Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook |
$17.95 US |
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Be sure to visit matrixsynth.com |
There are 102 patches in the book At the heart of the book are 65 acoustic patches. Each of which is based off of the harmonic and waveform analyses of the actual instruments (see “How the Acoustic Patches were Created” below). Each of these patches originally took an average of a couple of hours to get just right. Some more, some less, but by using the book each one of these patches can be easily programmed in a few minutes.
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The book includes a 5-page introductory section describing how each parameter is to be programmed. Oscillator waveforms used are sawtooth, triangle, square and variable pulse width. For greater realism, oscillator syncing is used on many of the plucked strings and keyboard patches. Filter cutoff frequency values are given for both 12 dB and 24 dB filters. LFO frequencies are given both in Hertz and as qualitative descriptions (fast, moderate, slow, very fast, etc). ADSR values are given in seconds. Values listed in the book are presented in two ways for each patch: Using Decibels and Hertz for synthesizers that use them and also as percentages of the dial position for those synthesizers that do not use Decibels and Hertz. Since each synthesizer’s oscillator levels and filter cutoff amounts follow different curves, these percentages are approximate. The percentages are based on the average of ten different synthesizers to insure that they are as accurate as possible for the widest range of models. Using the percentages will of course require some minor adjustment by ear but will at any rate get the patch very close to where it should be. To guarantee that the highest possible precision is available even on synths that may not use Decibels, Hertz, etc. there is a 14-page section at the back of the book that explains how to calibrate a synthesizers parameters. This section works in conjunction with the included CD containing calibration samples that can be compared with the synth’s output for determination. Calibration of the filter is highly recommended while calibration of the other parameters is optional. An experienced synthesist should be able to calibrate a filter in 30-45 minutes if not sooner. Green-horn alert!: At this point there is no section detailing what the different components of a synthesizer do or any general discussion on synthesis. No explanation of LFO, what an oscillator is and so forth. A lot of basic information can be inferred by studying the patch tables in this book, but if your synth experience is as fresh as the dew on a summer’s morn, I would suggest reading up elsewhere first. There would be no major barrier to programming the patches in the book but there would be no real understanding either and that’s not good! Such explanations are readily available online as well as in a multitude of other fine books. This is an intrinsically different type of book than the rest that are out there and as such serves a different purpose. Conversely, if you’re like me and feel like every time you get a synth book it’s just the same thing you’ve read before then this book is probably a good bet. How the Acoustic Patches were Created Following is the general procedure that was used to create each acoustic patch.: Before any analysis or patching, the instruments were researched using a variety of resources. What is the instrument made of? Is it struck, bowed, or plucked? Are there resonating strings or pipes that do not change pitch? These are some of the questions that needed to be answered. The most common resource was the internet with extensive use having been made of Wikipedia. Cecil Forsyth’s book, “Orchestration” was also quite valuable. Once an understanding of the instrument’s construction and behavior are established it is then time to both analyze the sound that the acoustic instrument produces and synthesize it. Both the analysis and synthesis were done concurrently. Samples were taken from various sample libraries, and internet resources such as Findsounds.com. The samples were then run through the fabulous Fre(a)koscope plugin which displays the harmonics of the sound source. At the same time, the synthesizer was run through a second instance of Fre(a)koscope. Please see the screenshots below. |
Piano-acoustic |
Piano-synthesized |
The synthesizer used was a Synthedit-based VST the author created with parameter values based on the averages of ten different synthesizers as mentioned above. Plenty of synthesizers could be unflatteringly deemed “average” but this may be the first time that “average” was the goal of the synthesizer’s creator! The noise at the floor of the synthesized piano screen shot is caused by artifacts in the sound generation process. Hardware enthusiasts….now place feather in cap. This is particular to the routine used to generate the sound and will not necessarily be present or at least not to the same degree with other synths, hardware or software based. The most important thing is that the peaks of the harmonics are as close to proportionally correct with those of the acoustic instrument. There were two important things to be learned here. The first of course being a determination of the harmonic makeup of the sound and secondly how the higher-frequency harmonics behave with time. Typically during the attack, higher frequencies come up last and then they are also the first to die out during the release. The cutoff frequency of the filter as well as the filter envelope times were determined by tweaking the parameters until the output matched that of the acoustic instrument. This would also be the time to determine the amount of filter modulation to be created by the LFO if necessary. With the harmonics nailed it is then time to determine the amplitude envelope and vibrato. A sample of the acoustic instrument would be loaded into a sound editor |
Piano-acoustic |
With the sample in the sound editor, information such as decay rate, sustain level, and release time can be determined by looking at the broad, overall behavior of the sample. This would also be the time to determine vibrato depth and frequency to be recreated by the LFO. Recreating vibrato required looking closely at the bumps in the waveform. If any of the bumps appear periodic, the time between them would then be measured to determine the frequency of the LFO. All of these values were then put into the synthesizer and a sample of the patch would then be recorded into the sound editor for comparison. |
Piano - synthesized |
Rarely would it be perfect on the first try! The amplitude ADSR and LFO amounts would then be tweaked and the patch re-recorded a few times until the synthesized waveform matched the acoustic envelope as accurately as possible. That is the process in a nutshell. While the explanation of the process only took a few paragraphs, it was generally the rule that a patch would take 1 ½ - 2 hours to get right. Excluding untuned percussion which took between ½ - 1 hour since they are mostly filtered noise sources with sound shaping done almost exclusively by the filter. A few different waveform combinations would be tried, tunings altered, oscillators synced then unsynced, and pulse-widths modified before getting the harmonics as good as they could possibly be. The beauty of the synthesizer is that the possibilities are endless, but some of those possibilities work better than others. There are many ways to produce a decent representation of a particular sound using dual-oscillator subtractive synthesis, but the goal here has been not to produce merely good patches but rather to produce the best. On my hard drive I have nine progressively better versions of dulcimer, five of timpani, about fifteen vocals…. the list goes on, and I probably altered each of those patches a number of times before saving them. Thirty variations of dulcimer? Who knows, but many attempts at any rate! Many of these patches approach sample-realism, and those that don’t are at the least exceptional when compared to the majority of the attempts made in the past with dual-oscillator synths using the most common available parameters (i.e. no ring modulation, frequency modulation, or amplitude modulation). Try some of the example patches on the “Patches” page to hear the results. |
Book Format: Comb-bound, 8.5" x 11", ~11 oz., front cover: gloss cover stock, back cover: black vinyl, 114 pages (99 pgs intro + main body), two patches per page |
Calibration CD format : 166 wav files for calibrating ADSR's, filter, LFO, and oscillator amplitude. Also includes mp3's of authors latest album (why miss an opportunity for gratuitous, vainglorious, puffed-up, self-promotion!) |
$18 + $3.95 S/H for 102 patches ----> $0.22 per patch! |
Money Back GuaranteeI guarantee you will LOVE these sounds or you can have your money back. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your book simply return it for a full refund of the purchase price. No problem! |
If you have any questions please contact me at: fred_v_welsh@yahoo.com |