Modulation

Modulation is a core element of almost every sound from vocals to guitar, but it comes in a variety of guises. Ian Waugh examines the warps and whoops of musical life…

Modulation is the process of changing an aspect of a sound, such as its pitch or volume. The changes can be small and subtle, wide-ranging and extreme, regular or irregular, fast or slow, and under the ‘modulation’ umbrella lurks a vast range of processes and effects. The modulation effect most of us are familiar with is vibrato, which is a gentle, cyclical variation of pitch, but modulation can be applied to many sound parameters to create many effects.

This feature first appeared in Music Tech Magazine issue 10
Filed under Ten Minute Masters

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