Flexible and in-depth frequency modulation synthesis
:: features ::
Frequency modulation synthesis
Two frequency modulation structures that can be cross modulated
Multiple modulation sources — static frequency, note frequency, Waveshaper, etc
Note input via QWERTY Keys and MIDI
Easy MIDI mapping of controls and effects
Full suite of effects — delay, reverb, distortion, ring mod, and more
Recording — record as you play
Save/Load all synth and effect settings
How was MAX used?
Created entirely in Max 5
Seems like there’s some weirdness in some of the ranges. The FM ratio starts at 0.33, but then the dial moves in increments of 250! (I’m assuming this is the harmonicity ratio; you rarely see > 10-20)
Some graphic displays would be really nice, particularly in the modulation section so you could see the effects. (For instance, is the waveshaper changing the harmonic content or directly changing the shape of the wave?)
Hi Peter — thanks for your feedback, much appreciated. What I ended up doing with the harmonicity dial, was to leave as mostly as a MIDI mapping indicator (the MIDI mapping has a multiplier, so if you set the multiplier < 1 you can get good ranges).
For purposes other than MIDI mapping, it is best to use the number box rather than the dial. My old method was to use an additional number box below the dial, which was a multiplier value for the dial's output — perhaps I can revert to that idea, I took it out simply to clean up the interface.
Graphic displays are a nice idea — I could certainly do that in a pop-up window. Did you have anything specific in mind?
As to the Waveshaper, it is simply a modulation source — it shapes a buffer, which is cycled through at the determined freq. Then, combined with the other parameters in the Edit window, it is sent as the modulation signal into the heart of the synth. So yes it changes the harmonic content, but in a pretty freaked-out way — more useful for tweaky sci-fi kinds of sounds really
Hi Al, thanks for the explanation. Something that I’ve done for midi mapping that works really great is the following:
----------begin_max5_patcher----------
647.3ocuVssbZCCD8YyWgGM8QfhLXtzouz9azoCivdAThsDijfPZl7uWoUVf
cvPfzR7CVxqVs5bN6JI+RmHxB4dPSh+V7uhihdoSTDZxYHp56HRIaeVASitQ
xjkkfvP55Gy.6Mn8u2qWuXX+FovNJmUDWx1rgKVEbTrsjKJ.CFEZkwkRgQy+
Cf1R5O3nuxslfyAqaXlr01HNWAYFOjmMvNmX5rwXS5PWSh0V7uqlCOGAmbwC
8lRpsnBVItnjenbX8mxhbhazW6zw8p6UJF5BdNntHEaxkfUuIyya.OQHjCPt
EZlN0QL+aZJx4jIsyxwjCgQY4nATyAAaQAtNC9.TrDzZ1J3j7sh8zxBIyD+E
Zq7O4VRweLYY3LTPFl5ZlfIe5z1kkz6PxW.OYC8IByWszbR+6nlfx9UHLyv5
kQzKsoX3cPWJ36f941HDh8Nl5XnMFV1iGJRURizQsCia3kvMreJ4rENcudgh
NA0nQiv2mYiUxk1XQqUDjIKjJe3GzmNvd3DsqqWBMc7Lr2jjzQ1dzZKjlsCx
myLFEewVCbrmtRnqTZmXVrEjKClC1qiK8F.xK3k3V9P0USjWcNsyizV8Xqfa
zlm8zKoEGJs4bj5CrOsFBtMDtp.uTDnZCWJ3hGco95Y3FNDxnWH9mlFZJFqk
JS6keMghTr5st48BK+CM+eNiHyXYdL8e+twyV+ycWQ6ad+M.I9J+zKcRA8FN
o.mu8b.wa+0BDAN6MkLsbqJKf7pawNVwPxAsgKXFtTTymgM7YMOOGD0+cgbt
1UWje9K9tVzjdEnI4SCMCuBzj9ogF5cLS4Kir+F4NPoqBIBD6drG7mwNtK9I
W3+DiHQA63A+G0wEsW67WHdkW5O
-----------end_max5_patcher-----------
This shows it for the attack time for an envelope, which is one of those situations where you mostly need short values, but you might want a really long value (here, 10 s). With an exponential mapping you can have it both ways, and using the rawfloat message with the live objects works great for this. You also get all the benefits of slider/dial + number-box. Only down-side is that you can’t change the range on it’s set, but I’ve found that for most of my applications this doesn’t matter.
Hi Peter, Thanks so much for this — looks eminently useful. I’m always looking for ways to simplify the MIDI mapping experience!
I’m thinking also of eventually incorporating a pop-up window for defining ranges
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