Sample library and synthesis musings
Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2008 3:09 am
Probably the most important contribution I see myself making to the new project is the creation of sample libraries and associated patches. Lately, I've been really inspired by the videos of the new Spectrasonics synth, Omnisphere:
http://www.spectrasonics.net/omnisphere ... plore.html
There are also videos on YouTube where an entire presentation at NAMM was uploaded:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 21#2917621
I like the idea of collecting oddball samples and using them to craft sounds. I'll probably try my hand at building some cool instruments to sample myself. I also have a friend with some nice old gear, like an Arp Solina, a nice big Hammond console organ (tonewheel), a Prophet 5, and a Rhodes, among other things, that he's willing to let me sample. I'd also thought about getting my hands on some old tube radios and seeing what sounds I can make happen. The sky's the limit!
For more down-to-earth stuff, at the school I go to, there is a nice grand piano and a harpsichord in a decent room that I might be able to get enough time on to sample. I also want to do a nice, big drum library, but I have a special plan for that. The idea here is to record hits for each drum bone-dry and with a nice, flat mic, then use impulse responses of mixers and rooms to create a cohesive sound (the Larry Seyer approach, basically). It still involves getting my hands on a drum kit, though. Maybe someone local will let me borrow a nice one for a bit.
I can probably also get a music student or two to help me out with some various other samples, like violin, woodwinds, etc. I have some special ideas for re-synthesizing those timbres that I'd like to try out, actually. This would involve creating single-cycle samples of each note in the range of these instruments, which are then split across the frequency spectrum into different single-cycle loops. The idea then is to control each component of the total sound separately with envelopes, based upon an analysis of various articulations of the real instruments. It's hard to explain in just a paragraph, so I'll go into more detail later if anyone wants me to.
So for me, if the new engine can allow me to do all of this, I would be happy.
http://www.spectrasonics.net/omnisphere ... plore.html
There are also videos on YouTube where an entire presentation at NAMM was uploaded:
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... 21#2917621
I like the idea of collecting oddball samples and using them to craft sounds. I'll probably try my hand at building some cool instruments to sample myself. I also have a friend with some nice old gear, like an Arp Solina, a nice big Hammond console organ (tonewheel), a Prophet 5, and a Rhodes, among other things, that he's willing to let me sample. I'd also thought about getting my hands on some old tube radios and seeing what sounds I can make happen. The sky's the limit!
For more down-to-earth stuff, at the school I go to, there is a nice grand piano and a harpsichord in a decent room that I might be able to get enough time on to sample. I also want to do a nice, big drum library, but I have a special plan for that. The idea here is to record hits for each drum bone-dry and with a nice, flat mic, then use impulse responses of mixers and rooms to create a cohesive sound (the Larry Seyer approach, basically). It still involves getting my hands on a drum kit, though. Maybe someone local will let me borrow a nice one for a bit.
I can probably also get a music student or two to help me out with some various other samples, like violin, woodwinds, etc. I have some special ideas for re-synthesizing those timbres that I'd like to try out, actually. This would involve creating single-cycle samples of each note in the range of these instruments, which are then split across the frequency spectrum into different single-cycle loops. The idea then is to control each component of the total sound separately with envelopes, based upon an analysis of various articulations of the real instruments. It's hard to explain in just a paragraph, so I'll go into more detail later if anyone wants me to.
So for me, if the new engine can allow me to do all of this, I would be happy.