Phase Modulator vs Bitbop

PHASE MODULATOR Phase modulation perturbs the running phase of a carrier oscillator with a modulating signal. Sweeping the phase back and forth generates a series of sidebands above and below the carrier, spaced by the modulator frequency, whose number and strength grow with the Index. This is the same technique behind classic FM synthesis: small index values add a little harmonic shimmer; large values produce dense, clangorous, often inharmonic spectra. The carrier you hear is always an internal oscillator. What changes between modes is where its phase modulation comes from. ------ CONTROLS: CAR FREQ Frequency of the carrier oscillator, 20 Hz to 20 kHz. This is the audible tone in both modes. CAR AMP Level of the carrier oscillator before the Output gain. MOD FREQ Frequency of the internal modulator oscillator, 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Active in Osc + Osc only. The carrier-to-modulator frequency ratio sets the harmonic character: integer ratios give harmonic, pitched tones; non-integer ratios give bells and metallic, inharmonic results. In Input + Osc the modulator comes from your audio instead, so this control is inactive. MOD AMP Level of the modulation source before it reaches the phase. Together with Index it sets how far the carrier phase is pushed; think of it as a trim ahead of the Index multiplier. INDEX Modulation index, 0 to 10. The headline control: peak phase deviation in radians equals Index times the modulation signal. At 0 the carrier passes clean; raising it brings in progressively more sidebands and brightness. OUTPUT Makeup gain after the effect, -24 dB to +36 dB. No limiter follows this stage, so watch your meters when boosting. WAVEFORM Carrier oscillator shape: Sine, Saw, Triangle, or Square. Sine is the classic FM voice. The richer shapes already contain harmonics, so phase modulating them produces denser spectra and reacts more aggressively to Index. MOD WAVE Modulator oscillator shape (Osc + Osc mode only): Sine, Saw, Triangle, or Square. Changes the harmonic character of the modulation itself. In Input + Osc mode the modulation comes from your audio, so this picker is inactive. FOLLOW Input + Osc only. With Follow On (the default) the carrier tracks the amplitude of your incoming audio: it speaks only while signal is present and falls silent when the input does, so the plugin behaves like an effect rather than a constant tone. With Follow Off the carrier runs continuously at its set level regardless of input, which suits drones and sustained textures. In Osc + Osc there is no input to follow, so this control is inactive. ----- MODES: OSC + OSC Both carrier and modulator are internal oscillators, set by Car Freq and Mod Freq. Classic two-operator FM with no input required, good for bells, electric pianos, and metallic drones. INPUT + OSC Your track's audio becomes the modulation source, perturbing the phase of the internal carrier oscillator. Note that what you hear is the carrier shaped by your audio, not the audio itself passed through; the input controls the timbre rather than being processed in place. Mod Freq does not apply in this mode. This is the default mode. ------ A NOTE ON ALIASING Phase modulation can scatter energy well above Nyquist, so the effect runs internally at four times the host sample rate and filters on the way back down. At extreme Index settings with the saw or square carrier some residual aliasing can remain; lower the Index or the carrier frequency if you hear gritty, detuned overtones.

Make music with your thumbs. Bitbop is a tiny chiptune groovebox - tap the colored pads to drop notes into a song while a little 8-bit band grooves underneath you: melody, bass, sparkle and drums. Here's the magic: every pad is in key, so you literally can't play a wrong note. Beginners make something that sounds great in seconds. There's nothing to read, no menus to learn - just tap and it grooves. FIVE SOUND ENGINES, NOT FIVE PRESETS Every mood is its own synthesizer, written from scratch: - BitBop - the signature chiptune voice: PWM lead and chip-supersaw - Rave - detuned supersaw and a saw reese bass, straight off a warehouse floor - Handheld - a faithful 4-channel console chip, real LFSR noise and all - Classical - plucked Karplus-Strong strings in a procedural hall - Dancehall - syncopated sub-bass, skank chop and a steppers riddim 600+ TUNES TO START FROM Load a public-domain classic, a folk tune, a rag, an anthem, a rave groove or an original chiptune sketch - then pull it apart and make it yours. Or hit Surprise and let Bitbop sketch a whole song for you. GO LIVE Start a live stream and anyone who opens your link watches your jam unfold in real time - your notes, your visuals, your beat, as you play it. No app needed on their end. Resume the same link later, or spin up a fresh one. MAKE IT LOOK GOOD Over 60 full-screen visualizers turn any jam into a light show - and what you see on screen is exactly what lands in your exported video. PLAY WITH IT - Tempo 65-250 bpm, swing, and a "vibe" filter; loops from 1 to 10 bars - Export your track as WAV or MIDI, or share it as a video clip - Share a song as a link - it opens the exact tune, in or out of the app PRIVATE BY DESIGN No accounts. No ads. No third-party trackers. Works fully offline. Your songs live on your device. Bitbop only sends anonymous usage counts (which you can turn off in Settings) - never your songs, never anything that identifies you. Tap a color. Make a banger. That's the whole app.