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Sine
The sine wave is the “atom” of the sonic universe.
Consisting of a single harmonic – often the fundamental, or root pitch – the sine wave generates the simplest sound of all the waveforms, and therein lies its strength.
If you’re looking for that deep sub-bass that anchors many drum and bass tracks, start with a sine wave.
Similarly, you can use a sine wave is to add beef to any of the other waveforms by tuning it to the same pitch (or an octave lower for even more low-end bombast), then balancing the oscillator mix until it suits your purposes.
Alternately, you can use a high-pitched sine wave to add a specific type of shimmer to bell-like textures.
Sawtooth
At the opposite end of the waveform spectrum is the sawtooth wave.
Consisting of all integer harmonics, the sawtooth has an extremely bright and buzzy sound that makes it the Swiss Army knife of synth waveforms.
Used in conjunction with a moderate lowpass filter setting, sawtooth waves are great for subtle pad sounds.
Open the filter up to maximum and add a slightly detuned sawtooth to the second oscillator and you’re on your way to creating classic trance leads.
Lower the filter cutoff to about 30-40% and add some filter envelope modulation and you’ve got the essentials for a timeless bass sound.
Square
The square wave has become a bit trendy in dance music for the past several years.
Because of its Nintendo-esque hollow character, it lends itself to bright electro leads, glitchy embellishments and tech house bass lines.
The harmonic content of a square wave consists of only odd numbered harmonics, descending in volume in a linear manner.
That is, every successive odd harmonic is slightly quieter than the previous one.
Mixing square and sawtooth waves, especially in different octave ranges, can result in more complex harmonic combinations.
Alternately, you can use a square wave as the basis for emulated woodwind/reed sounds like flutes and clarinets.
Triangle
While its shape is quite different from that of a square wave, the triangle wave also contains only odd numbered harmonics.
The difference here is that these harmonics descend in volume in an exponential manner.
In plain English, this means that the triangle sounds like a more muted – or duller – square wave.
This makes it quite useful for supporting other waveforms without getting in the way, sort of like the sine wave but with additional harmonic character.
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