Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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LFOS, or low frequency oscillators, are a great tool in sound design & synthesis for giving motion and shape to your music — but one question I get a lot from students who are just starting out is:

“How can I make patches that have more variation? When I use a basic LFO, like a sine or square wave, everything starts to sound repetitive and predictable.”

Even the most basic LFO wave shapes *can* be used to create really dynamic, expressive patches with lots of internal motion and shape — it’s all about how you combine them together!

Here are 3 simple tricks you can try for using basic LFOs to create more motion & shape in your patches:

1️⃣ run 2 LFOs at different speeds to modulate 2 parameters of sound

2️⃣ mix 2 different LFO wave shapes together to create a more complex modulation source

3️⃣ use one LFO to modulate a 2nd LFO (aka modulating the modulator!) this can create a really nice ebb and flow in your patches

Watch the video for demos of each idea in action!✨

Let me know below if you’re going to try any of these out, or if you have any of your own favorite LFO-related techniques! ❤️👇