Sawtooth Wave

The sawtooth wave gets its name from its ramp-like shape, and it is the workhorse of subtractive synthesis. It contains every harmonic of the fundamental frequency, with each higher harmonic progressively quieter, giving it a full, buzzy, brilliant tone rich with material for a filter to sculpt. Because it starts with so much harmonic content, the saw is ideal for bright leads, aggressive basses, and lush pads — and it is the foundation of the supersaw sound, where multiple detuned saws are stacked for enormous width. Run a sawtooth through a lowpass filter with an envelope and you have the classic building block behind countless electronic bass and lead patches.