MOTM

--- In motm@yahoogroups.com, elhardt@a... wrote:
> Les Mizzell writes:
> >>Even once you get the "sound" part nailed, you still have a 
problem playing
> the thing convincingly from a keyboard. I know you use a Yamaha 
Breath
> Controller for a lot of stuff, and that gets you part of the way 
there. For
> brass and wind simulations, it's great, but there's just so so many 
little
> nuances a string player has available - vibrato is never constant - 
how
> close to the bridge is the bow - upstroke with the bow or down 
stoke? - is
> it an open position or fingered? - the same note (depending on 
where in the
> range it is) can be played, using different positions, on several 
different
> strings, yielding a completely different sound...<<
> 
> One doesn't need to imitate every possible obscure form of playing 
to get a 
> realistic and expressive violin/cello emulation. Some of what 
you've mentioned 
> I've already got implimented. Some of the other stuff isn't 
important 99% of 
> the time and can be dropped. The playing dynamics will still end up 
sounding 
> far more natural than using a sampled violin/cello. That's the goal.
> 
> BTW, interesting thing about upstrokes vs downstrokes. I'll have to 
investigate 
> more, but I don't think there is any noticable audible tone 
difference between 
> the two. The waveform is virtually the same except inverted and 
backwarks.
> 
> -Elhardt


Just to give you some other specific violin sound items to think 
about: try listening to (for instance) a g2 played on E string and 
then to the same g2 played on A string - quit a different sound. Or a 
G (1 octave below g1) on the D string compared to the same G on the G 
string. Both are sounding dramaticaly different. And what about 
spiccato, short spiccato, broad spiccato, staccato, detaché and
many 
more bowing techniques that will nut just slightly, but totally 
change the sound character? Les already indicated that a lot of 
parameters are needed to get a convincing string sound and I'm not 
talking about "every possible obscure form of playing" here! Your 
answer could be that only the good string players can manage these 
techniques, but then I guess in trying to synthesize a 'real' string 
sound you want to go further then playing 'Old Mac Donald' on two 
strings?
At the other hand, Ken, I know you will go to extreems to get it 
right so keep it up and amaze us all!

Michel Havenith, Netherlands