Wiardgroup

Some more comments on "West Coast" techniques.

The main difference between the two techniques are how the filter is applied. In "East 
Coast" technique, you start with simple waveforms and used the filter to do your timbre 
control. The classic East Coast patch is VCO - VCF - VCA with ADSR envelopes for the VCF 
and VCA.

In one of the "West Coast" techniques, you start with complex waveforms and use the filter 
just to do final tone shaping. Of course crank up the resonance if you want to mix the two 
techniques.

How do you get complex waveforms? The Wiard-Blacet Mini-wave or 300 series Waveform 
City is a good source of complex waveforms when used as a wavetable playback device. 
These complex waveforms can be made even more complex by the use of synch and FM at 
the same time. The Mini-wave/Wavefrom city can also be used as a wave multiplier for 
non-linear synthesis.

Here are a couple of simple patches that are "West" sounding.

VCO(sine) - VCA -  LINFMVCO(sine) - Borg in lowpass gate mode (VCA).

You use the first VCA to dynamically control the depth of linear FM. Envelopes are routed 
to the FM depth VCA and to the Borg tone shaper. The use of sine waves produces "nice" 
sounding FM along with the soft Borg envelope. With the first VCO set to about 7 Hz and 
the linear FM control of the second VCO  barely open, you have dynamic and natural 
sounding vibrato.

VCO(sine) - LINFMVCO(sine) - VCA - Mini-wave(+/- 5v) - Borg in lowpass gate mode 
(VCA)

This is a fixed depth FM patch going to a dynamic depth wave multiplier. Envelopes are 
routed to the first VCA and to the Borg. The VCA before the Mini-Wave needs to have 
controls to set initial volume and control the amount of envelope (like an ARP 2600 VCA 
has). You want to adjust the VCA so it is about 20% on with no envelope. Then adjust the 
amount of envelope sweep to your taste. You can play with any bank or wave in the Mini-
wave but Bank 13 is designed just for this use.

Banks 0 to 7 of the "Socket Rocket" chip are designed to process audio input. In this case 
the VCA is set 100% on. Bank 6 "Bit Descimation" can really make a drum track gnarly 
when set to 4 bits or less.

One thing to look at is the "Socket Rocket" users manual. This is a 10 meg pdf file.

Go to

http://www.musicsynthesizer.com/DIY/Grant/grant_richters_synthdiy.htm

and scroll to the bottom under "Discontinued Products" Right click on "Socket Rocket Final 
Manual" and save the pdf file to the desktop or your prefered location. This has ideas for 
using the waves in the Socket Rocket chip. I used an ARP 2600 and 1630 sequencer to 
reference the patches.

--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "ethanzer0" <ethanzer0@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Grant,
> 
> Your treatise on "West Coast" synthesis technique is fascinating!  I 
> am wondering if you be so kind as to elaborate on some more 
> advanced "West Coast" techniques? I believe the community at large is 
> strongly lacking in this knowledge and would benefit significantly 
> from it.
> 
> Also, can you provide a few examples of achieving these techniques 
> with Wiard 300 or Wiard 1200/Blacet modules?  If I could actually 
> play with these ideas I could get a better understanding.
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Ethan
> 
> > The icing on the cake is the complex oscillator. The Wiard 
> Synthesizer Mini-Wave and VCO
> > (manufactured under license by Blacet Research) is a type of 
> complex oscillator and non-
> > linear waveshaper already well established. A lot of good work has 
> been done with these 
> > Wiard designs. Improving on such a solid base is no easy task.
> >
>