How Do I Stop a Waveform from Rolling in OSC-1?

In OSC-1, turn on SWEEP, then open Settings → VISUALIZERS → XY SWEEP. Choose LEVEL, select the channel carrying your signal, and set Trigger Level near 0% with RISING selected. A repeating waveform should line up when the display reads TRIG. If it reads AUTO, check whether the signal crosses the chosen level.

Hi, I'm Trina with BeamTracer.com. The Sweep trigger chooses where each new trace begins. These examples keep one generated signal playing while the trigger level changes, so you can see a rolling waveform settle into place.

Trigger Level 80% is above this half-amplitude signal. The SWEEP display reads AUTO and the waveform moves horizontally. The source continues playing; the clip is silent.

Why does the waveform move when the sound is steady?

Sweep needs a matching trigger event to start each trace at the same part of a repeating signal. In LEVEL mode, that event is a crossing of Trigger Level in the selected direction. If no crossing arrives, the default AUTO sweep eventually draws without a trigger so you can still see the input.

Here, Amp X is 0.50 and Trigger Level is 80%. The left signal cannot reach that level, so the sweep has no qualifying crossing. Lowering the level to 0% gives it a crossing on each cycle.

How do I lock the Sweep waveform in place?

Choose the channel you want to inspect, set Trigger Mode to LEVEL, and place Trigger Level inside the signal's range. Start with 0% and RISING. Close Settings to inspect the result; the waveform should stay aligned while playback continues.

The same source, channel, display preset and timebase with Trigger Level at 0% and RISING selected. The waveform holds its position and the readout says TRIG.

Which settings reproduce these examples?

Use Creator mode, open Generators → Lissajous, and select Circle. Set the values below explicitly, then choose MODERN DIGITAL under SCOPE PRESETS. The XY picture is a circle while SWEEP shows the selected channel as a waveform over time.

The TRIGGER tab contains other trigger systems. For this lesson, stay in VISUALIZERS → XY SWEEP. The triggering guide explains each system and its display.

Press play to watch Trigger Level change from 80% to 0%. Closing Settings reveals the aligned waveform.

Press play to hear the generated source in this native OSC-1 recording. Left carries X and right carries Y. This recording shows the XY picture; the separate Sweep demos above show the trigger behavior.

What changes when I choose FALLING?

FALLING starts the trace when the selected signal crosses the trigger level downward. RISING uses the upward crossing. With Trigger Level at 0%, both can stabilize this signal, but the waveform begins on a different part of its cycle.

Only the edge selection changed to FALLING. The trace now begins by moving downward from the center line.

Does changing Time/Div fix a missing trigger?

Time/Div changes how much time is visible across SWEEP. It helps you inspect the shape, but a trigger level outside the signal's range still cannot be crossed. Set the trigger first, then zoom with Time/Div or the mouse wheel over the SWEEP display.

A song with changing voices may keep moving even after this simple test signal holds still. See SPECTRAL and CUSTOM trigger modes for pitch-based options. For a finished XY video with its soundtrack, follow the live recording tutorial; a native XY recording does not include the surrounding Sweep controls.