"In the early 1960s, synthesizers did not exist. Instead the Radiophonic Workshop begged and borrowed as many test oscillators as possible from other BBC departments.
The versatile "wobbulator" was a sine-wave oscillator that could be frequency modulated. It consisted of a metal box with a few switches and one very large knob that could sweep the entire frequency range..."
Check it out here.
"The "Wobbulator" was one example of a recycled or salvaged piece of equipment put to creative use in the Radiophonic Workshop. The Wobbulator was in fact a oscillator (looking at archive pictures quite likely a Brüel & Kjær Beat Frequency Oscillator 1022 used by sound engineers to measure the acoustic properties of studios or by electrical engineers to test equipment.The large centre knob sets the frequency of a primary oscillator. This frequency is then modulated (or "wobbled") a small amount by a secondary oscillator. The depth of the wobble is controlled by the amplitude of the secondary oscillator, and the frequency of the wobble by its frequency.
When the frequencies are in the audible range, the wobbulator can produce a wide variety of space-y sounds.
To simulate the wobbulator we use the OscillatorNode from the Web Audio API. We've taken a historical liberty by including a switch to control the waveshape of the primary oscillator. While probably not true to the original device, the OscillatorNode makes this too easy to resist!"
