SAWTOOTH waveforms DON’T exist? │ Synth Harmonics Explained - haQ attaQ 299

Is it true that Sawtooth waveforms don’t exist? What is it exactly that a synthesizer waveform sound and look like anyway? To understand that we have to dive deep into the concept of synth harmonics. So take a seat and grab a can of -insert favorite beverage-. We're about to find out how this stuff really works.
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[@monodux]

Man, this was awesome. Looking forward to the rest of the series!

[@JoeCarterDesigns]

Been waiting for this! Looking forward to the whole series!

[@DivKid]

With additive synthesis you can use sine banks to create saw waves as you do here (or near to saw waves). You can also break down saw waves into harmonics and overtones and analyse these. However that's not how most saw waves are made in terms of analogue circuits. The basic waves sine, triangle, square, pulse, saw and are relatively simple to make with basic analogue circuits which is why we always see them. Enjoy the video though, nice to see a dive into harmonics and overtones and I hope it encourages people to play around with these things.

[@JakobHaq]

Yeah, I should have clarified that I was talking about he digital domain. It’s a good topic for a future video. 👍🏼

[@csapino78]

Great video Jakob! I’ve been waiting for this series! 😉👍 Looking forward to see how it continues! 😁 Cheers!

[@joeboygsxr]

Super interesting video Jakob, really well recorded.

[@greedokenobi3855]

Great video Jakob! Right dosis of knowledge with a grain of humor works perfectly in your vids!

[@TheAudioDabbler]

Your a mad scientist!!!!!!!! Really enjoyed this and learned a lot.

[@ElectronisoundsAudio]

Been waiting for this series! This was AWESOME GOOD! Amazing job - can't wait for more! Yeah, Buddy!! 🤗😁👊

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

I really appreciate your content. You explain relevant subjects, in a way I can understand and relate to. Thanks very much for doing what you do, and sharing it on KZbin. The world is a better place, for having you in it ☮️

[@plucollective604]

I think people will have a lot to look forward with your synthesis series as you make it more accessible than many other approaches I’ve seen.

[@morgunkorn_]

Very informative video, thank you Jakob! You nailed the Fourier pronunciation by the way :-)

[@TheZooman22]

Great video. I like the generator you are using. I got a bit distracted, looking into Phosphor 3, then researching the Alpha Syntauri Synthesizer , which was the model for Phosphor… I had to watch the AudioDamage demo, but I am back!

[@AlexandreLeroux]

Thanks Jakob, I'm proud to be a Patreon supporter :-)

[@andrew6889-p5c]

Really really really appreciate the care you put into this.

[@phuturemusic]

May I suggest to begin with some math: how sines, from low to high harmonics, add detail to that "sawtooth" waveform, especially at the edges. This principle works in audio, optics and electronics, obviously. Then I am having an old thought of making optical sound processor that works with a speed of light by processing sound harmonics with optical filters. It uses a principle that lens transforms optical data to harmonics, performing analog Fourier transform. Then, inserting an optical filter, you could modify sound the way you want. I guess very rich possibilities would open. The example where those processes take place - partly - is an ANS optical synthesizer (one could google it).

[@JakobHaq]

For those that got through the whole video, I am actually showing the harmonic relationship for the overtones at 14:42 - Also as I state in the video, I will be going a bit deeper into it in the additive synth episode. 👍🏼

[@jthorpe4droid]

That's a really great video I feel like I've learnt something. Look forward to see if you get into FM

[@jean_mollycutpurse_winchester]

Excellent, Jakob. Looking forward to the series a great deal. I want to understand why I can *always* tell a synth from a real instrument and learn how I can create 'organic' sounds on a synth that sound as if they are real. Thanks.

[@deadwhenifoundher]

fantastic video! so clearly explained, love it.

[@MatthewJohnCrittenden]

AttaQ is back, excellent as ever.

[@guytori9330]

Thanks Jakob! I really long for this type of video. Would you consider in depth tutorials on some of the most popular iOS synth?

[@jimshannononsounds]

These are so cool. I just purchased LayR from your site the other day Jakob, looking for ward to taking it for a spin.I'm beginning to enjoy stuff like this. You could probably do a live stream on this topic alone 👀

[@jacobhn2]

i have it to and i love it , it take some time to get to know, you will not be disappointed

[@Dickator007]

I find the subject of synthesis most fascinating as it’s science all of its own. Have said that, since all sound is at its basic level a sine then in theory to produce other basic waveforms like saw, triangle square we could start with a sine and just use LFO AMPLITUDE MODULATION to mimic these other basic wave forms.and then in theory the LFO frequency would become pulse width (if my thinking process is on track)?

[@TozBourne]

👍🏻 very good stuff, thanks for the info.

[@wizard1370]

Wow incredibly interesting. I have a question, on when you say that sine waves only play one single frequency at one certain pitch, then why does it slope up and slope down like a skinny mountain? It should be a straight line right?

[@markusfuller]

Thank you Jakob that was Perfectly explained .

[@JakobHaq]

Thank you Markus! 👊🏼

[@jesussaddle]

My name is what? :D I know you probably said Jakob, but the accent was so foreign to me that I couldn't hear it until I rewound it 3 times. Love it though!

[@brettdevme7060]

great video Jakob. Lots of work.

[@JakobHaq]

Thank you! Yeah it took some time to get together, but I’m quite happy with the result. 😊

[@EdBMetal]

Thank you professor 😎👍 great educational video!

[@alexanderskrabacz3277]

the intro explained everything

[@alexanderskrabacz3277]

so- cutoff knob is basically a volume bib when using just a sine wave

[@redskylullaby]

Nicely done

[@busyak]

Wonderful, thank you!

[@alexanderskrabacz3277]

i notice that on my minibrute 2 synthesizer, i can turn up the metalizer while using just a sine wave, and it sounds like multiple notes being played, so the semitones are raised with the main note

[@TurboSixxSpeed]

Fourier information, Professor Haq is the most fun music teacher!

[@AGAU1022]

Thanks! This was really helpful. Can you please explain *how* a sawtooth wave is converted into a sine wave? At what point does this happen? Which component of the synth does it. Presumably the speakers don't add the harmonics themselves...

[@JakobHaq]

The Oscillator is the one that generates the waveform. When doing subtractive synthesis, you turn a waveform into a sinewave by using a Filter. That’s literally what subtractive synthesis is. You’re removing frequencies, hence the term “subtractive”. So you’re not adding any harmonics, you are removing them. Run any harmonically rich waveform through a low-pass filter and you’ll turn them all into sine-waves. This is why sinewaves aren’t that useful for doing subtractive synthesis, because there are no harmonics to manipulate in those. Using a low-pass filter on them only just makes them less loud. Hope this helps!

[@AGAU1022]

@@JakobHaq Thanks man. I was getting confused because I thought the wave wouldn't look like a simple saw if it had harmonics in it. I thought you were saying that the saw creates the sine waves as additional waves. I didn't realize that the saw itself is made out of those sine waves.

[@JakobHaq]

Yes, Spot on! 👊🏼😊 Don’t you just love that “Aha” moment? I love when it happens to me. It’s like being liberated in some way. I’m happy I could clarify it for you.

[@NoFishCanSwim]

Brilliant

[@simonkormendy849]

A sawtooth waveform actually does exist, especially if it is produced by an oscillator circuit known as a Relaxation Oscillator, this type of oscillator often forms the core of another type of oscillator, called a Voltage-Controlled Oscillator where the frequency that the Voltage-Controlled Oscillator oscillates at is controlled by applying a DC, or AC voltage to its Control Voltage input, the Moog 901 Oscillator uses a Relaxation Oscillator core which uses a 2N2646 Uni-Junction transistor as a voltage-controlled switch to short-out a capacitor when it's charge reaches a certain voltage level, once the charge falls to zero, the Uni-Junction transistor turns-off allowing the capacitor to charge up, the cycle repeats and the resulting waveform is a Sawtooth.

[@tranceemerson8325]

first 5 seconds I be like: I would believe you because I happen to know that To get a sawtooth wave you have to use a formula like the Harmonic series and push it into a sound buffer array and combine them in a series like so. index one contains 1*freq, index 2 contains 2*freq, index 3 contains 3*freq, index 4 contains 4*freq etcetera. each output needs to be mixed in volume ratios like so, 1st at output volume, second at half output volume 3rd at 1/3rd the output volume, and 4th out at 1/4th output volume etcetera. for a full robust saw wave you would mix potentially hundreds of sine waves with these same proportions.

[@tuluseabaska]

And this is the exact reason why sine waves don’t exist, any harmonically rich sound does but not the sine waves. So yeah.. no clickbait.. I ofcourse appreciate the hard work you put to explain ins and outs of synthesis but I was under impression I’m going to learn something new.

[@JakobHaq]

Yeah the first part is a bit click-bait / click-friendly so I’m sorry you feel like you wasted your time. However the title is also posted as a question and the rest of the title reads “Synth Harmonics Explained”. So it’s implied this is about synth harmonics too. Now, I should have titled it “Digital Synth Harmonics Explained”. Because In the Analogue realm various waveforms can be produced by subtracting/dropping voltages, nothing really added like in additive synthesis. . Check this! In this circuit the 555 timer works as a waveform generator and the UA741 op amp is dropping the voltage in cycles, essentially turning a Square waveform into a sawtooth waveform. i.pinimg.com/originals/4f/6d/c4/4f6dc46ba4c7474fed67d22dd7097150.png . Or maybe you already knew that too and I just waisted your time ...

[@tuluseabaska]

I’ve never said you wasted my time though. I’m always interested in your content. Keep up the good work!

[@bootshausk39]

background is from elektron digitakt preset rigth?

[@JakobHaq]

If you’re referring to the background music then unfortunately no. I made the background music with the KORG iKaossilator app some 4-5 years ago and have been using it for my haQ attaQ show ever since. I don’t own a Digitakt but man I wish I did because it’s an amazing machine.

[@jacobhn2]

Overtones are not just up in frequency they also go down in frequency I guess

[@jackcimino8822]

Is the title supposed to say doesn't instead of don't? Is this a reference to something?

[@JakobHaq]

Naw, just me being a dummy and forgetting to check my grammar as usual. 😅 Fixed it!

[@lectraw3787]

Well, doing so, even from a fart and of any sound you can pull saw, square, triangle, sine, noise and many other waveforms :D

[@official-obama]

yeah, you made a sawtooth.

[@simonkormendy849]

A Sawtooth waveform contains all the even and odd harmonics.

[@novie160]

Music doesn't really exist. It's only a lot of stacked sinewaves changing over time.

[@zooblestyx]

When you do maths, your brain Hertz. You saw what I did there. Sorry. I know I'm not the first to make that pun, it's actually pretty frequent. Don't mean to cause any bad vibes here, and disrupt the comment section harmony. Glad we squared that away. I better sine off now. *wave*

[@JakobHaq]

You made this day so much better! Thank you! 💜💜💜💜

[@zooblestyx]

@@JakobHaq Happy to help. Enjoy the holidays! They only occur at about 0.0000000317Hz, after all.

[@inferno7181]

Okay, but by this logic, all waves are just modified sine waves.