Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] Russian synths ?!
From: Steve Harris (S.W.Harris_AT_ecs.soton.ac.uk)
Date: Wed Oct 27 2004 - 18:10:41 EEST
On Wed, Oct 27, 2004 at 03:51:20 +0100, Dave Griffiths wrote:
> > Another bonus feaure is the fact that the Formanta sounds
> > *completely* different about three hours after turning it on than
> > when you start. Let's hear it for non-linearity, which simply can't
> > be emulated on the computer.
>
> we should try :)
> I found a bug in my in-development drumsynth last night where the sine
> oscillator's ever increasing float time value was causing a very slow
> incremental bit reduction effect - presumably because the representation loses
> precision and breaks down at high values. Fine when you wrap it properly - but
> perhaps it should be left in as a quirk of the instrument...
Heh, I've had that bug more times than I care to remember :) The "can't be
emulated on a computer" sounds like a challenge to me too. How about
seeding something off the CPU temprerature sensor :)
> > Another friend from Riga occaisionally sells different
> > Soviet/Russian synths on Ebay. In fact, there seem to be quite a few
> > of them around. Not the Formanta, it's a rare beast, but if you are
> > looking for a Polyvox, for example, the going price seems to run
> > between 500 and 700 Euros. Shipping is what would really kill you,
> > though. A Polyvox isn't too heavy, but the Formanta is approximately
> > the size and bulk of a small fridge!
>
> there is definately something special about old soviet technology and the
> like. I guess they didn't have planned obsolescence back then :)
Yup, I love the sense of solidity. There was a program on Radio 4 (god I'm
old) in the UK about 6 months ago, about russian synths. It ws really good
and had some recordings of an ANS where you could draw frequencies on a
glass screen that triggered oscilators at different freqencies. Kinda like
drawing an FFT by hand from what I could tell.
Ever since hearing the program I've wanted to build a software version...
so little time :(
- Steve
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