Phase Modulator vs Phasetable

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.

Four oscillators. Your own wavetables. Import a WAV, shape it while it plays, then put every detail in motion with MPE. Phasetable is a precision wavetable instrument for immediate exploration and serious production. Start with 54 factory banks or bring in your own WAVs. Open the standalone app or load the AUv3 inside a compatible host, touch a key, and hear motion before you reach for a manual—then go as deep as the session demands. BUILD THE SOURCE • Four independent wavetable oscillators with frame scan, coarse and fine tuning, equal-power pan, phase control and individual filter routing • 12 phase-warp modes, including PWM, Sync, Formant, Quantize and FM Self • Up to four unison copies per oscillator, plus phase or ring cross-modulation • Automatic band-limiting keeps movement clean across pitch, unison, Warp Mode and Cross Mod MAKE IT MOVE • Four wavetable-shaped motion lanes, free-running or tempo-synced from 1/32 to 4 Bars • Lanes that run globally, retrigger per note, or start every note from a random phase • 12 modulation sources, 36 destinations and 328 valid modulation routes • Dedicated Amp and Filter envelopes plus two velocity-sensitive envelopes that can loop per voice—all four route through the matrix • Velocity, key tracking, pressure and timbre as playable modulation sources • Envelope following that can steer lane depth, rate or frame from the dynamics of a performance SCULPT THE SIGNAL • Eight ladder-filter responses with drive, resonance, key tracking and a dedicated envelope • Per-voice noise for breath, impact and texture • Dirt for wavefolding and harmonic excitation • Tape for wow, flutter, feedback and stereo instability • Tempo-aware Echo and a four-line Space reverb IMPORT, BUILD AND EXPORT YOUR OWN WAVETABLES Bring your own wavetables into Phasetable. Import common PCM and floating-point WAV files as single cycles or multi-frame banks. Compatible cycle metadata finds frame boundaries automatically; unmarked files can be treated as one cycle or sliced into 2,048-sample frames. Multichannel files are mixed to mono, and every cycle is precisely resampled. Draw freehand or by line while the sound plays. Normalize, center, invert, reverse, smooth or reduce seam discontinuities. Add, duplicate, delete and reorder frames with 64 levels of undo and redo. A bank can hold up to 256 frames at 2,048 samples each. Save imported or drawn banks with complete presets, synchronize them through iCloud Drive, and embed them in project state. Export standard 32-bit floating-point mono WAV files for exchange with other compatible tools. PERFORM AND PRODUCE • Poly, Mono and Legato modes with glide and adaptive polyphony up to 16 voices • MIDI 1.0, MIDI 2.0 and MPE with per-note bend, pressure and timbre • MIDI Learn, controller feedback, assignable CCs and reliable host automation • A responsive 25-key performance surface with octave, sustain, velocity and panic controls • Live displays for envelopes, filter response, lane phase and every effect • Standalone sample rate, buffer size and MIDI input selection, plus output device choice on Mac START FAST. FINISH YOUR WAY. Explore 54 factory banks across nine spectral families and 34 factory presets spanning essentials, basses, keys, plucks, leads, pads, sequences, textures and effects. Search by category. User banks and presets can synchronize through iCloud Drive. Host automation and project recall remain attached to the same controls across compatible versions. Project state carries the tables it uses, so the sound you designed is the sound the session recalls. An integrated guided tutorial and detailed manual make the same instrument approachable on day one and transparent under expert scrutiny. Phasetable is built for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro.