One Synth Challenge #131: Syncla-X (Voting Over, results pending)

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Just amazing! If you remember that this is a competition, then this level even slightly suppresses me. When each patch takes 2-3 hours, you have to look for beauty in simplicity, otherwise there is not enough time to finish...

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Wooooot.... no, no, don't ever measure the time, haha! Seriously, I'm totally chaotic, when it comes to patch design.
I have a vague idea of what I want to make, like usually "a piano", :lol: , but then it turns into a saxophone, or a choir, or some curious chime. I just go with it and let things happen. It happens that I change a sound along the way, noticing things I don't like or I would like better, but I usually don't expect to perfectly work out a sound right off the bet. That CAN happen, too, but not too often. I'm too excited about playing around. What can take 3 hours is when I fall in love with a sound and just keep doodling for ever. That happened here, too. The second key-type epiano-bellish sound that comes in by the second section and takes the lead in the third was such a sound. I hardly showed off its potential here.
I've had a blast with the percussion, which I did adjust a few times. The bongo/conga mixture is designed to sound that way in the mix. Listening to it pure is a little weird, but they work really well in the background.
I may actually go back at the snare again, because somehow it felt like my first snare, which was in my little first diddy early on, felt somehow nicer...not sure. :shrug: ...but, yeah. Also the wicked chord-progression on the climax is a bit...I might still work on that later. I had three different takes for this one, vastly different, but yeah...

Anyway: THANK YOU! :hug: ...more to come! ;)

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I also tend to get distracted and move further away from the original sounds, but this synthesizer gave me a certain melody with certain instruments that don't go out of my head and don't change. ...I didn't think it would be so difficult to get the sound of a bass guitar if you are a perfectionist.
Thank you for your demo tracks, which dilute the silence of focused participants, and are very motivating!

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My pleasure and the best I could hope for! :)
...yeah, you sorta have to allow this thing to do what it wants to. I noticed that one should be careful with some of the parameters as they can somehow wreak havoc on cpu usage. It may be the FM modulation, if you use it on too many harmonics?!? :shrug: ...not sure, but it made it less pleasant for me to wrap this one up.

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Taron wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:15 pm Ok, here's a little taste of what I've got going...
https://soundcloud.com/taronium/taron-reef
OSC#131: Syncla-X

What a curious little wonder this thing is. Not without its challenges, it's capable of pretty incredible sounds and it's interesting to explore.
All presets from scratch, of course...

Instances: 14
DAW:MuLab
FX: 4Band, Level Compressor, Cross-Delay, Mid-Side Processor
3rd FX: Loudmax64, DragonFly reverb, Abstract Chamber
This is quite beautiful! Congrats Taron.

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I checked this now and I was not able to overload the processor by modulating the maximum number of harmonics. At least using one generator. For comparison, your orchestral patch "eats" 5-6% of the CPU in FL Studio.

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Thanks, function! :)
IV!, I can't tell you what it is, may be high frequency notes, all parameters in action or any such thing. I noticed that my cymbals had the worst impact on CPU as far as I can tell and they only use 2 oscillators. :shrug: But who knows what it really is.

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Taron wrote: Mon Jan 20, 2020 7:15 pm Ok, here's a little taste of what I've got going...
https://soundcloud.com/taronium/taron-reef
OSC#131: Syncla-X

What a curious little wonder this thing is. Not without its challenges, it's capable of pretty incredible sounds and it's interesting to explore.
All presets from scratch, of course...

Instances: 14
DAW:MuLab
FX: 4Band, Level Compressor, Cross-Delay, Mid-Side Processor
3rd FX: Loudmax64, DragonFly reverb, Abstract Chamber
This is fantastic! :hail: Always in awe of your compositions. The percussion is really good, love how you modeled those so beautifully with Syncla. The other instruments are tastefully programmed and played. Amazing stuff as always! :hug:

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Yeah Taron that one is incredible, those sounds! (especially for me the kit - wow).

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Thanks, Ex. See, it doesn't have to be an expensive instrument when enough will and joy fuels the work. Luckily I'm excited about challenges, especially when they come with a chance to show gratitude to amazing talents like the creator of this synth. That young guy makes me deeply happy! :hail:

Thanks, zarf! Yeah, on paper this synth should be a nightmare for drums, not having pitch envelopes, lousy filter envelope, no simple noise. But instead it pushes one to explore mildly different approaches, leading to some even more exciting results for some reason. I ended up loving the kick, for example, which seems like the hardest thing to accomplish with it. Some of the sounds only work really well in the mix and can't quite stand alone and I had a hell of a time with the cymbals, really, which shouldn't be so complicated. They did make me feel dumb, hahaha... :ud: ...but, hey... they work fine. :shrug: 8)

I still might go in there, though... maybe switch away from Asio for some tweaking, because my system can't handle properly what I've got going. After like instance 9 it started to get scratchy... :roll:

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Nice track and sounds T! Parts are very subtle "prog rock-ish" to me! Some of the chord sequences are very much in that era coupled with the laid back percussion - perhaps a little more melody? A lightly fuzz box guitar - maybe Mick Ratledge (Soft Machine) style?

dB

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...woops, corrected and completed the INFO for the track. I first posted it last night real quick between things and put the info in from the top of my head. :hihi: ...14 instances? Interesting underestimation :oops: 23 instances!
Also I forgot about Kotelnikov, which I just found the other day after some youtube clips about free vsts. Seems cool. I'm still too happy with LoudMax regarding how easy and in your face it is. But Kotelnikov seems like it could feel just as clear after some time. I need to make more experiences with it! :hyper:

A ROB, have you had your Birthday, yet? Well, I actually wanted to dedicate this song to you! :hug:
You may not be too surprised to hear that I initially had the lead instrument as guitar, running through Boogex, but I opted against it to avoid any emotional distress in some regarding "the rules", haha. So I kept it pure. There's no distortion on any instrument right now and it's pretty pure regarding any manipulation outside of reverb, echo and some tiny, rigid EQ tweaks.
But I totally hear you loud and clear! :phones:
I still may go and tweak the chord sequence on the back end of the climax, unless I listen to it often enough to be incapable of changing it again, haha... :scared: :roll: ...was hard after my first change already.
ANYWAY: THANK YOU! :hug:

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Thanks T - glad my ears did not deceive! Boogex used "subtley" can add that mild distortion which won't "offend" OSC purists I'm sure. Ears become 70 years old tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!

Still trying to get a reedy or horn like sound from the synth … but will get there I'm sure.

Just got my self a new CD player for my lounge! Still have so many classical and 70's and 80's CD's (big boxes and drawers of them!) - my "smartphone" is deemed pretty "dumb" now and won't run most apps now - it's no good "saying update your OS" when Apple doesn't provide an update for my phone anymore - pah! Streaming is all well and good, but you need a device set up and ready to go to do this … just dropping a CD into the top of the machine is still nice and simple - maybe when I am "post-70" I might get dragged kickin and screaming into the 21st C!!!

Looking forward to your changes -

dB

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Tomorrow!? Most excellent, now I know! :D
AH, just to clarify, there is no Boogex on there now. I only had it on when I started making the lead and took it off again, submitting to purity. 8)

You know, as long as you don't dig up Vinyl with a tear in your eye, haha :hihi: ...but I can't really say much about any of this, because I virtually never listen to music, oddly enough, unless it's voting time here, hahaha. Maybe once every 3 months I may deliberately find something on youtube or so, sometimes even classics, symphonies. I do like to watch documentaries about musicians, bands and music history, be that through early centuries or even synth history of the recent past. I find those generally exciting and relaxing at the same time. Unless it's some sort of mindless hype/propaganda like those BBC shows about celebs...dear god.
Last year I stumbled across this synth repair shop channel on youtube, which is really fun to watch. "Syntaur", yep, that's the name of the channel, the "Synth Wizards"...somehow I enjoy their awkward quirkiness, mixing passion and opportunism, but in this case I don't mind for some reason.

Anyway, congrats on your "new" CD player (amazed that there is such a thing in "new") and I'm already envisioning you, kicking back and listening to some glorious albums! :phones: ...makes me really think we could easily enjoy hanging out together! :)

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You're probably right about liking/appreciating similar music! The "new" player has this new fangled "Bluetooth" thingy as well! Only FM radio though, not DAB. Problem is DAB reception for me is crap, and they have turned down the power on the FM transmitters, so that's now crap as well. Radio will have to be internet or via the cable/sat TV.

So, tomorrow is lunch, then Star Wars film (sadly they've taken it off the iMax screen!). Then out for a meal with my wife, daughter + hubby + my 5yr old grandson!

Sometime I'll find time to do my OSC entry …

dB

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