Harmor = best additive resynthesizer?

[Stopani]

This is the one synth I really miss since moving from Windows to a 64 bit Mac.

The resynthesis was better than Alchemy's IMO. The only thing that let it down for me was the modulation system and the pesky 'velocity' bug.

I'm really looking forward to the 64bit AU version, although with the amount of work IL are doing on FL Studio I imagine that is going to be quite a while in coming

[SciFiArtMan]

Some have stated that this synth has a steep learning curve or has a complicated workflow compared with other similar synths. What other synths can create comparable sounds with greater ease or simplicity?

I'm not really familiar with how some of the wilder sounds in these Harmor demos were produced - they remind me of what I thought a glitch/slicer type effect would create with a loop clip. Does this mean a part of Harmor's power lies in a built-in glitch/slicer processor, or is this more about creating these effects as a synth and using multiple modulation effects to create these glitchy sounds? And can these sounds be generated in a live setting or is this more of a production process?

I love the sounds I hear from the Hamor clips and really want to snag this deal! I'll eventually try the demo, but I'm recovering from a HD crash at the moment. Thanks!

[EnGee]

The resynthesis was better than Alchemy's IMO. The only thing that let it down for me was the modulation system and the pesky 'velocity' bug.

Which 'velocity bug'? can you please give an example to produce it?

Some have stated that this synth has a steep learning curve or has a complicated workflow compared with other similar synths. What other synths can create comparable sounds with greater ease or simplicity?

IMO it is more difficult to learn than both Loom and Razor especially it has a lot of options. I don't know about other additive synths.

But, there are ways or shortcuts to produce the sound that you think of. You can for example drag and drop a groove (audio clip) into an envelop and then see it draws the rhythm! Amazing isn't it? So, it has so many hidden powers. You need to spend some time to discover them, watch some tutorials and keep reading the manual for two, three times till you feel all the parts are connected in your mind.

Once it clicks with you, you will know how they did all these wonderful presets. So, buy it now if it is still discounted, then think of it later

[tooneba]

@SciFiArtMan

glitchy sounds in songs like the Demo are carefully created in production process. The wild sound can be achieved by using many method like, FM, effects, granulizer, cutting clips. Harmor is one of powerful tools that can generate sound from waveform, clips and spectrum, modify hamonics before the effects, apply effects and modulate them in a single synth. I think it's more easier and allows depth editing than do with several tools. If it's in single tool, you can easily go back and modify when you don't like the result.

You should check NI Razor if you like the sound wild and obnoxiously loud. It's based on visual programing tool Reaktor. When I tried, it has simple interface that you can just twist knobs and click settings to change attributes.

[Wildfunk]

Looks like all just (ab)use the resynthesis part in Harmor

Nobody wants to learn the synth and so they just put random images into the image section and put some stupid modulations on top.

[wagtunes]

Looks like all just (ab)use the resynthesis part in Harmor

Nobody wants to learn the synth and so they just put random images into the image section and put some stupid modulations on top.

And that is certainly a viable starting point for a sound. What I find I like to do is simply create two random waveforms and then go from there.

Sometimes we get locked into our small little world of "Okay, let's pull up a saw wave here and a square wave there" and don't really explore the potential that can be discovered by doing a few random things here and there.

So many patch designers have such terrible tunnel vision. Right now I'm designing patches for The Mangle by randomly choosing from 150 different sound files and combining them in different ways. The results have been quite interesting to say the least. Some of these sound files don't exactly "go" together and so you have to start getting creative.

I do my best work when I think outside of the box. And part of thinking outside the box is doing random stuff that may not even make any sense. As long as you understand the basics of synthesis and know what to do with that random stuff afterwards, you can come up with some very unusual sounds.

And yeah, sometimes I just pull up Mr. Sawtooth wave because I know exactly what I'm looking for.

There is nothing wrong with either method if the end result is something interesting.

[Wildfunk]

So many patch designers have such terrible tunnel vision. Right now I'm designing patches for The Mangle by randomly choosing from 150 different sound files and combining them in different ways. The results have been quite interesting to say the least.

Yes maybe the results are interesting "sounds" but are they playable instruments too?

Just look at the 3 banks of "ASL SoundLab NeuroVision Harmor Presets"... not a single patch which NOT uses the resynthesis part. Stupid modulated samples and completely unusable for House and Techno.

So i would love to hear 64 great (instrument) patches for Harmor from you than 350 "sounds" ...

[Sound Author]

Got Loom about a week ago. Thing is off the hook. A real sound designers paradise. I really like all the different filtration, modulation and effects modules you can layer together in lots of different ways. Of course, Harmor is a beast ... but Loom is just great. Has a real intuitive edge -- and the manual is practically built into the synth itself, so the learning curve is almost non-existent. Lots of fun. Check it out

[tooneba]

Yes maybe the results are interesting "sounds" but are they playable instruments too?
..................
Stupid modulated samples and completely unusable for House and Techno.

If it were unplayable and unusable, all synths that are not VA synth would became "unplayable" instruments.

That 'Stupid modulated samples' are just bunch of spectrum info. Wavetable synths uses bunch of waveforms = spectrum infos. It scans through bunch of spectral data. Frequency Modulation is unpredictable than using Harmor's harmonics edit knobs. Is it also your unplayable instruments?

[Wildfunk]

If it were unplayable and unusable, all synths that are not VA synth would became "unplayable" instruments.

No. There's a big difference between creating "sounds" (noise, ambient, effects, soundscapes, drones) and creating "instruments" (basses, leads, pianos). This has nothing to do with VA, FM, Additive etc.

[Jbravo]

I kind of feel the same way about a lot of Reaktor instruments and all the presets. You can make a lot of very strange and interesting sounds, but then I realised I've wasted hours just making noises that I'll never find any use for in my music :/

[tooneba]

No. There's a big difference between creating "sounds" (noise, ambient, effects, soundscapes, drones) and creating "instruments" (basses, leads, pianos). This has nothing to do with VA, FM, Additive etc.

Resynthesis doesn't alter source sound as the pitch changing unlike old sampler did. You can easily use sound source more musically. It made a progress in the instrument aspect when compared to previous technologies like traditional sampler, and that is one of the reason people like to use resynthesis method.

It is one of the aspects I personally expect for instruments.

[Wildfunk]

Resynthesis doesn't alter source sound as the pitch changing unlike old sampler did. You can easily use sound source more musically.

Argh... you just don't get. We talk about Harmor here and the ABUSE of the resynthesis part.

Of course you can resynthesize pianos perfectly in Harmor but nobody does!

Instead of this the "sound designers" just put random images into the resynthesis part and add "crazy" modulations on top.

The results are stupid sounds" that are not really useable in a musical context.

[wagtunes]

What's "usable?" The current library that I'm working on for Mangle is all ambient, pads and ARPs and FX. That's the target market. If you're into trance leads or whatever, no, this library won't interest you. But the patches are certainly playable and usable for people looking for ambient pads, ARPs and FX.

[Wildfunk]

The current library that I'm working on for Mangle is all ambient, pads and ARPs and FX.

... and so your Harmor soundbank will also just ambient Random samples bumped into the resynthesis.

Looks like nobody cares about the osc parts... maybe because they're too difficult and resynthesis is easier *g*

I intend to crack this thing wide open.

We'll see.