Design your own waveform synths?

[Bissell, Harry]

List: (et-al)  I'll add 3 cents and now we have a nickel...
	The dynamic changes in waveshape are certainly important (and maybe
more important) than the initial waveform. BUT, the initial waveforms of the
DW-8000 (et-al) are far more convincing to the ear as being recognizable as
a conventional (ie well-known, blown, beat with fingers or a stick etc...)
instrument. Variety is the spice of life, give me a wavetable generator for
when I want to sound like John Tesh, and a square wave to sound like Keith
Emerson.... (can I say those both in one sentence?)    :-) Harry Bissell

> List,
> 
>     May I add my own two cents.  Moog may have been the first to recognize
> back
> in the sixties that what is important about a sound or waveform is NOT its
> shape
> or frequency recipe (spectrum), but how it changes in time.  A plucked
> string,
> for example starts out with lots of harmonics.  The higher the harmonics,
> the
> faster they die out.  Eventually you are left with just the fundamental.
> Hitting the Moog LPF with a transient, accomplished this.  A brass sound,
> on
> the  other hand, starts with the fundamental.  It takes some millieseconds
> for
> the harmonics to build up.  Sweep the filter from low to high and it gives
> a
> brass sound.  Accordingly, fabricating waveforms whose spectrum is
> constant is
> an exercise with little promise.  Instead fabricate waveforms digitally
> that
> change in time, and then you'll get interesting sounds.
> 
> Gene Zumchak
> 
> 
> 
> Martin Czech wrote:
> 
> > > Actually, to do this you can do one of at least two things.  One,
> download
> > > a program called "Smorphi".  It allows you to draw your own waveforms
> and
> > > play around with them.  Two, a program called "Goldwave" allows you to
> > > directly edit the samples that make up a .wav file.  Just make a tiny
> .wav
> > > file (like 100 samples), direct-edit the waveform to your heart's
> content
> >
> > Right, sorry forgot about that.
> >
> > @ www.shareware.com
> >
> > And dont forget "granny" granular synthesis tools.
> > Cool, works even on my 100MHz P5.
> >
> > m.c.