, but any good explanation should work ;)

[Staccato]

You can always play with the settings of cutoff frequency and resonance.. that is how I do my wah effects..