Phase Modulator vs VAPolyEnsemble

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.

VAPolyEnsemble features a unison oscillator that can produce seven detuned saw, pulse, or triangle waves per voice. It is followed by a stereo resonant low-pass filter, a stereo resonant high-pass filter, and a stereo amplifier. VAPolyEnsemble operates as a stand alone or as an AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Stand Alone supports Ableton Link, MIDI and audio file export. Built-in Effects include delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, eq and compressor. Project files can be saved in iCloud Drive, so that the project can be accessed from iPhone, iPad or Mac. Main Features Unison oscillator that can produce seven detuned saw, pulse, or triangle waves per voice. Stereo VCF and Stereo VCA. Low pass Filter is modeled on cascaded OTA -24dB per octave low pass filter circuit. 3 channel analog style step sequencer. - Maximum 8 voice polyphony. it depends on performance of the device it is running. - Built-in effects and piano roll sequencer. - Audio Export. Linear PCM format (AIFF, WAV and CAF) and compressed format (AAC) - Support Audio Unit Extension (AUv3). - Support MIDI 2.0. - Support Ableton Link, Bluetooth MIDI, MIDI In / Out. - Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Support iCloud Drive to share project files between the platforms. - Support MIDI Foot Pedal (CC#11, CC#64) - MIDI CC Settings are saved. It will be recovered when the app launched in the next time. - Selectable UI Color. - Font size for title of controls are adjustable. - Factory Preset 128 - Effects Preset 40 System Requirements - iOS 17.0 or later - Devices with Apple Silicon are recommended. A13 Fusion or above is highly recommended. - AudioUnit Extension (AUv3) requires host application which support AudioUnit Extension. - AudioUnit Extension is supported by Apple Logic and Apple Garage Band on iOS and macOS. For any other DAW, it depends on the application and some of them don’t support AudioUnit Extension. - Sound may be distorted if CPU of the device doesn't have enough power. If it happens reduce number of voices.