Re: [linux-audio-user] SpiralSynthModular help

On Sat, 2006-03-11 at 22:11 +0000, Joseph Jones wrote:
> So anyway, I've been messing around with SpiralSynthModular a bit,
> since I didn't like the constriction of sample-based synths, and I'm
> basically having trouble stringing together a chain. Indeed, I feel
> that I'm falling at the first stumbling block. I can get output from
> SSM, but it's only a very loud, constant tone. I've got my midi input
> hooked up to an oscillator (I think this is where my problem is) and
> then my oscillator hooked up to my jack output.

I haven't used SSM much, but if you are getting sound you are probably
connecting at least something right. What outputs does the MIDI input
module have? Frequency and gate? If you just connect the frequency
output to the frequency input of the oscillator and nothing else, the
oscillator is probably going to generate sound at that frequency all the
time. To make it stop when you release the key you probably need to
connect the gate output of the MIDI input to the amplitude input of the
oscillator (or something similar, my SSM isn't working so I can't
check). To get a more natural sound you probably want to modulate the
oscillator gain with an envelope, and maybe filter it or use some other
effect that modifies the timbre (also modulated by an envelope).

Like Hiram and Loki I would like to recommend Om, but the principles of
modular synthesis are the same in (almost) all programs. If you learn
the basics in SSM you will probably not have any problems with Om or AMS
or Pd or other modular software (or even text-based modulars like Csound
and SuperCollider).

-- 
Lars Luthman
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