LFO

An LFO that outputs a value changing periodically in sync with the tempo. The output is waveform(0-1) × Amp + Offset. In other words, the bottom is Offset and the top is Offset + Amp (with Amp at 1 and Offset at 0, that is 0-1).

Clock source (chosen from a dropdown)

• GlobalTempo — syncs to the application’s global tempo (BPM). Phase drift is corrected automatically at beat boundaries, and Resync returns the phase to 0
• AbletonLink — uses Ableton Link’s continuous beat directly
• Free — not tempo-synced. FreeRate is the number of cycles per second (equivalent to Hz; negative values are treated as 0)

Beat division (GlobalTempo / AbletonLink only)

The length of one cycle is chosen from a dropdown, with seven steps: 1/4 beat, 1/2 beat, 1 beat (default), 2 beats, 1 bar, 2 bars, 4 bars. In Free mode the division is not used.

Waveforms (five)

All of them output 0-1.

• Sine — the start of the beat is the trough. It rises from the bottom, crests, and comes back (inverted cos)
• Saw — a straight line from 0 at the start of the beat up to 1
• Square — 1 while the phase is below PulseWidth, 0 after that (PulseWidth only affects Square; clamped to 0-1)
• Triangle — a 0→1→0 triangle
• SampleHold — a new random value each cycle, held for one cycle

Notes on the ports

• PhaseOffset — the unit is “cycles”. 1.0 shifts by exactly one cycle, so you can do things like offsetting several LFOs in 0.25 steps
• Cycle Trigger — a trigger output that fires the moment the phase completes a cycle (the same timing as SampleHold’s random value update)

The node UI shows a scope indicating the current waveform and phase. For managing the overall tempo, see GlobalTempo.

Video

await synapse.modules.create({ type: "LFO" })