Doepfer A-111-1 High End VCO - Manual (Page 4)

A-111 VCO 2 System A - 100 doepfer
4
Fig. 3: Harmonic spectrum of a true square wave
The further the pulse width deviates from 50% (see
Fig. 2, b and c), the weaker the lower harmonics
become, and the more the sound gets thin and nasal.
Pulse waves are often used as a sound source in
subtractive (filtered) synthesis, because of their rich
overtones, and are good at producing woodwind-like
timbres.
Triangle wave
A triangle wave (output )) is poor in upper harmonics,
and sounds softer and more mellow. It only contains
odd harmonics, whose strength decreases exponenti-
ally - the third harmonic is a ninth as strong, the fifth
1/25, and so on.
Fig. 4: Harmonic spectrum of a triangle wave
Because of their soft, rounded timbre, triangle waves
are ideal for synthesizing timbres like flute, organ and
vibes. Because of the comparative weakness of the
upper harmonics, they are not ideal for treating with a
low pass filter, in subtractive synthesis.
0%
100%
f
1
f
2
f
3
f
4
f
5
f
6
f
7
f
8
f f
9
Harmonics ➨
0%
100%
f
1
f
2
f
3
f
4
f
5
f
6
f
7
f
8
f f
9
Harmonics ➨