How to… use Phase Modulation

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Here are the coarse tuning values for some of the most famous harmonic ratios: 0 delivers a 1:1 ratio, good for basses and, with longer modulation attacks, some horns. +12 is a 2:1 ratio, which creates the famous

“knocking” house bass tone. +19 is a 3:1 ratio, the core timbre of the DX Jazz Guitar preset. +22 is close to the 3.5:1 ratio for the iconic DX Tubular Bells preset. Use a longer decay and release on your modulator envelope, with a lower modulation amount for best results. +24 will give you a 4:1 ratio which has a similar character to the +12 tuning, but a tad brighter.