I teach college classes in analog and digital signal processing. Many students, typically second semester sophomores, don't really viscerally "get" what a filter does, and many struggle with understanding what the frequency domain is intuitively.
I'm looking for recommendations for a very "visual" yet generally simple synth, one that shows a picture of the waveform coming out of the oscillator (horizontal axis is time), and similarly a picture of the filter's response (the magnitude of its transfer function, horizontal axis is frequency) that changes with it's filter modulation envelope.
The synth doesn't have to sound amazing, just something that lets them hear and see at the same time what various waveforms look like in the time and frequency domains, the effect of a HP and LP filter on it, and the (sound and visual) effect of modulating the filter cutoff with a simple ADSR envelope.
I've seen a number of scopes that show pictures of one cycle of the oscillator, but it isn't as common to shows the filter response, especially not one that shows the cutoff modulated in real-time.
I know I could achieve much of the same effects by hosting any typical VST and attaching oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer VSTS to the signal chain, but I'd prefer the simplicity of all this on one VST screen if possible since the resolution of an LCD projector is pretty bad compared to modern day laptop screen resolutions.
Do you know of VSTi's out there already with these visual features?
Recommend a "visual" synth to help teach DSP concepts?
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 607 posts since 6 Mar, 2005 from USA
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- KVRAF
- 2289 posts since 18 Apr, 2001 from The Netherlands
Maybe VCV Rack with a bunch of scopes patched to various points in the signal chain. Would also nicely show how a signal chain is build inside a sound patch.
CrimsonWarlock aka TechnoGremlin, using Reaper and a fine selection of freeware plugins.
Ragnarök VST-synthesizer co-creator with Full Bucket
Ragnarök VST-synthesizer co-creator with Full Bucket
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- KVRAF
- 4822 posts since 25 Jan, 2014 from The End of The World as We Knowit
MuLab or MUX. You can make a custom synth with a giant oscilloscope and spectrogram and different filter types.
It’s used often in schools for that purpose.
It’s used often in schools for that purpose.
H E L P
Y O U R
F L O W
Y O U R
F L O W
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- KVRAF
- 3390 posts since 5 Mar, 2004 from Gold Coast Australia
I have used the Visualizer Window in Reason along with Thor & Europa. Propellerheads are very good with Education licenses I believe.
https://youtu.be/RZxjsS8K2rw
https://youtu.be/RZxjsS8K2rw
Benedict Roff-Marsh
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
http://www.benedictroffmarsh.com
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- KVRAF
- 2697 posts since 3 Aug, 2003 from Narnia
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- Banned
- 10732 posts since 17 Nov, 2015
indeed, you can insert a scope after every stage if you wish
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- KVRist
- 105 posts since 16 Nov, 2016
No VSTi, but the expanded device view of Polysynth in Bitwig (8-track too) is great for that (and it can be full screen).
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- KVRist
- 65 posts since 14 Nov, 2016
I second this advice. I would also add Reaktor 6 Rack (which is also free). Perhaps you could provide them a starting template and go from there?crimsonwarlock wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2019 5:29 am Maybe VCV Rack with a bunch of scopes patched to various points in the signal chain. Would also nicely show how a signal chain is build inside a sound patch.
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- KVRAF
- 2098 posts since 22 Sep, 2016
I think for educational purpose it would be an option to "build" a synth step by step and with that explain the concepts, music in time, loudness, pitch, tone, formants, harmonics...
Have you ever thought about Flowstone? http://www.dsprobotics.com/applications.html
It's like lego where you build stuff from predefined bricks. I'm not a user of FLowstone and haven't really checked it out, but I guess they have oscilloscope and fft as modules...
Have you ever thought about Flowstone? http://www.dsprobotics.com/applications.html
It's like lego where you build stuff from predefined bricks. I'm not a user of FLowstone and haven't really checked it out, but I guess they have oscilloscope and fft as modules...
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- Banned
- 3889 posts since 3 Feb, 2010
Really? No one said Serum or Pigments?
Its perfect synth for learning, it gives you visual feedback how sound travels via envelopes, filters, lfos.
Its perfect synth for learning, it gives you visual feedback how sound travels via envelopes, filters, lfos.
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- KVRAF
- 25458 posts since 3 Feb, 2005 from in the wilds
It's not a VST, but rather a DAW, however Bitwig, with the new modular Grid is a big, visual and easy to understand working space that can fill most of the screen. The modules are not attempting to look like hardware eurorack, so look clean and easy to understand. It is not a mass of wires or complicated looking. It has good contrast, high resolution and is an inviting and not intimidating workspace.
You can add an oscilloscope and/or spectrum display module at any point in the signal chain. You can resize them to make them bigger for a projector plus you can change the Spectrum/Scope display colors. You can add a Scope to the audio signal coming out of an Envelope, or to the Env shape itself. So it is easy to also visually show modulation signals. So you could show an Env modulating filter cutoff and see both the audio spectrum as affected by the filter side by side with a Scope showing the Env shape. Same with LFO's.
I cannot think of any workspace (and certainly not a single VST) that would be easier and visually cleaner while offering such flexibility of signal path. It would be simple to make a set of templates to demonstrate various synth structures.
You can add an oscilloscope and/or spectrum display module at any point in the signal chain. You can resize them to make them bigger for a projector plus you can change the Spectrum/Scope display colors. You can add a Scope to the audio signal coming out of an Envelope, or to the Env shape itself. So it is easy to also visually show modulation signals. So you could show an Env modulating filter cutoff and see both the audio spectrum as affected by the filter side by side with a Scope showing the Env shape. Same with LFO's.
I cannot think of any workspace (and certainly not a single VST) that would be easier and visually cleaner while offering such flexibility of signal path. It would be simple to make a set of templates to demonstrate various synth structures.
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gentleclockdivider gentleclockdivider https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=203660 - KVRAF
- 6113 posts since 22 Mar, 2009 from gent
Visual aids will not help you teach dsp tech , mathematics will
With that being said , reaktor +r renoise ( built in scope ) is a good alternative , so is bitwig ( although costly ) and let's not forget VCV rack .
The beauty of these modular environments is that you can patch anything directly into the scope , even dc signals like envelopes
Kudos to bitwig for providing phase modifiers , routing a phasor ( phase vector ) into these modules give a beautifull visual reprensentation of how the phasor is altered /distorted like in PD synthesis , route that into a lookup table et voila .
A nice visula aid of how the (difficult to grasp) phase distortion works
With that being said , reaktor +r renoise ( built in scope ) is a good alternative , so is bitwig ( although costly ) and let's not forget VCV rack .
The beauty of these modular environments is that you can patch anything directly into the scope , even dc signals like envelopes
Kudos to bitwig for providing phase modifiers , routing a phasor ( phase vector ) into these modules give a beautifull visual reprensentation of how the phasor is altered /distorted like in PD synthesis , route that into a lookup table et voila .
A nice visula aid of how the (difficult to grasp) phase distortion works
Eyeball exchanging
Soul calibrating ..frequencies
Soul calibrating ..frequencies
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- KVRAF
- 4534 posts since 17 Jun, 2013 from very close to Paris, France
The ideas from Andy, Peter and Unaspected are obviously the best.
And the remark made by Unaspected ("Indeed. Any environment like that.") is certainly the most important that I've seen in this thread.
Because yes, the best way to learn correctly the rudiments of the synthesis in a school is to learn to make oneself some little synths by building them module after module, and learning to build the modules themselves. With all the experiments on modifications, additions or deletions of wires, adjustments of internal parameters, smart architectures, smart organizations of GUIs, etc.
There are several offers which fit for this purpose: Not only they are fully modular but in addition they provide the bricks to make ones own modules with their relations, their parameters, their monitors, etc. All visually to let even the less clever students still follow and enjoy (considering that true languages as C++ and Juce for example are for next years and for those who will fully find there a vocation). Only PureData above is already something rather mathematical. The others are almost totally visual environments with bricks, wires, and parameters.
Things as Reaktor or Bidule are awesome also... but much more expensive for one or two dozens of licenses, and having tons of elements which may disturb the rookies they are certainly too much complex for first years students at school.
And the remark made by Unaspected ("Indeed. Any environment like that.") is certainly the most important that I've seen in this thread.
Because yes, the best way to learn correctly the rudiments of the synthesis in a school is to learn to make oneself some little synths by building them module after module, and learning to build the modules themselves. With all the experiments on modifications, additions or deletions of wires, adjustments of internal parameters, smart architectures, smart organizations of GUIs, etc.
There are several offers which fit for this purpose: Not only they are fully modular but in addition they provide the bricks to make ones own modules with their relations, their parameters, their monitors, etc. All visually to let even the less clever students still follow and enjoy (considering that true languages as C++ and Juce for example are for next years and for those who will fully find there a vocation). Only PureData above is already something rather mathematical. The others are almost totally visual environments with bricks, wires, and parameters.
Things as Reaktor or Bidule are awesome also... but much more expensive for one or two dozens of licenses, and having tons of elements which may disturb the rookies they are certainly too much complex for first years students at school.
Last edited by BlackWinny on Sat Jul 13, 2019 2:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I'm now severely diseased since September 2018.
I'm now severely diseased since September 2018.
