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Mutable Instruments - Tides 2: Freshets
Freshets builds on the Tides Symbiote firmware by Leandro B, continuing development with frequency locking, an alt output layer for every output mode, Formant oscillator and additional engine refinements.
For the latest update file go to the release page.
For the original Tides manual go to the Tides manual.
Contents
Frequency Lock
Long-press Range to lock the current frequency. The range LED blinks to indicate lock is active. While locked, short-pressing Range cycles through transpose modes.
Long-press Range again to unlock.
| Color | Function | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Semitones | +- 1 octave |
| Orange | Fifths and octaves | +- 2 octaves |
| Red | Octaves | +- 4 octaves |
Patching a cable into Clock exits frequency lock since you enter clocked speed from the original firmware. Unpatching will get you back to the locked state.
Frequency lock is only stored when you change Output mode or Ramp mode . This is because you would otherwise hear a disruption in your sound.
Restore and resettle frequency
While no frequency is locked, long-press Ramp mode to lock to the last locked frequency, effectively restoring it.
Long-press Ramp mode while a frequency is already locked to anchor the currently transposed pitch as the new locked frequency.
On locking or resettling the frequency, the frequency knob needs to re-enter the center zone. This prevents unwanted frequency changes.
Alt Output
Long-press Output mode to toggle the alt output. Alt output changes the behavior of the current output mode.
LED indicator:
- When the output has a visible LED color: the LED blinks on/off
- When the output LED is normally off: the LED cycles through green, orange, red as a short flash
Alt: Normal
Replaces the wavefolder on output 1 with a more crude wavefolder.
Alt: Amplitude
Instead of smooth crossfading, shift selects one output at a time. Four discrete positions, no blending.
Alt: Slope / Phase
Shift spreads different waveshapes(shape parameter) across the four outputs instead of phase offsets.
Alt: Frequency
Mixes voices into outputs.
| Output | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | Root voice (unchanged) |
| 2 | Mix of all 4 voices |
| 3 | Odd mix (voices 1 + 3) |
| 4 | Even mix (voices 2 + 4) |
Engines
The new specialized synthesis engines can be selected by setting Ramp mode to off (no LED). To select each of the new engines, use the Output mode button.
| Ramp mode | Output mode | Engine | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Engines | → | |
Attractors |
 |
AD envelope | |
Formant | |
 |
Cyclic | |
Wavetable | |
 |
AR envelope | |
Chord |
Attractors
Two chaotic attractor systems running simultaneously.
| Knob / input | Function |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Lorenz freq / Thomas freq |
| Shape | Rossler freq / Chua freq |
| Slope | Lorenz chaos / Thomas damping |
| Smoothness | Rossler chaos / Chua drive |
| Shift | Output gain |
| Trig | Resets attractor pair 1 (Lorenz / Thomas) |
| Clock | Resets attractor pair 2 (Rossler / Chua) |
| Output | Normal | Alt |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorenz X | Thomas X |
| 2 | Lorenz Y | Thomas Y |
| 3 | Rossler X | Chua X |
| 4 | Rossler Y | Chua Y |
Alt: Thomas + Chua
Switches from the Lorenz and Rossler pair to Thomas and Chua attractors. Thomas produces smooth, flowing 3D orbits. Chua is a circuit-based attractor with spikier, more unpredictable behavior.
Formant
A driver oscillator excites a Serge style envelope generator (formant envelope). Serge envelope generators skip a pulse if the envelope is still in an attacking phase. The formant envelope follows the frequency of the driver oscillator except in the alt output.
| Knob | Function |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Driver frequency |
| Shape | Shape of formant envelope |
| Slope | AD balance control of the formant envelope |
| Smoothness | Low-pass/wavefolder |
| Shift | Formant frequency ratio (+-48 semitones) |
| Output | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | Formant waveform (formant) |
| 2 | Logic combined pulse (formant) |
| 3 | Pulse wave (driver) |
| 4 | Sine wave (driver) |
The logic combined pulse is a 3 state pulse wave. The first half of smoothness attenuates the pulse; the second half introduces a sub-octave square.
With the shift attenuverter fully open, the shift CV input tracks approximately v/oct.
Trig input
Patching the trig input decouples the formant envelope from the driver oscillator. The driver pulse is normalized in the software to the trig input if not patched.
Alt: Decouple formant frequency
The formant frequency no longer tracks the driver pitch. Instead, Shift sets an absolute formant frequency.
Wavetable
A 3D wave terrain synthesizer. Three knobs navigate a grid of wavetables.
| Knob | Function |
|---|---|
| Shape | Bank |
| Slope | X axis |
| Smoothness | Low-pass/wavefolder |
| Shift | Y axis |
Through shape we interpolate through the following wavebanks: Bank A: harmonically poor waveforms obtained by additive synthesis (sine harmonics, drawbar organ waveforms). Bank B: harmonically rich waveforms obtained by formant synthesis or waveshaping. Bank C: wavetables from the Shruthi-1 / Ambika, sampled from classic wavetable or ROM playback synths. Bank D: noise-derived wavetables — jagged, inharmonic shapes that produce gritty textures rather than pitched tones.
Bank ABC come from the plaits source code. Bank D is added to this.
| Output | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | Wavetable bipolar |
| 2 | Wavetable unipolar |
| 3 | 1-bit wavetable output |
| 4 | Sub-octave pulse |
The 1-bit output is a nod to the sheep firmware.
Alt: No Interpolation
All interpolation between wavetable positions is removed. X, Y, and Z snap to the nearest grid point.
Chord
Four-voice chord generator using the same engine as normal frequency mode but with a chord ratio table.
Alt: Harmonic Mix
Same behavior as the normal frequency alt output:
| Output | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | Root voice (unchanged) |
| 2 | Mix of all 4 voices |
| 3 | Odd mix (voices 1 + 3) |
| 4 | Even mix (voices 2 + 4) |
Patching Ideas
- Formant mode has some unstable glitch moments when a envelope attack phase just barely takes longer than a cycle from the driver oscillator. Use this to your advantage.
- The Chord and Frequency mode alt outputs (root + mix + odd + even) into a stereo mixer give instant wide chord pads. Pan odd and even hard left/right.
- With alt output on in Frequency mode, the second output (mix) can give great supersaw sounds when you are just off 12 o’clock with the Shift knob.
- Slope / Phase output mode with alt on can be a great stereo oscillator where the shape is different from left and right.
- At high speed the Attractors can be a great noise source.
- Use outputs to self-modulate Tides. In Formant, outputs 3 and 4 can be patched to most parameters without creating a mess with feedback.
- Formant mode can work great as a weird envelope generator.
Credits
- Original Tides firmware by Émilie Gillet (Mutable Instruments)
- Symbiote Tides firmware by Leandro B
- Chord table from Jon Butler