LFO 1 and 2

LFO 1 and 2

Eight Voice includes two low-frequency oscillator (LFO) that generates sub-audio range signals intended for modulation purposes. Actually, Eight Voice has nine LFOs: one for each of the eight voice modules (LFO 1), and a global LFO for the entire instrument (LFO 2). We'll go over LFO 1 and LFO 2 separately as they differ a bit.

LFO 1

Each voice module's LFO 1 section is fully independent. LFO 1 is sine wave only. Its controls are as follows:

Sync- When the Sync switch is in the up position, LFO speed will lock to host tempo when using Eight Voice within DAW software, or to the current tempo in the top menu bar when using the standalone version.

Rate- The Rate knob sets the speed of the LFO, from 0.08 to 15 Hz (with Sync switch off) or from 8 beats up to 1/64th note triplets (Sync switch on). The LED beside it flashes at the current rate.

LFO 2 (Bottom Strip Controls section)

LFO 2 is global, that is, there's only one for the entire instrument. This is useful if you want to apply the same modulation to the entire instrument. Its controls are as follows:

Sync- When the Sync switch is in the up position, LFO speed will lock to host tempo when using Eight Voice within DAW software, or to the current tempo in the top menu bar when using the standalone version.

Rate- The Rate knob sets the speed of the LFO, from 0.08 to 30 Hz (with Sync switch off) or from 8 beats up to 1/64th note triplets (Sync switch on). The LED beside it flashes at the current rate.

Mod Whl - This is a really handy, but potentially confusing feature, so don’t skim this section. If the slide switch is in the down/off position, the LFO is always “on.” Its effects will be immediately audible if one of the module mod switches is set to use it. Clicking to the up/on position enables control of modulator depth with an external keyboard controller mod wheel. If the mod wheel is all the way down, mod depth is zero. This makes setting up a mod wheel to add vibrato or wah effects very easy. If it seems like LFO 2 isn't working, check if the Mod Whl switch is engaged (or just push up the mod wheel).

Wave Select- Chooses between sine, triangle, ramp, saw, square, and random-stepped waves.

Not-so-obvious Important differences between LFO 1 and LFO 2: Besides its global operation and mod wave choices, LFO 2 has a faster maximum speed (30 Hz vs 15 Hz for LFO 1). Mod depth is also different - LFO 1 has a max mod depth of a whole step, whereas LFO 2 has a max mod depth of an octave. Here's why: we matched LFO 1's speed and depth to be the same as an original Oberheim SEM (we examined more than one!) for authenticity. Because LFO 2 is a "bonus" not present in the original Oberheim Two/Four/Eight Voice synths, we expanded its range for more flexibility. In this way, we hoped to offer the best of all worlds.