Dream soft synth?

[ghettosynth]

I dream of synthesizing sounds like these....it should use proper anal synthesis. Many people underestimate the impact of the cheeks on the tone. For good sound, you will need to properly model both the shape and size of the cheeks as well as the "embouchure" of the anus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN_9m7RLJEI

See, that’s where you’re wrong. Cheeks have minimal impact on tone. It’s all about sphincter tension and length and girth of the colon, or more specifically, the rectal-colon cavity. Having the right gut flora can actually have surprising influence on the sustain of the sounds, and that can help with tonal variety.

The cheeks are like resonators though. With the proper excitation, they contribute an undeniable quality. Sort of like tonewood in a guitar.

[Michael L]

Sort of like tonewood in a guitar.

The technically correct term is timbre. According to Wikipedia,

In music, timbre (/ˈtæmbər/ TAM-bər) is the perceived sound quality of a musical fart. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as the anal soprano; wind instruments, such as the butt bass; and percussion, such as the cheek tom.

The physical characteristics of sound that determine the perception of timbre include sphincter tone, and intestinal envelope. Anal singers and cheek musicians can change the timbre of the music they are singing/playing by using different techniques. For example, a singer can use different exhaling styles or control different parts of the cheek muscles to obtain different timbres (e.g., playing sul tasty produces a light, airy timbre, whereas playing sul ponticello produces a harsh, even and aggressive tone). Amplified performers can change their timbre using effects units and graphic equalizers.

However, there is no plug-in that out-puts such etherially ambient timbres. As a example of the riches awaiting a developer such as you, here is a documentary on the highest-paid performer of his generation, Joseph Pujol, Le Petomaine (The Fartist):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gym81fY460

[ghettosynth]

Sort of like tonewood in a guitar.

The technically correct term is timbre. According to Wikipedia,

Tone wood, wood that yields tone. Not timbre. Guitars are made from "tone woods" because "tone woods" sound better.

[ghettosynth]

So lame, does it has ZDF?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI2j2obdde0

[Michael L]

OK, so my synthesist is tres vintage, but emulations are all the rage now, and your non-lame synth is not very skeuomorphic.

Is there any concept or features you think should be out there but is missing?

So what features (eg. The Wire) are missing in this genre?

[Dasheesh]

Been thinking a bit about my earlier design. Two filters would be unnecessary and against the premise and focus of the instrument so a single filter. Thanks again for asking!

[rod_zero]

Diva with more modulation options, plus wavetables.

[EnGee]

I can't even dream of better soft synths than I have now!

[BlackWinny]

A fan or pump driven synth would be my dream...

I'm fed up of electricity driven synths.


A fan or pump driven synth could even be taken with me on an island without having to care for batteries.

[Halonmusic]

A fan or pump driven synth would be my dream...

I'm fed up of electricity driven synths.


A fan or pump driven synth could even be taken with me on an island without having to care for batteries.

Well you're in luck

http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=673

[fmr]

I’m a amateur musician who for many years have been developing a design for a software synth, mostly out from my own preferences and wishes. Now I’m getting together a team to realize it. I have come to the conclusion that to have a good chance on the market there needs to be a demand for the concept and features. Maybe there would be if they were known, but I don’t want to impose any bias to the question.
I would like to know if there are things you miss or could be better among the synths today. Is there any concept or features you think should be out there but is missing?
Maybe this question is improper in this forum? I don’t know. Any suggestions where I else should turn with a question like this?

You fall in a cave of trolls...

It's unlikely you will get any representative answers (which is something you probably already guessed by now).

That said (and seriously) build your synth around samples and sample manipulation. Give it like four oscillators, each oscillator would have either a single sample (which can act as a waveform or not, depending on the way you configure the oscillator) or multi-sample maps.

You could enrich it with unison features, although I don't think this is really necessary, given the high complexity the synth is already capable of because being sample based.

The oscillator could also be able to analyze and resynthesize the sample, creating an additive representation, using either the transient sounds or the sustained sounds, with just the noisy components or the harmonic components or both (the analysis/resynthesis portion of SoundHack is a good example of what I am talking about). It could do granular synthesis too (based on samples or on sine tones). And it could create a wavetable too (given the resynthesis capabilities, this is somehow implicit).

The filter part should have composite filters, like comb filters, spectral filters, formant filters, modeled resonant instrument filters, etc. Not just the old and tired low pass, high pass, bandpass - enough of that. Each oscillator should have it's own complete synth channel, with filter and amplification, basically working as a complete layer before the effects, in the Roland way, although we could also route the oscillators to single layer, or two to one layer and two to another layer (basically we should have a configuration page to define the routing - and since we have a configuration page, we could also implement some other oscillator interactions).

Of course, the interpolation and transposition algorithms had to be the best, because I would want the sound to be top notch across the entire spectrum, even if just using a single sample.

Plenty of modulation sources (ADSR envelopes, multi-segment envelopes, LFOs, sequencers, etc) and a modulation matrix. Many oscillator functions should be able to be modulated.

A good creative bunch of effects (Falcon is a good example on this) to complete the cake. And that's pretty much it.

Oh, and NO FLAT interface. Invest in a good designer to create a good interface, with soft colors (no red over black... actually NO RED at all) which is as clear as possible and skeuomorphic enough to give us an idea of depthness - I simply HATE flat interfaces.

If you follow these ideas, you would create a hell of a synth... and you will probably sell just a few, because the vast majority would not be interested in such a beast (they are more interested in emulations of Minimoogs and TB-303s).

I would, though.

[BlackWinny]

A fan or pump driven synth would be my dream...

I'm fed up of electricity driven synths.


A fan or pump driven synth could even be taken with me on an island without having to care for batteries.

Well you're in luck

http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=673

Sniff... 32-bit only.


And behind the plugin, in very tiny characters it is written "Beware : this fan doesn't work without an external source of electric power".

[BlackWinny]

I’m a amateur musician who for many years have been developing a design for a software synth, mostly out from my own preferences and wishes. Now I’m getting together a team to realize it. I have come to the conclusion that to have a good chance on the market there needs to be a demand for the concept and features. Maybe there would be if they were known, but I don’t want to impose any bias to the question.
I would like to know if there are things you miss or could be better among the synths today. Is there any concept or features you think should be out there but is missing?
Maybe this question is improper in this forum? I don’t know. Any suggestions where I else should turn with a question like this?

You fall in a cave of trolls...

It's unlikely you will get any representative answers (which is something you probably already guessed by now).

That said (and seriously) build your synth around samples and sample manipulation. Give it like four oscillators, each oscillator would have either a single sample (which can act as a waveform or not, depending on the way you configure the oscillator) or multi-sample maps.

You could enrich it with unison features, although I don't think this is really necessary, given the high complexity the synth is already capable of because being sample based.

The oscillator could also be able to analyze and resynthesize the sample, creating an additive representation, using either the transient sounds or the sustained sounds, with just the noisy components or the harmonic components or both (the analysis/resynthesis portion of SoundHack is a good example of what I am talking about). It could do granular synthesis too (based on samples or on sine tones). And it could create a wavetable too (given the resynthesis capabilities, this is somehow implicit).

The filter part should have composite filters, like comb filters, spectral filters, formant filters, modeled resonant instrument filters, etc. Not just the old and tired low pass, high pass, bandpass - enough of that. Each oscillator should have it's own complete synth channel, with filter and amplification, basically working as a complete layer before the effects, in the Roland way, although we could also route the oscillators to single layer, or two to one layer and two to another layer (basically we should have a configuration page to define the routing - and since we have a configuration page, we could also implement some other oscillator interactions).

Of course, the interpolation and transposition algorithms had to be the best, because I would want the sound to be top notch across the entire spectrum, even if just using a single sample.

Plenty of modulation sources (ADSR envelopes, multi-segment envelopes, LFOs, sequencers, etc) and a modulation matrix. Many oscillator functions should be able to be modulated.

A good creative bunch of effects (Falcon is a good example on this) to complete the cake. And that's pretty much it.

Oh, and NO FLAT interface. Invest in a good designer to create a good interface, with soft colors (no red over black... actually NO RED at all) which is as clear as possible and skeuomorphic enough to give us an idea of depthness - I simply HATE flat interfaces.

If you follow these ideas, you would create a hell of a synth... and you will probably sell just a few, because the vast majority would not be interested in such a beast (they are more interested in emulations of Minimoogs and TB-303s).

I would, though.

And all that... in a single panel. No tabs.

And possibly with only 8 knobs, only 8 sliders and only 8 sensitive pads. To be perfectly mapped with any MIDI controller.

It wouldn't even be the dream... it would be the Heaven.


ꙭ No, I don't smoke anything ꙭ

[Halonmusic]

A fan or pump driven synth would be my dream...

I'm fed up of electricity driven synths.


A fan or pump driven synth could even be taken with me on an island without having to care for batteries.

Well you're in luck

http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=673

Sniff... 32-bit only.


And behind the plugin, in very tiny characters it is written "Beware : this fan doesn't work without an external source of electric power".

Hehe

[Michael L]

It wouldn't even be the dream... it would be

Alchemy