One-Synth-Challenge: General discussion thread

[Boy Wonder]

So, using a low pass filter (which is really just a specific EQ) is okay, but once it's automated, it's not?

[ELEX]

Indeed - creative filtering is a no-go. Any static filtering and EQ-ing should of course also be applied in such a way that the sound does not become "unrecognizable as coming from the synth."

[ahanysz]

is using an automated low pass filter allowed?

I'd say no, definitely not, as that would be an external modulation effect. Mod effects are only OK if they're part of the synth.

Interesting. I thought "modulation effect" was a generic term for chorus, phaser, flanger... A low-pass filter wouldn't come under that heading?

[ELEX]

I'd say that a modulation effect is any effect that uses modulation of it's processor(s) to achieve a characteristic sound. Whether that modulation is related to time ( chorus, flanger, pitchshifters ) or frequency ( filters - phaser, leslie, LPF/HPF/etc.) doesn't matter, imo. Examples of both categories are explicitly mentioned in the rule. Which would logically also apply if one creates one's own versions of these type of effects by automation.

[Boy Wonder]

A question about panning: We're allowed to pan sounds in the stereo field as we see fit, right? What about autopanning?

[SeBaer]

A question about panning: We're allowed to pan sounds in the stereo field as we see fit, right? What about autopanning?

Autopanning has been used before without anyone objecting. I see no harm here.

[Boy Wonder]

Thanks, SeBaer.

[FrogsInPants]

I question ELEX's interpretation of modulation effects. I've always taken it to refer just to the class of effects achieved through modulating delays or phase relationships between copies of a sound. To expand this to include any effect that uses modulation of its processes to achieve its characteristic sound would preclude a number of effects which are widely accepted, such as autopanning and volume automation.

I would still not use automation of a low pass filter. I would only use a high pass or low pass filter to trim off the extreme frequencies, or possibly to make room in the mix (though I would favor an EQ shelf). Wanting to modulate the cutoff is a flag that this is becoming part of the sound design. You should consider carefully how much it alters the character of the sound, because the nature of the synth's sound is to be preserved.

[ChristopherWD]

Thank you for the responses. I've digged a little deeper and I'm confused about something else now...

I've just found that the synth does in fact respond to CC brightness/cutoff on my controller which doesn't seem to be a low pass filter but more of a general operator level, so it can lead to quite drastic changes from sine to noise depending on the preset. I can use that, it leads to some interesting results!

I suppose my recorded automation performance of that would be okay since it's using the synth itself and my MIDI controller. However, I notice that there's no parameters on the GUI itself that this appears to be altering directly. It seems to be an under-the-hood expression setting? Is this okay to use?

[ELEX]

Parameter automation/recording is perfectly fine. Anything happening within the synth is.

[ChristopherWD]

That makes this synth a lot more fun then! Thank you for all the help!

[Boy Wonder]

"Modulation" is such a gray word, isn't it? In Plugin Boutique, a modulator search pulls up effects like the Efektor Modulation Bundle which is a chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo. And the tremolo part is interesting because, if you slow it down enough, it becomes an autopanner as in HY's free HY-TP2 tremolo/autopanner plugin. Or Audio Damage's QuatroMod which is a flanger, chorus, freqshift and diffusor with the diffusor being the gray area because its, according to them, essentially the diffusion block from a reverb.

[Tj Shredder]

Modulation in the context of OSC is meant as automation. As long you could draw it in its fine. You would cross the line if you use an oscillator in hearing range to control an automateable parameter. If your automation is capable of audio rate, keep it out of the hearing range… (I’d say max 10 Hz…)
With Midi you could go into hearing range (up to 500 Hz in theory), but if you move a controller by hand its never that high…

[] Peter:H []

Just a note:
It seems that the reorganisation of the https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc broke some external links.

I visited the Dexed site: https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/

This page has a link "Examples" which points here: https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/osc-74-dexed
But hit link is dead, because the page has been relocated to https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc[b]/2015[/b]/osc-74-dexed ... bad luck?

[RichardSemper]

Just a note:
It seems that the reorganisation of the https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc broke some external links.

I visited the Dexed site: https://asb2m10.github.io/dexed/

This page has a link "Examples" which points here: https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/osc-74-dexed
But hit link is dead, because the page has been relocated to https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc[b]/2015[/b]/osc-74-dexed ... bad luck?

Thanks for the heads-up. I have fixed it so this link will now work, but it is likely that other external links may also have become broken by the site overhaul.