working on a tonal chaos generator vst

VST, AU, AAX, CLAP, etc. Plugin Virtual Instruments Discussion
Post Reply New Topic
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

I CAN FEEL THE POWERR!!!!!

Image

Image

Image

Exciting update!

Uhh soo I've been quiet for a while because PrettyScope ended up being a huge disaster and a painful waste of time and money. It wasn't able to run with any kind of performance on reasonable settings in a DAW because every pixel had to be calculated one at a time on the CPU. This forced my team into rewriting it in OpenGL. But, oh my, the difference is insane. This is just an initial implementation (controls don't work yet).
  • Takes .2% CPU instead of 500% :hyper:
  • Can REDRAW thousands of audio samples'-worth of pixels per frame vs the CPU simply rendering sample just once (having to rely on pixel decay to create the effect of line length)
    • so this is insane. Because we are redrawing all samples we can have a gradient along the line length. This is what you are seeing.
    • It provides a similar look to colormaps with the main difference being that dark areas will potentially be colorful whereas colormap dark areas will be a single color. Using a different RGB blending mode will provide even another variation in look.
  • Can draw very thick lines without problem, we're talking 40 pixel diameter LINES vs the CPU which struggled to draw even a 10 pixel thick line.
  • Go full screen hi-res without worry!
  • OpenGL allows for more creativity with visual effects. Shimmers, sparkles, glows... this is easy to implement, but may not make it in the first release.
*Disclaimer, my CPU is an AMD 8 core FX and my GPU is an almost 10 year old Nvidia 8600 GTS.

Also, I will be releasing this scope with or near the release of a prototype 2D chaos sound generator. I'm aiming for all graphical programming to be done by the end of the month and hopefully release some products soon after. It won't be my flagship product Chaosfly, but folks really need something to use with the PrettyScope, so I really need to release some kind of sound generator. I also want to implement a standard 1D mode so you can use it to study standard waveforms.

Got back a prototype interface from my artist. Not all features shown will make it into the first release, but this gives you an idea what I'm going for.
Image
Last edited by Architeuthis on Thu Mar 09, 2017 11:54 am, edited 4 times in total.

Post

Want to also quickly say something about why I'm investing so much into this product. First, I don't expect it to sell well. It's a visualizer, it's not going to help you make music or money. But, the world needs a replacement for analog oscilloscopes. They are big, bulky, expensive, and comes in green. I stumble upon many youtube videos where they feature digital oscilloscopes with 1 pixel thick lines crappy for video. Video makers, tutorial makers, teachers, synth fanatics, we all need something truly worth filming.

Second and most important point is that you can't use a chaos generator without seeing the output, it's just not practical. Also, I believe that one should not even use a synthesizer without an oscilloscope. The waveform can tell you why/when something sounds good and why/when it doesn't. I want to be able to show and explain why analog synths and chaos generators have more in common than modern subtractive synths and why they have failed us. I want to show and explain analog and digital filters from a sound-aesthetic-artistic angle. I want to create videos where there is a huge focus on the waveform. The oscilloscope will be the star of the show, and therefore it's gotta be pretty.

No! I'm not leaving it there. I am frustrated with the lack of effort in world of creating pretty audio analyzers. IF YOU ARE GOING TO LOOK AT IT, IT BETTER BE WORTH LOOKING AT! Analyzers should run at high framerate and at hi res, but most products won't even meet that! It's not even that difficult to make something that looks pretty, it just takes going one more step, a step into "the purely aesthetic". Just one step! Now, PrettyScope is taking 10 steps into that direction...

Third point is that I want this to be the foundation for my company. The prettiness will draw the audience. The sound will keep them there.
Last edited by Architeuthis on Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

Post

been wondering where you were, good news. i started coding games/graphics a few years ago and use the methods (setpixel..) you were using.. my processor is dated 2001 with opengl 1.4 so i can't even use shadertoy (a great place to pick up routines, apparently.. inigo quilez's page is worth a read). opengl is obligatory for modern ware. enjoy gpu!

avi export can be added for windows in a half dozen lines, but i figure some experience is necessary for making it work well (that's me, with my 16 year old cpu). i keep thinking, stratum looks like he needs something to do :p
you come and go, you come and go. amitabha neither a follower nor a leader be tagore "where roads are made i lose my way" where there is certainty, consideration is absent.

Post

xoxos wrote:avi export can be added for windows in a half dozen lines
Adding video export seems like a can of worms. I'm planning on adding png/filmstrip export, which can easily be turned into a video file. I'll provide instructions.

Post

well I'm pretty keen for Prettyscope

Ever since my dodgy/ancient 'sillyscope died i've been missing some eye candy.
Really gotta get another one though, as I have a lot of synth DIY work to do still.

But yeah, Looking at complex waveforms, FM patches, etc etc with a proper scope was such an eye opening experience for someone like me that had played with synths for years but never properly 'seen' a complex signal at a decent frame rate.
I too have gone through all the different plugin and daw 'scopes' and wondered.... why can't they be better?
Looking good so far :tu:
Hypnagog (Experimental Electronica) |
Terrafractyl (Psytrance) |Kinematic Records (Label)

Post

Now, the video is a bit glitchy/flashy, but I'll be damned if I don't take every measure to have the final product with buttery-smooth animation. There's a few problems I'm seeing and thinking about some fixes. Don't worry!

Last edited by Architeuthis on Sun Apr 02, 2017 1:01 am, edited 2 times in total.

Post

PrettyScope is getting host automation soon. When that happens, Chaosfly also gets it. When PrettyScope gets a mac and linux build, so does Chaosfly.

When Chaosfly gets host automation, I'll do a closed... alpha? I want some of you who have been waiting patiently to get a chance to see what it's all about. With host automation, chaosfly becomes semi-usable. After that, PrettyScope and Chaosfly needs macro controls... as in, using one control to finely control multiple parameters. When that happens, Chaosfly will be seriously useful. I will then do a closed beta, let more people in, all the while I will be working on the stepping-stone product to Chaosfly, "Codename: Scream", the chaos-based fx/filter/fsu/sound generator plugin. That will go into beta, then release, that's when it's time to return to Chaosfly. That's my game plan.

* All of my products will feature some limited form of PrettyScope so you can get a visual feedback while using my synth/fx plugins. That's why I am putting so much effort into this, PrettyScope will be a part of all of my products in the foreseeable future. If there are GPU compatibility issues, that will eventually be dealt with. I think we can use older openGL functions, or possibly ship a version where it does not use openGL.

SO! As soon as PrettyScope gets host automation, I'm going to release an alpha for Chaosfly. Maybe this means my company will be known as "that weird one that only lets some people use their products." Oh well. My alpha and betas will be ongiong for a while, that I guess is what I have to do.

Post

I'm ready to send out a few Chaosfly alphas... these are alphas, not betas. It's pretty lacking in general synth functionality, but usable and can make lots of pretty pictures with PrettyScope.

If you are interested, e-mail me Soundemote @ gmail dot com.

I'll PM a few of you who showed interest previously, this will be a very limited release for now. Mac/Linux/Win users all welcome. I'll send the alpha out in a few days once I have a solid list of e-mails.

alpha signups closed

Post Reply

Return to “Instruments”