The Tone effect synthesizes simple audio tones to create sounds, such as the low rumble of a submarine, a telephone ringing in the background, sirens, or a laser blast. You can have up to five tones for each instance of the Tone effect, to create a chord. When you apply this effect to a layer with audio, the dry (original, unprocessed) audio is ignored, and only the tone plays.

You can also apply the Tone effect to a layer that has no audio, such as a solid layer, to synthesize audio.

Waveform Options

Specifies the type of waveform to use. Sine waves produce the purest tones. Square waves produce the most distorted tones. Triangle waves have elements of both sine waves and square waves but are closer to sine waves. Saw waves have elements of both sine waves and square waves but are closer to square waves.

Frequency

Frequency in Hz. To turn off a tone, set its frequency to 0.0.

Level

Changes the amplitude of all tones in this instance of the effect. To avoid clipping and popping, use a Level value that is no greater than 100 divided by the number of frequencies you use. For example, if you use all five frequencies, specify 20%.

Note: To avoid clicks at the end of a tone, set a keyframe for the desired Level value at the frame just before the end of the tone, and then set a keyframe for a Level value of 0.0 at the end of the tone. This technique works well for any audio that you end abruptly.