Slow Factor or Step Size

Controls: Gen Dlg >> Stream >> Smooth TC >> Factor/Step
Macro: TmStepSize

This control is just below the three Timing Mode buttons that are at the top of the Random / Step Timing Dialog.

This control changes between Slow and Step factor according to the Timing Mode. In Slow mode, this is always a simple multiplier, which can be interpreted as the number of extra samples (less one) that are interpolated between each pair of original data points.

In Step mode, this factor will be either in samples or seconds depending upon the Samples/Seconds button. In Smpl mode it is a simple multiplier giving the total number of output samples for each input sample value. In sec mode it is the duration of each held step.

In Spec mode this control will also be in units of samples or seconds, but here the control may have no obvious effect on the waveform. In this case, it functions only to set the sync interval, discussed below.

When the Timing dialog is available there is no Main Frequency to provide a display sync reference for Triggering in Gen Sync mode. For a random source, which dosesn't repeat anyway, there is no reason to expect the display to appear in sync with anything; it just starts on whatever sample is current. However, if you set the Timing Step size here to a value greater than one, the display will always start at the beginning of a step interval. This will be true even if you are not actually using Step mode, thus allowing arbitrary sync rates.

Macro Notes:

L.1.TmStepSize=10 directly sets the Left Stream 1 Step Size or Slow Factor to 10. L.1.TmStepSize=>1 increments the current value by one, and L.1.TmStepSize=>-1 decrements it by one. Only +/-1 step is accepted.

Note that the value you provide must reflect the current Smpl/sec state. If you use 10 in sec mode it will be interpreted as 10 seconds; if you use 10m in Smpl mode it will be interpreted as 0.010 sample and rounded to zero. To be safe, use a SmplSec command to set the desired mode before using this command.

See also Waveform Stream Controls.