WAVETABLE SYNTHESIS

A synth technique used by elites from Tangerine Dream to Skrillex, wavetable synthesis literally adds whole new dimensions of texture and movement to your sound design. But how does it work? Our comprehensive guide is here to help...

40 years ago, legendary synth designer Wolfgang Palm introduced the world to wavetable synthesis with his PPG Wave 2 synth. Unlike the static waveforms of an analogue oscillator, a wavetable oscillator loads a template – the wavetable itself – with descriptions of different waveforms. The oscillator reads and reproduces these, adjusting playback rate to control the pitch.

Technically a wavetable is no more than a series of digitally sampled waveforms laid end‑to‑end in a standard PCM WAV file. By using waveforms of an exact length, the oscillator can predict where each waveform starts/ends, and can select different waveforms from within the table. Throw in a bit of waveform‑blending and the oscillator can morph smoothly through all of the waveforms in a wavetable.

Initially, systems capable of creating wavetables were hugely expensive. But today your DAW has all you need, plus the ability to host synths to use as sound sources. That said, for editing and processing your waveform recordings, a standalone wave editor has its advantages, and so ideally your wavetable‑ building setup needs both DAW and wave editor.

Many wavetable synths can import custom wavetables, and you need one of these to play your creations. Some such synths also contain bespoke wavetable editing tools that take some legwork out of the otherwise manual process.

Read on as we get to grips with the fundamentals of this highly creative process…

First things first, let's take a look at what's going on behind the scenes...