Detuning is the process of slightly shifting the pitch of one or more oscillators within a patch (a sound configuration) away from the main pitch in a synthesizer. Smaller amounts, like a few cents (a unit of measurement for pitch), or more significant amounts, like a semitone or more, can be used to accomplish this.
By making a single sound appear as though multiple voices are playing at once, detune can be used to give a sound a sense of thickness or width. It can also give a sound a sense of motion or animation.
Depending on the synthesizer, detuning can be done globally or individually across each oscillator. Others may use a pitch offset or frequency offset feature to create the same effect. Some synthesizers have a “detune” knob or parameter that can be adjusted.
Detune can also be applied in different ways:
- By using the pitch bend wheel,
- By using the mod wheel,
- By using an LFO (low frequency oscillator) to modulate the pitch of the oscillator,
- By using an envelope generator that modulates the pitch of the oscillator over time.
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