Complex Timbres with Simple Controls

The Harmonic Shift Oscillator, or HSO, produces FM-like tones with warm all-analog electronics and intuitive control. You can separately control the tuning, the level of the harmonics, and the harmonic stride—the spacing between consecutive harmonics. When the harmonic stride is integer valued, you can get tones that sound similar to the traditional sine, triangle, square, and sawtooth, although the waveform will be different. If harmonic stride is non-integer valued, you'll get a complex enharmonic waveform.

The Harmonic Shift Oscillator has CV control over all parameters, with carefully chosen ranges. Unlike a traditional oscillator, you can frequency modulate the Harmonic Shift Oscillator using its own output. With the addition of harmonic stride and harmonic level modulation, even a single HSO can produce extremely complex, evolving soundscapes with no other input.

The HSO produces two outputs with all frequency components 90 degrees out of phase, making different wave shapes for the same harmonic content. However, because they reach their peaks differently, they'll distort differently. At higher harmonic levels, the HSO itself will produce warm and gentle distortion. While you have to be a little careful of phase issues, these two outputs are a great starting point for stereoizing a signal.

https://newsystemsinstruments.com/modules/HSO.html

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This Module is an early prototype, a concept in development, or an AI mockup