Tutorial 5: Creating Your Own Spherical Wavetables - 4ms Company Spherical Wavetable Navigator User Manual

Tutorial 5: Creating Your Own Spherical Wavetables

Push all three knobs to enter
Sphere Recording Mode
+ +
Audio
Source
Waveform
In
Push to
Record
Color of inner
lights show
position in
Sphere
Browse
Sphere
+
Wavefolding
Turn to select Sphere slot
Press+hold to save
Tap to confirm
Save Preset
Available
Effects:
Wavefolding
There are many more features in Sphere Recording Mode! For instance, you can spread the waveforms
throughout the recorded audio, stretch them, and move them around. Read the Sphere Recording Mode section
(page 25) for more details.
A powerful feature of the SWN is its ability to create wavetables from any audio
source. The SWN can record 2.5 seconds of audio and splice that up into the 27
waveforms needed to create a Sphere. You can add effects, change where the
waveforms are spliced, normalize, smooth the seams, and save your custom
sphere. Up to 108 custom spheres can be saved!
1. Press the Depth, Latitude, and Longitude knobs at the same time to enter
Sphere Recording Mode. When you're in this mode, the knobs you just pressed
will glow orange.
2. Patch an audio source into the Waveform In jack. You'll get better results with
something dynamic and recognizable such as a sample of a human voice, or a
percussive patch you've made. Make sure the Audio OUT jacks are patched
into speakers or a mixer, so you can hear the SWN.
3. When your audio source is playing and you're ready to record it, press the small
red button that's flashing (it's normally the LFO->VCA button). The SWN will
record for about 2.5 seconds. You should hear the audio play out the OUT jacks
and see an animation of red lights on the light ring.
4. The SWN will pull 27 waveforms from the recorded audio and create a Sphere.
You should hear the first waveform in the Sphere. Turn the Browse knob slightly
until you hear the SWN jump to the next waveform in your Sphere. (In Sphere
Recording Mode, browsing jumps immediately to the next waveform instead of
morphing; this allows you to hear the distinct waveforms.) If you want to hear
morphing, just hold down the Fine button while you turn the Browse knob. Keep
turning Browse to hear all the waveforms. Tip: The inner ring of lights shows
your position in the Sphere. You can always find the first waveform because
inner ring lights will glow dim gray.
5. Now, add some effects (FX). Each of the buttons at the top of the SWN is an FX.
For example, channel A's button is a wavefolding effect. See diagram below for
all the FX. Hold down one of the FX buttons while you turn the Browse knob.
You should hear the sound change as the FX is added, and you should see the
light ring display how much is being applied. By turning Browse while holding
down the FX button, the effect will only be applied to the current waveform.
6. To apply FX to all 27 waveforms in the Sphere, push down on the Browse knob
while you turn it (still holding down the FX button). Keep browsing through your
Sphere and apply effects to waveforms as you wish.
7. Once you like all of the waveforms, you can save your work. Turn the Load/
Save Preset knob and watch how a light goes around the ring. Each spot has a
slightly different color. Pick any spot and then hold down the knob until the light
starts flashing. Release it, and then press it again to confirm. When you save a
Sphere, the SWN will immediately exit Sphere Recording Mode and start using
the new Sphere. Remember that pushing and turning the Browse knob will
select which Sphere is active, so you can always come back to the Sphere you
just created.
FX
Bit Metalizer
Decimation
Low Pass Gain/
Filter Normalization
Page 9 of 32
Seam
Smoothing