MOTM

> Additive synthesis has existed for quite a while now- especially in 
> the  academic sector  - 'modulars' or software based ones for that 
> matter have been around for quite awhile.  I've played one down at 
> Univ of IL back in the later seventies when I was going to go there 
> after HS to major in the veterinary school (love animals) and was 
> going to minor (diminish?) in Emusic.  Its a LOT of wanking around 
> with minimal effect - my general proof: no major synth manuf. are 
> pursuing it anymore.

I have a K5000 and it's a pretty cool synth, but for me the best part
of it is the formant filter, not the classical additive stuff.  Also,
it's extremely time-consuming to program.

That, I think, is the main problem with additive synthesis; there are
too many 'knobs', none of which make much noticable difference to the
sound.  To effect a broad timbral change requires altering dozens of
knobs at once.

I've been intrigued lately by the Neuron for just this reason. It
seems to be an attempt at a resynthesis scheme in which there are only
a few knobs, but where those few really change the sound dramatically,
and in quite novel ways.   Also, it's always nice to see something
genuinely original in synthesis...

(I recently wrote a little Linux app which uses genetic programming
techniques to 'breed' sounds in the fourier domain and which writes
the results out as samples - cool, semi-random stuff for when I have
*no idea* what sound I want in a piece.  The intention was to have it
write out Halion multisamples, but Steinberg won't release the Halion
file format.  If anyone's interested, I can port it to Windows pretty
easily...).

Harry