PHASE engine

All engines · Modes and shared controls

Use PHASE for CZ-style basses, brass, resonant digital tones, and glass plucks.

How the sound is made

Phase distortion changes how quickly an oscillator reads different parts of its wave. DCW sets this distortion. A second line can mix with the first or ring-modulate it.

PHASE HOME page showing its four main sound controls and first factory preset.
PHASE on HOME. These knobs apply to the selected track unless HOME LEVELS is enabled.

HOME knobs

Knob 1 Knob 2 Knob 3 Knob 4
DCW ENV DTN REL

For HOME LEVELS, see HOME and mixer.

Engine controls

Press the panel EDIT button to cycle the engine pages. Pause between presses to avoid opening its shortcut layer. The musical EDIT key is a different control.

PHS page

PHASE PHS page from the running firmware, including its four control labels.
PHS is engine page 1.
Control What it changes
WAVE Select the first phase-distortion shape.
WAVE2 Select a second shape, or “-” to turn the second line off.
DCW Set phase-distortion depth. It often acts as a brightness control.
ENV Set how much the common envelope moves phase distortion.

LINE page

PHASE LINE page from the running firmware, including its four control labels.
LINE is engine page 2.
Control What it changes
DTN Detune the second line, in cents.
LINE Select MIX or RING for the two lines.
SUB Add the lower sine component.
FOLD Add smooth wavefolding. Zero bypasses it.

Wave and line modes

WAVE Character
SAW, SQR, PLS Saw-like, square-like, and pulse-like phase-distortion shapes.
DSIN Double-sine shape.
SPLS Shaped pulse.
RSAW, RTRI, RTRP Resonant saw, triangle, and trapezoid families.

MIX combines the lines. RING multiplies their signals for extra sum and difference tones. Select a WAVE2 before comparing MIX and RING. ENV here means distortion-envelope depth, not a second amplitude envelope. The common ENV still sets the note's amplitude shape.

Try these changes

Make a digital brass swell

Load BRASS. Compare low and high DCW. Increase ENV and adjust common ATK so the brightness rises with the attack.

Make a glass strike

Load CZ GLASS. Compare MIX and RING with the second line active. Add a small FOLD amount, then lower it if the attack becomes too bright.

Factory presets

BRASS, RESO, BELL, CZ BASS, CZ STRINGS, CZ GLASS, CZ ORGAN, CZ WIRE.

See the inspired preset catalogue for the references behind the newer sounds.

Limits and useful checks

PHASE is phase-distortion synthesis, not the FM6 or YM algorithm system. Resonant shapes and ring modes can change loudness as well as tone.

Save a user preset or project before loading another sound if you want to keep your edits.