MOTM

Since many of these techniques can be used with the MOTM (and some use the 
MOTM) I'm cross posting this AH message to the MOTM board.  These MP3 files 
come off my webspace and not the motm files section so anybody should be able 
to access them.

Here are some inhouse audio tests that I usually slap together to try out 
various sounds and techniques on analog and virtual analog synths.  Different 
ones have been heard on different message boards, some others have never been 
heard before. Most sounds are still works in progress.  If you're interested in 
hearing new synthesis techniques applied to synthesizing acoustic instruments 
and sounds, I've included a bit of info to the techniques I've used and the 
reason for the recording.  And for those who for some reason think the only 
thing I do is emulate acoustic instruments, Wrong!  You've either never 
bothered to listen to past MP3's I've posted, nor visited my house and gone 
through the patches in my synths.

Note: On PC, right click to if you want to download file directly to harddrive.

[1] This was done to hear several synthesized acoustic instruments playing at 
once to see how real they sound together.  First distant sound is from the JP-
8080, then two tracks of Alesis Andromeda acoustic guitars (one nylon and one 
steel string) come in, then Nord Modular violin followed by cello, then MOTM 
wood flute near the end.  Music was just made up in real-time as I played, but 
it sounds like something between William Ackerman and Shadowfax. (861K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Acoustics_192.mp3

[2] This is a two track recording (duet) of me tyring different Andromeda 
acoustic guitar sounds and improvising on the Hotel Califonia theme.  I'm 
trying different patches and different SE-70 effects unit settings throughout.  
I'm using the SE-70's high stage count phaseshifter and parametric EQ to get a 
nice guitar body resonance, especially noticable at the beginning of the file.  
About 50% of the signal was split off and run through a Boss acoustic simulator 
mostly to act as an exciter and give a bighter top end for steel string type 
sounds. (1153K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Hotel_California_Improv_A6.mp3

[3] If you haven't heard it already on the Synthtech site you can skip this 
one.  Here is a breath controlled recorder patch done on the motm (background 
is sampled guitar and piano).  All enveloping of the sound and tremelo is done 
with the Yamaha BC-3 breath controller to get expressive human played 
dynamics.  The filter resonance is modulated with noise to give a nice breathy 
effect. (428K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Recorder_motm.mp3

[4] This is a Nord Modular patch that tries to emulate the Moog string filter.  
It's a 32 band highly resonant filterbank with bands placed about 5 to the 
octave.  It however runs in series into the SE-70 high stage count phaseshifter 
and a bunch of EQ.  It's meant to process sound with a wooden resonant body 
tone.  First you hear an unprocessed MOTM sawtooth wave, then you hear the 
dramatic effects of the MOTM processed through the above effects to get a very 
exaggerated cello timbre.  The last part is an orchestral run overdubbing a 
bunch of celli and violins that use the above techniques. (196K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/String_Filtering_motm.mp3

[5] Here I'm trying some new Nord Modular solo string sounds using breath to 
control the depth and rate of vibrato.  Pedal is used for loudness.  I also 
wanted to hear how well they fit in with a real acoustic instrument (sampled 
piano).  The strings use multiple high resonance delay lines in parallel (comb 
filtering) for wood-like resonance, along with many stages of EQ, a couple of 
wave wrappers, and a bit of fixed phaseshifter.  The phaser actually produces a 
bit too hollow of a cello sound here which I'll correct later.  There's all 
kinds of other detailed programming such as fretless instrument emulation so 
that random pitch variations are generated on key presses keeping the strings a 
little out of tune.  Really helps them from sounding fake when playing octave 
intervals.  Starts off with cello, then moves into temporary violin and cello 
pizzicato patches, then later into violin and yet another cello patch joins in. 
(2322K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Schubert_Trio_Nord.mp3

[6] Here I'm multitracking a bunch of Nord Modular solo strings (violins and 
cellos) to form a large string orchestra.  The instruments were placed in 
different positions in the stereo field and different distances from the 
listener giving an engulfing 3D effect.  Since each track was recorded with 
differing dynamics and imperfections, it sounds quite human.  Excuse the crappy 
metallic builtin mixer reverb. (430K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/String_Orchestra_Nord_160.mp3

[7] This one shows hard to synthesize percussive sounds.  Here is a Roland JP-
8080 cymbal crash.  It uses two different stacked timbres then those are played 
polyphonically on five keys thus using all 10 voices of the synth for a big 
metallic cymbal sound.  Then follows a Nord Modular kettle drum.  One fixed LP 
filter, one fixed BP filter, five more keyboard tracking bandpass filters, and 
three EQ stages help shape the noise portion of this patch into a kettle drum 
timbre.  It was synthesized in less than 20 minutes before bedtime one night.  
Then follows a multitracked Nord Modular sound that emulates what one would 
hear if placed inside a piano when somebody dropped a heavy load on the lower 
keyboard of a piano. (293K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Virtual_Percussion_Instruments.mp3

[8] Since I had them handy, here are the Doepfer modular background train 
sounds from my Toy Symphony recording. (218K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Train_Doepfer.mp3

[9] If you've already heard "Lost At Sea" on the Synthtech news page then skip 
this.  Else, here are MOTM modular synthesized beach sounds from the beginning 
of that piece.  Heard are wind, surf, windchimes, dog barks, seagulls, 
foghorns, boathorns. (1308K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Beach_House_motm_160.mp3

[10] I spent 1.5 days synthesizing a single violin tone as a proof of concept 
for an advanced additive synth I may write specifically for doing realistic and 
expressive string sounds.  Just for fun I put some info about how that was done 
in this Wendy Carlos - Secrets of Synthesis style audio file.  Also at the end 
is a hokey fake advertisement showing the sad state of affairs of current 
string synthesis.  Note that the Nord strings at the end of that ad are just 
snippets from the earlier MP3's above and DON'T use the method described in the 
earlier part of the file. (2275K)

http://home.att.net/~elhardt3/Secrets_of_Synthesis_Elhardt.mp3


I hope some people find this material useful or educational.


-Elhardt