Wavetable Synthesis

HALion’s wavetable synthesis offers you a wide range of possibilities, from the re-synthesis of samples to the creation of entirely new sounds.

In classic subtractive synthesis, static harmonic oscillator waveforms are sent through filters and amplifiers where the sound is shaped. In wavetable synthesis, you can extract specific portions of samples and align these to make up a wavetable. The waves in the wavetable are played back one after the other to create the sound progression. You can shape the sound as in the subtractive synthesis by using filters, amplifiers, etc.

The Wavetable Editor is where you create wavetables, that is, where you load samples, insert wave extraction markers to add the waves, work on the spectrum of the waves, create the wavetable envelope, and specify the order of the waves in the wavetable.

HALion allows you to create your own wavetables by extracting single-cycle waves from samples. Single-cycle means that a wave is exactly one period long. The sophisticated sample analysis functions in the Wavetable Editor help you to find good positions for wave extraction.

When HALion extracts a wave from a sample, a wavetable envelope is created. You can edit the envelope on the Envelope tab. This envelope is part of the wavetable, which means that you can always use the wavetable as it is, without having to assign and set up a new envelope.

The order of the waves in the wavetable determines how the sound evolves when you modulate the position. A wavetable can contain up to 256 waves that can be extracted from different samples. A series of consecutive waves from the same sample is called a sequence. A wavetable can contain multiple sequences from different samples.

In the Zone Editor for a wavetable zone, in the Wavetable section, you can find the play parameters for wavetables. This is where you specify which oscillators you want to use and where you make settings for them.

You can modulate the wavetable position automatically with the Speed parameter or manually in the modulation matrix.