Waveform import

[Ingo_D]

Hello all,

I'm new to this forum, so here's a short introduction. I play a Yamaha WX5 Wind Controller, mostly in conjunction with a Yamaha VL70-m physical modelling synthesizer. I've always been searching for synths that respond as good to the Wind Controller as the VL70-m does.

Anything that is sample-based is of very limited use for a Wind Controller. While velocity switching of samples works very well with a keyboard controller, switching samples depending on breath pressure yields poor results in most cases. Either you do abrupt switching between samples which feels and sounds very unnatural. Or you crossfade between samples, but this most often sounds like two instruments playing in unison rather than one.

So I thought wave table synthesis might be the way to go. Zebralette/Zebra seemed an ideal choice with its ability to interpolate between 16 different single-cycle waveforms. After a few fruitless attempts to re-draw existing waveforms by hand in GeoBlend mode, I wrote myself a little tool that merges 16 AIFF files into a Zebralette preset. Then I sampled some VL70-m presets with 16 different amounts of breath pressure (used a sequencer here of course, not the Wind Controller). Zebralette's WaveWarp and volume are modulated by breath pressure then. The results are very promising, the "smoothness" and subtleness how Zebralette responds on breath pressure changes is much better than on many other synths beside the VL70-m itself.
Of course it sounds different, for instance the VL70-m breath noise is gone.

Then I tried the same thing with my (real) flute. The result doesn't sound much like a flute anymore, but's it's an interesting sounding patch nevertheless.

I read an older thread here on waveform import. Some seemed to be concerned that this option could turn Zebra into a mere sample playback device. Not so! With the option to import waveforms from sample files Zebra/Zebralettes possibilities are enormously extended. And it's way more powerful and flexible than a sample player. For instance, the Fundamental FX turns the original English Horn sound almost into a bassoon.

I uploaded the Zebralette presets mentioned above to the Banks & Patches Upload & Download section here. If the WaveWarp modulation source is changed to Mod Wheel and the Volume modulation is turned off, these patches might be useful for keyboarders too. Let me know what you think!
BTW, I'm using Logic on Mac, so these are in aupreset format. Is there a way to convert to/from h2p format?

Ingo

[Howard]

Hi Ingo
I just checked out the horn waves. It looks like those samples aren't a whole number of cycles - and the jump at the end is why you're getting a lot of "buzz".

Re .h2p format - just use the "Save" button in the "Presets" area - I haven't seen any format converters.

[Ingo_D]

Hi Ingo
I just checked out the horn waves. It looks like those samples aren't a whole number of cycles - and the jump at the end is why you're getting a lot of "buzz".

Well, my tool doesn't do any resampling, so I tuned the sound source so that one period of the waveform gets me just 128 sample points (F -23.4 cents @ 44.1kHz sampling rate). It's not 100% spot on for the English Horn, but close. The waveform starts with a very steep slope.

Re .h2p format - just use the "Save" button in the "Presets" area - I haven't seen any format converters.

Doesn't work here, clicking this button gets me an aupreset file. Maybe my version of Zebralette is too old? I got it from a CD-ROM that came with the German Keyboards mag in 2006

Ingo

[Howard]

The waveform starts with a very steep slope.

I mean the "looping" jump i.e. from the last value to the first. Very steep.

Maybe my version of Zebralette is too old? I got it from a CD-ROM that came with the German Keyboards mag in 2006

Ah, you don't own Zebra2 yet... hmmmm.

[mcnoone]

Doesn't work here, clicking this button gets me an aupreset file.
Ingo

I believe there is a choice somewhere in the gui to save as, native or h2p formats.
I'll check it after work.