On Sunday 07 January 2007 09:47, Fons Adriaensen wrote: > Dave, do you think there is a place for a softsynth that would > be modular but with a fixed set of modules, everyhing > controlled from one window, no patch cables, only 'hardware > controls' such as sliders and switches, each one assignable to > MIDI, and of course uncompromising audio quality ? This is something I had back in my Windows days (can't remember the name of it, but it was basically a Moog Rogue style 2-oscillator synth with MIDI-mappable controls, and it was pretty cheap shareware) and I really miss it. I've tried to recreate that kind of instrument using the various modular synths under Linux. But the truth is, while I know how to tweak filter knobs and stuff on a real synth to get the sound I want, I've never been able to recreate that sort of Moog or Arp sound that is the whole reason I use simulations of analog synths in the first place. I'm not in it to be the next Walter Carlos. I did my time with electronic music experimentation when I used to roll my own DX7 patches, and that's as far as I ever want to go with it. Now I just want to compose, arrange and play using a simulation of an electronic instrument with which I'm familiar. (I also would like to figure out a way to convert the GUS patches I made 10 years ago when I was most productive, the tweaked-out mellotrons and organs and whatnot, into soundfonts so I can use them with a Fluidsynth DSSI plugin rather than having to set up Timidity as an ALSA and JACK client, but that's for another thread.) Even a nice "mini" or "2600" preset in Pd or ams or Om, which I could control using the knobs and sliders on my MIDI controller, would probably be enough to get me going again. Preferably one that lets me save its current state so I don't have to take screenshots to remember the settings. I would do it myself but like I said, I've tried and failed. Note: I've spent a little time with Bristol's Mini simulation but haven't had time to figure out how to map MIDI controllers to its parameters over the last year due to work. I've also played with Zyn, since it seems the closest to what I have in mind, though a little more complex, but holy xruns Batman. It seems on this Ubuntu-preloaded laptop I'll have to roll my own kernel to get the low-latency stuff in there, and I'm not messing with my kernel until my current work project is done. Still irritates me that after all these years we still have to use an unofficial patch to get audio output as stable as Windows or the Mac. Rob
