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Version: Beta

LFO Tab

Use the LFO (low frequency oscillator) to add movement to the sound, modulating one of the layer's controls such as its volume or filter cutoff.

A layer's LFO tab with its parts numbered
  1. On/off — switch the LFO on or off. A dot on the LFO tab shows that it's on.
  2. LFO display — a live preview of the LFO's shape and speed. Drag it left and right to change Time, and up and down to change Amount.
  3. Target, Shape and Mode:
    • Target — what the LFO moves: Volume, Filter, Pan, Pitch or Grain Position. The movement happens around the target's current setting. Some targets need their feature switched on first: for example, the filter must be on for the Filter target, and the play mode must be Granular Fixed for Grain Position.
    • Shape — the LFO's waveform. Alongside the classic shapes there are random and plucky ones.
    • Variation — appears when a random shape (Random Steps or Random Glide) is selected. It allows you to remove the element of chance from random movement. Different on every note gives each note a fresh random pattern. Identical on all notes plays exactly the same pattern every time, chosen by the Seed number: try a few until you find a movement you like. It's saved with the preset, so everyone hears the same movement. Identical on each key gives each key its own repeatable pattern. In Free mode, a note that joins already-sounding notes follows their pattern. The Seed works because the random steps follow a sequence of numbers that only looks random: the Seed is where that sequence starts. Learn more about seeds and reproducibility on the Reproducibility page.
    • Mode — with Retrigger, every note starts the LFO from the beginning of its cycle. With Free, a new note joins in wherever the layer's sounding notes have reached, so all the notes move together.
  4. Amount and Time:
    • Amount — how far the LFO moves its target. Negative values flip the shape upside down. If MPE press or slide is routed to the LFO amount (see the CONFIG tab), red marks show each voice's current amount.
    • Time — how long each cycle lasts. With Sync on, it's a note length at your DAW's tempo, such as 1/4; a D means dotted and a T means triplet. With Sync off, it's a speed in Hz.
    • Sync — tie the LFO to your DAW's tempo. Both the synced and free Time settings are remembered, so you can switch between them without losing either.