What's the best K. Brown synth?

[overhishead]

You bet! -

The best thanks I can get is for someone to make some presets and share them.

Kevin,

I seem to remember in the past there was a download page that showed the creation date of your synths. Also, if you're maintaining this going forward, will you start stuffing the newer versions with the presets that folks submit?

[kevin brown]

I think I did see that page somewhere, on some other forum. On page two of my website I give the date of the latest updates, but not the date of original creation. I would include presets that folks submit as long as they are in .text fxp format (and they're not useless junk - ha !).

[overhishead]

I think I did see that page somewhere, on some other forum. On page two of my website I give the date of the latest updates, but not the date of original creation. I would include presets that folks submit as long as they are in .text fxp format (and they're not useless junk - ha !).

That's encouraging.

I was thinking it would be useful to have some kind of sub-menu system or tag-based sorting so there can be categories for Bass, Lead, Pad, Percussion, FX. Does Flowstone make allowance for that?

Also could your next synth include an audio input on channel 3 or 4 and use it as a modulation source?

[kevin brown]

The Preset Managers that I've seen don't have the facility for categories within the synth itself; of course one can save presets within one's DAW and save to any categorized folders one wishes. Not sure what you mean by channel 3 or 4 - vst plugins can only have stereo (left/right) inputs as far as I know. Most of the modular-style things I've done have audio ('external') inputs; being modular you can use it as a mod source. My Chorg PS-20, tonus 2620, Copperhead 2602 and Yumaha CS-153 have Envelope Followers on their audio-ins that convert the audio to CVs.

[overhishead]

Think of a sidechain compressor for example, the first two channels, left and right are for the program material, and the second set of inputs, the sidechain, are running on channels three and four. This way your sidechain signals don't get mixed into your track. This is the same for vocoder plugins, etc. Just like a drum machine plugin can have pretty much infinite output channels, there can also be many more than just left and right (channels 1 and 2) on the input side. This is convenient for routing, and you can use those silent channels to route a modulating signal such as a kick drum ducking a supersaw's noise gate, etc. You don't want the main audio input channels on a synth to be "the" inputs because what if you wanted to additively mix two synths in series on the same audio track? audio needs to flow freely "through the synth" in case you want to layer a sampler with a synth on the same track for example. at least the synth with multiple audio inputs needs a selector or a multiplexer for the user to choose which audio channels they want to use as modulation sources. audio input modulation sources will stupendously bring any synth to life in my opinion.

[kevin brown]

I don't fully follow what you're describing - I'm old and not a studio recording engineer/musician. To the extend I do follow, I don't think it's possible within a Flowstone vst - but this is much better brought up over at the DSP Robotics (maker of Flowstone) forum - http://www.dsprobotics.com/support/viewforum.php?f=2

Exactly how is an audio input with an envelope follower (as described in my previous post) not an "audio input modulation source"?

[nix808]

you've got it KB-
it translates as 'put inputs 3 & 4 on a synth or effect'
There's no problem doing this if the host supports it.
U can do it in FS

[kevin brown]

Does Tracktion support it?; I don't think VSThost does.

Still don't get the rest of it though, most of "overhishead's post is over mine.

[nix808]

FL,Reason,JUCEhost,EnergyXT,Console,Cubase,Reaper,MAXmsp
do support it

OverHisHead was just saying that u can do all sorts of things with the signal, that's not the output audio.

The classic case is to use an envelope follower to modulate the dynamics plug/compressor(a side-chain)
-- another might be a vocoder thing

best!

[kevin brown]

But a FS synth only has stereo audio outputs, how would a synth that contains an envelope follower on it's audio input connect the output of that follower to something outside the synth? FS plugins can't have 'control voltage' outputs can they?

[nix808]

it's something you can do if you want,
the outputs can actually be DC, but it's not a wise thing to do-
they are not really CV though, only audio or MIDI

I'm pretty sure a synth can have as many outputs as you want

[kevin brown]

CV = ssslllloooowwwwww audio

[nix808]

yeah agreed-
however CV is a voltage, which is not necessarily changing(slow)
the audio is digital

no problems with virtual CV being do-able,
but someone will accidentally plug it into their speakers.

I know the concept of CV, but have never used it

it's perfectly possible to output virtual DC, it's not a good idea though for a plug dev,
as some user or ourselves will plug it into the stereo

[kevin brown]

Good point - as someone whose dabbled with tube hi fi, I've blown up a few speakers with hi-volt DC !

[overhishead]

Good point - as someone whose dabbled with tube hi fi, I've blown up a few speakers with hi-volt DC !

Kevin,

many drum machine vsti's have a dozen or more outputs. Take Kontakt for example. The same applies to the input side. This is for routing purposes. it's not "sound" per se until it hits the DAC and your speakers. until then it's perfectly within specification to route floating point values wherever you want and for any purpose you can imagine.

Another example is a vocoder, it listens for two inputs, and different vocoders use different input channel setups. Look at how a stereo sidechain compressor works. The first pair of inputs, which correspond to the conventional left and right speaker setup, and the sidechain input can be on any audio channel you want. You could put the sidechain on channel 99 if you are using Reaper for example. Any professional DAW today should be equipped to allow routing for a sidechain compressor, especially since some genres of music are based on the sidechain compressor.

if you have multiple inputs and outputs on your modular type synths, you can route an LFO out of the mod matrix of one of your synths directly into the mod matrix of any other synth you make. Try it! Just add an extra pair of ins and outs of two synths and add those as sends and receives in their mod matrix, and hold tight because it's going to blow your mind.

just use as an example, the stock flowstone synthesizer. Add 4 channels on the input side and 2 more on the output side. send the audio to control points of interest, maybe a simple Ring modulation or multiplication of the signal before the output. if you don't have a routing matrix then put one instance in front of the other instance in your FX or instrument chain in your DAW. Follow?

I guess the output has to be "printed" to a monophonic stream on the output, so afaik you can't send poly streams over audio channels in a DAW. but you can send them 'silently' over channels 3 and 4 ...