The Outer Limits Principle

[Numanoid]

What I understand, you want a modular environment, something like MUX or Reaktor for example, where you can hook up and patch modules to your liking

[wagtunes]

What I understand, you want a modular environment, something like MUX or Reaktor for example, where you can hook up and patch modules to your liking

Partly, but not with the usual osc's, filters, etc. Read my last post. That kind of architecture. Sound generation on a whole new level.

[BBFG#]

Computers in general open up a vast frontier of possibilities.
It is our general limits in imagination that seem to stifle it.
Many of the aforementioned synths are not anything groundbreaking in the realm of sound, but some are an excursion in seeing them different with very imaginative ways to edit them visually.

As for me, much of it has to do with the ideas of utilizing sight as an out of the box synesthesia experience. The goal is therefore nothing more than an attempt at evolving neuro-pathways though. It's all fun until you realize the sound produced is no different than what the tried and true give you anyway. The sound is the same, only our perception of that sound has changed.

So I look mainly for what the computer does that is not being done elsewhere or at least with fewer limitations. Emulations are nice in they produce nostalgic sounds without having the expense of ownership connected with the real thing. But foremost for computers, I find that the large computations needed are for sampling and sample manipulation. Which is why Granular and Spectral engines in a sampler/rampler environment always get my attention first. Synthesis & routing of those manipulations are just a given within everything now connected to the current society and sociopathy of sound 'procreation'. In many cases, a derision of harmony, rather than a production of synergy.
Phsycho-acoustic theories, while I find very interesting to read about, generally is a wash in my real world situations. And in fact, often become their own detriment to implementation. I've lately considered that no synth or effect plugin in and of itself needs "psycho-acoustic" processing and that if done anywhere, should be in the DAW's mastering only. With easy access to switching it on or off at will.
There is much of this brave new virtual world I do find interesting, as long as I can keep a reference point to not sprawl completely off into a void. I feel these posits are of great value on forums in they can have the effect of at least reaching outside of the box or bubble. Which is always the first step to a greater freedom in programming.

add: So the real question is not why are the synths all the same, as much as, why do I see them the same. What keeps this paradigm within static?

[Numanoid]

West Coast Blocks are not the regular OSC's

For example: The West Coast DWG combines two oscillators and additional waveshaping with extensive internal modulation possibilities, allowing you to explore complex timbres

http://www.native-instruments.com/en/pr ... -6/blocks/

[wagtunes]

Let me expand on the sound generation module above.

Each sound source would be derived from a color spectrum. If you've ever worked with Photoshop, you know how you click on the color box and you can move the cursor to any part of the color spectrum?

We would do that with each sound source so that each bit would act differently depending on the initial color chosen.

And to make this even more complex, we can assign as many different colors to a sound source as we want.

This would give us infinite sound possibilities.

[Numanoid]

Yup, as noted already:

Look at Image-Line Harmor, you can do alot of stuff just from simple jpg image and no need to use mentioned modules.

[wagtunes]

West Coast Blocks are not the regular OSC's

For example: The West Coast DWG combines two oscillators and additional waveshaping with extensive internal modulation possibilities, allowing you to explore complex timbres

http://www.native-instruments.com/en/pr ... -6/blocks/

Reaktor 6 is probably the closest thing out there to what I'm looking for but even it falls short.

[chk071]

It more sounds like you're looking for a new (maybe a bit esoteric) approach to sound creating. Otherwise, for a more classic approach, something like Halion, or Alchemy will probably get you any sound you could imagine really.

[wagtunes]

It more sounds like you're looking for a new (maybe a bit esoteric) approach to sound creating. Otherwise, for a more classic approach, something like Halion, or Alchemy will probably get you any sound you could imagine really.

Thank you, yes. That's what I'm looking for. Sure, with samples, Omnisphere can do a lot of odd stuff. Falcon is also great for granular, though I prefer The Mangle as a dedicated granular synth.

But you nailed it. A new approach to sound creation.

[recursive one]

Like most people who play guitar need strings and frets, most people who play or progam synths need oscillators, envelopes and filters or something resembling them - basically when you program a musically useful sound you need to decide if it will be long or short, dull or bright, how much of the harmonics must be present in the attack phase and how much of them will be in the release tail. How would you do this without the filters and envelopes?

But within this general paradigm there are many ways to implement an uinque signal generation/processing method, and there are many synths doing this. Have you tried Harmor, Rayblaster, Nuklear, Kontour, Razor, Spectral? Each of these does its own thing and sounds like nothing else.

[wagtunes]

Like most people who play guitar need strings and frets, most people who play or progam synths need oscillators, envelopes and filters or something resembling them - basically when you program a musically useful sound you need to decide if it will be long or short, dull or bright, how much of the harmonics must be present in the attack phase and how much of them will be in the release tail. How would you do this without the filters and envelopes?

But within this general paradigm there are many ways to implement an uinque signal generation/processing method, and there are many synths doing this. Have you tried Harmor, Rayblaster, Nuklear, Kontour, Razor, Spectral? Each of these does its own thing and sounds like nothing else.

I own Harmor, Rayblaster and Spectral, the latter having done a sound set for. These are all fine synths. They simply don't stretch "out there" quite far enough for what I'm looking for. The rest, I am not familiar with.

[fisherKing]

...then become familiar with them. people keep making suggestions, which you (mostly) seem to ignore. if what you want doesn't exist in the real world, find ways to get (or get close to) what you need with what DOES exist.

[Frantz]

wagtunes does not create. He only irritates.

[zippie]

Not sure if this is up your alley, but may hold the seed for what you seek....the generative music apps from Eno and Chilvers...

http://www.generativemusic.com/air.html

[BlitBit]

Let me expand on the sound generation module above.
Each sound source would be derived from a color spectrum. If you've ever worked with Photoshop, you know how you click on the color box and you can move the cursor to any part of the color spectrum?

This is nothing new. The audio equivalent would be an EQ that let's you filter a portion of the audio spectrum. If you want to have a more fine grained control over the frequency content try an additive synth like Harmor as was already proposed by recursive one.