[sdiy] Additive Synthesis Doesn't Work?

[Harry Bissell Jr]

--- Richard Wentk <richard at skydancer.com> wrote:

> The whole point of additive is that you *don't* need
> to work at that level 
> to get good sounds. There's a ton of bulk partial
> hacking processes which 
> work at a much higher level and give musically
> useful - sometimes stunning 
> - results.

as the old saw goes... "If you're so good, why ain't
you RICH ???"   :^P

> 
> >For subtractive synthesis we have some well defined
> >limits. This VCF rolls off harmonics above xxx and
> >introduces a peak at the response of yyy.  Thats
> all
> >folks, one simple function.. three million analog
> >sounds.
> 
> All of which go BLAAAAART in that instantly
> recognisable and now very 
> cliched way.

Yes indeed.  even allowing for Moog vs. ARP flavor
they are nothing new.

The FM synth craze was carried by the metallic 'bell'
tones that analog could not really handle in a tonal
way (you could 'get' the tones but not play them
across the keyboard)

> >Introduce a similar function in additive synthesis
> >(we could just adjust amplitudes, right)... and
> we'll
> >go *yawn* becuase we've all heard it before.
> 
> Irony? :)

No, actually more agreement.  
I'm looking for the few global parameters
that can define the cliche'd sound of tomorrow :^P

H^) harry