Nothing adds excitement to a modulation destination like a random source. For example, random panning is a great way to spread a sound unpredictably. However, in it’s current hard-edged state the Random LFO shape makes for really abrupt changes which can be jarring. Being able to slew the LFO shape would not only allow for the changes in value to be smoother but if applied to other LFO shapes, one could slew the other LFO shapes into new, exciting shapes as well.
What is the problem?
Hard-edged modulation sources (like the Random, Saw and Square LFO shapes) can be very jarring when used as a modulation source.
Using the LFOs to control things like amp and filter envelopes tends to introduce unpleasant clicks which span the entire frequency spectrum and are thus hard to mask in post production (let alone being unwanted in a live performance).
The problem is that the LFO shapes lack any form of smoothing.
What do you want to achieve?
Smoothed out (slewed) changes in value so the modulated effect isn’t as jarring. Bonus, this could reveal new and exciting LFO shapes.
I’m not personally familiar with the XAOC Zadar and from reading the manual, nothing sounds like Slewing to me. Skewing, I assume, is to shift the LFO shape towards either direction in time (horizontally forwards or backwards - like adding an Attack or Decay stage to it). If that assumption is correct, then Skewing and Slewing are very different.
Slewing is just the voltage act of smoothing out changes in value - be it increases or decreases in voltage. In a modular system, you can use a Slew being hit with a simple Trigger to receive and envelope with shared Attack and Decay times. When applied to something like a Random voltage source, you’d get a smoothed transition between changes in voltage in both the direction of positive changes as well as subtractive changes.
I understand what slewing does, i’m just saying that the mentioned wish, that has already votes on it, proposes many new lfo shapes as well that could probably/possibly cover a lot of ground.
If you want though, you can of course continue with this wish and propose a slewing functionality for all current and future lfo shapes.
To bring over functions from the Zadar would certainly cover a lot of new ground for Envelope / LFO shapes and functions but from my read of the manual, none of those cover the same ground as a Random with smoothing applied to voltage transitions.
As it stands - the Random waveform on the Tracker is simple but limited in use. Being able to Slew the transitions in amount would make it much more useful and I assume any kind of Slewing application could be applied to other Shapes - generally expanding their functionality as well.
I’m surprised this one has zero votes until I added mine to it. Perhaps it can be renamed to include the word “softening” or “smoothing” in the title? Case in point, I couldn’t even find this and made a duplicate request because I would never think to search for the word “slew”.
I get you - I come from a modular background and depending on the starting shape, it could be considered smoothing / slewing (to round out a hard edge like a square into something like a sine or triangle) or skewing (turning a sawtooth into a triangle). It looks like I may not be able to edit the title - I went to go add “/ smoothing” (so it would be “Adjustable slew / smoothing on LFO shapes”) but it is beyond my abilities, it appears.
