Nord User Forum

Hey guys:)

I'm sitting here with my Nord Wave trying to mix and match here and there.
I have this sweet organ sound that I like, but it has no vibrato(Leslie style). So I was wondering.. How do you put the vibrato into the wheel? I have noticed other organ soundbanks that have it, so I know that you can do it.

Is there anyone who can help me with this?

- Esmar

I think the simplest way would be to use the Vibrato section; press the button until the two LEDs at the top are lit - this selects WHL (mod wheel). With this setting, the mod wheel controls the amount of vibrato. I think you need to set the maximum amount in the system menu - I think it is set to 5.6 Hz by default.

A more flexible way would be to set up LFO1 to modify the pitch of OSC1 or LFO2 to modify the pitch of either OSC1 or OSC2. Ideally you'd use a sine waveform for the LFO, but since that is not available the triangle wave will have to do. You can then assign a wheel morph for the amount knob, so you can control the amount of vibrato added. Unfortunately the Wave doesn't have two mod wheels (and an expression pedal is considered the same as the wheel, I think), but you could use velocity or aftertouch to control the rate of the LFO.

There's a potential problem with the second way of doing this: I forgot whether the LFOs are unipolar (0 up to N), or bipolar (-N up to N).


(Image is from this Wikipedia page: Sound Synthesis Theory: Modulation Synthesis)

Imagine the correct pitch for the sound is at 0. For correct vibrato, I think the pitch would oscillate (ha!) around the original pitch, which would happen with a bipolar LFO (the one on the right). However, if the LFO would be unipolar, the sound would go up a bit, and then go back down the the original pitch (the one on the left). If you lower the amount to 0, both sounds would settle on the original pitch though (the line at 0).

I suppose the one on the left would sound slightly different from the one on the right, if you have good ears. I haven't tried it though. Even worse: I don't have a Wave anymore, so can't try any of the advice I'm dishing out.

Edit: Now that I think about it, I think the LFOs are probably bipolar. I know my Virus TI has both uni- and bipolar LFOs, but having unipolar LFOs is probably fairly rare on a synth. Envelopes however are normally unipolar (they only increase the value they're controlling, not both increasing and lowering it like an LFO).

Yep, LFOs for vibrato are most often bipolar. Otherwise when you increase the effect it would sound as increasing in pitch.