Oscillator

Oscillator supports a number of features including phase rotation, multiple oscillator types (see Oscillator.type), and Transport syncing (see Oscillator.syncFrequency).


// make and start a 440hz sine tone
const osc = new Tone.Oscillator(440, "sine").toDestination().start();

Hierarchy

Constructor

new Oscillator (
frequency?:Frequency ,

Starting frequency

type?:ToneOscillatorType

The oscillator type. Read more about type below.

) => Oscillator
new Oscillator ( ) => Oscillator

Properties

baseType #

OscillatorType

The oscillator type without the partialsCount appended to the end


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator();
osc.type = "sine2";
console.log(osc.baseType); // "sine"

blockTime #

readonly Seconds

The number of seconds of 1 processing block (128 samples)


console.log(Tone.Destination.blockTime);

channelCount #

number

channelCount is the number of channels used when up-mixing and down-mixing connections to any inputs to the node. The default value is 2 except for specific nodes where its value is specially determined.

channelCountMode #

ChannelCountMode

channelCountMode determines how channels will be counted when up-mixing and down-mixing connections to any inputs to the node. The default value is "max". This attribute has no effect for nodes with no inputs.

  • "max" - computedNumberOfChannels is the maximum of the number of channels of all connections to an input. In this mode channelCount is ignored.
  • "clamped-max" - computedNumberOfChannels is determined as for "max" and then clamped to a maximum value of the given channelCount.
  • "explicit" - computedNumberOfChannels is the exact value as specified by the channelCount.

channelInterpretation #

ChannelInterpretation

channelInterpretation determines how individual channels will be treated when up-mixing and down-mixing connections to any inputs to the node. The default value is "speakers".

context #

BaseContext

The context belonging to the node.

debug #

boolean

Set this debug flag to log all events that happen in this class.

detune #

Signal<"cents" >

The detune control signal.

disposed #

readonly boolean

Indicates if the instance was disposed. 'Disposing' an instance means that all of the Web Audio nodes that were created for the instance are disconnected and freed for garbage collection.

frequency #

Signal<"frequency" >

The frequency control.

input #

undefined

Sources have no inputs

mute #

boolean

Mute the output.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator().toDestination().start();
// mute the output
osc.mute = true;

numberOfInputs #

readonly number

The number of inputs feeding into the AudioNode. For source nodes, this will be 0.


const node = new Tone.Gain();
console.log(node.numberOfInputs);

numberOfOutputs #

readonly number

The number of outputs of the AudioNode.


const node = new Tone.Gain();
console.log(node.numberOfOutputs);

onstop #

onStopCallback

The callback to invoke when the source is stopped.

output #

OutputNode

The output note

partialCount #

number

'partialCount' offers an alternative way to set the number of used partials. When partialCount is 0, the maximum number of partials are used when representing the waveform using the periodicWave. When 'partials' is set, this value is not settable, but equals the length of the partials array. A square wave wave is composed of only odd harmonics up through the harmonic series. Partial count can limit the number of harmonics which are used to generate the waveform.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator("C3", "square").toDestination().start();
osc.partialCount = 1;
setInterval(() => {
	osc.partialCount++;
	console.log(osc.partialCount);
}, 500);

partials #

number []

The partials describes the relative amplitude of each of the harmonics of the oscillator. The first value in the array is the first harmonic (i.e. the fundamental frequency), the second harmonic is an octave up, the third harmonic is an octave and a fifth, etc. The resulting oscillator output is composed of a sine tone at the relative amplitude at each of the harmonic intervals.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator("F3").toDestination().start();
setInterval(() => {
	// generate 8 random partials
	osc.partials = new Array(8).map(() => Math.random());
}, 1000);

phase #

Degrees

The phase is the starting position within the oscillator's cycle. For example a phase of 180 would start halfway through the oscillator's cycle.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator({
	frequency: 20,
	phase: 90
}).toDestination().start();

sampleTime #

readonly Seconds

The duration in seconds of one sample.


console.log(Tone.Transport.sampleTime);

state #

readonly BasicPlaybackState

Returns the playback state of the source, either "started" or "stopped".


const player = new Tone.Player("https://tonejs.github.io/examples/audio/FWDL.mp3", () => {
	player.start();
	console.log(player.state);
}).toDestination();

type #

ToneOscillatorType

The oscillator's type. Also capable of setting the first x number of partials of the oscillator. For example: "sine4" would set be the first 4 partials of the sine wave and "triangle8" would set the first 8 partials of the triangle wave.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator().toDestination().start();
osc.type = "sine2";

static version #

string

The version number semver

volume #

Param<"decibels" >

The volume of the output in decibels.


const source = new Tone.PWMOscillator().toDestination();
source.volume.value = -6;

Methods

asArray #

Returns an array of values which represents the waveform.

asArray (
length= 1024:number
) => Promise<Float32Array >

chain #

Connect the output of this node to the rest of the nodes in series.


const player = new Tone.Player("https://tonejs.github.io/examples/audio/FWDL.mp3");
player.autostart = true;
const filter = new Tone.AutoFilter(4).start();
const distortion = new Tone.Distortion(0.5);
// connect the player to the filter, distortion and then to the master output
player.chain(filter, distortion, Tone.Destination);
chain (
...nodes:InputNode []
) => this

connect #

connect the output of a ToneAudioNode to an AudioParam, AudioNode, or ToneAudioNode

connect (
destination:InputNode ,

The output to connect to

outputNum= 0:number ,

The output to connect from

inputNum= 0:number

The input to connect to

) => this

disconnect #

disconnect the output

disconnect (
destination?:InputNode ,
outputNum= 0:number ,
inputNum= 0:number
) => this

dispose #

Clean up.

dispose ( ) => this

fan #

connect the output of this node to the rest of the nodes in parallel.


const player = new Tone.Player("https://tonejs.github.io/examples/audio/FWDL.mp3");
player.autostart = true;
const pitchShift = new Tone.PitchShift(4).toDestination();
const filter = new Tone.Filter("G5").toDestination();
// connect a node to the pitch shift and filter in parallel
player.fan(pitchShift, filter);
fan (
...nodes:InputNode []
) => this

get #

Get the object's attributes.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator();
console.log(osc.get());

static getDefaults #

Returns all of the default options belonging to the class.

getDefaults ( ) => ToneOscillatorOptions

getInitialValue #

Returns the initial value of the oscillator when stopped. E.g. a "sine" oscillator with phase = 90 would return an initial value of -1.

getInitialValue ( ) => AudioRange

immediate #

Return the current time of the Context clock without any lookAhead.


setInterval(() => {
	console.log(Tone.immediate());
}, 100);
immediate ( ) => Seconds

now #

Return the current time of the Context clock plus the lookAhead.


setInterval(() => {
	console.log(Tone.now());
}, 100);
now ( ) => Seconds

restart #

Restart the source.

restart (
time?:Time ,
offset?:Time ,
duration?:Time
) => this

set #

Set multiple properties at once with an object.


const filter = new Tone.Filter();
// set values using an object
filter.set({
	frequency: 300,
	type: "highpass"
});
set ( ) => this

start #

Start the source at the specified time. If no time is given, start the source now.


const source = new Tone.Oscillator().toDestination();
source.start("+0.5"); // starts the source 0.5 seconds from now
start (
time?:Time ,

When the source should be started.

offset?:Time ,
duration?:Time
) => this

stop #

Stop the source at the specified time. If no time is given, stop the source now.


const source = new Tone.Oscillator().toDestination();
source.start();
source.stop("+0.5"); // stops the source 0.5 seconds from now
stop (
time?:Time

When the source should be stopped.

) => this

sync #

Sync the source to the Transport so that all subsequent calls to start and stop are synced to the TransportTime instead of the AudioContext time.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator().toDestination();
// sync the source so that it plays between 0 and 0.3 on the Transport's timeline
osc.sync().start(0).stop(0.3);
// start the transport.
Tone.Transport.start();
// set it to loop once a second
Tone.Transport.loop = true;
Tone.Transport.loopEnd = 1;
sync ( ) => this

syncFrequency #

Sync the signal to the Transport's bpm. Any changes to the transports bpm, will also affect the oscillators frequency.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator().toDestination().start();
osc.frequency.value = 440;
// the ratio between the bpm and the frequency will be maintained
osc.syncFrequency();
// double the tempo
Tone.Transport.bpm.value *= 2;
// the frequency of the oscillator is doubled to 880
syncFrequency ( ) => this

toDestination #

Connect the output to the context's destination node.


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator("C2").start();
osc.toDestination();
toDestination ( ) => this

toFrequency #

Convert the input to a frequency number


const gain = new Tone.Gain();
console.log(gain.toFrequency("4n"));
toFrequency (
freq:Frequency
) => Hertz

toMaster # DEPRECATED

Connect the output to the context's destination node. See toDestination

toMaster ( ) => this

toSeconds #

Convert the incoming time to seconds


const gain = new Tone.Gain();
console.log(gain.toSeconds("4n"));
toSeconds (
time?:Time
) => Seconds

toString #

Convert the class to a string


const osc = new Tone.Oscillator();
console.log(osc.toString());
toString ( ) => string

toTicks #

Convert the input time into ticks


const gain = new Tone.Gain();
console.log(gain.toTicks("4n"));
toTicks (
time?:Time | TimeClass
) => Ticks

unsync #

Unsync the source to the Transport. See Source.sync

unsync ( ) => this

unsyncFrequency #

Unsync the oscillator's frequency from the Transport. See Oscillator.syncFrequency

unsyncFrequency ( ) => this