Synthesizing other waveforms?

Rosen Sound · Post by **Rosen Sound** » Fri May 27, 2011 9:00 am

I always wonder where exactly some waveforms come from.. not your typical square saw sine and tri...

I know some waveforms you may find in romplers and what not may be composite variations on them on other synths, doing things like cross and sync. Or im wrong... anyway!

Im wondering how hard it is exactly to synthesize other waveforms. In particular I want to find out how I can successfully recreate the "Synth Reed" Wave in the roland JV series. It's a very very off waveform, but it makes for a good lead! Obviously, i'de like to do this on my radias.

I do have a sample set of it for the triton thanks to my friend. So i know exactly how it sounds.. I'll put up a few audio examples, but I've like your input on how to go about recreating this waveform.

lower sample
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3657402/0046.WAV
This is really the heart of the waveform... the bottom end of this this waveform when put through some distortion can really make you crap your pants...

Mid sample
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3657402/0049.WAV

This is basically the way people get the Jens lead, which though i'm not exactly into using other peoples lead, but the idea of recreating waveforms seems interesting to me.

Audio example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziG5HzrDCQg

zalo · Post by **zalo** » Fri May 27, 2011 8:05 pm

Since every waveform is a collection of harmonics, couldn't you use the sample to find the harmonics and then use the radias as an additive synth and recreate it that way?

Rosen Sound · Post by **Rosen Sound** » Fri May 27, 2011 8:06 pm

If i knew how! When youre at a comp please continue to explain how

thanks!

zalo · Post by **zalo** » Fri May 27, 2011 8:20 pm

I can explain now, I just can't test now. Open up what ever DAW you use and find the Spectrum tool, and play the sample and you will see the graph of frequencies in the wave form. You might be able to switch the graph scale to actual note values. Your root will be the loudest frequency and then from there you can add the other values up and down to recreate a waveform.

Here is a post on using the Radias as an additive synth. http://www.korgforums.com/forum/phpBB2/ ... 204#273204

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sat May 28, 2011 12:54 am

Although you'll never get a suitably complex waveform using the Radias as an additive synth, there's just not enough oscillators.

The spectrum analysis will however yield some results telling you about the composition of the waveform.

I can't listen right now but will endeavour to take a look later.

zalo · Post by **zalo** » Sat May 28, 2011 2:53 am

16 will get you pretty close.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sat May 28, 2011 10:18 am

At a big sacrifice of polyphony.

I have built additive engines. 16 'will get you close', yes. But for example a decent sawtooth still needs more like 20 or 30, especially when playing in the bass octaves.

Also the Radias only really offers 8 to 12 (depending on whether you use the waveshapers as suboscillators.

Rosen Sound · Post by **Rosen Sound** » Sat May 28, 2011 10:22 am

Keep in mind this is for a monophonic lead sound. polyphony is not an issue. Thanks for The replies so far keep em coming please I would love to get this waveform going

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sat May 28, 2011 10:23 am

Having now listened to that waveform, you probably could make it with 8 or 10 partials. However that would still be a very wasteful use of resources.
I'm sure I've heard it before even... Have you checked out all the DWGS waveforms in the latter half of the PCM wave bank?

Even though you're not concerned about polyphony, as a synth programmer who might want to share their patches (and particularly as a software programmer who always wants to be efficient as possible), I'd always try to achieve it within one or two timbres if possible (which it certainly is) in order to leave some space if someone wants to use it in a multitimbral situation.

Rosen Sound · Post by **Rosen Sound** » Sat May 28, 2011 10:25 am

I will check asap when I get back to my radias. But I will give it a go!

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sat May 28, 2011 10:26 am

Sorry edited my above post again

zalo · Post by **zalo** » Sat May 28, 2011 2:54 pm

You can use key tracking with the filters to get 4 more.

I understand the efficiency idea but in the studio I am not creating programs for someone else to use. They are to fulfill a certain need for myself. Also a lot of times going the long way in building a sound gets the creative juices flowing. I am a firm believer in the sound writes the music and much like abstract encaustic wax painting you don't always know where you are heading when you start, so thinking up an efficient way to do that isn't possible.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sat May 28, 2011 4:26 pm

zalo wrote:I understand the efficiency idea but in the studio I am not creating programs for someone else to use. They are to fulfill a certain need for myself. Also a lot of times going the long way in building a sound gets the creative juices flowing. I am a firm believer in the sound writes the music and much like abstract encaustic wax painting you don't always know where you are heading when you start, so thinking up an efficient way to do that isn't possible.

I completely understand that and I often approach ideas from this point of view.
The best songs I have worked on have always stemmed from a sound derived idea rather than a strictly musical one too.

Still, efficient use of resources is kind of built in to my way of thinking and I wouldn't use the Radias in that kind of additive way unless I was specifically exploring that avenue.
When used it can obviously be very useful although especially in my rather synth-heavy music I often need to translate that method to live use and always need more timbres on the Radias too.
So not strictly making sounds for other people although it is always a consideration.

X-Trade · Post by **X-Trade** » Sat May 28, 2011 4:34 pm

By the way, I got fairly close to this wave by using PCM 041: SynGtr2
Mixed that with a triangle Synced at +18 semitones
Add a bit of drive.

Probably needs a bit of tweaking.

zalo · Post by **zalo** » Sat May 28, 2011 6:05 pm

In my live set I don't use additive either. I use my Radias as 2 2 timbre synths live. I do use my Radias as an additive synth to make interesting samples though.