One Synth Challenge #85: Xhip (J.Ruegg wins!)

[MirkoVanHauten]

Oh damn I read the manual too late I was wondering why some of my presets where wrong and noticed Xhip doesn't save the PCM files. It was fairly hard enough to find files that can be loaded (32 bit floating point format would really be a step to the future) and now they're lost.
I have no luck with that plugin

[aciddose]

Yeah... certain things should really have been stripped out entirely. I'll be doing that for some features like effects in version 8.

Sure, the alpha has it, but that stuff isn't saved anywhere and isn't even close to the point where it would make sense to release as a "stable" version.

Unfortunately PCM has always been one of those things. I did add the feature and at the time I released version 7 I actually thought it was working... unfortunately it seems while moving some code my changes (it DID work) were overwritten and so need to be done again.

This is one of the things I'd like to add for version 8. Just saving the PCM in projects would be great, although it also requires some ability to control exactly where things are loaded. That is the .wavs text "list of wav files" format, which I still need to document in the manual.

Short version:

It's a file listing the path to the .wav files to load, one per line. The existing files will be cleared and replaced completely by the list. Saves you from manually loading each file when you load the project, although you do still need to load the .wavs files per instance.

All a waste of time in my opinion, don't use anything related to the alpha, PCM or so on.

More importantly: PCM isn't allowed in this competition as far as I'm aware.

[aciddose]

Wrong! Where I'm sitting now, I have three midi controllers, and often I have them set up over several synths. I might want a legato patch which might hold a drone with the sustain pedal while I do chords and a lead or a lead + mod/pitch manipulation with one or two of the other controllers. I have precisely two hands, and as far as I know, I'm not getting any more. Sometimes I want to cancel an instrument by foot because my fingers are otherwise occupied.

Sure, sure... and yet this doesn't mean that the direct implementation of sustain (hold) makes sense in monophonic mode.

As I've said, imagine what actually happens when you don't release the notes.

The solution was to ignore sustain for monophonic mode, although it seems that was accidentally left in part-way for version 7. The solution is to never trigger the hold pedal while you're playing in monophonic mode.

If you don't understand that for some reason then well: No. I won't fix or implement anything like this. Just forget it. I don't care how many hands you have.

[alphahinge]

Here is my submission everyone:
https://soundcloud.com/alpha-hinge/alphahinge-funk-it

Track made in ableton 8

11 instances of Xhip used

Ableton Live included plugins used:
8 band EQ - 12
Compressor - 12
Reverb - 3
Ping Pong Delay - 4
Auto Pan - 1
Limiter - 1

That was fun, i hope you enjoy my techno/electro jam!

[aciddose]

If I could use the alpha I would be happier, as the resize and the preset change problem are better on the alpha. But if the preset format is different I don't want to invest a lot of time with presets for the alpha that I cannot use in the future.

Well, it's a huge risk. I wouldn't recommend it. That's why it says on the alpha page (down until after this OSC) to use the alpha version only for testing and not for anything else.

"Is this true if I save fxp instead of the native format?"

Unfortunately yes, it should be exactly the same thing whether you use .adxi or .fxp format. In the manual it says the .fxp format assuming the host stores the preset chunk is simply a .adxi file wrapped in the .fxp format header.

"What's the workaround to force preset refresh after readChunk on the stable? Just press the next button?"

You'll need to change the preset. The voices will then store "current preset = N" as whatever you've switched to, and switching back will then cause a full refresh.

[aciddose]

Hey Acid, well like you said there are multiple ways ...

Ah so just MIDI control. I find that a bit of a pain when using copy+paste in Reaper, although I regularly use velocity or MIDI CCs to modulate the release time to generate close/muted-tap/open hi-hats from a single sound.

Also there is a great preset xhip has for a clap and if you use a very short midi note, it will sound identical to a clap.

I'm glad you like it!

I've added an option in the next version (8) where the modulator envelope retrigger only occurs while the modulator delay time hasn't yet elapsed so that you don't need to use very short notes anymore.

A bit convoluted though ...

The issue still exists with trying to produce uneven times between the triplet at the start of the clap. The original circuit in the 808 is quite interesting, if I recall correctly it actually has the timings for each pulse (#2, #3, #4) set directly.

I suppose when we get this complex it becomes more a modular sort of thing rather than the place for a simple synthesizer like Xhip aims to be.

Certain trackers and other systems from long ago used preset patterns which contained a sequence of parameter changes that could be played back to create this kind of sequenced sound, although I never bothered with this idea myself.

Using the MIDI input to do so directly is definitely a solution if you can manage with copy&paste

[.jon]

Sweet, an actually good synth for a change

3 minutes into my submission, so easy to make stuff sound good wih xhip.

[Dragonsongz]

Sweet, an actually good synth for a change

3 minutes into my submission, so easy to make stuff sound good wih xhip.

You're certainly having better "luck" than I am then XD

Then again, I'm just some noob, so that's to be expected.

[garryknight]

The rules state "no cover versions". But there's no rule about creating something in the style of another composer/producer, is there?

[bjporter]

The rules state "no cover versions". But there's no rule about creating something in the style of another composer/producer, is there?

As long as the style is in Neo-Jazz Trip Hopstep

[bjporter]

That was fun, i hope you enjoy my techno/electro jam!

Welcome to OSC.

[garryknight]

The rules state "no cover versions". But there's no rule about creating something in the style of another composer/producer, is there?

As long as the style is in Neo-Jazz Trip Hopstep

That was exactly the style of electronica I had in mind

[singplumb]

Is death-metal polka o.k?

[Ridan]

Is death-metal polka o.k?

[sfiks]

Here is my entry:
https://soundcloud.com/slava-fiks/xhipnotized

There are 15 instances of the synth in Reaper.
Plugins: ReaEq, ReaDelay, ReaVerb, and JS: Utility/limiter.
Dynamic Range 12.