Monday 21 December 2009

Wavetable Sound Effects 0v03 - Update!


After getting my head around some of the features of Max again (like having to make sure that you use 2000. to indicate a float instead of 2000 which is an integer), I've now updated my Wavetable Sound Effects Max For Live (M4L) instrument to version 0v03. The intermediate 0v02 version was superceded during testing of a different wavetable device that I'm still working on...

This new version has much the same principles behind it, but now allows finer control, and has better LFOs. The new LFOs include a 'Shape' control that samples the waveform and gives a kind of Sample/Hold effect, plus there's now a frequency modulating LFO for each LFO, which extends their usability quite a lot. I also added three new wavetables, so there's lots more sound generating capability. This device is intended to be explored, much as one would do with the analogue synths of old like the EMS VCS3... So feel free to explore.

You can find it on the Max For Live dot Com library site here.



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Sunday 6 December 2009

Max For Live - my first device!

It's been a long time. My invoice for Max 2.01 is dated the 27th of June 1994, from the days when you got a huge ring-binder of information and Max came on floppy disks! I've been a little distracted since...

After a few days of re-orientation, I've now got my first M4L (Max For Live) device in a releasable (usable but not perfect) form. It is a wavetable-based (always loved PPGs, as I've said before) sound effects generator, which isn't something that is exactly mainstream these days. Nothing clever inside: a wavetable scanner, some modulation, and some wavetables which, of course, I made up myself from samples that I originally made for my Korg Electribe S Mark II.

You can find it here ( http://www.maxforlive.com/ ), at a web-site that allows those of us who haven't been invited into the beta trial of the official Ableton sharing system.

As with any effects generator, you will need to provide an acoustic environment for it, so add your own preference of spatialization, imaging, echo and reverb. The two slightly misleadingly named wavetables cover grungy sounds (Vox) and sweepy sounds (Sines) - future versions will add some more tables, but there's already plenty of scope for making lots of wierd noises already. As with any sound-generating device, the best sounds come with time, so be prepared to spend some time with it, learning what it does.

But most of all, have fun! This is a free present to you all.




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Wednesday 2 December 2009

Karaoke Concatenated


Ever wished that you could listen to just one line from a karaoke performance, and then jump forwards to the next performer? (Yes, I do realise that this would require either highly efficient stage control, or some sort of super-sized sushi restaurant conveyor belt, but read on!)

Well, this is now what you can do on a promotional web-site that is part of the launch of the new 'Lips Number One Hits' game for the XBox.

Try it out here.

It's interesting to hear a song where each line is sung by different people - you could describe it as a form of hocketing - but it turns karaoke into much more of a spectator sport, and it turns up the fun factor too. So if you are an armchair commentator, then it lets you significantly increase the frequency of informed comment. Unfortunately the video-booth is no longer touring the United Kingdom, so you've missed your chance to be featured singing one line of Lily Allen's 'The Fear'.

The title of this post is also interesting: quite a tongue-twister!

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