One Synth Challenge #121: Any One Synth (Rellik Wins!)

[Leonard Bowman]

Can we get this page linked on the google site? the sidebar still doesn't show that OSC 121 exists...

I think Sonic Pi would be fine, I'm going to look further into it myself. Thanks!

Some other conjectural questions: what are the synth requirements?
• Does it have to be available as a DAW plugin? Does it even have to be software?
• Does it have to be currently available?
• Is customization allowed? Is a homemade synth allowed?
• If it ships in parts (for example, a modular concept synth, where modules are separate plugins) is it still one synth?

Most of these questions won't apply to me because I'm going to work with Mark Henning's AnaMark, but they would be good things to clear up.

[Rellik]

Is a vocal synth like Plogue Alter/Ego (https://www.plogue.com/products/alter-ego.html) within the spirit of #121? I get the impression it doesn't use samples internally, but it definitely ships with a lot of formant + phoneme data. Somehow feels like it's not a real "synth synth", not sure if I'm over thinking it.

[doctorbob]

I was looking at those speech synths which are pure synthesis and don't use samples/phonemes etc

dB

[] Peter:H []

Is a vocal synth like Plogue Alter/Ego (https://www.plogue.com/products/alter-ego.html) within the spirit of #121? I get the impression it doesn't use samples internally, but it definitely ships with a lot of formant + phoneme data. Somehow feels like it's not a real "synth synth", not sure if I'm over thinking it.

Difficult to say. My first thought was, the "phonem" approach could be compared to let's say using "single cylces" or "wavetables". Using single cycles is generally regarded as "synthesis". Phonems - probalby sort of equivalent?

Alter Ego - I've used it in the past (1,2), when Daisy Voice was still available. Daisy provided good recognizable speech output, compared to Marie Ork. After a while they only shipped less quality voices for free - at least for my perception.
I checked out these voices too and they provided patches using those which are more like "instruments".
Thus I'd say it's okayish to use Alter Ego

If your looking for speech synths...I have actually used balabolka in the past as well (3, created at around 2004). With a slight pitch shifting and stretching you can make it sort of "sing". And then there's https://blog.wavosaur.com/text-to-speech-vst-vst-speek/. The infamous U96 samples... May be you can also ask Wagtunes which is an absolute Vocaloid addict. Check out his "channel" in the Music Cafe thread.

Anyway short story long - It would be a fun month if we do a "Synth + AlterEgo" month.
--
(1) https://soundcloud.com/p-e-t-e-r-h/sele ... er-ego-wip
(2) https://soundcloud.com/p-e-t-e-r-h/litt ... -boy-final
(3) https://soundcloud.com/p-e-t-e-r-h/intensiv-kreativ

[schiing]

Is a vocal synth like Plogue Alter/Ego (https://www.plogue.com/products/alter-ego.html) within the spirit of #121? I get the impression it doesn't use samples internally, but it definitely ships with a lot of formant + phoneme data. Somehow feels like it's not a real "synth synth", not sure if I'm over thinking it.

Difficult to say. My first thought was, the "phonem" approach could be compared to let's say using "single cylces" or "wavetables". Using single cycles is generally regarded as "synthesis". Phonems - probalby sort of equivalent?

Alter Ego - I've used it in the past (1,2), when Daisy Voice was still available. Daisy provided good recognizable speech output, compared to Marie Ork. After a while they only shipped less quality voices for free - at least for my perception.
I checked out these voices too and they provided patches using those which are more like "instruments".
Thus I'd say it's okayish to use Alter Ego

I was actually thinking about some of the same issues: I'm considering using Korg's Wavestation emu oldie for this challenge - it was my first hardware synth back in the 90s, and I've never really used it as a soft synth, so it's a fun way to see if my programming has improved at all.

But after so many months of "pure" synthesis in this contest, all the integrated waveforms feel like cheating to me, lots of phonemes, perc, piano in there. Of course, no one would question that Wavestation is a synth, but I think I may have become a bit too purist after a year at the OSC!

Also, it is indeed sample-based with limited manipulation possibilities outside of the wave sequences, and I'm already getting a bit bored by that, so I might go for another synth after all.

But personally I think it would be very interesting to see what people can come up with on Alter Ego!

[DavidCarlyon]

So we can use ANY one synth? I suppose this rules out mega synths like falcon?
Also is there any preferred genre/style? What about adding vocals/other instruments?
I have never done this before, but it seems like fun!!

[Ranoka]

Welcome David!
I'm relatively new compared to some, but from my understanding, the spirit of One Synth Challenge is to synthesize the sounds using a synth. So no samples or vocals - just pure synthesis, which makes it quite a technical challenge. So if you use one of the hybrid sampler-synths like Falcon or Omnisphere you can only use the synthesizer and effects, but not the sampling aspect.

You should also check the link to the rules on the first page because there is restrictions on which external effects you can use. They have to be free and widely available, and not modulate or change the sound like chorus or pitch shifting, or using distortion to drastically change a sound. You can of course use those effects if they're built into the synth since that's part of its sound. This has a bigger impact with the more limited free synths - I bet Falcon has all those effects you could abuse built in

There is some clarification on custom waveforms and wavetables on the first post. Single cycle waveforms are ok. Loading a snare sample (for example) is against the rules - you have to figure out how to synthesize it yourself using the synth.

Btw, if you fancy a chat or any clarification, come join the OSC Slack where there's always a bunch of us from all over the world hanging out and chatting about synths and stuff!

[EDGEK8D]

I think I’ll play this month. Its been too long. Just to be clear, as the rules have jumped around a bit; any commercial, free, or stock synth is allowed?

Are we back to stock/free FX/processing plugins only?

[exponent1]

So we can use ANY one synth? I suppose this rules out mega synths like falcon?
Also is there any preferred genre/style? What about adding vocals/other instruments?
I have never done this before, but it seems like fun!!

Welcome to the party David!

Even I had doubts regarding the extent to which certain features of a synth can be used this month. As Ranoka and others have pointed out, anything that involves "sampling" viz. romplers, re-synthesizing entire samples, sample playback using wavetables and such, is against the spirit of the OSC However, if you don't do anything like this and are truly synthesizing a sound, it's all good!

Also, as long as the FX are built into the synth you choose, you can always use it. See, this challenge is about creative usage of sound 'synthesis' to create believable real sounds or totally crazy and unheard of sounds, so as long as you feel it's in the spirit of OSC, it's all good and you can use ANY synth for it.

Hope to see you join the action this month onward

[functionform]

If I can figure out if Harmor has a noise channel and if I have time, I'll do it. (edit: found a patch! I'm in!) Been meaning to learn this guy forever.

Question: I assume I can load single cycles? Harmor can do full resynthesis, but I wouldn't use that feature as its basically a sampler.

[doctorbob]

I might do a hardware based one! Route the MIDI out to my DX-11 and record each full track and then mix/master … seems to be within the "rules" - no-one says it has to be ITB!

What do y'all think??

dB

[doctorbob]

Welcome David!

Remember that it's a ONE SYNTH challenge, so all sound MUST be made with your chosen synth, so no other instruments, vocals, drums etc …

Check out the rules about external modulating fx. e.g. you shouldn't use a distortion fx outside the synth to add a heavy distortion so the sound of the synth is drastically changed. You can however use any distortion modules built into the synth. Also, the grey area is that you can use distortion outside the synth, but only "lightly" so as to not change the sound of the synth too much.

HTH

dB

[EDGEK8D]

I might do a hardware based one! Route the MIDI out to my DX-11 and record each full track and then mix/master … seems to be within the "rules" - no-one says it has to be ITB!

What do y'all think??

dB

If this is the case, then I would love to, in fact already have recorded a ton of “all one hardware synth” tracks. I’d do a new one for sure for this contest and in honor of OSC. Blofeld or Rev2 are my only polys right now. The analog is very tempting, but Blofeld is so flexible. Don’t feel like multitracking a monosynth though its not out of the question.

If anyone can confirm for us, I would love to do a hardware track. No samples. Make all the drums. The only drawback would be there would be no way to check our recordings to verify no samples were used and that only one synth was ised. We’d be on the honor system, but I feel like as OSC veterans, should be okay, if not obvious we’d be playing this straight up.

[zarf]

I have always assumed it has to be a plugin so that the requirement to share the project can be met if requested?

Has anyone ever used hardware before in an 'Any One Synth' month?

[J.Ruegg]

Has anyone ever used hardware before in an 'Any One Synth' month?

I think not, but there have been people asking if they could... and if I remember correctly it was exactly because you couldn't replicate it that it wasn't allowed.