RPC#004 Evolving Pad Challenge has arrived!

CharlesFerraro · Post by **CharlesFerraro** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 8:21 am

Alright everybody you voted for it, here it is: Evolving Pad Challenge

Because there are concerns about performance control options I'm going to stipulate that you CAN use knobs on the face of your synthesizer, but that you will be restricted to the same 4 parameters per timbre. Contestants may choose whichever four parameters they like for their entry. For example if you decide to go hands on with Filter 1 Cutoff & Resonance and Insert FX 1 & 2 Dry/Wet during your performance for Timbre One, then you may only modulate the same parameters for Timbre Two.

You may also use your octave shift, arpeggiator on/off switch (limit 8 steps), tempo knob, and vocoder on/off button. The modulation sequencer may be toggled on and off too. As this is a challenge to test the capability of evolving synth pad sounds on the MMT engine, we can't ignore the performance controls featured on these synthesizers.

The catch is that I am putting a cap on notes. You may choose your own chord but you're stuck with the one you decide to go with i.e. no manual chord progressions. However you can arpeggiate and/or retrigger your chord as often as you like as well as create a simple progression with the modulation sequencer. Additionally, you must be able to play this chord with only one hand. Remember this isn't about musical ingenuity so much as it is about sound design. Multiple timbres must be layered, not split. 8 voices maximum.

Radias users, be sure that your patch is R3 compatible, that is no waveshaping the LFO's or linking the filters or using the Comb Filter and of course you may only use one mod sequencer per timbre. To check your voice count refer to this thread as you may easily surpass the 8 voice limit unknowingly: http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... highlight=

The objective is to base your entry and subsequent votes on how well performance controls are utilized over the course of play while maintaining a thick pad sound. I want to hear full use of the modulation matrix, arpeggio and mod sequence toggling, and throw in the vocoder or formant motion for added points!

Have your submission in before 12:00AM PST on Tuesday, September 7th.

Best of luck

tpantano · Post by **tpantano** » Sat Aug 28, 2010 2:57 pm

CharlesFerraro wrote:8 voices maximum.

If you use two timbres, 4 voices max- the R3 can only have 4 voices with 2 poly timbres.

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Sun Aug 29, 2010 11:43 pm

Hi all,

since I am going on vacation soon, and I'm short of time, here is my submission to RPC#005. It's a 2 timbre patch played with a constant 4 key chord. The only controls used are pitch bend and mod wheel. AFAIK it should be playable with 8 voices only. No vocoder, mod-seq nor arpeggio.:

www.axxim.de/media/evopad_axxim_radias.mp3

I will be away from my radias for more than 3 weeks and hope to see this RPC still alive at my return!

Just for fun: experimenting a little with my radias, I got this sound (dry but very evolving), which surely would freighten any analog synth owner, leading him to look and smell at it, to see if somewhere is rising a little smoke from its circuits

www.axxim.de/media/SickOscillator.rdp

tpantano · Post by **tpantano** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 12:33 am

axxim wrote:Hi all,

since I am going on vacation soon, and I'm short of time, here is my submission to RPC#005. It's a 2 timbre patch played with a constant 4 key chord. The only controls used are pitch bend and mod wheel. AFAIK it should be playable with 8 voices only. No vocoder, mod-seq nor arpeggio.:

www.axxim.de/media/evopad_axxim_radias.mp3

That's insanely pretty sounding.... love it

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 1:09 pm

tpantano wrote:
That's insanely pretty sounding.... love it

Thx tpantano!

cello · Post by **cello** » Mon Aug 30, 2010 5:53 pm

Excellent stuff axxim - brilliant!

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:28 pm

RPC#005?

How could I miss RPC#004? Who won?

I see Charles Ferraro is doing the impossible to reach that 007! The best of all is that I renamed my patch to RPC#005 thinking I was wrong. LOL

CharlesFerraro · Post by **CharlesFerraro** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:39 pm

axxim wrote:RPC#005?

How could I miss RPC#004? Who won?

I see Charles Ferraro is doing the impossible to reach that 007! The best of all is that I renamed my patch to RPC#005 thinking I was wrong. LOL

Haaaaaaahhhhh, thanks for bringing that to my attention, i'll edit the title now...

platypus · Post by **platypus** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 1:53 am

I just found out there are friendly competitions on sound design?! When is this one going to finish? I want to vote this time around and see what everyone can come up with.

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:17 pm

platypus wrote:I just found out there are friendly competitions on sound design?! When is this one going to finish? I want to vote this time around and see what everyone can come up with.

Well AFAIK, the deadline for submissions to this 4th competition will finish...yesterday!!!

It's strange then even if the target sound was set for votation to reach the maximum of acceptability, there seems to be only my submission. Maybe the others are on vacation like me. At least I would expect that those who have voted so efussively for that evolving pad, have had submitted their own sound oe an explanation for not taking part. Could the reason be that Charles forgot to mention the year of the deadline?

Well Charles, as task setter, it's up to you to decide what to do: extend the deadline or let the challenge starve.

Just for curiosity: are there unfriendly (or whatever) sound competitons too?

tpantano · Post by **tpantano** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:20 pm

axxim wrote:
platypus wrote:I just found out there are friendly competitions on sound design?! When is this one going to finish? I want to vote this time around and see what everyone can come up with.

Well AFAIK, the deadline for submissions to this 4th competition will finish...yesterday!!!

It's strange then even if the target sound was set for votation to reach the maximum of acceptability, there seems to be only my submission. Maybe the others are on vacation like me. At least I would expect that those who have voted so efussively for that evolving pad, have had submitted their own sound oe an explanation for not taking part. Could the reason be that Charles forgot to mention the year of the deadline?

Well Charles, as task setter, it's up to you to decide what to do: extend the deadline or let the challenge starve.

Just for curiosity: are there unfriendly (or whatever) sound competitons too?

No axxim, no one entered because they knew it was impossible to beat you

But I just started school, and have been dealing with my depression for a bit, I just didn't feel like making a patch.

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 9:34 pm

tpantano wrote: No axxim, no one entered because they knew it was impossible to beat you

Well even if I don't believe that, I withdraw my submission!

tpantano wrote: But I just started school, and have been dealing with my depression for a bit, I just didn't feel like making a patch.

Hmm... depressions could be a good mood for creating pads

Just wait two weeks until my vacation is over and I have to get back to work again, I will have enough mood for really sad and evolving pads!

SkinnyWhiteBoy · Post by **SkinnyWhiteBoy** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:52 pm

I actually sat down to create a pad, but didn't really seem to get anywhere. I ended up with something else, and just played around with that. If the contest is extended I'll give it another try.

platypus · Post by **platypus** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:47 pm

axxim wrote:Just for curiosity: are there unfriendly (or whatever) sound competitons too?

Oh yes. Sometimes you get caught in some bad deals with people to whom you owe music and sound design patches. They bring you into a room where you can only hear soft murmuring as you've been blindfolded on the way for security purposes. Your neck aches as if you've been struck with force recently. Someone takes your blindfold off and you then see three other unlucky synthesists sitting nearby, all with that anxious, fear-filled look in their eyes. Many people in dark suits have lined the walls; they are representatives of the many black-market music organizations. Before you on a table, as well as for each of the poor chaps beside you, lies a small keyboard with some cables. You're looking at a Korg MS-20. These things haven't been made in eons, but these mysterious people have somehow acquired four of them, and who knows what else they have. But it's clear, these are powerful men. One of them speaks as he steps into the light.

"Gentlemen! All four of you owe us useable sound patches and have disappointed us in the past. One of you will be given a second chance...the others will be killed. You have one hour to produce the best patch you can offer and the best one of the four will be allowed to live. Begin!"

You begin patching cables, breathing half a breath of relief that you didn't only stay familiar with digital synths in the past years. But the technology! There's a chance these oscillators will drift out of tune! They could have set down the best of the best of synthesizers but no...no, they're not going to make this easy on any of you, and you can only pray that whatever you come up with will allow you to wake up the next morning.

So yeah axxim, I mean...I've heard they're out there.

axxim · Post by **axxim** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 9:56 pm

platypus wrote: So yeah axxim, I mean...I've heard they're out there.

Ohh, I see you have discovered the way I get my patches. I must admit it was a very inefficient way to get them. Leaving only one prgrammer from four each time is very devastating and may be the reason for the lack of submissions here! I think I will change my startegy for the next one

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RPC#004 Evolving Pad Challenge has arrived!

RPC#004 Evolving Pad Challenge has arrived!

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