Scheduling Signals

Setting Values

  • This will set the value when ever you trigger it
oscillator.frequency.value; //returns the current frequency value
oscillator.frequency.value = 100; //sets the value immediately

Scheduling Values

  • these are used to create Envelopes in tone, but we can use them on their own

Types of scheduling

  • setValueAtTime - to schedule a value change at a precise time.
  • linearRampToValueAtTime - to ramp to a value starting from the previously scheduled value.
  • exponentialRampToValueAtTime - same as the above, but with an exponential curve instead of a linear curve.
  • setTargetAtTime - unlike the RampValueAtTime methods, in setTargetAtTime, the time attribute is when it should start ramping towards the value instead of arrive at the value. It takes a third parameter which is the time constant at which it will change.
  • setValueCurveAtTime - sets an array of values which will be evenly invoked over the course of the duration.
  • cancelScheduledValues - cancels all values after the specified time.

Ramping values

  • linearRampTo - set a value and a ramp time and the signal will begin linearly ramping towards that value.
  • exponentialRampTo - same as above but exponential ramp.
  • rampTo - same interface as the above methods, but will automatically decide to use linear or exponential based on the units of the signal.

Time

  • Number: seconds

    • 1.2: 1.2 seconds

  • String: synchronized to the Tone.Transport

  • ex of setting BPM:

Tone.Transport.bpm.value = 80;
//ramp the bpm to 120 over 10 seconds
Tone.Transport.bpm.rampTo(120, 10)

Notation time

  • Describes time in BPM and time signature relative values.
    • “4n” = quarter note
    • “8t” = eighth note triplet
    • “2m” = two measures
    • “8n.” = dotted-eighth note

Relative time

  • Prefix any of the above with “+” and it will be interpreted as “the current time plus whatever expression follows”

    • “+1m” = 1 measure from now
    • “+0.5” = half a second from now

scheduling examples

starter

LFO - Low Frequency Oscillator

Learning Synths

LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator)

starter

remaking effects with lfos

  • we can use an LFO to remake any effect with ‘auto’ in the name
    • autowah, autopanner, autofilter
    • also tremolo, vibrato
    • fast tremolo is amplitude modulation
    • fast vibrato is frequency modulation

examples

Autofilter and Autopan

starter