Syzygy
Dual stereo phase-feedback oscillator with cross-FM, ring/AM, wavefolding, and noise.
Panel map
SYZYGY is a polyphonic dual stereo oscillator based on phase-feedback distortion. Two independent voices (Osc I and Osc II) can cross-modulate each other via FM, ring modulation, and AM, and their combined output passes through a wavefolder and noise mixer before reaching the output stage. Oscillator controls (per voice, x2): - V/OCT input + attenuverter - FM input (normalized to cross-modulate by default; patching breaks normalization) - LOCK button (hard-syncs one oscillator to the other) - SYNC input (hard-syncs oscillator to rising zero-crossing of an external signal) - LFO button (Osc II only: switches to LFO mode where 0V = 1Hz) - FEEDBACK slider + CV (phase-feedback depth; 0 = pure sine) - POS slider + CV (feedback phase position within the clock cycle) - NODE slider + CV (number of cycles in the phase feedback channel) - PHASE slider + CV (base phase of the oscillator) - SPREAD slider + CV (L/R phase offset for stereo width) - RATIO slider + CV (non-linear harmonic multiply of the feedback phase) Mixer controls: - MOD/MIX slider + CV (morph from clean I+II mix to cross-modulated output) - XFM slider + CV (cross-FM amount; routing set in context menu) - RING/AM slider + CV (morph between ring modulation and AM) - SYM slider + CV (DC offset before wavefolder) - FOLD slider + CV (wavefold amount; max morphs to saturation) - PINK/WHITE slider (noise color) - NOISE/CLEAN slider (blend noise into the signal) Display and alignment: - CHAN knob (select display polyphony channel) - ALIGN button (simultaneous pulse to both SYNC inputs to re-align oscillator phases) - Display (polar coordinate Lissajous of L/R channels; cross-mod product shown at center) Output stage: - VOLUME knob + CV (VCA for all outputs; context menu option to decouple from I/II outs) - I OUT / II OUT (stereo outputs for each oscillator) - MAIN OUT (combined stereo output)
Basic use
1. Set pitch: - Patch V/Oct to Osc I, Osc II, or both. - A polyphonic V/Oct on either input activates full polyphony across all CV inputs. 2. Choose oscillator relationship: - Free-running: both oscillators run independently. - LOCK: hard-syncs one to the other for tighter harmonic structure. - Use ALIGN to re-sync phases on demand. 3. Dial the harmonic palette: - FEEDBACK controls how much phase-distortion is applied (0 = pure sine). - NODE, POS, and RATIO shape the harmonic character of the distortion. - SPREAD controls stereo width via L/R phase offset. 4. Mix the two voices: - MOD/MIX morphs from clean mix to cross-modulated sound. - RING/AM blends between amplitude modulation and ring modulation. - XFM adds cross-FM between the two oscillators. 5. Add texture: - FOLD adds wavefolding (turning up fully morphs into saturation). - SYM shifts the DC center before folding for asymmetric shapes. - NOISE/CLEAN blends pink or white noise. 6. Use as a synth voice: - Set VOLUME to 0, patch an envelope CV to VOLUME for a fully polyphonic voice. Context menu: - FM Range: set max FM depth - FM Mode: Linear TZFM / Exponential V/Oct - XFM Mode: Osc I / Osc II / Both - Enable Supersampling (4x, CPU intensive) - Mix Down Main Outputs (sum poly to mono) - Volume VCA also controls Osc I/II outs (toggle)
Patching suggestions
Cross-FM textures: Leave FM normals intact and sweep XFM for evolving harmonic motion between the two oscillators. Envelope-driven fold: Set up a drone sound at moderate FEEDBACK and NODE, then patch an envelope into FOLD for brief wavefolded transients on each hit. Stereo ping: Set SPREAD to a moderate value; use ALIGN to snap both oscillators into phase at phrase starts for a sudden width collapse effect. Double XFM chaos: Set XFM Mode to Both in the context menu, then push XFM for unpredictable screaming or bubbling sounds useful for percussion and effects. Polyphonic voice: Patch poly V/Oct to Osc I V/Oct, set VOLUME to 0, patch a poly envelope to VOLUME. Use FOLD with the envelope for brighter transients on attacks.