Addative Synthesizers

It's funny, with all of the recent talk of modular synths and how everyone wants some cool awesome new sonic possibilites and yadda etc blah woo zippy wah wah talk.

Nobody seems to even notice that Addative synthesis exists!

To go over it in a really really basic way (since Im no synth professor!):

Instead of subtractive synthesis (taking a base waveform and using filters/envelopes to shape new sonic data), you instead ADD harmonic content.

Typically this is done using stacked sine waves (because sine waves have very limited and understandable harmonic content, indeed, a pure sine has only the first order, or base harmonic).

Lots of people know of the most basic addative synthesizer: the drawbar organ. The drawbar organ can overlap sine wavs (usually 8 or 9 of them), in the form of air passing thru tonewheels (wheels that have holes in them, the holes differ in size/space apart to give the different harmonics).

Even with this really limited scope of harmonics, everyone can appreciate the sonic depth of the drawbar organ.

Enter Kawai, the only manufacturer to produce a serious mainstream addative product (hardwarewise). Sure, others did it, but I don't see many Fairlight CMI's or Synclavier's going on ebay for $400 so I will not call them mainstream. Also, some softsynth solutoins are popping up, not that many people seem to be taking notice of those either (how many threads are there asking for Cameleon cracks?)

The Kawai is more powerfull than those anyhow. The K5000S/W/R (synth, workstation, or rack), models offer 128 harmonic layers, adjustable in real time via a bank of knobs as well as a (incredibly obtuse and arcane) menu system access via lcd. The sonic possibilites of such are near endless. Easily approaching, if not surpassing, the range of sonic qualities that could be offered by a large modular system. Technically, using FFT's, you can deconstuct any sound into its constituent harmonics, and replicate them with a sufficiently power addative synthesizer. This holy grail possibility is something no substractive synthesizer will ever be able to boast.

So I ask you, EKTing public, howcome nobody seems to give a shit?

  ten fingers ten toes said:

It's funny, with all of the recent talk of modular synths and how everyone wants some cool awesome new sonic possibilites and yadda etc blah woo zippy wah wah talk.

 

Nobody seems to even notice that Addative synthesis exists!

 

To go over it in a really really basic way (since Im no synth professor!):

 

Instead of subtractive synthesis (taking a base waveform and using filters/envelopes to shape new sonic data), you instead ADD harmonic content.

 

Typically this is done using stacked sine waves (because sine waves have very limited and understandable harmonic content, indeed, a pure sine has only the first order, or base harmonic).

 

Lots of people know of the most basic addative synthesizer: the drawbar organ. The drawbar organ can overlap sine wavs (usually 8 or 9 of them), in the form of air passing thru tonewheels (wheels that have holes in them, the holes differ in size/space apart to give the different harmonics).

 

Even with this really limited scope of harmonics, everyone can appreciate the sonic depth of the drawbar organ.

 

Enter Kawai, the only manufacturer to produce a serious mainstream addative product (hardwarewise). Sure, others did it, but I don't see many Fairlight CMI's or Synclavier's going on ebay for $400 so I will not call them mainstream. Also, some softsynth solutoins are popping up, not that many people seem to be taking notice of those either (how many threads are there asking for Cameleon cracks?)

 

The Kawai is more powerfull than those anyhow. The K5000S/W/R (synth, workstation, or rack), models offer 128 harmonic layers, adjustable in real time via a bank of knobs as well as a (incredibly obtuse and arcane) menu system access via lcd. The sonic possibilites of such are near endless. Easily approaching, if not surpassing, the range of sonic qualities that could be offered by a large modular system. Technically, using FFT's, you can deconstuct any sound into its constituent harmonics, and replicate them with a sufficiently power addative synthesizer. This holy grail possibility is something no substractive synthesizer will ever be able to boast.

 

So I ask you, EKTing public, howcome nobody seems to give a shit?

i thought i was the only one that loved the k5000! its probably the most interesting digital synth out there, the only one i would consider investing money in besides the two other synths i already have. Im kind of a collector fag when it comes to interesting new types of synthesis in hardware form. I have as far as i know the only physical modelling synth keyboard the Yamaha VL-1. I would love to get me hands on another hardware additive. Its too bad that no one, as you say in your post seems interested at all in producing one. There are too many fakey new types of synthesis being exploited right now like "vector synthesis", bring out the real shit bitch.

while we're on this subject i hope you dont mind giving me the opportunity to drool over a few pieces of new genre hardware synthesizers -

This is the first realisation of a device with Resonant Neuron Synthesis, called the "Resonator Neuronium"

(it sounds fakey, but at closer inspection is an interesting type of synthesis all based on self feedbacking looping resonators not oscillators)

Well, I actually own a K5000s (although I would glady trade straight up for an R just to save the tablespace).

The only strike I can give it, and its a huge one, is that the editing facilities for it are just garbage. Even with the knobs, its a godawful mess. The stacks and stacks of menus are impossible to read, and often contain values for things that seem to have ridiculous arbitrary values. Format filter band 5, set 0 - 11? 11? 11 whats? WTF are you talking about???

I managed to snag a copy of the sounddiver OEM software from kawai (last one there according to the customer rep I talked with), and it makes it marginally easier, but its very sluggish and doesn't seem to like my XP setup.

But yah, people seem to shy away from addative boxes and I don't even know why....

Neat box, but couldnt I just do the same making a bunch of self resonating oscialltors in a modular environment? I don't have screenshots here because Im at work, but Ive built a ton of custom filters on my nord modular using tinkered with feedback loops to get different "flavors" all I need to do is turn up some amps to just get endless resonant loops.

Also, almost all of my bass drum synthesis begins with 1ms sqaure pulse -> 12db filter janked into self resonance @ 40-80hz -> env. Very 808like.

  ten fingers ten toes said:

Also, almost all of my bass drum synthesis begins with 1ms sqaure pulse -> 12db filter janked into self resonance @ 40-80hz -> env. Very 808like.

i remember you mentioning that, im sure you could create synthesis using self feedbacking resonantors but this thing is built on that concept, im sure its much more complex (judging by the samples) than anything else using resonation.

the k5000 has shitty editing features, i dont even bother trying to make my own presets usually. The best technique i have found for using the k5000 is to hook up a reaktor patch such as Random CC, and just send a new value to every possible Continuous controller on the K5000. Its just an easy way of making random and vastly different sounding presets.

Hmm, interesting idea!

I was really saddened by the k5000s mailing list. Most people on there were just taking sysex dumps of raw waveforms (like a saw), and dumping them in as a basis for synthesis on the K5000. what a dumb way to limit your additive beasty.

The idea of writing my own editor for the Kawai in Reaktor is all of a sudden a really tantalizing idea, as the only thing detailed in the K5000 users manual was the 14 page midi implementation booklet.

I like all synthesis methods

recommend some freeware vst additive synths

  Adjective said:

recommend some freeware vst additive synths

I can't think of any good ones.

Over at the Synthmaker.com site, they have a additive VST that was made in Synthmaker, but, considering it only has I think like 9 harmonics, it's not going to sound terribly rich. You really need like 64+ before you start approaching anything non organlike.

i was just pondering, is there such thing as a hardware granular synthesizer? Something that has extensive granular features designed like a synth/instrument, not an effects processor like an eventide. It would be interesting to see if any other additive synths or strange forms of synthesizers are still being made by companies.

  Ghostbusters III said:

i was just pondering, is there such thing as a hardware granular synthesizer? Something that has extensive granular features designed like a synth/instrument, not an effects processor like an eventide. It would be interesting to see if any other additive synths or strange forms of synthesizers are still being made by companies.

i would consider investing in one of these, if it exists.

Dunno about the granular, but the coolest looking addative box ever produced:

http://features.engadget.com/2005/05/06/mu...-technos-acxel/

  ten fingers ten toes said:

Dunno about the granular, but the coolest looking addative box ever produced:

 

http://features.engadget.com/2005/05/06/mu...-technos-acxel/

jizzus

VirSyn CUBE.

Not free or addative, but cool!

  Ghostbusters III said:

i was just pondering, is there such thing as a hardware granular synthesizer? Something that has extensive granular features designed like a synth/instrument, not an effects processor like an eventide. It would be interesting to see if any other additive synths or strange forms of synthesizers are still being made by companies.

roland v-synth

  ten fingers ten toes said:

Not free or addative, but cool!

no, it's not free - but it is additive.

i personally love the dark voodoo of fm synthesis

http://www.kjaerhusaudio.com/spectra.php

This one is cool mainly because you can analyze sounds with mathematical transforms and automatically produce patches with modulation on the harmonics that mimic the sound.

EDIT: Also my favorite use for additive synthesis is plings and bong noises. As a percussion synthesizer mostly nice. I use drumular for most of my drums and it has a module you can create a wide variety of sounds with using additive synthesis. The snares and hats really suck though, but it makes nice toms and plings and bips.

  Ghostbusters III said:

I have as far as i know the only physical modelling synth keyboard the Yamaha VL-1.

do you mean keyboard specifically, or just hardware? cause there is a half rack box Yamaha VL-70m

  Kcinsu said:

  Ghostbusters III said:

I have as far as i know the only physical modelling synth keyboard the Yamaha VL-1.

 

do you mean keyboard specifically, or just hardware? cause there is a half rack box Yamaha VL-70m

yes the vl-70 is the newer more stripped down vl-1. i wish yamaha took the concept farther. It was made in 1995 and the horn, reed and wind instrument sounds blow away any current software physical modeling (tassman, plex,sculpture) i've heard.

needs more pure trance man jailed phill collins

i'm going to buy a kawai k5000s off the one and only mr. legowelt tomorrow. for 350$ (!)

do you have any insider tips, TFTT? any links to k5000 info motherlodes (like carbon111.com for the microwaveXT)?

phase distortion synthesis

  Derelic7 said:

i personally love the dark voodoo of fm synthesis

  BCM said:

phase distortion synthesis

buncha namedroppers;)

i'm gonna pick up my k5000s today, i'm stoked. plus i'll be inside legowelt's lair for at least half an hour, i might try to nick a few of the vinyl masters of the upcoming albums on his Strange Life label..!