Modulation

01 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Choose the movement your source needs

Modulation combines a shared low-frequency oscillator, frequency and amplitude processing, a moving filter and spatial Rotation. These domains can operate together. The processor suits textures, sustained musical sounds, effects and transitions that need movement.

State the task clearly: add a level pulse, change frequency character, create a tonal sweep or move a sound in space. That decision explains the section choice and gives you a way to judge the result against the original intention.

A steady sound lasting several seconds is useful for the first adjustment. It exposes several cycles and helps separate movement speed, depth and the moment of maximum change. Return to the actual edited scene after that comparison.

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX

02 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

One modulator and four concurrent sections

The upper graph shows changes associated with Modulator, Frequency and Amplitude, alongside an Output meter. Beneath it are Modulator, Frequency, Amplitude, Filter, Rotation and overall Output. The graph provides orientation; it does not replace listening to the processed material.

The manual names six LFO shapes: Sine, Triangle, Saw1, Saw2, Square and Random. They are selected with the Shape buttons. These documented names let you discuss movement without guessing from icons alone.

Frequency, Amplitude, Filter and Rotation are not four mutually exclusive choices in a shared menu. Each has its own controls. Amplitude additionally has a documented Ring Modulation Mode; that is separate from choosing a domain to explain or highlight in the teaching diagram.

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Modulation: interface reference

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Compare the panel labels with the control reference below. The values shown describe one setup; choose working settings from the source, scene and intended effect.

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Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX

03 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Names, units and visible scales

The table follows the Resolve 21 text and illustration. A section’s Level percentage concerns its own processing, while final Dry/Wet concerns the whole effect. These controls are not interchangeable.

Rate is measured in Hz. Low rates suit slow movement; the high end can create a pronounced timbral change. That is a different effect from a subtle pulse, so listen progressively as you move between the regions.

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX

04 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Separate frequency, level, filtering and position

Frequency changes the frequency component of movement; Amplitude changes amplitude. Level controls the amount in each section. In Ring Modulation Mode, Amplitude Level is disabled: start by checking the mode before treating an inactive control as an interface fault.

Filter adds a moving filter, with Tone setting the sweep’s centre frequency. The panel also has a one-dimensional frequency display labelled 10 Hz–16 kHz. Its scale should not be substituted for the Tone control’s range.

Rotation provides Rotate, Offset and Phase. Movement amount and initial offset are separate decisions. An additional L/C/R scale helps you read the spatial part of the window. Check track format and actual channel monitoring to assess the result.

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX

05 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Phase coordinates movement; Ring changes the processing

With several sections active, their movements can reinforce or counteract one another. The manual explains the separate Phase controls as a way of managing that interaction. Set one domain, add a second, then change Phase in only one of them.

Listen for a prominent level change coinciding with a tonal or spatial maximum. Identical Phase values are not universally preferable; a useful relationship depends on the source and scene. Check several cycles instead of letting one fortunate moment determine the entire choice.

Ring Modulation is described as multiplying the signal by the modulator. It can create a different timbral result from ordinary Amplitude movement. Compare it separately while preserving the original, remembering that Amplitude Level becomes unavailable. Rate and overall Dry/Wet remain important comparison controls.

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX

06 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Place the movement at the intended point in the chain

For one source, apply Modulation to a clip from the Effects Library’s Audio FX. For a whole track, add it in the Mixer channel’s Effects section. It can also process a bus; then judge every source feeding that bus, including the channel format required for Rotation.

Plugins process in chain order. Modulation before Echo feeds altered material to the repeat processor; Modulation after Echo receives the result including repeats. Compare both orders on one passage and keep the one that serves the task. Avoid changing order and several parameter values at the same time.

On a serial insert, begin with a modest processed contribution through Dry/Wet. For a separate parallel return, establish the dry route first; a fully processed return is usually easier to regulate independently. In either case, compare final level and account for other active inserts.

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX · Blackmagic Design — Fairlight / FX, plug-ins and FlexBus

07 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Build the texture one change at a time

1. Prepare a steady source

   In a duplicate timeline, choose several seconds of sustained sound. Mark where movement should begin and where the source should settle again.

2. Choose Shape and Rate

   Compare two shapes at one rate. Keep the shape, then change Rate. For example, 1 and 2 Hz make an understandable speed comparison; these are teaching values, not a finished setting.

3. Adjust one domain

   For a pulse, begin with Amplitude; for another task, choose the relevant section. Change its Level or amount while keeping other domains neutral.

4. Add a second domain

   Judge its contribution separately first. Then compare the combined movements and alter Phase in only one section. Give Ring its own comparison.

5. Balance with the source

   Set overall Dry/Wet and match listening loudness to bypass with Output. Check useful attacks, quiet detail and recognisability of the original sound.

6. Return to the scene

   Listen to several cycles with the picture. Check mono for spatial processing, automate the intended changes and replay the written result.

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX · Blackmagic Design — Fairlight / FX, plug-ins and FlexBus

08 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Compare the control cycle and three teaching results

The diagram calculates an LFO, amplitude envelope, frequency pattern and ring multiplication together. AM, FM and Ring buttons only highlight a view; they do not imitate a mutually exclusive native Modulation menu. The shared teaching depth affects AM/FM, while Ring is independent of that control.

The example uses a 10 Hz carrier and a 1.25-second drawing interval. Rate has a teaching window of 0.2–8 Hz. The six named shapes use authored forms, and Random uses a fixed sequence so comparisons can be repeated. Shared Phase at 0–360° belongs to the diagram and does not replace the native sections’ separate Phase controls.

Change Rate, depth, phase and Dry/Wet one at a time. Observe what remains of the source and how ring multiplication differs. Filter, Rotation, native algorithms and audio playback are not modelled here; verify the chosen idea in Resolve on actual material.

09 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Give the movement a reason in the scene

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX · Blackmagic Design — Fairlight / FX, plug-ins and FlexBus

10 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Listen to the source inside the movement

Listen to several full cycles and the quiet parts of the source. The effect may suit one position but weaken an important event at another. Check dialogue stability, attacks and the source’s role in the scene.

Disable sections individually when combined movement becomes difficult to understand. Then compare the entire effect with bypass at similar loudness. Check channel summing for the spatial section while retaining the original version.

11 / UNDERSTAND & APPLY

Keep the intention and the reference passage

Save a preset and record source, insert scope, channel format, Shape, Rate, active sections, Phase, Ring and overall output. Document the chain if order matters. For automation, note the interval and parameters being changed.

After reopening, replay several cycles and the return to the original state. Check a reference rendered file, including the start and end of the effect. A listening record helps repeat the comparison; it is not a native preset or proof of audio quality.

Reference: Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve 21 Reference Manual · Spatial and creative Fairlight FX · Blackmagic Design — Fairlight / FX, plug-ins and FlexBus

FAQ / BEFORE THE NEXT MOVE

Questions that matter in practice