in sound design in subtractive synthesis when does phase matters?

for example if i have sound in different octaves, does it matter if i turn on the phase on each oscillator or not

 

Press the phase button and find out?


These questions are getting kinda ridiculous mate - they're so open-ended and vague as to be totally useless to you or anyone else.

None of us have any idea what synth you're using, what sound you're trying to make, or any of a dozen other variables.

The phase of an oscillator maybe matters if it's not making the sound you want. Or it might be the waveform selection, or the filtering, or the envelopes, or literally any other part of that synth, because yet again you've given us literally zero info on what you're trying to achieve, or told us how far you've gotten with the sound you're working on atm.

If you genuinely need help making a sound, then post an audio clip of what you've got now, and tell us what you don't like about it, then we might be able to help you.

If you're not prepared to do that (or if you can't, because the sound doesn't actually exist, and this is you talking completely hypothetically - which I suspect is the case with many of your questions) then instead of immediately posting here, don't you take literally 5 seconds to just press the phase button on the osc of your synth, listen to the resulting sound, and decide if it's what you want? Because if you don't know, how the hell would we?

 

Last edited: Aug 31, 2022

Usually, it's a potentiometer, not a button.

The phase, in a synthesiser's oscillator will have a very different impact depending of the wave forms used.
If you use only one oscillator = no effect
If you use 2 oscillators with the same static wave form = err phase effect , like some of the frequencies will be less audible.
If you use 2 different static wave forms = it depends on how really different they are, usually some of the frequencies will be lowered.
If you use wavetables and scan them dynamically, = it will depend a lot of their content at each point / time.

So, in short, it depends so much of how many oscillators and which waveforms are loaded, that it's better to try and listen, specially when using wavetables.

 

Last edited: Aug 31, 2022

You can also just ignore these threads.
Remember there's no stupid question, only the answer can be.

 

I didn’t say the question was “stupid” - I was pointing out that the question the OP posed was so vague that any direct responses to it would be essentially useless in a practical sense in relation to subtractive synthesis:

In this specific case, that means: if someone for example replied “Yes, at all times in subtractive synthesis, the phase of the oscillators matters” - literally what practical use would that actually be, to the OP or anyone else?

The only actually reasonable direct answer to the question is “it depends” which is the response that I, and now you also, have given:

As I pointed out in my post, given that we have no idea the type of sound the OP is trying to create, there is literally no way to directly answer the question they asked - to attempt to do so would be 100% guesswork.

With that in mind, my response was an attempt to try to steer the OP in a more constructive direction, because it’s my opinion that this, and several other of the questions they’ve asked recently, are:

a) not going to help them (or others) achieve anything productive

b) addressing issues that would be incredibly easy to practically try for oneself in literally a matter of seconds (which would be much more valuable to the OP)

c) can pretty much only ever garner 100% arbitrary responses which if followed, will actually limit both the OP’s understanding and scope for development. (That’s assuming ofc, that the OP is actually trying to learn, and not, as I kinda half suspect, lowkey sorta having fun/trolling).

d) therefore by definition going to be of minimal/zero actual practical use to the OP, or anyone else who legit is trying to learn.

You are ofc more than welcome to disagree, but I personally believe that there’s much more value in actually trying things out for yourself, and learning from the results, as opposed to asking random internet strangers’ opinions on incredibly vague, open-ended, and literally impossible-to-directly-answer-in-any-meaningful-way questions.

Personally I don’t think that’s particularly “stupid” as a point of view, or an answer - I think it’s not only valid, but literally as helpful a response as can be mustered, given the nature of the specific question.

But that’s the beauty of a forum isn’t it? The fact that we can all have and discuss differing viewpoints and opinions, while keeping things respectful, friendly, and empathic?

I’m well aware of this, but ty.

My Neumann sub (which I am ofc aware isn’t a synth) is very diplomatic - it has both.

 

Last edited: Aug 31, 2022

It may help more to google first and then ask about the portion not understood, rather than the whole subject. I can't even figure out for the life of me, why my subwoofer has this switch and my Moog doesn't if it is actually important. (because unless sync'd, it is assumed out)




Phase
The phase parameter allows you to delay one oscillator in time with an offset between 0° and 360°. If you have 2 square wave oscillators for example with the phase of both at 0° they sum together to be twice as loud.


Two waveforms with exactly the same phase add up to each other (1 + 1 = 2).
If you invert the phase of one oscillator or offset one oscillator by 180° you get no sound at all. Why is that? Because one sine wave moves up while the other is mirrored and thus moves down at the same time. So when one sine wave has an amplitude of 1 and the other has an amplitude of -1 at the same time they cancel out because 1 – 1 = 0.


In this case the second waveform is 180° out of phase resulting in no sound at all. (1 – 1 = 0).
The more a sound is out of phase the more low end you lose so this parameter can be changed to alter the sound drastically.

 

Last edited: Aug 31, 2022

there is a pretty good series on youtube about all these questions
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlczpwSXEOybYYaBCTcjxxKz1QmxytbIf

check the Oscillator Sync – Synth Clips 17 – Daniel Fisher

 

Phase matters, as it changes the sound.
Try it for yourself.
Enable two oscillators and then change the phase of one of the oscillators.