Help combining detuned saw objects?

    jinxpk
    Apr 06 2010 | 3:07 pm
    I'm trying to write a "supersaw" jp-8000 style synth in maxmsp. All I'm doing is adding together 16 saw objects each that are detuned differently (by sawnumber*detuneamount) and then dividing the output by 16 to keep the volume down. This is placed into a patcher and played using poly.
    The problem is, when I do this I get a lot of flanging... I'm not sure why but I think it has to do with each oscillator starting at a slightly different time? Anyone have any idea how I can fix this? Or is there some other kind of spacing I need between the oscillators? I tried making the same patch in Reaktor (with the same detune amounts) and didn't get any of the flanging effects, so I'm confused. Thanks! See text code below, also i made a screenshot: http://www.kupex.com/supersawattempt.jpg
    • Roald Baudoux
      Apr 11 2010 | 8:26 pm
      Hi jinxpx,
      I do not understand why you detune each oscillator with the same offset from the previous oscillator to the next one (as I understand from the * 1. , * 2. , * 3... series.). It's hard to be sure without knowing what sort of values are coming into the detune inlet, but I suspect you'd get better results by using random values in a specific range rather than this series.
      Also, I'd use multiplication instead of addition, so the detuning is relative to frequency. See modified patcher below.
      Hope this helps.
      Roald Baudoux www.roaldbaudoux.org
    • Roman Thilenius
      Apr 11 2010 | 10:51 pm
      without looking at the patch i can tell that flanging is the exspected behaviour.
      phase offsets will not make a difference here, but the tuning can.
      on one had i would use relative frequency offsets (think per cent) and on the other hand each of the oscillator frequencies need a slight modulation; try triangular LFO and/or little random instabilities. their job will mainly be to modulate the phases and not the pitches, if oyu know what i mean.
      -110