KVR Audio

KBSoundSmith · Post by **KBSoundSmith** » Wed Oct 02, 2019 3:51 pm

Bazille Plays Bach - Gigue from the D Minor Cello Suite

I picked up Bazille recently in the marketplace, and I impulsively decided to test it by doing some emulation -- no plan, just go!

But IMO, often a good way to learn a synth's capabilities. The reverbs used are 2cAudio B2 and Aether.

The cello suites are among my favorite pieces, so it was a fun little diversion. I referenced several recordings and tried to make an "average" of their general sound, as well borrowing various ideas on musical interpretation (so far as my patch... and my willingness/time to make multiple patches... would allow). Random note: the tuning is of the time period... so it's more like Gigue in C# Minor

Anyway, hope you enjoy.

mcanicos · Post by **mcanicos** » Thu Oct 03, 2019 12:05 pm

Very original!.Nice piece!

Benedict · Post by **Benedict** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 1:42 am

It is amazing how with good attention to detail in patch design that most people wouldn't even stop to wonder if that was a synth instead of fiddles. So this sounds great.

Not that I am dedicated to the idea of synths as replacements for 'real' instruments but I find I prefer to make my own synth sounds to augment or replace samples.

If you are interested in the whole synth does Bach thing then this one of mine may amuse you:
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2018/10/0 ... urse-bach/

KBSoundSmith · Post by **KBSoundSmith** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:17 pm

mcanicos wrote: Thu Oct 03, 2019 12:05 pm Very original!.Nice piece!

Bach was pretty great

KBSoundSmith · Post by **KBSoundSmith** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:27 pm

Benedict wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 1:42 am It is amazing how with good attention to detail in patch design that most people wouldn't even stop to wonder if that was a synth instead of fiddles. So this sounds great.

Thanks. It took quite a bit of time to get it where it is -- and despite attention to detail, there's about another 3-4 weeks worth of full-time work that could be put into this to add more realistic detail. But I think I already learned what I was going to from the project, so it seemed a sensible time to end things and not take on extremely subtle work.

Benedict wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 1:42 am Not that I am dedicated to the idea of synths as replacements for 'real' instruments but I find I prefer to make my own synth sounds to augment or replace samples.

If you are interested in the whole synth does Bach thing then this one of mine may amuse you:
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2018/10/0 ... urse-bach/

Normally I'm not into the whole emulation thing either... but after I got Bazille and was experimenting, I stumbled across a decent cello tone, then arbitrarily decided to start a new patch and see how much I could improve upon it. Then I chose the Bach piece because 1) I've always wanted to perform it, but I'm a vocalist/keyboard player, and 2) it's a piece I know and have several editions of sheet music and recordings... so it offered an ideal scenario for emulation

I checked out your tracks by the way -- not what I was expecting, but good fun. Nice work

Obsolete236871 · Post by **Obsolete236871** » Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:49 pm

Wow,
great sound. Will you share the patch?

KBSoundSmith · Post by **KBSoundSmith** » Sat Oct 05, 2019 1:47 am

Izak Synthiemental wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2019 2:49 pm Wow,
great sound. Will you share the patch?

Hmm, I'll consider it; on one hand it's kind of my baby at the moment, but on the other hand I'm not necessarily opposed to sharing.

One thing I'll say is that it is non-trivial to use. There are actually two separate Bazille patches (designed with heavy MIDI CC automation in mind), and you pretty much have to have a copy of 2cAudio B2 to run a patch I made to get the sound right, since it's a core component of the end-sound (and there are some sample-rate/rendering settings in B2 which can dramatically change the result, so there could be some trial-and-error getting the proper output).

So three patches, two plug-ins, some finicky behavior in usage. At the very least I'd have to tidy a few things up.

yellowmix · Post by **yellowmix** » Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:52 am

Sounds very good. Curious just how much B2 adds to Bazillle. Are you using the harmonic distortion or just the spatial stuff?

KBSoundSmith · Post by **KBSoundSmith** » Sat Oct 05, 2019 3:44 pm

yellowmix wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 4:52 am Sounds very good. Curious just how much B2 adds to Bazillle. Are you using the harmonic distortion or just the spatial stuff?

In this case, it's all spatial parameters, no harmonic distortion. As for how much it adds...hard to put a percentage on it.

For the design of both Bazille and B2 patches, I thought of it this way:

I needed a patch to simulate the vibration of the cello string (Bazille)

I needed a patch to simulate the bow getting drawn across the string (Bazille)

I needed a patch to simulate the resonating chamber/body of the cello (B2)

Finally, that all travels out into the room/hall/performance space, for which I used Aether.

Obviously, the true core of the sound is Bazille and I tried to capture as much of the "cello" sound as possible directly there... but just as a bowed string in the real world sounds a bit unimpressive without a resonating chamber, hearing the Bazille patch "naked" would probably be underwhelming

EDIT: And to be certain I'm not underselling Bazille here... it would be extremely hard to replicate what I did in another synth, if not impossible. The main patch uses every oscillator (and every option of every oscillator), all of the filters, every multiplex, all of the LFOs, and every FX except the Phaser.

yellowmix · Post by **yellowmix** » Sat Oct 05, 2019 6:10 pm

Ah, okay, that makes sense. I do the same (use reverb for resonating) in other synths that have a built-in reverb. Since Bazille has a spring reverb I consider this fair.

I love that Bazille has a spring reverb. We've all got separate plate/chamber/hall reverbs if we really wanted one, and the spring reverb adds so much character. Now we can add that character to anything with Twangström.

seismic1 · Post by **seismic1** » Wed Oct 09, 2019 11:19 pm

Very good patchwork, and I think the reverb is a perfect complement. It was a very enjoyable piece.

Good work

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Thu Jan 23, 2020 11:33 am

Very good..

Allomerus · Post by **Allomerus** » Thu Jan 23, 2020 11:41 am

Enjoyed this. Well done. The low grunting bass notes are my favourite!

fastlanephil · Post by **fastlanephil** » Fri Jan 24, 2020 6:45 am

I enjoyed your Bach rendition using Brazille.

I have an old music forum friend named Larry G Alexander. He composes mostly in the tradition of Bach, quite brilliantly. He has composed 700 pieces of music. He’s great with counter point. You can find his music site with a search.

ahanysz · Post by **ahanysz** » Wed May 04, 2022 1:16 am

KBSoundSmith wrote: Wed Oct 02, 2019 3:51 pm Bazille Plays Bach - Gigue from the D Minor Cello Suite

Sorry to bump such an old thread, but this is wonderfully expressive playing (and I'm glad it's still online). So I have to ask: have you done anything similar since then?

I'd be interested in seeing the patches, even if they're not usable for playing, just for the insights into your sound design.

Bazille Plays Bach - Gigue, from the D Minor Cello Suite