The sawtooth wave has a fundamental
with all harmonics present. The second harmonic is quite strong being ½ the amplitude of the fundamental, with the third harmonic at 1/3 the amplitude of the fundamental, and the fourth at ¼ the amplitude. This produces a good deal of harmonic content and therefore a full buzzing sound, which can be heard here.
100hz Sawtooth Wave
500hz Sawtooth Wave
1000hz Sawtooth Wave
Sine Wave – Square Wave – Sawtooth Wave – Triangle Wave
These main four waves can be seen in most synthesizers, DAWs, and testing equipment. There are some variations that include the sawtooth wave going in opposite directions and the lopsided square wave (being larger on the top and smaller on the bottom or vice versa). Depending on the device these waves can be added together to create complex waveforms, can be used to modulate a signal, or can create the pattern for a pulsating effect.
Click on the following to learn more about: Sound Waves and Harmonics
