One-Synth-Challenge: General discussion thread

[574X]

xoxos urom is the most optimal choice of his abundant works that I've found for the OSC.

This is because of its above average combination of stability and flexibility.

Previously I struggled to create drums with it, but after a couple years of OSC entries, I'm making headway.

Maybe you can make improvements on this starter kit, or enjoy making music with this great instrument.

urom presets - drumkit starter UC.7z

Edit:
Yes, xoxos' site doesn't have the links, at the moment.
You may have to load the preset a couple times.

[Guenon]

Slightly related to the OSC: "KVR time is the time we use for deadlines etc. It is the basically the clock on the KVR forum." Has the KVR time been changed to a different time zone? Seems like it's very different from the previous UTC-8:00 ... Now it's sitting at UTC, flat.

[J.Ruegg]

Slightly related to the OSC: "KVR time is the time we use for deadlines etc. It is the basically the clock on the KVR forum." Has the KVR time been changed to a different time zone? Seems like it's very different from the previous UTC-8:00 ... Now it's sitting at UTC, flat.

Yes, I noticed that too.

[z.prime]

Maybe the rule could be amended to say tracks due by midnight Alaskan time? Or something similar. That gives everyone in the world the same amount of time to submit and allows all places until midnight.

[RichardSemper]

Slightly related to the OSC: "KVR time is the time we use for deadlines etc. It is the basically the clock on the KVR forum." Has the KVR time been changed to a different time zone? Seems like it's very different from the previous UTC-8:00 ... Now it's sitting at UTC, flat.

I just had a look at this and for me its precisely the reverse of the instructions given on the OSC page to find kvr time.
i.e. when logged out it shows me my local time (utc), and when logged in it shows me kvr time (which is utc-8)
So when logged in on the forum and posting to this thread for example, the time shown for my post is at kvr time and not my local time.
I am going to check with bjp on this - maybe it changed sometime in the past.

[aciddose]

The time zone is part of your forum user profile configuration. Obviously it can't be applied to your selection if you aren't logged in.

It seems the default has changed from -8 to 0 possibly due to changes to PHPBB. It would be nice if the timezone were printed or part of a popup associated with each instance of the time displayed... I'd need to install the latest PHPBB version and check to see if this is a forum option or not. Possibly something you might ask in the Site Stuff forum.

[RichardSemper]

I don't quite understand this. If the forum time had changed to 0, surely for me, the time would be same when logged in as when logged out, as that is my time zone in uk.
When i am logged in it shows the time as UTC-8 which is definitely not my local time.
EDIT - just checking through my profile and it looks like my user settings are not what i thought. For some reason it thinks i am in the us

Maybe its an advantage to leave it set to this, hmmm

[Guenon]

The time zone is part of your forum user profile configuration. Obviously it can't be applied to your selection if you aren't logged in.

And I'm talking specifically about the default time zone. Of course the time zone being set in the user profile is a different thing, and it will take precedence and work only when actually logged in

The OSC uses the default time zone, in other words the so-called KVR time, which previously (by default) showed as UTC-8:00 anywhere where you weren't logged in. Now it seems to be different, and it shows UTC.

No biggie, just figured I'd ask what's up with this

[Guenon]

Maybe the rule could be amended to say tracks due by midnight Alaskan time? Or something similar.

It has been like this for years , just using UTC-8:00 (the old KVR time). In any case, the deadline is at the exact same moment no matter where in the world you are; it just lands on a different hour locally, but everyone has the same amount of time to submit the tracks.

https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/kvr-time

It seems the new KVR time is UTC, and that's fine, it's just nice to know it shows like this everywhere and works as intended, and is still the "official OSC deadline clock" as before, now just in UTC

[Edit: I actually prefer it like this. Feels more "standard", heh.]

[Rellik]

Rules question (probably this has been brought up before): external modulation effects are not allowed (presumably referring to chorus, flanger, phaser, rather than e.g. LFO-driven filter/volume/pan). Does that mean effect comb filters and allpass filters are not allowed? Or just not allowed to automate? Or just not allowed to automate with an LFO?

[Saffran]

If osc is about a synth and its sounds logic would give that fx like filters and eq is disallowed because they cut off bits of the sound and make it disappear. All of the sound is no longer there.
Compression, reverb and delay is ok because they change the sound without taking away anything. All of the sound is still there.
That's how i see it.

[Rellik]

Woah, that’s an interesting take - it’d be cool to take part in a really conservative compo like that, but I always got the feeling OSC was more about “real-world usage”, and the rules were just about ensuring the character of the synth itself remained audible (i.e. it would matter if you used a different patch or synth).

I’ve pretty much been going by the “letter of the law” and the example set by mmGhost’s OSC tutorials on YouTube. Is there much of a contingent who would say EQ isn’t allowed?

[Saffran]

I'm a newcomer and synths are new to me. Every sound is new and exciting.
With 1000 posts you are a bit of a veteran and have heard lots of synths. You probably need something extra to get excited about a sound. You need fx to spice things up.
I get this and accept present rules.

[z.prime]

EQ is a bit tricky. The spirit of the rules (and even stated about distortion) is that you should not significantly alter the sound. So if you're using eq with huge resonant peaks, for example, it can significantly change the sound but simply removing some of the low end to get a better mix or other moderate EQ to make a sound more pleasant is generally not going to significantly alter the sound from the synth. In my opinion, Reverb can also significantly alter a sound, most reverbs are not emulating natural spaces, for example and instead make a sound more lush and pleasing.

There's another grey are I've already heard in plenty of tracks: using EQ more dramatically for something like a HPF sweep at the end of a build-up and such. This isn't altering each individual sound, but altering the entirety of what all the synths are producing significantly. But it's a mix trick rather than something used to significantly change the sounds out of a single synth.

That said, I think if we stick to the spirit of not significantly altering things, we can take a few liberties to just get the best tracks possible, using basic mix tactics, etc.. I think you'll find few people would would want to outlaw EQ.

[Guenon]

You probably need something extra to get excited about a sound. You need fx to spice things up.

In my opinion it has always been more about accepting the bulk of real-world mixing practices and allowing the creation and crafting of pieces (actual tunes/tracks/etc, what ever one chooses to call one's own output ) that are polished enough, also in their overall sound, so that they stand by their own merits instead of ending up even more mere curiosities. I think everyone participating in the OSC gets excited about synths and crafting music with them, as OSC is a tough cookie for someone not actually that interested/excited, no matter how you mix it.

I feel that the potential and permission to craft finished sounding pieces, without excessively compromising the core sound of the synth, is a big motivator in the end. You are allowed to do it, and it's up to you. It's an "honor rule" in a way - but in a friendly and fair bunch like this, it usually works well. Not to mention that many people are so experienced here, they will probably spot it and pose some questions if someone blatantly steps over that honor line, anyway