One Synth Challenge #144: Rand by Sampleson (schiing Wins! kylebenjamin grabs the single instance prize!)

[MilksterX]

They say limitations breeds creativity but that was a bit challenging trying to adjust the stereo image when most tracks were just the mono right channel due to the left channel crackling! Had to get creative with what few things i could automate. Really weird ADSRs.

Here's my submission:
https://soundcloud.com/milksterx/milkst ... my-machine

DAW: Ableton Live 11
42 instances of Rand

native fx:Utility, EQ8, AutoFilter, AutoPan, Compressor, Glue Compressor, Saturator, Multiband Compressor
Third party fx, Chow Tape Model, Kilohearts Distortion, NI Supercharger, Camel Crusher, OTT, Wider

Send FX: OrilRiver x 3, A1 Triggergate, Ableton Delay x 3, Valhalla Supermassive

Mastering: TDR VOS SlickEQ, TDR Kotelnikov, Loudmax 64

Hope you all enjoy.

[Juergen]

Hi,
this is my very simple entry for this month.

https://soundcloud.com/user-221952934-5 ... e-144-rand

DAW: Studio One 5.1
Only one instance of the synth were used to do this track.

Studio One effects:
1x Compressor
1x Pro EQ
1x Autofilter
1x Limiter

Other free plugins:
2x Stereo Helper
3x Balancer
2x Valhalla Supermassive
1x TDR Kotelnikov
1x TDR Nova 2
1x easyReverb
1x Oril River

[Local Man]

Ok, here’s my final entry. I’m not thrilled with the final master (I still feel like it’s too quiet for some reason) but it’s fine I guess and people can always turn it up if it’s an issue.

It’s about half random patches and half deliberately created patches. It’s somewhat bossanova influenced and I hope you guys find
it fun.

https://soundcloud.com/localmanmakesmus ... pos-chroma

Rand x 69
Logic Plugins:
Compressor
Channel EQ
Vintage Console EQ
Gain
Space Designer
Echo
Exciter
Enveloper
Spreader
Stereo Spread

Airwindows NC-17
VladG Limiter No6

[emikaela]

This was more or less finished a couple of weeks ago, couldn't quite decide if I wanted to add or change anything but in the end decided against it. Randomly generated melodies in a randomly decided structure seemed appropriate.

https://soundcloud.com/mikaela-groendah ... -bird-city

Made in Cakewalk, with Valhalla Supermassive, Valhalla Space Modulator, OJD, Tape Cassette 2, MEqualizer, BA PComp

[FrogsInPants]

Here is my entry, "Push Button, Receive Random". I used only unrefined random patches without editing, and all such patches generated apart from one patch that stopped producing sound at all, one that was barely a crackle, and one noise drone that was indistinguishable from an earlier one. I also pushed myself to use a lot more instances than usual (for me).

https://soundcloud.com/user-768555121/f ... ive-random

Rand x24

Reaper 6.23

BlueArp
Valhalla Supermassive
OrilRiver
Klanghelm DC1A3
Klanghelm IVGI2
TDR Nova
ReaEq
Stereo Channel Volume/Pan/Polarity
Volume/Pan Smoother

Edit: Oh, and there's a YouLean Loudness Meter on there, too.

[Lint_Huffer7]

Things I liked about Rand:

1. You can zoom the UI
2. Preset storing system is decent

Things I did not like about Rand:

1. everything else

The oscillators suck. The knob tapers suck. The filter sucks, the LFO sucks, the Gain being measured in Hz sucks. The left channel sucks. The right channel probably isn't all that great either. Nothing quite behaves the way you'd expect it to, and it does this in a way that's not at all delightful or surprising or inspiring; but rather in a passive-aggressive sarcastic way, a way that is as wrong a way as possible in the hopes you'll stop asking it to do anything.

The "random" gimmick seems cool for like five minutes until you realize that there's so few parameters that you're basically only going to get a narrow range of sounds, and yet somehow a good portion of them will still be so terrible you'll break down and start editing the ones which are maybe almost sort of nearly just-mediocre, even though it makes you feel dirty and gross. And eventually you just stop clicking the Random button and start treating it like a basic Synthmaker VST from 2005.

And even in 2005 this would be considered pretty crummy.

Yeah, yeah, poor craftsman blah blah tools. Forget that. When the tools are like this, if the craftsman isn't blaming them, there's something suspicious about that craftsman.

It's not even that it's terrible. Terrible synths can still be fun. Terrible synths can produce art. I've managed to wrangle some joy out of a Timbre Wolf. I love stuff that's off the beaten path and can appreciate a challenge. This isn't a challenge. This is like trying to play chess where your opponent just places the pieces wherever they want. This is Sisyphus's VST. This is the Kobayashi Maru of softsynths. There's something about this, some mysterious dark force, some perplexing negative juju that completely dissolves not just the joy, but the urge, to create.

Such powers are not of this earth. Such powers can only be the result of alien technology.

what if alien technology sucked
by Lint_Huffer7

• Eight woebegotten instances of Rand stinking up my lovely wonderful DAW.
• A plethora of effects desperately doing their admirable yet doomed best to make these eight Rand instances workable.
• I listed them in the Soundcloud submission. I'm almost at the end of this post and just don't want to look at the project any more.
• please dont make me look at it
• More time invested in this than my previous two OSC attempts combined.
• A submission coming in just under the wire, at least when measuring the 1st of the month by Eastern US timezone standards.
• An end result that still probably sounds like it was the result of thirty minutes learning a new DAW.
• Some left-channel garbage which I basically left in out of spite, because really any demonstration of Rand would not be a true demonstration of Rand without some left-channel garbage.
• I hate this VST so much.
• No I will not get more from Sampleson.
• Yes, Rand broke me. I'm not ashamed to admit it.

https://soundcloud.com/lint_huffer7/wha ... ogy-sucked

[EscapeControl]

https://soundcloud.com/escapecontrolsou ... ate-osc144

Honestly, this synth was a bit of a struggle. I didn't have time to properly mix this track, apologies if your ears fall off after listening
The progression is a little messy and the lead a bit dull (and 10 other things I'd impove if i had time), but overall it's become a pretty fun thing. Hope you enjoy
Inspired by music from arcade games of days past.

DAW: FL studio 20
Plugins used:
20x rand
fruity limiter 1x
fruity parametric EQ2 2x
fruity reeverb 2 2x
fruity delay 2 3x
fruity stereo enhancer 1x
wave candy 1x
fruity stereo shaper 15x

Edit: added the DAW i used

[gigue07]

https://soundcloud.com/gigue07/rand-pulse

My submission for OSC#144.

DAW Ableton Live Suite
Stock Plugins
Eq8
Compressors
Reverb
Delay
Multiband Dynamics
Pan
Utility
Limiter
Arpeggio
Saturator

# of Tracks 20
Time to take a break

[treeheated]

Hi All, I'm new here. Here is my submission. Brutal feedback is welcome.

https://soundcloud.com/treeheated/treeheated-stateful

Like others in the thread, I had problems with the left channel output of Rand and only used the right. I like the randomisation feature and I think the strength of this synth is its ability to produce random "squishy" sound effects - sounds I wouldn't have thought of myself - that can be added to decorate the track. I used a mixture of hand-designed and randomly generated instruments (with manual tweaking). I managed to make an impact sound that I am happy with. I'm not happy with my drum fills but every time I tried to improve them they got a little bit worse and eventually I had to cut my losses. Perhaps I was not very adventurous in terms of the composition, but I'm just happy that I managed to finish something for my first attempt that I can move forward from in future months.

DAW: Reaper

FX (all from Reaper except Rand and SPAN):
- Rand x30
- ReaComp x5
- ReaEQ x11
- ReaVerbate x2
- Channel Time Delayer x2
- Stereo Field Manipulator x1
- Master Limiter x1
- [Metering only] Oscilloscope Meter x1
- [Metering only] SPAN x1

[J.Ruegg]

My entry :

https://soundcloud.com/jruegg/jruegg-rand-around

It's my first track made in Bitwig , I'm still not as fast with it as with live, but it was a fun learning experience.

Rand instances : 30 (only 4 sounds where created using the rand button, everything else was on made on the edit page).

DAW : Bitwig 3.3

Bitwig devices used:
- Eq+
- Delay2
- Tool (lot's of it, to reduce the width of the raw rand output)
- Transient Control

External plugins used:
- AllPassPhase
- Melda MSaturator
- Xfer Ott
- Tal Reverb 3
- Tal Reverb 4
- Polyverse Wider

[MalToné]

Hi All, I'm new here. Here is my submission. Brutal feedback is welcome.

https://soundcloud.com/treeheated/treeheated-stateful

Hi Treeheated,

That is an impressive first submission. Welcome to the OSC and good luck in the voting!

OSCers, I'm also impressed with all of your great tracks I'm hearing regardless of any of Rand's shortcomings. You all have risen to the "challenge" part of the OSC.

[kylebenjamin]

Better late than never, I suppose. At some point I won't wait until the last minute to finish one of these...

https://soundcloud.com/kylebenjamin/kyl ... r-andesite

Synth: Rand x1

Recorded and Mastered in Reaper 6

FX:
BlueARP (Oleg Mikheev)
Tal Reverb 2 (TAL)
ReaDelay (Cockos)
TDR Nova EQ (Tokyo Dawn Records)
Dimension Expander (Xfer Records)
SGA1566 (Shattered Glass Audio)
LoudMax Limiter (Thomas Mundt)

[exponent1]

Hi Everyone,

Here's my quick submission for this month using Rand. My sincere apologies for the late post, hope it gets accepted. In any case, I hope you guys enjoy it!

https://soundcloud.com/theexponent/nostalgia

DAW: Reaper 6
Rand : 33 instances
Native FX: ReaComp, ReaEQ, ReEQ
3rd Party Free FX: OrilRiver, SuperMassive, Cocoa Delay, GClip, LoudMax, W1 Limiter, OTT, MAutopan, RandArp, A1StereoControl
Mastering: JS: DC Filter, TDR Nova, TDR Kotelnikov, GClip, LoudMax
Metering: SPAN, Youlean Loudness Meter 2

[Tj Shredder]

The "making of" of my track:
https://youtu.be/-urrsZKVwGU

My Max patch counted 66 different sounds, but I think I didn't play all, some changes had been quick and there had been moments where I did not play a note...
This plugin demanded something inherent experimental. Its not made for a masterwork...
I had a screen recorder, and two iPads to record it. Then assembled in DaVinci Resolve...

[SeBaer]

I think, I'm basically done voting.