Are wavetable synths even "musical" at all?
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- KVRAF
- 2856 posts since 10 Jul, 2008 from Orbit SW US
That's fantastic, thanks for the link.
gadgets an gizmos..make noise~crystalawareness.bandcamp.com/ soundcloud.com/crystalawareness Restocked: 5/2026
if this post is edited -it was for punctuation, grammar, or to make it coherent (or make me seem coherent).
if this post is edited -it was for punctuation, grammar, or to make it coherent (or make me seem coherent).
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- KVRAF
- 4682 posts since 6 Jan, 2003
I think wavetable occupies an interesting place in the synth world. At least in my mind, it is at the crossroads of multiple common synthesis types and traits. Depending on your preferences that combination could be awesome or awful.
As a side note…I’ve never been a fan of describing gear as musical. It leaves too much open to interpretation and personal preference, and all too often ends up amounting to little more than “I can’t explain why but it somehow pairs especially well with the types of music I produce” with an added undercurrent of “our gear is magic and yours is crap.”
As a side note…I’ve never been a fan of describing gear as musical. It leaves too much open to interpretation and personal preference, and all too often ends up amounting to little more than “I can’t explain why but it somehow pairs especially well with the types of music I produce” with an added undercurrent of “our gear is magic and yours is crap.”
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- KVRAF
- 2856 posts since 10 Jul, 2008 from Orbit SW US
ugo wrote: Sun Oct 05, 2025 6:23 pm I think wavetable occupies an interesting place in the synth world. At least in my mind, it is at the crossroads of multiple common synthesis types and traits. Depending on your preferences that combination could be awesome or awful.
As a side note…I’ve never been a fan of describing gear as musical. It leaves too much open to interpretation and personal preference, and all too often ends up amounting to little more than “I can’t explain why but it somehow pairs especially well with the types of music I produce” with an added undercurrent of “our gear is magic and yours is crap.”
gadgets an gizmos..make noise~crystalawareness.bandcamp.com/ soundcloud.com/crystalawareness Restocked: 5/2026
if this post is edited -it was for punctuation, grammar, or to make it coherent (or make me seem coherent).
if this post is edited -it was for punctuation, grammar, or to make it coherent (or make me seem coherent).
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- Beware the Quoth
- 35433 posts since 4 Sep, 2001 from R'lyeh Oceanic Amusement Park and Funfair
take that undercurrent out of KVR and the place would only have a hundredth of the posts it currently does.
An idiot on Set Theory:
"In some cases there is an object called red that contains everything that is red. In much the same way a pot is a plate."
"In some cases there is an object called red that contains everything that is red. In much the same way a pot is a plate."
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- KVRAF
- 4682 posts since 6 Jan, 2003
whyterabbyt wrote: Mon Oct 06, 2025 8:46 amtake that undercurrent out of KVR and the place would only have a hundredth of the posts it currently does.
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- addled muppet weed
- 111274 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
but as a level 7 wizard, some of my gear is magickal!whyterabbyt wrote: Mon Oct 06, 2025 8:46 amtake that undercurrent out of KVR and the place would only have a hundredth of the posts it currently does.
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- KVRAF
- 8681 posts since 24 May, 2002 from Tutukaka, New Zealand
Any instrument is subjective. All "musical" means is "I like it". And there are infinite ways of liking or not liking. For example some of these recent spectral synths...capable of some incredible sounds. Potentially very musical, but in my hands not musical at all, as I have absolutely no idea how to work the things 
. I know I could make great things out of them, but tbh I'm too lazy and life is too short for me personally to learn them. My loss 
.
Even a piano is not intrinsically musical. Not even when it's played by a blackbelt symphony maestro pianist if the listener doesn't subjectively like the music.
By the way...I think wavetable synths make great plinks, they're just not great at making the plonks. And I like my music more plonky than plinky
. I know I could make great things out of them, but tbh I'm too lazy and life is too short for me personally to learn them. My loss .Even a piano is not intrinsically musical. Not even when it's played by a blackbelt symphony maestro pianist if the listener doesn't subjectively like the music.
By the way...I think wavetable synths make great plinks, they're just not great at making the plonks. And I like my music more plonky than plinky
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- KVRian
- 1030 posts since 15 Feb, 2005
I think this a lil hyperbolic and overly simplistic...in any generalization, there are certain number of data points that begin to coalesce until the result is some semblance of objective truth...its not entirely subjective...there are sounds and styles that a larger percentage of listeners find inherently pleasing...sounds that are dissonant or inharmonic are generally found to be thought of as less musical...measure of a sounds ability to induce ear fatigue is another metric of musicality... the very attribute of music becoming pop, by definition means a majority find it more musical than average...there are psychoacoustic cues in certain timbres that the human brain interprets as more pleasing and therefore musical...you can even quantitatively measure how pleasure sensors in the brain light up in response to sounds and playing styles that bound how musical something is..."musical" can definitely be talked about in objective terms and quantifiable ways...I find the desire to oversimplify can be just as much a reflection of personal bias...and can be just as problematic no matter the topic, as in the empathetic impetus to encourage inclusivity,..we actually end up diluting the value of the discourse by disincentivizing critical thinkingkritikon wrote: Mon Oct 06, 2025 10:56 pm Any instrument is subjective. All "musical" means is "I like it".
Music had a one night stand with sound design.....And the condom broke
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- Beware the Quoth
- 35433 posts since 4 Sep, 2001 from R'lyeh Oceanic Amusement Park and Funfair
no, its reductionist, but its not at all simplistic. the definition of what is noise is quite explicitly that sound which is unwanted or disliked.bermudagold wrote: Tue Oct 07, 2025 1:40 amI think this a lil hyperbolic and overly simplistic...kritikon wrote: Mon Oct 06, 2025 10:56 pm Any instrument is subjective. All "musical" means is "I like it".
its very complex, because, culturally, the balance between that and music has constantly changed since recording audio became possible.
and yet determining what that data is, and interpreting that data, when is still being done subjectively.in any generalization, there are certain number of data points that begin to coalesce until the result is some semblance of objective truth...
yes it is.its not entirely subjective...
if you're in the territory of 'larger percentages' you're already admitting the core subjective nature of this, whether you like it or not.there are sounds and styles that a larger percentage of listeners find inherently pleasing...
sounds that are dissonant or inharmonic are generally found to be thought of as less musical...
go on then. dont say it can be quantified, quantify it."musical" can definitely be talked about in objective terms and quantifiable ways...
says someone who claims objective truth to their personal bias to disincentivise someone else's critical thinking.I find the desire to oversimplify can be just as much a reflection of personal bias...and can be just as problematic no matter the topic, as in the empathetic impetus to encourage inclusivity,..we actually end up diluting the value of the discourse by disincentivizing critical thinking
Read this history of noise music and get back to me and explain how your simplification (to 'objective truth') explains the actually complex moving target of the real world; the large and ongoing cultural changes in the perception of 'noise' and 'music' over the past 100 years.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Noise-Music-Hi ... 0826417272
clue : if determining noise versus music was 'objective,' the interpretation wouldnt change, would it. but oh boy has it ever.
An idiot on Set Theory:
"In some cases there is an object called red that contains everything that is red. In much the same way a pot is a plate."
"In some cases there is an object called red that contains everything that is red. In much the same way a pot is a plate."
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- KVRAF
- 14126 posts since 20 Nov, 2003 from Lost and Spaced
I dare you to play my Microwave and tell me that.
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- KVRAF
- 2673 posts since 18 Mar, 2006 from The Void
How many minutes, at what power setting ? Are we talking just a hot croissant, or scrambled eggs ?
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- addled muppet weed
- 111274 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
send it over and i will!