MOTM

Les Mizzell writes:
>>ABSynth has, as one of the filter choices, a tuneable comb filter that I find 
truly amazing....The Master Effects section has another multicomb filter with 
up to six taps, or a multitap delay, or a "pipe". Between all these, it's 
pretty easy to set up all kinds of different resonant structures.<<

That's kind of like what I was doing a few years back on my Nord Modular 
strings. It took a lot of playing around to get rid of the effect of it 
sounding like it was playing through a tube, and instead, give a somewhat woody 
tone. They still sound pretty good. But depending on the note played, I'd 
sometimes get weird sounding resonances, or not so pretty timbres. That's why 
I'm trying to move on to other techniques that are more controllable and 
predictable and can get me closer to a real violin or cello.

>>There are several electric guitar preamps out there (Roland comes to mind)
that uses modelling to give you a decent sounding "Acoustic Guitar" from your 
electric. Doesn't sound bad either.  Now, a guitar body is a little different 
that a Cello body, and too big for Viola or Violin, but it would be interesting 
to see what it would do as far as helping create a more "acoustic" timbre from 
a synth.<<

The answer is no. I have a Boss "Acoustic Simulator" pedal. What it sounds like 
is EQ to give a more full and round tone, plus what sounds like an exciter that 
gives crispy sharp highs. Doesn't help for cello type stuff. The body shape of 
a cello is much more complex than an acoustic guitar and so are the resonances 
it creates.

>>I've thought it would be interesting to try a Helicon VoicePrism VoiceCraft
on a modular synth as well, since it allows you to define vocal tract
resonance...<<

You can also try the Nord vocal filter as I did. It doesn't provide the 
numerous notches and peakes for a wood-like tone though, and it probably leaves 
some big holes in the audio spectrum. But it could be fun to run ontop of an 
already good cello patch.

>>What I'd love to see, would be a digital module that would, probably with a
computer interface, allow you to define a resonant structure and then use it
as a filter in your system.  All the individual components to do this
already exist. To varying degrees the Yamaha VL series used software to do
this, and the Korg Z1 did this as well...<<

I don't think the VL or Z1 synths have much control over complex resonant 
structures. Have you heard the VL violin? Yikes. But there is a single piece of 
software currently available that can do the most complex resonant structures 
you'd ever want to do in real-time. It's "Spectral Delay" by Native 
Instruments. That's what I'm trying to get closer to on my Nord.

-Elhardt