SAMPLED

Synthesis and sound design · updated 2026-08-16

UNISON AND DETUNE

Stacking several voices on one note and detuning them slightly. Beating between the copies produces the wide supersaw sound.

Close-up of a Eurorack modular synthesizer: oscillator, filter and envelope modules wired together with patch cables, showing the signal path these synthesis terms describe.
Synthesis and sound design — Close-up of a Eurorack modular synthesizer: oscillator, filter and envelope modules wired together with patch cables, showing the signal path these synthesis terms describe.

Photo: Eurorack Modular Synthesizer Closeup (opens in a new tab) by Nir Yaniv (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Key takeaways

  • Stacking several voices on one note and detuning them slightly.
  • Beating between the copies produces the wide supersaw sound.
  • Small detune amounts thicken; large ones create the supersaw sound of trance and modern pop.
  • Seven-voice unison with modest detune on a lead, and unison disabled on the bass, keeps the low end mono and tight.
  • Watch out: using heavy unison on sub-bass.

Quick checklist

  • Can you define unison and detune in one sentence without looking?
  • Can you point at unison and detune in a real session, mix or contract?
  • Have you tried the practical move above at least once?
  • Would you catch the common mistake before it costs you a take?
  • Have you opened one of the primary sources below rather than a forum thread?

UNISON AND DETUNE IN DEPTH

Unison stacks multiple voices on one note and detunes them slightly against each other. Small detune amounts thicken; large ones create the supersaw sound of trance and modern pop. Every unison voice multiplies CPU cost and low-end build-up.

How it works in practice

Seven-voice unison with modest detune on a lead, and unison disabled on the bass, keeps the low end mono and tight.

The mistake people make

Using heavy unison on sub-bass. Detuned low frequencies beat against each other and the level pumps unpredictably.

WHERE UNISON AND DETUNE SITS

Unison and detune belongs to synthesis and sound design in the Sampled music glossary. How synths make sound, in the order the signal actually travels.

TEST YOURSELF

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3 quick questions on unison and detune. Answers are marked instantly — nothing is sent anywhere.

  1. 1. Which statement best describes unison and detune?

  2. 2. What is the mistake people most often make with unison and detune?

  3. 3. In practice, which of these applies to unison and detune?

Ready for the full thing? Take the 25-question terminology test and get a certificate with your name and score.

SOURCES AND CITATIONS

Free, primary references for unison and detune — standards bodies, manufacturers, government offices and university course material. Each one lists the line of this entry it backs up.

  • Stanford CCRMA — spectral audio (opens in a new tab)

    University research centre · Stanford CCRMA

    “Stacking several voices on one note and detuning them slightly.”— the claim this source supports

    Why it counts: The CCRMA course material derives this from first principles, so you can check the maths behind the plain-English version above.

  • UC Berkeley CNMAT (opens in a new tab)

    University research centre · UC Berkeley (CNMAT)

    “Beating between the copies produces the wide supersaw sound.”— the claim this source supports

    Why it counts: Berkeley's research notes cover the implementation detail that day-to-day usage of the term skips over.

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