Two Generators
Two independent function generators controlling different parameters create sounds that are more than the sum of their parts. This is where West Coast synthesis starts to feel alive.
Two Dimensions of Movement
In Part 72, you used two function generators as one-shot envelopes triggered by a key press. Here, both are free-running, cycling continuously at different rates, without waiting for a trigger. One function generator creates one dimension of change: pitch goes up and down, or timbre brightens and darkens. Two function generators at different rates create two dimensions. The sound moves through a space of possibilities, not just along a line.
Independent Rates
FG-A cycling at 3 Hz and FG-B at 5 Hz create a pattern that takes 15 cycles to repeat (the least common multiple). At 3 Hz vs 7 Hz, it takes 21 cycles. If the two rates don't divide evenly into each other (like 3 Hz and 5.17 Hz) the combined pattern never exactly repeats. This is what makes modular patches feel "alive."
The Routing Matrix
The grid below is a routing matrix, a table showing every possible connection between sources (the two function generators) and destinations (pitch, fold, LPG, and filter). Each cell is a connection point. Click a cell to toggle it on or off. Start with just one cell active, listen, then add another. Build complexity one connection at a time.
Try it: start a preset, then toggle routing buttons to hear how two modulation sources at different rates create rich, evolving textures.
References
- Make Noise: MATHS, two function generators in one module
- Learning Modular: Function Generator
- Wikipedia: Polyrhythm