KVRDC 2014 - What Kind Of Instrument Would You Like To See?

[subterfuge]

Fifth vote for a simple to handle FM synth. GruvSycos suggestion about FM wavetables might still border on simple, whatever that is when speaking of FM synthesis, but definitely not a multi-synthesis-do-everything-under-the-sun monsters where every part is compromised.

[dformd]

Another cross-platform Text to Speech/Song synth; Speakosaur is great, but I'd love something more robust and cleaner sounding. Would be great to be able to save words and phrases and recall them using automation. Virsyn's Cantor is WAY out of my budget, and Vocaloid is Windows and iOS only, and also hard to find info on.

[urlwolf]

A simple 4OP FM synth!

Thats a good idea, actually. Something simple like VOPM, but with a really nice UI and bleeding-edge FM code. That would be highly useful indeed.

Efemme is that simple, and it might be more modern code. Has more waveforms, effects, somewhat better interface (ENVs are not drawn though). But I hear that VOPM has 60hz internal processing and low-res envs that make it sound like it does (arguably better than any other vst for old FM replicas).

Efemme is synthmaster. May be a downside for some. And unmaintained too.

In any case, +1.

[BlackWinny]

A simple 4 OP FM synth ?

Anybody remembers what product won the third place on the podium in 2009 ?
http://www.kvraudio.com/kvr-developer-challenge/2009/

It means that once more you ask for something which already exists and is so great that it won a third place on the podium by votes of all KVR members ! Why ask it once more ?

So that's not a challenge aimed to surprise... that's simply an ask for another duplication of what already exists.

[U-o]

This one!

[highkoo]

A synth based on wavefolding, waveshaping and otherwise distorting very simple waveforms like sinewaves

Yes! +1

Another Lpc Vocoder like bitspeak would be nice.

Oh yes! +1

an XY pad that uses scales/chords and can output MIDI so can be hooked up to any other VST (a 'la Kaossilator)

I think theres a lot of potential in this kind of area.
Something that is like a combination of an auto chord player, melody generator, arpeggiator, but has a simple/fun/randomish gui control design...
Like Catanya, Cthulhu, and Harmony Improvisator with a Synplant inspired gui.

[BlackWinny]

This one!

That, yes, indeed, it would be twice really useful and really original, above all it is apply physical modelisation as I suggested here (for an electric guitar but as well for an acoustic one). It rejoins also what I suggested below about the plucked string instruments in the same post.

[subterfuge]

So that's not a challenge aimed to surprise... that's simply an ask for another duplication of what already exists.

I personally would rather see a 6-8 OP FM synth, but simple to handle and more current than what's available sans FM8. Compatibility with classic formats a plus. Challenging enough?

If the challenge is only for the surprising, never before seen nor done VSTis, I agree with you. With same token, might as well wipe most requests so far and incoming, they've all already been done. Correct?

[BlackWinny]

So that's not a challenge aimed to surprise... that's simply an ask for another duplication of what already exists.

I personally would rather see a 6-8 OP FM synth, but simple to handle and more current than what's available sans FM8. Compatibility with classic formats a plus. Challenging enough?

If the challenge is only for the surprising, never before seen nor done VSTis, I agree with you. With same token, might as well wipe most requests so far and incoming, they've all already been done. Correct?

Correct.

In fact, what is the purpose of the developer challenge?

Obviously not to provide things that they do all along the year.

It's a challenge, isn't it?

So we should ask them things which are out of the ordinary.

Things which are not only to satisfy our desires (we ask them for that all along the year) but also and above all... things which can surprise us a lot since this challenge is organized approximately once every three years or so.

That's why I express (but it is simply my opinion) that many things which for the moment are asked here for are in fact things which are not at all out of the ordinary since these are very often things which already exist... (and even for free!) and which can be asked for all along the year.

So why not take the opportunity to ask for things which are (and it's the purpose of a so rare challenge) really out of the ordinary? It would:

• largely satisfy our needs since there are always many participants who will show a rather large diversity in the submitted creations
• be a real occasion to excite our curiosity!
• be a real challenge for the developers since they are therefore pushed to create things they are not used to do!

Everybody has to win in such a spirit.

Your example of a 6-8 OP FM synth is, yes, a real challenge! It is not usual to see such a FM synth in freewares or cheapwares. And it is the occasion to develop nice features never seen (or almost never) in FM. Example: create groups of OP, or groups of groups, or mix FM with Distorsion Phase in an OP or in a group. But simple, easy to tweak, made for bread-and-butter. That, yes, is a real challenge!

A simple 4 OP FM synth no. There are many like this already.

[BlackWinny]

We should always ask for the moon in our suggestions, never ask for something which already exists and very easy to find.

We should always ask for the moon, because it is by this way that developers will find excellent new ideas to surprise and make us really happy. Not necessarily by taking a whole idea in its entirety (but why not) but that makes a good reserve of ideas, a good think-tank, to dig through.

But we also have to describe a little bit what we imagine... to drive them on a good path.

[Ben H]

I would like also to see existing all these really nice instruments in the stuff of modern software music, and by physically modeled synthesis instead of simply by samples:

[snip]

We always think of techno, house, trance... but there are many other styles of music who wait for modern plugin adaptations, especially by physically modeled synthesis to avoid all the problems of the samples.

And it would be a real new breath and a real challenge for developers beside all those crowds of synths which already exist! We love synths, all of us including me, but these traditional instruments are really underestimated in modern music (except in indian, chinese, and arabic music), and it would be really wonderful to have them much more easier in electronic music.

On that note, the Yamaha VL patent has now expired... so if someone were to incorporate the algorithms into a VST, they would not face legal action.

[xenophobic]

A drum sampler that loads samples by name to keys based on gm haven't seen one like that

[BlackWinny]

I would like also to see existing all these really nice instruments in the stuff of modern software music, and by physically modeled synthesis instead of simply by samples:

[snip]

We always think of techno, house, trance... but there are many other styles of music who wait for modern plugin adaptations, especially by physically modeled synthesis to avoid all the problems of the samples.

And it would be a real new breath and a real challenge for developers beside all those crowds of synths which already exist! We love synths, all of us including me, but these traditional instruments are really underestimated in modern music (except in indian, chinese, and arabic music), and it would be really wonderful to have them much more easier in electronic music.

On that note, the Yamaha VL patent has now expired... so if someone were to incorporate the algorithms into a VST, they would not face legal action.

eeeh... why not ?
Since it is now public domain, huh...

[Krakatau]

I would like also to see existing all these really nice instruments in the stuff of modern software music, and by physically modeled synthesis instead of simply by samples:

[snip]

We always think of techno, house, trance... but there are many other styles of music who wait for modern plugin adaptations, especially by physically modeled synthesis to avoid all the problems of the samples.

And it would be a real new breath and a real challenge for developers beside all those crowds of synths which already exist! We love synths, all of us including me, but these traditional instruments are really underestimated in modern music (except in indian, chinese, and arabic music), and it would be really wonderful to have them much more easier in electronic music.

On that note, the Yamaha VL patent has now expired... so if someone were to incorporate the algorithms into a VST, they would not face legal action.

eeeh... why not ?
Since it is now public domain, huh...

+1

Another idea i want to share would be a convolution reverb that can adjutsed in sample frequency half-tone by half-tone either up or down

As example space designer offers the possibility to diminish sample rate by 1/2, 1/4 and 1/8 that result in down transposition of IR sample of 1, 2 or 3 octaves

On a similar technique then, a specific response of an IR could be preserved on different tonalities...

[arkmabat]

Hexter refurbished/recreated would be cool, seeing how it has disappeared and all the licence issues...