Hi Bill, Eric,
----- Original Message -----
From: "alt-mode" <alt_mode@...>
To: <SergeModular@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 4:33 AM
Subject: Re: [SergeModular] greetings serge users/a request for opinions
: Hi Bill,
:
: You certainly have done some good research. I'm probably going to get
kicked off
: this list for saying this, but I wouldn't recommend a Serge or Wiard as
your first
: modular. I would recommend MOTM for several reasons:
:
: - The system can grow with you at a lower cost and in smaller chunks.
: - While the functions are perhaps more basic, sometimes the restrictions
can help
: you learn more. You can find all sorts of wierd things with just a few
oscillators
: and EGs; add some filters and a ringmod and you've got lots to explore.
The MOTM
: stuff has a few surprises too, the suboctave mux can inspire some crazy
stuff along
: with the VC router. Don't overlook these seemingly simple modules!
: - While the modulation possibilities of the Serge are far greater, I
personally
: think the MOTM filters sound better. I frequently patch my Serge into my
MOTM
: filters.
This is surprising to me...
: It depends on what you are going after musically, is the filter more
: important than the modulation wierdness? - a question of personal taste.
...so here I think it's interesting to ask: why have systems with complex
waveshaping never had filters of the popular "fat", warm type (before Wiard
maybe, but even statements about the Omni sound are funnily opposing)?
Don Buchla, designer of the first complex waveshaping modules, never thought
of his analog instruments to be primarily for subtractive synthesis (this is
how he could develop into the digital realm _smoothly_ - his ideas had quite
a universal background). This popular paradigm, actually a severe
restriction to the wide field of analog synthesis possibilities, was
established by Moog synthesizers - would never have been so successful with
a less spectacular sounding lowpass filter.
For essentially VCO-VCF-VCA-based patches, complex soundprocessing via
nonlinear transforms and steeply edged resonant filtering usually do not
combine well. Extremely careful coordination of the sweep of filter
frequency and sweep of wave processing is required in order to avoid thin,
hollow sounding (in the context perceived as "noisy") passages during
sweeps.
Complementing this, a well done complex shape for morphing (making up your
own transform functions from scratch is only available with the Wiard, and,
with similar possibilities, with some softsynths) frequently makes further
exciting filter action obsolete.
This is for example why certain presets of the PPG Waves sound infamously
boring, why these are somewhat hard to program from an analog-used view, and
why Palm wanted to proceed to entirely digital synthesis.
This is also why even the excellent, so popular Moog 904A to me ceases to be
desirable in the context of nonlinear wave processing - its characteristics
are too dominating in this context. As can be heard from the demos on the
Wiard Miniwave/ Joyrider webpages (waveshaping into Vactrol filters,
sounding BIG), other resonating filters may just be better suited, but note
that firstly Grant's great sounding trick here was to use two of them
serially in formant-like configurations, and that his is based on Don
Buchla's lowpass filter.
Buchla made instruments on which you were less likely to start with playing
sturdy sawtooth-based basses or strings rather than arbitrarily
syn-thesiz-ed timbres (before the complex VCOs, wild FM was the main
synthesis technique with the Buchlas). In these systems (200 to 700 series)
the main filter was capable of "frequency gating", simultaneous attenuation
and one-pole-filtering sharing the same control input (but responding
differently), whose main purpose was just to approach a natural amplitude/
overtone spectrum relation for artificial sounds, rather than to make filter
action itself interesting in the foreground.
On another note, note that you might find using pulse waves boring quickly,
as they won't gain as much from most transform functions as waves with more
than two states.
So to sum up, on the long run (if intense examination and usage is desired)
I think complex wave processing functions, as provided in the Serge lineup,
asks for different starting points than subtractive synthesis. Less so does
the Wiard as it's not limited to some preset transform functions (timbrally
it perhaps has the broadest palette of all systems). Don Buchla had a very
clear and definitive answer. The Serge system's tribute to this is in the
lack of pulse waves in the main VCO (in exchange, providing more pulse
derivation possibilites than any other system including the Buchlas, as
alternatives to the waveshaping modules) and probably in the gentle filters,
about which one frequently hears users being bored by their sound,
resonating or not. It sure does apply to the variable slope filter.
So, for example start putting a resonating filter output (read: many tiny
rounded waves :-) into the wavemultiplier. Or use the wavemult output only
as some modulation source - this might seem like wasted capability first,
but that's irrational. And mixing two identical but detuned wavemult outputs
(getting expensive ;-), maybe adding in a triangle for low end boost, and
then filtering, I often find resembling classic PPG sounds - no surprise.
Finally, I would like to mention that the Wiard VCOs' initial (unbiased)
range 20Hz - 20KHz to me seems a little odd regarding the Wavecity
possibilities. Naturally for quite a few complex shape experiments in middle
audio range, a much lower input wave is required.
Sebastian Kuehnl
: Any of the choices you have listed will give you a high quality system and
will last
: many years. As has been mentioned, the interfacing is an easily solved
problem. If
: space is a big issue, the Serge and Wiard systems are more compact than
MOTM but
: usually you manage to find room to house your stuff if your additiction is
strong
: enough.
:
: I would start with MOTM and when your addiction is too great and your bank
account
: is capable, spring for some Serge panels to create a hybrid system.
That's kinda
: what happened to me ;)
:
: Eric
:
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