"Synclavier V has been updated to version 2.0. Now featuring a powerful resynthesis engine, vintage sample playback, all-new presets, and a great sample library to explore."
Synclavier V Tutorial Update 2
Published on Oct 12, 2018
"Get a quick overview of some of the most important new features found in Synclavier V update 2.0. In this video, Guy covers the new sampling capabilities, the resynthesis engine, and some of the new grid features."
"Originally released in 2016 as part of V Collection 5, Synclavier V gave a whole new generation of musicians access to the ground breaking sound and features of the revolutionary late-70s digital synth. Developed in partnership with the original instrument’s inventor, Cameron Jones, Synclavier V went above and beyond the capabilities of the hardware produced between the late 70s and early 90s.
However, New England Digital also produced many optional add-ons for the Synclavier, such as a sample playback module and a resynthesis engine, that were not emulated in Arturia’s release of Synclavier V 2.
Today, that changes.
With the release of Synclavier V 2, alongside many other workflow enhancements and improvements, Arturia and Cameron Jones are proud to announce that Synclavier now includes sampling capabilities and an exciting resynthesis engine for musicians, producers, and sound designers to explore.
Synclavier V 2 is available as a free upgrade to all owners of Synclavier V, or Arturia’s V Collection 5 and V Collection 6.
Remember the Technos Acxel Resynthesizer (pictured)? I just read this post on Music Thing. Apparently the creator of the Acxel, Pierre Guilmette, is working on a new version. Check out Music Thing for a letter from Pierre.
You can find his website, iDarca Audio here. You'll find a bit of info on resynthesis and some audio samples.
Update some more info on the Acxel:
"Don Garbutt writes: Freaky, obsure, expensive, unique, weighs a lot, robust construction (lots of VLSI chips inside). This machine is impossible to find, although I have one. Lucky me!!! Graphical interface is totally intuitive, and tell me if you know of any other machines that are resynthesis- based, as this is , if you care to use it in this fashion. Digital filter emulation (oscillator # filter) is unequaled.
"In OVox, we bring you a next-generation vocal FX synthesizer to transform your vocal productions. Create a limitless palette of rich pitch/tune, harmonizer, vocoder, talkbox, vocal arpeggiation effects and beyond.
Music produced, composed and performed by Egozi"
Playlist:
Introducing Waves OVox: The Next-Generation Voice-Controlled Synth
How do YOU sound with Waves OVox?
How to Produce Unique Vocal Effects: Getting Started with OVox
Details:
Transform your vocal productions with the next-generation voice-controlled synth and vocal effects processor. Create a limitless palette of vocal morphing, tuning, harmonizing, vocoder & talkbox effects and beyond, with depth, clarity, and intuitive control. Available as a plugin or standalone app.
Limitless Vocal Palette
Producers, mixers, songwriters: Say goodbye to boring vocals. OVox gives you an unprecedented menu of vocal synthesis and reshaping options, from the Daft Punk-style vocoder sounds you know and love, to inventive vocal effects as endless as your creativity.
The Magic Under the Hood: Organic ReSynthesis®
OVox is powered by Waves Organic ReSynthesis® (ORS) technology to deliver its unmatched vocal synthesis sound quality.
ORS takes the original vocal signal and breaks it down to its core ‘DNA’ elements—amplitude, pitch, and formant. It then re-synthesizes these elements to create the new vocal sound, which is free of unwanted artifacts and preserves the expressiveness of the original vocal.
Intuitive Control
OVox is instant: no routing required. Simply insert it as a plugin or fire it up as a standalone app – sing, hum, speak or beatbox into it, and hear the magic happen.
MIDI control is optional. You can use OVox with a keyboard or MIDI controller, or with any instrument (for example a guitar) as the ‘carrier.’ Or you can simply use your voice (or a recorded vocal track) to trigger automatic chords, harmonies or scales, using OVox’s automatic Note Mapper.
Pick from Hundreds of Presets – or Dive Deep
Start with hundreds of satisfying presets, then tweak them using the most crucial controls displayed in OVox’s Main View.
Want to dive deeper? Open up OVox’s Expanded View, which unlocks a world of vocal morphing possibilities, including detailed Formant Filter control; nine LFO, ADSR and ORS modulators that can modulate any other control in the plugin; on-board FX; and much more.
The Ultimate Instrument Is You
The human voice is the original instrument—the richest in expression and the fullest in color. OVox turns your vocal—any vocal—into an even more limitless musical playground for you to express your creativity."
Technos Acxel Resynthesizer up on the bay. Title link takes you to the shots and I grabbed the text below, before it goes to *bay limbo. In via reader Rasmus. Thanks Rasmus!
"Only 39 Axcels [sic] were ever made - and those who own an Acxel (ACoustic + X + ELement) hold on to them - proved by the fact that it is very, very rare that an Acxel is for sale. The last, and probably the only, time an Acxel was offered on Ebay were 2003. If I remember correctly, the starting bid was USD10,000 that time.
Imagine drawing waveforms, 128-stage envelopes, base pitches and amplitudes (the user interface allows editing of 32 base pitches/amplitudes at the same time, like an 32 track pitch and audio mixer, with a discreet “page” for each group of 32 oscillators, or ISC’s – Intelligent Synthesis Cells, as they are called in the Technos terminology), and other sound parameters with your finger - and have 256 intelligent, digital oscillators follow your every creative move in real-time. Imagine creating a monophonic sound with 256 oscillators, 8 multitibral voices with 32 oscillators each or any combination in sections of 32 oscillators.
Published on May 19, 2016 ARTURIA - Update: new video uploaded May 30, 2016
Update: Clarification: the NED Synclavier is not an emulation but a port of the original software:
"this is not an emulation - it is the real thing, the real mccoy. Cameron Jones himself ported the original Synclavier code to run on PC/MAC/VST etc.
- you have the choice of playing each patch either in the original 8-bit depth, or change it to 4-bit (!), 10-bit, 12-bit, 14-bit, 16-bit, 18-bit, 20-bit, 22-bit or 24-bit depth.
- resynthesis: not implemented in the current release but there may be plans to put it in a future release. However some of the original factory patches included (83 total) are resynthesis-based
- the partials/timbre frame functionality was vastly expanded"
Video description:
"The new V Collection 5 is a giant leap forward in our quest to create the greatest legendary keyboards collection ever, including 5 new softwares instruments: Piano V, Synclavier V, B-3 V, Stage-73 V, Farfisa V.
Update:It's not clear if the Synclavier V supports sampling resynthesis (see above), although it does take the FM and additive synthesis with partials to a new level. For reference, you can find the history of features for the original Synclavier on Wikipedia here.
"Arturia announces the Synclavier V, the first recreation of the legendary digital synthesizer made in collaboration with Cameron Jones, the inventor of the original instrument.
The Synclavier V faithfully recreates the elite digital synthesizer/workstation that started it all, powering some of the biggest hits and film soundtracks of the early ‘80s with its unique rich, edgy sounds.
While the Synclavier V expertly brings this historic instrument to life, we’ve improved it dramatically by taking advantage of today’s processing power. We’ve also infused into it everything we’ve learned over 16 years of developing award-winning software synthesizers. The result is a thoroughly modern, cutting-edge instrument that stands alone among hardware and software synths alike.
Update: some details on the synth engine:
Timbres consist of up to 12 Partial Timbres
Much of the magic of the original Synclavier owed to the ability to build Timbres (presets) by creating and layering four completely different sounds or Partial Timbres to realize massive, complex sounds. With the Synclavier V, we’ve taken the number of Partial Timbres to 12, dramatically expanding the creative possibilities. Since each Partial Timbre is a complete sound, that means that you can stack many different sonic elements into electrifying Timbres resounding with rich complex textures brimming with subtleties.
Partial Timbres are each compete synth engines
Each of the 12 Partial Timbres has two digital oscillators that combine the principles of both additive and frequency modulation (FM) synthesis. Rather than using filters to subtract harmonics from simple oscillators, additive synthesis builds up complex sounds by selectively adding harmonics in this case. The Synclavier V goes way beyond that, combining these oscillators in an FM architecture where the carrier (main) oscillator is modulated by the second harmonic oscillator. The fusion of additive and FM technologies make for a stunningly diverse and unique universe of cinematic pads, epic leads, evolving bass lines and more.
Time Slices animate long passages
Time Slices allow you to specify up to 50 snapshots of the 12 Partial Timbres of additive and FM synthesis goodness, and animate through them over time. For each Time Slice, you can set the volume, pitch, FM modulation amount, and delay. The ability to set parameter crossfades of up to 30 seconds between Time Slices—over a total time of 5 minutes—makes it possible to create long evolving ambient pads and cinematic cues of incredible complexity.
Improvements make a great instrument even greater
We’ve made a lot more improvements beyond boosting the sound engine from four Partial Timbres to 12. Where the original modulation oscillator was only a sine wave, now you can also choose sawtooth, square, or triangle—or graphically build your own waves comprised of 24 phase-controllable harmonics. These enhancements allow you to create outrageous textures never possible before. Each Time Slice can now even have a separate FM modulator waveform. Variable bit depth between 4- and 24-bits, on-board effects, and a MIDI Learn feature are just some of the many examples of the new options available to you in Synclavier V.
With the Synclavier V, digital synthesis meets total creative and performance expression.
Sure, all synths have LFOs, but the vibrato section of the Synclavier V is exhaustive, giving you control over LFO attack, phase, quantizing, bias and more. Things get even more interesting when you apply the LFO to the FM harmonic oscillator that, in turn, modulates the carrier. Let that sink in for a minute!
Want to take your listeners on an animated journey? Add extra energy to your pads and soundscapes with the stereo modulation section. It actually takes the form of separate linkable tremolos for each channel, making for unique spatial animation effects that will have everybody’s heads spinning.
Imagine performing with expressive nuances never possible before. Press harder on the keyboard to change the amount of FM modulation. Ride the expression pedal to affect the frame speed of your Time Slices. Grab the mod wheel to rock the FM modulation ratio. These are just some examples of what’s possible when you use the modulation matrix to easily map any of your favorite MIDI controllers to dozens of sound engine parameters—discretely for each Partial Timbre."
Update: the official press release for the entire V Collection 5 [Note: The Analog Lab press release below was the first to go up. Apologies for the all the updates, but this is how it comes in, and posts here on MATRIXSYNTH are about capturing that]:
"Arturia advances industry-standard V Collection of virtual classic keyboards
GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software and hardware developer Arturia is proud to announce availability of V Collection 5 — the latest incarnation of its impressive industry-standard collection of authentic-sounding virtual instruments, expanded and updated to include five all-new additions alongside new versions of ‘old favourites’ (plus Analog Lab 2) — as of May 19…
With no fewer than 17 virtual instruments that recreate hard-to-source synthesizers and classic keyboards, V Collection 5 represents really remarkable value on many musical levels. At an attractive monetary level, it’s a no-brainer! Bringing something special to the 21st Century performance and production table, five all-new authentic-sounding additions lead this latest V Collection charge.
B-3 V beautifully recreates the distinctive tones of the B-3 tonewheel organ, one of the most iconic and influential instruments of all time. It truly transcends time and place by bringing this still-sought-after sound to the computer-based music-making masses. Meanwhile, Farfisa V virtually puts players in the driving seat of the sound that drove the hits of several decades as a superb software simulation of the famous Farfisa Compact Deluxe organ. Pushing the physical boundaries of an acoustic piano, Piano V meticulously models the sound and behaviour of one of the most important instruments history has yet thrown up — albeit not as one but rather nine virtual instruments rolled into one! An authentic-sounding software simulation of the Seventies-vintage Stage and Sixties-vintage Suitcase 73-key electric pianos, Stage-73 V is the sound of the Sixties, the sound of the Seventies… the sound of today, the sound of tomorrow! Thanks to Arturia’s close collaboration with original Synclavier® software developer Cameron Jones, Synclavier V takes everything the trailblazing Synclavier® could do as the most powerful additive and FM synthesizer ever created and makes it more powerful!
Put it like this: thinking about all those thousands of new sounds and styles in V Collection 5 that are available at the touch of a (virtual) button beggars belief, but Arturia’s aim is true… to create the tools that lend a helping hand to today’s musicians, taking inspiration from the past to (re)invent the music of tomorrow. The 12 remaining virtual instruments in V Collection 5 — ARP 2600 V, CS-80V, JUP-8V, Matrix-12 V, Mini V, Modular V, Prophet V, and SEM V analogue synthesizers; Prophet VS digital synthesizer; Wurli V electric piano; VOX Continental V electronic organ; and Solina V string machine — do just that, too. All are updated with resizable (Retina/4K-compatible) GUIs that truly have to be seen to be believed! But digging deeper, Native Instruments’ new NKS® (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) — allowing advanced integration with third-party software instruments — naturally features across the board. As does AU, AAX, VST2, and VST3 compatibility, standalone operation, plus MIDI Learn (to easily map all parameters to a MIDI CC).
Continuing Arturia’s quest for absolute authenticity through TAE® (True Analog Emulation), physical modelling, and additional technologies, anyone prepared to dig deep into V Collection 5’s treasure trove of hard-to-source synth and classic keyboard recreations will be musically rewarded in kind. Conversely, Analog Lab 2 is a powerful yet painless way of accessing a broad selection of sounds from across V Collection 5 within a single application. As it supports Arturia’s many MIDI controller devices natively, it adapts to reflect their physical controls when they are connected… connect with V Collection 5, then, and accept Arturia’s helping hand to today’s musicians, taking inspiration from the past to (re)invent the music of tomorrow!"
The Analog Lab press release:
"Arturia advances Analog Lab composite virtual instrument to include V Collection 5 sound selection
GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software and hardware developer Arturia is proud to announce availability of Analog Lab 2 — an all-new incarnation of its composite virtual instrument that gathers together a broad selection of sought-after sounds from its V Collection 5 software bundle — as of May 19...
Analog Lab 2 is a powerful yet painless way of accessing a sought-after selection of sounds from all 17 of Arturia’s authentic-sounding virtual instruments as a single application. Included are sounds from eight emulated analogue synthesizers (ARP 2600 V, CS-80V, JUP-8V, Matrix-12 V, Mini V, Modular V, Prophet V, and SEM V), two digital synthesizers (Prophet VS and Synclavier V), two electric pianos (Stage-73 V and Wurli V), an acoustic piano (Piano V), and three electronic organs (B-3 V, Farfisa V, and VOX Continental V). Those virtual instruments recreate hard-to-source hardware synthesizers and classic keyboards of the past and conveniently transport them to the present-day desktop.
Analog Lab 2 invites instant exploration as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in in any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) or as a standalone version. Its redesigned, resizable (Retina/4K-compatible) GUI (Graphical User Interface) is as easy on the eye as it is to use. Studio View shows the original historic hardware, helpfully bringing up the best presets from each instrument in question. But there’s a whole lot more to Analog Lab 2 than good looks alone.
Accessing those sought-after sounds at the speed of sound is simple, thanks to a new preset browser. Browse presets by TYPES, BANKS, sonic CHARACTERISTICS, and INSTRUMENTS (crossing categories). Create PLAYLISTS. Or simply Search for presets by NAME. Needless to say, with 4,500-plus presets to choose from there’s always a sound to suit every mood, every ambiance, and every music style — sounds that transcend time and fashion.
For those wishing to dig deeper then the dual-instrument MULTI feature with independent MIDI settings panel for each instrument will make their musical day. Drag and drop splits and layers of those presets to take ownership of the sound. Sounds and Multis can be organised in the PLAYLISTS area for instant recall via program change messages, making Analog Lab 2 a best friend in the studio and a pillar of live performance.
Put simply, Analog Lab 2 is so much more than just a sound library. It’s a substantial sound design tool and an amazing live performance instrument integral to immeasurably improving everyday workflow. When connected to one of Arturia’s many MIDI (Musical Digital Instrument Interface) controller devices, Analog Lab 2 will automatically adapt to reflect their physical controls. Generic MIDI controllers of course can also be used with MIDI learn to easily map all parameters to a MIDI CC (Control Change).
Changing the sound of Analog Lab 2 is even easier thanks to two EFFECTS slots with pre/post fader switch per instrument. Included Bitcrusher, Chorus, Delay, Destroy, Dub Delay, Eq4, Flanger, Overdrive, Phaser, Pitchshift, Reverb, Roundpanner, and Vocal Filter effects ensure that Analog Lab 2 always sounds the way you want it to.
Take your sound and workflow to another level with Analog Lab 2, an easily-accessible environment at an easy-to- swallow price point. What’s not to like?"
Arturia B-3 V Tutorial
Published on May 19, 2016
"The B-3 V delivers the most authentic tonewheel organ and rotary speaker experience you’ll find anywhere, plus customizations that open up new creative opportunities."
"Arturia pulls out all the software stops to realistically recreate tonewheel organ combo classic
GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software and hardware developer Arturia is proud to announce availability of B-3 V — an authentic-sounding software simulation of the classic B-3 tonewheel organ and Leslie rotary speaker combo — as of May 19...
B-3 V realistically recreates the special sound of the B-3 tonewheel organ. One of the most iconic and influential instruments of all time. One which has graced many of the greatest recordings of all time. Today Arturia brings this to its award-winning Analog Classics family of virtual instruments that recreate hard-to-source synthesizers and classic keyboards.
Keyboard players have made their mark in all forms of popular music with the B-3, back from its inception in the Fifties way past its discontinuation through to today. Procol Harum’s hit ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ proved particularly memorable with a melancholic countermelody displaying an altogether softer side to the B-3. But raucousness remains the order of the day for the blues, jazz, and gospel genres with which it first found favour. After all, it had historically been aimed at churches as a more compact and affordable alternative to conventional pipe organs.
One saying springs to mind: Pulling out all the stops — to hold back nothing — is an allusion to organ stops being pulled out to turn on each set of sounds in a pipe organ. The B-3 effectively ‘emulates’ this with its drawbars. Doing this and a whole lot more is what B-3 V does best, thanks to Arturia pulling out all the software stops to make it happen!
Thirties-developed tonewheel technology originally made that special sound happen. An electronic current is created when rotating a metal tonewheel near an electromagnetic pickup and amplifying that signal. The B-3 has 91 of those tonewheels with each key connected to a fixed set of tonewheel outputs. Drawbar settings control how these are mixed together. The tube preamplifier subsequently shapes the sound a little further — filtering and distortion take hold here — while factoring the position of the expression pedal. This not only acts as a volume control but also affects the frequency response of the preamp which is connected to a speaker.
Speaking of which, B-3 V faithfully simulates the favoured Leslie tone cabinet, containing a power amplifier that drives a rotating horn and a stationary woofer firing into a rotating drum reflector. Spellbinding spatial and frequency-shifting effects above and beyond the sound-shaping effects of commonplace loudspeakers are all perfectly possible!
B-3 V brings this classic combo — complete with the inherent imperfections that made that tonewheel technology sound so unique — to the present-day desktop as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in in any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) or as a standalone version. Visually, things couldn’t get clearer, thanks to the resizable (Retina/4K-compatible) GUI (Graphical User Interface) that’s as easy on the eye as it is to use.
Under the hood, things couldn’t be better with MIDI control of many parameters and insert slots for ANLALOG DELAY, CHORUS, FLANGER, OVERDRIVE, and PHASE effects, as well as ADVANCED SETTINGS for upper and lower manuals and rotary speaker behaviour. B-3 V boasts a built-in step sequencer, allowing anyone to easily set an amount of modulation for each step of the sequence! Naturally, Native Instruments’ new NKS® (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) allows advanced integration with B-3 V.
All of the benefits of the original iconic instrument are available to modern music-makers with B-3V, but without the heavyweight hassles. Where anyone chooses to take it musically is anyone’s guess, but bet your bottom dollar that special sound will be being heard for many more years to come... courtesy of B-3 V!"
Arturia Stage-73 V Tutorial
Published on May 19, 2016
"The Stage-73 gives you actual authentic modeling of both Stage and Suitcase versions of the most popular electric piano on the planet —completed with unparalleled control of virtual mechanics, a complement of effects pedals, and built-in classic amps."
Update: And the official press release for the new Farfisa-V:
"Arturia augments Analog Classics collection with faithful Farfisa Compact series software simulation
GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software and hardware developer Arturia is proud to announce availability of Farfisa V — faithfully modelling the famous Farfisa Compact Deluxe electronic organ with additional features from its Duo Compact series sibling — as of May 19...
Arturia’s award-winning Analog Classics family of virtual instruments recreate hard-to-source synthesizers and classic keyboards. As a worthy addition, Farfisa V virtually puts players of today in the musical driving seat with a still-sought-after sound that drove the hits of several decades: Farfisa’s famous Compact Deluxe electronic organ, one of a series of iconic instruments manufactured in Italy between 1964-1968. A staple of Sixties-produced popular music, they made their musical mark with a wider-ranging sound than that of their main VOX Continental competitor. With more bass waveforms and an expanded percussion and vibrato section sales soared.
Speaking sonically, Farfisa Compacts are almost more top octave synth-like than organ-like, thanks to a rudimentary envelope that allows for attack and decay control that went way beyond the typical organ sound of its day. Little wonder, then, that they proved popular with musicians throughout the Sixties (‘Sam The Sham’ and The Pharaohs, Percy Sledge), Seventies (Jean-Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk), Eighties (B-52s, Blondie), and beyond. But unlike heavyweight Hammond tonewheel organs, transportation to performances was trouble-free. For the fortuitous Farfisa form factor included integrated legs that could be folded up and stored within the body of the instrument itself, surely sealing many purchasing deals!
Today, though, finding and maintaining an original Farfisa has become both difficult and costly. Farfisa V solves such problems by bringing all the benefits without any of the hassles to the present-day desktop! Developed using an original hardware organ for reference, it meticulously models the original circuits and sounds of the famous Farfisa Compact Deluxe. Features from its Duo Compact series sibling are also included alongside an authentic combo amp simulation. Standalone instrument operation on Mac OS X and Windows is a given for performance purposes. Plug-in support for all major formats inside any DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with easy MIDI-learn functionality provides hands-on control of many of its parameters and automation support for considerable creative control. Naturally, Native Instruments’ new NKS® (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) — allowing advanced integration with third-party software instruments — is there for the taking.
As always, recreating an instrument in software provided an opportunity to add a number of more advanced features fit for the 21st Century. Cue the special USER WAVE position, allowing anyone to create an additive waveform. Why not use the ToneDraw feature to create a new waveshape based on the graphical look of the sliders? Having modelled the original built-in spring reverb, Arturia added other reverb IRs (Impulse Responses). Reorder the additional ANALOG DELAY, CHORUS, FLANGER, OVERDRIVE, and PHASER effects. Easily-accessible individual voice tuning, PARA (paraphonic) and POLY (polyphonic) modes, ATTACK and RELEASE envelopes for upper and lower keyboards, BASS WAVE (waveform selector), TONE control for bass section, TREMOLO SYNC, and REPEAT SYNC round out this all-new Analog Classic. Hearing is believing. So is seeing, thanks to the resizable (Retina/4K-compatible) GUI (Graphical User Interface) that’s as easy on the eye as it is to use.
Ultimately, then, whether you’re set on recreating a distinctive and powerful organ sound of the past or forging ahead with a new organ sound of the future, Farfisa V does it all. But best of all... legs no longer play a part in sealing this must-have musical deal!
"https://www.joness.com/gr300/SY-1000.htm [some pics of the inside there]
One of the breakthrough features of the Boss SY-1000 is access to the individual string inputs and outputs in the USB audio stream. With this feature you can record a guitar performance into your DAW then freely experiment with using different SY-1000 patches on the recorded track. Boss calls this resynthesis.
This is similar to the process of reamping, where a guitar signal is recorded dry then played back, or 'reamped' through different amplifiers. But resynthesis takes this to a whole new level, since you can not only change the amplifier, but the kind of guitar used on a track, switching from a Strat to a Les Paul, or Acoustic, or even a Roland GR-300 Guitar Synthesizer. With each string recorded individually there is also a whole new level of editing and creativity available as well. You can literally correct the performance of one note without having to punch in on the entire performance."
"In this video, I visit and talk with former New England Digital Synclavier Product Specialist Kevin Maloney while surrounded by his two Synclavier Digital Music Systems.
Together, we present a complete history of the Synclavier with a stories and examples of how we used it on some massive hit records and films.
First, we listen to a track on the the original blue vinyl record titled
'The Incredible Sounds of the Synclavier II Demonstration Record'
that was the original source sound for the intro to Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'.Kevin's talks about sitting next to Michael while working on the Bad" album.He'll show us a complete breakdown of the components that make up the "Smooth Criminal" bass sound and a recreation of the sampled drum part.Then you'll see, in real time, how Synclavier's unique sequencer can drastically and quickly manipulate (or even transform) the recreated "Smooth Criminal" track.Kevin tells us how he worked closely with producer Quincy Jones to create the intro to "We Are the World". Quincy wasn't satisfied with silver bells, so Kevin turned silver bells into gold bells. Quincy said, he wanted to “send out bells to call all the people of the world to come and hear this song”. We delve into the Synclavier's one-of-a-kind ability to analyze samples (recordings of instruments or sounds) in order to create a series of short frames that each consist of a static wavetable. By cross fading the frames the user is able to recreate the complexity of a sample with a synthesizer sound. This process is called Resynthesis. The user is now able to manipulate the synthesizer sound in many more ways than can ever be done with a sample. We then heavily distort some vocal sounds that were generated using Resynthesis to show the level of control that is possible. We take a look at some preset sampled sounds from the original Synclavier Orchestral library including the string sounds used by Mark Knopfler in Rob Reiner's "The Princess Bride". Anthony talks about how he created a flute sound generated from Resynthesis and later used it to perform practically every cue in the film "Stand by Me" which is another Rob Reiner hit. We take you through the evolution of the Synclavier that includes: The Synclavier I, the Synclavier II with it's original keyboard, the addition of the velocity and polyphonic keyboard, The expanded track sequencer, the addition of more buttons and secondary functions accessed by double clicking the buttons to send them into "blinking mode". BTW - These buttons were originally designed for the B-52 bomber.
We cover MIDI, SMPTE, polyphonic sampling voices and more memory (at a cost of $4500 per megabyte) that were available to add to your system.
We highlight the reason why the Synclavier cost so much and how New England Digital managed to integrate cutting edge 3rd party technology that all worked perfectly together in one unified music system. Finally we review the far more accessible versions of the Synclavier like the Synclavier V by Arturia, Synclavier Go! and Synclavier Pocket! and the most recent addition to the family - Synclavier Regen which actually has unlimited FM synthesis and sampler voices along with the long awaited... resonant Multimode FILTERS!!! The evolution of Synclavier is filled with a plethora of breath-taking features that were nowhere to be found on any other single instrument and it includes a discography of legendary proportion. It's also a history that's deeply personal to me because it ran parallel with my evolution as a composer, songwriter, arranger and programmer. The Synclavier is alive and well in 2023!
Anthony's musical touch as both composer and performer is connected with some of the most influential creative minds over the last 40 years. He’s composed and conducted original orchestral scores for over 80 feature films including Young Guns, Internal Affairs, The Man From Elysian Fields, 15 Minutes and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his symphonic work "In the Family Way", written over one thousand TV commercials in a myriad of musical styles, co-founded Levels Audio Post (LA's premiere post production facility) and performed and arranged on big-box-office films and influential hit records such as Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Title link takes you to more including a downloadable demo and samples on the top right. Also check out their other soft synths to the left when you get there.
"Morphine’s 128 harmonic oscillator engine is fully optimized for producing a high quality, warm sound, with ground shaking bass and crystal clear high frequencies. Based on complex, full 32 bit mathematics, with no internal sampling to avoid interpolation noises so Morphine retains that 'analog' quality.
The oscillators are also optimized for fast amplitude and frequency modulation response for accurate tone reproduction.
The oscillator engine is not only thing that makes Morphine sound so great. With an infinite number of harmonic snapshots 'per-spectrum', and the ability to map a unique spectra for each note, you can generate a realistic and balanced sound over the entire keyboard range.
Additionally, the four generator sources can be morphed via the in-built mix/morph envelope or from an external MIDI controller. Combined with the four independent multipoint modulation envelopes, assignable to many internal parameters, you can achieve any sound, just like you imagined it.
As an ‘Easter-egg’ for the sound designers among you, Morphine provides unison and comb/pulse width filter modulation of the harmonics directly, adding even more motion to the sound.
Resynthesis Be inspired. Resynthesis allows you to capture a complete spectrum from any audio sample, for accurate emulation of real instruments, or as a starting point for something completely new, using the in-built editing tools. Unlike the resynthesis of other additive synthesizers, Morphine provides total control so the resynthesized sounds are as close to the original sample as possible."
YouTube Published on Apr 3, 2012 by blacktomcat666
"A short demonstration of the 'synthesize loop' and convolution module. Sorry for the low visual quality, this video is for sound demonstration puposes only. The speed of the resynthesis is very slow, because it's an old Athlon 1800 and the video capturing software uses up to 80% of the ressources."
via Piet Wagner on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge
"Here's a small demonstration video of some new features, which will be available the next weeks: First a sample is looped and 'stereofied' and then multiplicated with a drum loop. Computing the sounds is very slow because of the ressource consumption of the video capturing software."
Previous videos:
Transwave - Term controlled by light pen
Uploaded by blacktomcat666 on Feb 1, 2011
"A short demonstration of controlling Transwave - Term with the light pen. The video was recorded in an early stage of development, resynthesis quality and light pen handling have improved by now. See also this video:"
TRANSWAVE - TERM small demo track
Uploaded by blacktomcat666 on Feb 15, 2010
"Additive wavetable generator for samplers with loop position modulation.
Bass: Access Virus B
Drums: Technics WSA1
Transwaves: Wusikstation VSTi"
"I programmed a small windows based tool called "Komplex - Term" which can read and write WT files for the Terratec Komplexer. Further you can render it's wavetables to wave format, so you can use it in your Wusikstation, VAZ Modular, Reaktor... . It also offers wave file resynthesis and some editing functions like reordering slices, drawing spectra, a free formant filter (similar to the kawai k5000)and so on. I wrote a short manual, but please excuse my poor english. Very Happy
"One of the things I am interested in adding to my hardware Synclavier is the Mono sampling option.
This and a processor upgrade will allow me to do sound resynthesis and Timbre frames. I started to look into this at the start of the year but as I was planning my trip to Europe it just was not possible at the time. Just over a month ago Arturia released the free upgrade of Synclavier V which not only brought sampling but the full resynthesis option! First of all.. to get this kind of upgrade for something I paid for 3 years ago is astounding!.. Thanks Arturia! What great times we live in for sound creation :D"
"In this video, Anthony tells the story surrounding the musical score from (1986) hit film Stand by Me which features an All-Star cast that incudes River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, John Cusack and Richard Dreyfuss.
We learn that the first version of the film was titled The Body, named after the novel by Stephen King. The film's director, Rob Reiner intuitively changed the film's name to Stand by Me after licensing the rights to the song with the same name written by Ben E. King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The name change was made only one week before the film's delivery date. With little time to spare, the musical score was re-created using the sounds and melody from the song and performed on the Synclavier Digital Music System using it's on board sequencer/recorder and employing a sound modeling technique unique to the Synclavier called "Resynthesis".
Anthony describes "Resynthesis"as creating synthesizer sounds based on samples analyzed by the computer that use cross fades of back-to-back wave tables. "Resynthesis" gives you the tonal character of the original sampled sound with all the benefits of a synth (e.g less memory, same length across the keyboard, more editing capabilities...) Along with Brian Banks, Anthony programmed all the sounds and replayed the entire score in this way after the original score by Oscar Winning composer Jack M. Nietzsche was abandoned. The film's director Rob Reiner was present throughout the scoring process. The duo had just completed work programming and performing Jack's score for the John Carpenter Oscar Nominated film Starman.
In this video you'll hear the actual sounds used in the film that Anthony loads from the original 5.25" floppy disks (that still work perfectly after being in storage for close to 40 years). The final score used a core instrumentation of resynthesized versions of a flute, stand up bass, bowed wine glasses and piano. There was no DAW in existence so all the tracks were input into the Synclavier's internal sequencer/recorder and locked to picture using the latest feature SMPTE time code. With this set up, everyone could watch the film while the music was being recorded.
Anthony also states the importance of a good film or a good song. It's all the difference in the potential of your work as a programmer, arranger or performer. He advises to step back and really listen to what you are creating to find the emotion in the sounds.
Anthony's musical touch as both composer and performer is connected with some of the most influential creative minds over the last 40 years. He’s composed and conducted original orchestral scores for over 80 feature films including Young Guns, Internal Affairs, The Man From Elysian Fields, 15 Minutes and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his symphonic work "In the Family Way", written over one thousand TV commercials in a myriad of musical styles, co-founded Levels Audio Post (LA's premiere post production facility) and performed and arranged on big-box-office films and influential hit records such as Michael Jackson's Thriller.
His extensive work as a young arranger, orchestrator and performer for Quincy Jones, Jack Nitzsche, Lamont Dozier, Arthur Rubenstein and Giorgio Moroder was vital in launching his own career. His early years pioneering modular analog synthesizers along with his wide-ranging music scholarship positioned Anthony at the center of the music technology revolution. He attended the University of Southern California School of Music as a piano and composition major.
The Sogitex 4X is mentioned in the Q&A below. You can find more info on the Sogitex here. The following is some info from that site: "The Sogitec 4X digital synthesizer at IRCAM during the 1980's, was the direct result of Luciano Berio's demand that live electronic sound ought to consist of at least a 1000 sinewave oscillators (1), in order to be interesting for the composer and the audience alike. It was the last huge hardware, that IRCAM instigated before it turned to the ISPW and subsequently to software solutions in the shape of jMax and Max/MSP. The 4X's eight internal custom-built processors were capable of altogether 200 MIPS (2), which being the equivalent of 1000 sinewaves, 500 filters or 450 second order filters (3). Each processor contained a data-memory, an address-memory, a microprogram-memory and a function-memory. For calculations it used 24 bit fixed point units consisting of a multiplier, a arithmetic and logic unit. It also had 256 internal (programmable) clocks and a large dual buffer for recording and playing. The algorithms were cross developed on DEC en Sun mainframes in Fortran and C. (4&5)."
Q&A on the Acxell II via an anonymous reader:
Q: If i understand well,its posible to acxelize a complex sound source from a pre recorded wav with the soundbuilder then use this resynthezized model in acxelink mode again to be able to control that sound it real time via an external audio input (1 or more?)( each one )
"I'm selling a 16-voice Synclavier II system. It is one of the super rare 2% of Synclaviers which has the Timbre Frame Resynthesis capability. Another rarity is the black ORK keyboard. The system has a lot of sound disks, the RealTime software disks, etc. comes with manual, extra floppy drive, etc. The unit worked fine in July 2015 when I recorded the Aloha Rhapsody with it. Now it won't load any OS disk, although it still starts up the good old way. The issue might be a simple $100 floppy snag of some sort for all I know. I only learned enough Synclavier know-how to understand, only seasoned experts with lots of spare parts should mess with a Synclavier's hardware.
So this system needs a new owner, someone who lives within easy driving distance of a seasoned tech like Synhouse in LA who did the last full overhaul of this unit in 2009, bringing it up to factory spec. Keeping a Synclavier system in the middle of Pacific as I tried, where diagnosing an issue will cost 10 times the repair in air shipping costs is not really financially sensible.
So, even though I spent close to $10K on this system, I'll put it up for sale at $2490, as is. From its arrival in 2009, it still worked fine 6 months ago, so whatever ails it now seems not drastic, but I am not making any promises. At such a bargain basement price, it is being sold as is. When it runs, it does awesome things.
For shipping,I'll put the dimensions below so you can check FedEx/UPS shipping quotes to your exotic destinations for yourself. Ebay's form only let me enter dimension / weight for one single box, as if the whole system were packed into one giant uber-heavy box. In fact, there will be 3 separate boxes.
The rack unit, boxed is: 72 lbs, 24 x 24 x 16 inch
The keyboard, boxed is 25 lbs, 42 x 16 x 12 inch
Drives, cables, manuals, etc. in one big box is 40 lbs, 16 x 16 x 24 inch
My zip code (if ebay doesn't say it) is 96815"
Get Harmor here - http://www.image-line.com/documents/harmor.html
Harmor - featuring a unique and modern additive synthesis engine that emulates classic subtractive synthesis as well, taking sound generation to the next level.
Additive / subtractive emulation - generating sounds not possible with traditional synthesis methods, including the ability to draw custom filter shapes, and offering precise control over every aspect of the sound conception.
Image & Audio Resynthesis - allowing a faithful, sampler-quality resynthesis of audio, not a vague sound-alike often met in additive synthesizers. Images too can be imported and turned into sound.
Envelopes and articulation - as originally seen in Image-Line's flagship synthesizer Sytrus, are taken to new levels of features, flexibility and GUI integration.
Sound creation - possibilities are endless, but not bewildering. Stutter, mangle, stretch, pitch and manipulate both audio and images beyond recognition.
More Harmor videos - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=8298A40B57C9E76F
"SPEAR is an application for audio analysis, editing and synthesis. The analysis procedure (which is based on the traditional McAulay-Quatieri technique) attempts to represent a sound with many individual sinusoidal tracks (partials), each corresponding to a single sinusoidal wave with time varying frequency and amplitude.
Something which closely resembles the original input sound (a resynthesis) can be generated by computing and adding all of the individual time varying sinusoidal waves together. In almost all cases the resynthesis will not be exactly identical to the original sound (although it is possible to get very close).
Aside from offering a very detailed analysis of the time varying frequency content of a sound, a sinusoidal model offers a great deal of flexibility for editing and manipulation. SPEAR supports flexible selection and immediate manipulation of analysis data, cut and paste, and unlimited undo/redo. Hundreds of simultaneous partials can be synthesized in real-time and documents may contain thousands of individual partials dispersed in time. SPEAR also supports a variety of standard file formats for the import and export of analysis data."
"New features in the Kyma 7.1 sound design environment are designed to help you stay in the creative flow by extending automatic Gallery generation to analysis files and Sounds, keeping your sound interactions lively and dynamic with support for new, multidimensional physical controllers, while expanding your sonic universe to include new synthesis and control algorithms that can be combined with the extensive library of algorithms already in Kyma."
Press release:
"Kyma 7.1 Sound Design Software Release
More inspiration, more live interaction, more ways to generate sound
CHAMPAIGN — November 14, 2016 — Symbolic Sound today announced that Kyma 7.1, the latest major release of the world’s most advanced sound design environment, is now available as a free update for sound designers, musicians, and researchers currently using Kyma 7. In Kyma 7.1, you can automatically generate an extensive gallery of inspiring sound design ideas based on your own signal-flow patches, samples, or analysis files. From there, it’s easy to map any parameter to an external physical controller so you can perform live sound-to-picture and design new musical instruments. Quickly create unique, high-quality sounds by combining some of the newly-developed sound synthesis modules exclusive to Kyma 7.1 with the massive library of existing synthesis and processing modules already available in Kyma.
"The Make Noise x SoundHack Spectraphon is a dual spectral oscillator for Eurorack modular synthesizers. At first glance, it might look somewhat like a classic "complex oscillator" in the style of Buchla's 259 or Make Noise's own DPO—but there's much more to it than that. To make a long story short, it offers a new and novel approach to sound design that we haven't quite seen in Eurorack before.
As a live processor, Spectraphon can be like a vocoder, a resonator, a pseudo-spectral freeze; as an oscillator, it creates a wide range of evolving tones based on stored analyses of external sounds. It's a dense module—so in this video, we dive into how it works and how it sounds.
"Apple appears to have acquired popular music plug-in and effect maker Camel Audio, based on information found on corporate registry site Companies House [PDF]. Camel Audio's address has been updated to 100 New Bridge Street, which is Apple's London address, and the company's sole director is now listed as Apple lawyer Heather Joy Morrison, suggesting the company is in the possession of Apple.
Camel Audio is known for its range of plug-ins, synthesizers, effects, and sound libraries, which were available via the company's Alchemy software. Previously available for $249, Alchemy included more than 1000 sounds, 5.5GB worth of samples, a powerful additive resynthesis engine, spectral resynthesis, a virtual analog synthesizer, and more. Its powerful engine was highly useful to those who liked to create and manipulate audio for unique sounds."
Interesting. Curious if it will become part of Garage Band. Deeper instruments coming to the platform?
"Turn your iPhone/iPad into a powerful synthesizer! Alchemy Mobile includes everything from evolving soundscapes and fat bases to lush pads and pulsing arpeggios. This is the iOS version of Camel Audio's award-winning Alchemy synth - the leading sample manipulation synthesizer which can be heard on thousands of records and films by world-class artists.
Discover an almost limitless palette of sounds using the unique remix pad to morph between sound variations. 16 controls including cutoff, resonance, ADSR and effects parameters are specially selected for each preset to make tweaking sounds to fit your music easier than ever.
The Alchemy Mobile interface was designed with ease of use in mind. You can play the mini keyboard built into the app, which features scalable key size and one touch major and minor keys so even the clumsiest fingers can play along with friends. You can also plug in an external Core MIDI keyboard.
Want to know why Alchemy Mobile has such amazing sounds which can change so drastically with a tap of the remix pad? The performance controls and remix pad are linked to the most powerful synthesis engine on iOS, which allows you to morph and change the sound in radical ways not possible with any other synth. Alchemy's VA synth, sampler and granular and additive resynthesis, combined with almost unlimited modulation sources, effects and a flexible arpeggiator are used to power this expressive way of creating new sounds for your music.
The free version of Alchemy Mobile includes 25 sounds, with a further 25 available when you register for free with Camel Audio. You can expand Alchemy Mobile with a wide range of sound libraries such as BigTone, Cinematic and Arp Dimensions from world class sound designers. The libraries each contain 50 sounds (400 variations) and are available as in-app purchases.
Alchemy is programmed to make the most of your device, so the more recent your model the higher the polyphony and the lower the latency.
Alchemy Mobile Free features:
- remix pad to morph between sound variations and create your own sound
- 16 performance controls so you can easily tweak sounds to fit your music
- most powerful iOS synthesis engine with VA, sampler, granular and additive resynthesis
- external MIDI keyboard support
- loop player with 25 drum loops included
- copy and paste support for easy integration with sequencers
- built in keyboard with scalable keys
- one touch major and minor chords
- iPad native version included
- 25 sounds with 25 more free when you register
- add on sound libraries available as in-app purchases
PRO UPGRADE DESCRIPTION
With the Pro upgrade, you can remotely control Alchemy or the free Alchemy Player on your desktop computer. Easy one touch access to the remix pad and preset selection means you'll spend more time getting inspired and less time reaching for your mouse. The Pro upgrade comes with an extra 75 presets and 25 loops and you can download Mobile versions of the desktop Sound Libraries you own for free. Since the same presets are available in the desktop version, you can find the perfect sound for the tune you are working on whilst you're on the go. Upgrade to the Pro version via in-app purchase from the presets menu.
Pro Upgrade features:
- remote control of Alchemy or Alchemy Player on your desktop computer
- download Mobile version of any desktop sound libraries you own for free
- 125 sounds
- 50 loops"
This is the first post to feature both Lyre inc. and the FDSS Studio Additive Synthesizer. It was spotted and sent in via M Me. The listing, images, and info is from Synthmaster.de, posted here with permission.
Details from the listing:
"I am offering my ultra mega rare Lyre FDSS Studio.
The FDSS is an additive synthesizer with analysis and resynthesis function from 1987
The technical data is on the last picture in the web, you can find almost nothing about it
Ultra rare , as far as I know less than 50 devices have been built , only three have been delivered to Europe .
This synthesizer was available as an 8 or 16 voice version, The 8-voice version was always the basic version, which could be expanded to include a further 8 voices out of 16.
Like the famous Technos Acxel synthesizer, the Lyre FDSS synthesizer also designed and built in Quebec / Canada.
You had to operate it via a terminal, similar to the
Synclavier, Synergy or Kurzweil K150FS.
Software was and is included for PC and Apple Mac
Mac could be connected directly and with the PC you needed a card (ISA is included)
price, no idea.....
with such rare things "whatever someone is willing to pay" applies :-))
