2SYNts- regular guitar to poly MIDI & synth

Started by nix808, January 31, 2014, 12:50:53 PM

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nix808

My first 2SYN video-  be sure and laugh,
I have audio working properly now though->


In it I played 2SYNth with a half-wave sync on a digital pulse
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

x64 imperfect versions are now available in the first post.
The bridging causes some UI glitches, hopefully we can rectify them in time- months,years

Tested in Cubase8.5,Reaper,Reason and FL--
they are unusable in FL, in the others the UI bridge sometimes does funny stuff related to redraws-
but they are effectual audio-wise

The 196 MIDI build is beta, I'm doing some stuff to it, it is not buggy, but some build issues in tracking are in it.
The resonance in the LP is coming down, to totally mitigate the first harmonic, but it requires some testing to set right.
194 plays nice, but it throws about 1 wrong note every 10 minutes in bend mode, trig mode is an approximation--
will keep testing and adjusting
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

2SYN midi 1961 now out of beta, available in first post 8D
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

Hey again-
I bashed out a Reaktor6 build, link is in first post(to the user library).
It's a bit different, now release can be nearly as long as you want-
it is limited by cross-string bleed.
If you use only a Mac, you can try it now if u have Reaktor6.
The latency of my class compliant soundcard is just a freak-32 samples on a 2006 iMac(playing Camel Alchemy VSTi).
There are 3 new tricks I used to try and mitigate the damned harmonic.
I am sure now a happy balance between treble and no harmonic could be found.
The schematic is annotated.
It has only trig mode, it doesn't have all the features of the VST- but it's different, like I say.

I want to get one of those Cycfi pickups to try-
maybe in the new year

nJoy the guitar tech, I hope a buzz or tingle is coming your way 8D
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

Heya 8D-
still plugging away at this plugin,
I have new builds(Reaktor and Flowstone) for you in the first post.
This concept still has me enthused, and I think I'm tracking in the right direction.
I have put in 100 more hours since the last offering.
Cheers!-rock on
The WIN build should be x64 this year.
I am using an active GK3 atm, but passive GK3 is equally workable

The green synth is in a holding pattern- sorta focussing on MIDI
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

A new Flowstone VSTfx build is in the first post.
It seems to me that the 'bends' mode now works as should.
The trig mode occasionally plays the wrong note, but I have an idea-
if I stop switching the nominal smooth figure, it might be better.
-but, try the bends mode if ya fancy, it's a lot of fun, now that errors are mitigated- it doesn't frustrate.
I will make some new audio demos.

It is set up for an active GK3

enjoy our current future of guitar tek!
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

Hi 8D --
I have got this as good as I can do it on VSTfx x86 built in FS.
The bend and trigger modes both work for me.
This update is only for the FS build- which will be x64 this year.

Known issues->
playing deliberate harmonics freak it out.
If u accidentally play a harmonic the same sorta warbly result can happen.
A lot of mispitched information is discarded in trig mode, so there is a small chance it will play the wrong note(most likely a semi out).
The build is heavy on CPU, I am no code genius, so I will ask friends if they can help optimize it.
The build leaks RAM slowly. This is due to being built in FlowStone 3081. I have a FS build that doesn't leak though, so if u play for more than 24 hours straight- I have the elixir which will keep u up!!-- just let me know. 3081 is used for it is stable and lets me share the source.

Novel subtle device now employed->
I have made a new device in this one. Have a look at the 48db hp cascade which is subtracted. It now is also active before the rest of the cutoff circuit. This means it parts the signal before the bulk of the harmonic reduction is done. so it cleans the harmonic before it is audible, or alters the cut value.

old novel device->
polypole filters created by mixing different cascade orders. These are the harmonic controls on the UI. Screw with these last when making ur master preset. Prolly they can't be a whole lot better for an active GK3. CyCfi pickups may be different-haven't tried them. Ubertar pickups honestly bleed too much between strings for the top half of the fretboard, although I have 2 nice guitars outfitted with them.

Rock on and move my d/l counter. Any comment muchly appreciated!

--The VSTfx build is in the first post of the thread 8D
New native and bridged 64 bit builds will be available soon, as well as the Reaktor update and internally controlled synth
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

Now native 64bit for Windows VSTfx!
download in first post
It's finished, I'm happy with the VSTfx build-
but the Reaktor one needs work
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

#58
v196 up

I'm gonna tackle the regular tr connection now
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

I have an update once more.
I think this is the last update before version2,
which will happen when the source can be opened in Flowstone retail.
It seems to work fine now,
I have been dealing with confirmation bias for years-
ie. being sure my latest trick has got it,
hmm maybe it's a fine instrument now
If you'd like try it again 8D
I had to take away the sine oscillator,
it created instability on held notes.
The x64 .dll is once again included.

I will be attempting to make impressive demos, now that it's finished(again hah :D ).

I have had 8 custom breakout boxes made. They are a simple affair- and we can make more now more easily after the first run. They are wall outlet powered, and feature highest quality 13 pin jacks. I'll up a couple of photos of my current setup now that I have locked it down, including the box. The plugins are designed for an active Roland GK3 hex pickup.

Hope you enjoy my lengthy project-
and good times all
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

1991 up
small tweaks +
velocity is working again
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

1992 up
see first post 8D

I focussed on the harmonic in this release.
Although by default, all the notes contain a lot of first harmonic content,
all but the 5th and 7th fret can be sufficiently mitigated.
So instead of an across the board harmonic quashing-
the 7th particularly has been adjusted for.
I can nearly make it impossible to play the harmonic intentionally,
but this is not great,
coz the high notes cease to register to a degree.
Instead of allowing the high notes to all play in a chord of open and 24th fret,
I have blocked the 7th fret(a fifth) harmonic as much as I can,
while allowing the fret 24 to play when not in a chord with an open string.
The GK3, although amazing,
does bleed between pickups some. The chord causes the fret 24 to play less than 100% of the time.
It is a compromise, but I'm finding it necessary atm.
If you'd like to try it, the unruly harmonic at 7th is tamed as much as possible.
It can be tried by playing the 5th & 7th fret harmonics intentionally.
The fifth will now not play at all now I think, no matter how sweet u hit it.
Please try again, this compromise may remain though.

Also- I tweaked the trig mode to be true to pitch better,
just sorta put the filters in a better rough config for the mode

Rock on!
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

1993 up
It has full range again 8D
I got a bit of the harmonic quash working.
Maybe it's novel-
I call it an auto-compensatory subtraction filter
The fifth and seventh fret harmonics are damped a lot more, while preserving the ~22 fret over open chord
The Reaktor ensemble also has been updated
njoy!
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

GuitarBuilder

"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

nix808

#64
8D
I certainly will, appreciate the encouragement.
MAX/msp has channel packing now, so I will build there too this year

Soon I will up some more gear shots,
but here is the breakout I had built(I made 8 of them)->

Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

CodeSmart

Hi nix808,
With all respect, I'm reading (some) of your posts (probably haven't read enough)  and can't really figure out what you are developing here. Could you please explain simply in layman's terms what your project is about?
All the best!
But I got more gear than I need...and I like it!

nix808

Heya!
Yeah sure
My plugin/program does the pitch to MIDI conversion that a GR-20,GI-20,GP-10 would normally do.
So it takes the audio from the GK3 pickup, and tracks it into MIDI note pitch messages, and on/off velocity.
The signal flow is->
strings>>GK3 pickup>>13 pin lead>>breakout box>>6ts leads>>soundcard>>PC or Mac>>plugin host>>mono audio into 2SYN x 6 lines>>2SYN software>>MIDI output>>plugin or hardware instrument>>speakers
It's a software version of a hardware 13 pin to MIDI box
--so it turns the hex guitar audio into MIDI note data for whatever synth/plugin/sound module you like

Please ask any questions you have CodeSmart!

Some sort of philosophy is that it is rather an open format. You can use whatever guitar, whatever hex pickup, soundcard, computer and amplification to play MIDI VGuitar-
and I have tried to make it(the soft) simple and straightforward, just how I want it
the source will soon be openable, so all of us can tinker with it if we want to do something custom. Although, the Reaktor build is currently modifiable and very similar to the VSTfx
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

#67
There's a new Reaktor build up!
I took some photos of my gear-
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

admin

#69



Nice Cheetah MS6


https://www.matrixsynth.com/2015/07/cheetah-ms6-w-maad-upgrade.html





This is a Six voice polyphonic analogue synth that can be split up in to 6 multi timbral parts.
Made from the same voice Curtis chips as Oberheim Matrix 1000
2 Oscillators
2 Envelopes
Filter and an LFO per voice.
Oscillators have 6 waveforms, PWM and sync .
One of the few synths that responds to polyphonic after touch too.

The MS6 is a full-featured analog synth with 12 oscillators with PWM, noise and sync. There are 6 analog 24dB/oct filters which are warm and resonant! Programming from the front panel is possible but quite a bit tedious, so use of an editor is definitely recommended, such as Unisyn or the Knobby. The MS6 has been used by OMD and Rick Wakeman.

Towards the end of the eighties, the British company Cheetah released their finest, the MS6. It's a 6-voice polyphonic/multitimbral analog synthesizer in a single-unit rack module. It has two digitally controlled oscillators per voice (12 DCOs) to provide better stability, and they sound surprisingly warm and musical. It's got the same sound chips (CEM 3396) as the Oberheim Matrix 6/6R and Matrix 1000 but the MS6 is multitimbral! Get creative with layering patches for ensembles or Trance heaven! Hidden within this little unit are some wonderful string, bass, lead, voice and percussion sounds!"



Also worth reading about its predecessor - the Cheetah MS800
https://www.gforcesoftware.com/extras/syntharchive/cheetah-ms800

If you're British, middle aged and a bit of a synth anorak, the chances are you will have heard of Cheetah. If not, the chances are you won't know anything about them.

With a background in computer peripherals, Cheetah entered the music instrument business in 1987 with their relatively affordable MK5 controller keyboard and followed this by expanding their product range into drum machines, synths and sequencers, all aimed towards the cash-strapped musician.

In the early 1990's after a good degree of success, Cheetah released one of the quirkiest digital synths ever produced, their MS800. This affordable Digital Wave Sequencing Synthesiser had an interesting spec sheet and sound, in addition to the honour of being one of the most unfathomable instruments ever made - it was mind numbingly confusing to program, not just in terms of setting up a sound but even something as simple as changing a MIDI channel on the MS800 could cause an aneurism.

GForce's Chris Macleod knows this from first hand experience because during the 1980s, after designing sounds for various musicians and companies, Cheetah asked him if he'd be interested in creating sounds for their forthcoming 'fully programmable' digital instrument.

Never one to turn down the chance to work with a new piece of gear he jumped at the opportunity.

The instrument arrived, was unpacked, plugged in and there it sat not making a sound for the next 5 hours.

"The preproduction unit didn't have a single factory sound, well, not that I could bloody well find" Chris recalls.

"During the course of the next few weeks I translated the manual into a series of diagrams and charts that visually allowed me to understand the 'flow' of the parameters, after which I set about creating 'Tones' and 'Patches' for this 15 note polyphonic, multi-timbral, filterless (what?), stereo bell box. The most bizarre thing is that you couldn't hear your parameter changes in real-time. You have to enter 'edit mode' adjust your parameters and then exit 'edit mode' to hear your changes."

Beyond daft? We think so because given its almost totally incomprehensible editing system could it have been a contributing factor to Cheetah vanishing soon after the MS800's release?

Nonetheless the MS800 had an almost unique tone and parameter structure which made it sonically interesting and reasonably useful back in the day. Nowadays though, we think it's a more interesting box of tricks than it was back then and the tones that you can coax from it provides a great counterbalance to analogue. The best description of the MS800's sound we've heard is "a PPG meets a Wavestation via a Sid Station."

Nonetheless it remains the most difficult instrument to program on the planet - If you don't believe us trawl the net and find a manual. Once you've read it, if you're still interested in giving it a go, let us know, we've still got ours.


nix808

ta!
6 voices is just perfect, as I'm a leads guy.
The MS-6 is actually easy to program,
when coupled to a PC with MIDI out.
Here's the link->
http://www.maad.net/ms6/downloads.html
It's the MS6ed
It needs to be on a specific patch though hmm
bank 6, patch 11    (I powered it on)
IMO-the filter is a little thin, but it's still very cool to play, the filter too
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

Hi!
I have a new plugin hex guitar converter built,
please see the first post in this thread for the download and details of FretKeys 6-Type,
which utilizes completely different algo methods and also plays like a different instrument

Hope you love all the tek and sweet sounds
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

#72
There are new Reaktor builds up now,
I started using all C strings .711mm gauge 28
This makes it simpler to mod, and the flat wounds possibly help some
It's so close to being right now,
on these 2 Reaktor ensembles
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

I have now updated the Windows 64 bit VSTfx.
You can get it in the first post of the thread,
in the Sendspace link.
All the strings are set to C, it's how I run now
Hope ur diggin' it  -Nick
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe

nix808

Nice!
It's just getting more nifty now, after all this time-
I'm not a good coder, but I have spent so many hours with these ones,
thinking about and trying to stop the harmonic,
so hopefully the devices/device chain are a good contribution to using whatever pickup.
I am being unforgiving and demanding a perfectly performant device of myself/the process.
Also the surrounding structure of triggering MIDI/GUI is done in FlowStone and Reaktor-
if you'd like to tweak
Hope you'd like to take it for a spin
GK3s are good enough, but if somehow you could take the first harmonic problem into account when winding pups, there would be an advantage. The harmonic is a cow hehe
--when using a 0 crossing read
Rock and Rock my boat, as long as you don't rock and rock my boat!hehe