FM-Synthesis, Studio440 Sequencing

Discuss John Bowen Synths - Solaris
patwolf
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Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:47 am
Location: Freising (Munich) Germany
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FM-Synthesis, Studio440 Sequencing

Post by patwolf »

Hello, my name is +patwolf,
and I am dealing since my youth (25 years "ago")
with synthesizers, my second synth was DX-7.

(Note that this post could become "a bit" scientific. ...)

Interesting enough, even after 100.000 Sounds there
some magic sounds you would find on every machine but the
DX-7. Also, I have lots of romplers in my room. Some sound really
nice. But I want to explore sound doing synthesis.

I did some development with 56K and C32 DSPs in my studies, and
I am dedicated to hardware Synths (with one exception FM-7).
Excuse that I have only some expericence with plugins, eg. VST,
because I think that Computers running on Wintel do have latencys
and overhead. I only trust hardware sequencers. I want to make music
rather than be to much engineer.


--> FM Synthesis.
a) As I recherched, since Yamaha's DX-7 Patents elapsed,
some new impressive stars on the synth-sky have come up.

However, FM is still every thing else than explored or exploited.
As is known from radio transmission, from the mathematics
behind, partly magic, things like Additive Synthesis with suppression of
definite bands can be realised. The problem is the control
and user interface.

What I find most interesting : There seems to lack any hardware synth on
the market (as far as I know ... correct me if I'm wrong) which allows
a free static configuration of a bunch, eg. 8 operators, and
definition which one is carrier or modulator. But for what reason ?
Is programming to difficult ? Does anyone know that ?

An interesting approach (seems to be quite cute patent's work-around)
is from Casio realized in the VZ-1.

However, what I am dreaming since 1982 is a FM having
small Waves different to sine, eg. a wavetable (in difference
to the microwave table) being computed in realtime.

(On the fair I had to be very polite to avoid to come
to a dispute at the waldorf stand (which miniaturized as well)
over the fact that I believe that eg. the old
blue microwave I is incapable to generate metalic sounds
due to the (as I believe:) fact that ther is only one
quadrant (0 to 90 degrees) of the wave saved in the table.

The developer argued with symmetry of Fourier Transform
but I only very partly agree. For such a dispute in the higher
heavens of signal theory, I was only partly prepared.
But I will prosecute that. Up today, for metalic sounds I believe
that a whole cycle (0 to 360 degree) must be saved and
be available for processing. If someone has some arguments
on that issue, I would be very grateful.)

On the basis of a dual ported RAM this can be realised as kind of a
numerical refresed oscillator RAM Area. The refresh (write) rate
from the DSP computing the wave, and the sample (read) rate
of the wave RAM Area for may be different and even already
modulated. The writing in the ram can be linear to increasing
adresses. But like for memory testing, I have also written
an helicopter algorithm. Note that making a translation
or mapping between several memory areas (named aperture)
which can be even be like (y+1)... y ... (y-1) comon from
digital filtering can be the tenori-on already in the oscillator.

As I understood on the fair, thanks for a very seldom and highly
appreciatecd chance to talk personally with the developer,
a 4 op FM is planed on the basis of the Prophet VS.

I think it is already a big step to be able to make FM with
using VS waves 0 to 127+.

If the FM outcome can be saved in a preset (possibly already realized)
this is further a big story.

But, if the sources can even be dynamically be faded to exchange
the role of carrier and modulator this may be gigantic.

Only some days ago I worked on a patent application
with electroconductive plastic, well, which can be doped with ions
to form an Antenna even doing polarisation issues.
So, a fading in and fading out antenna is possible.

Thus, what a about an oscillator which is appearing
for a certain time as carrier, than vanishing and reappaering
as modulator. In some centuries that might give a option
materialize or dematerialze a hardware bipolar transistor ... :-)

Note these ideas could be all patentable and I have a lot of them.

Sofar, and the question is :
Will there be a way to make an intelligent 4 op FM
with small samples ?

Small means some 256 Bytes max.
Rather make synths than romplers.
I you have big computing power, you can save ram.
Infintive computing power : zero RAM. That is life, simply.
(Well quite a nice definition, is it ?)




b) ---> Studio 440
Great question:
Will the sequencing features of the studio440 be available ?

I have the studio since 1992. Sometime I think it is made
from god. (I deplore already the six years
before without it ) and from 1999 to 2005 it was without sound, because
of the CEM 5530 s/h.
Perhaps today it would be named Studio442, because Earth's
frequency is raising :-)

But I must say, with this device,
you can make hits, nice music which makes you happy
and really record, dump out, what is on your mind,
linear without distortion etc.
2 x 16 characters and tape-like control
without 2 x 19 inch large computer screens and vast
programs tending to crash (or at least the feeling)
in the best moment which never comes back, because
for a certain scenariy there misses a second take,
because timing was perfect.

Oftenly the studio is even intelligent as if it just
knows very well what you do next when entering a
menu.

If someone has some note, ideas, critics, etc.
very wellcome, I would appreciate.

If secencing features can be found in solaris
or a predecessor this is two times heaven on earth.
(one time already because of the signature of the
developer).

Thank you very much.

+patwolf.

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