[sdiy] jitter in oscillators for music purposes

[Sean Costello]

I would recommend working with a modular software package, such as Pd. Pd
allows you to program a module, such as a bandlimited oscillator with jitter
synthesis, and manipulate all parameters in real time, integrate the module
into a system with other modules, etc. Pd is free, as in both beer and open
source. Pd runs in Windows, OS X, Linux, SGI, and probably other platforms.

Another free option is Csound. It is free, and runs basically everywhere,
but it is not real time (well, it might have real time extensions now, but
it wasn't designed for real time). I really like real time for developing
audio algorithms - just flick a slider around, and away you go.

Supercollider 3 is free, but is not cross platform.

MAX/MSP is NOT free, but is like a version of Pd that is much prettier,
works better, and has useful UI capabilities. It runs on Windows and Macs,
and can be extended with your own modules programmed in C.

VST is cool, but not nearly as modular as the above systems. The nice thing
about VST is that you can efficiently program an entire software
instrument - oscillators, filters, envelopes, what have you - in optimized
code. The downside is, you are forced to do this, as you cannot hook up VST
plugins as you would modules in an analog synth (the VST paradigm is more
suited to a hardwired synth processed by effects modules).

Synthedit might be a good platform, but I haven't tried it.

Sean Costello

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Gravenhorst" <music.maker at gte.net>
To: <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: [sdiy] jitter in oscillators for music purposes
> Is there a preferred platfrom for such PC development?  (I mean PC, not
> Mac).  And what is your favorite?  (ahem) Cost of this?