SanderXpander wrote:Kevin Nolan wrote:SanderXpander wrote:I hate to disappoint you Kevin, but a "part" is either eight AWM2 elements OR up to eight operators of the FM-X engine. I really don't see why you would ever need 1024 voices on one key anyway.
Of course a Part is either AWM or FM - that's obvious - there's no mixing of synth engines in that regard (as there is with the SY77 and 99) - we've already covered that in other posts.
And - nobody needs any of this! But tell me - how many strings do you need in an orchestra? How many synthesizers did Vangelis need for Bladerunner? How many times did Tomita Layer the RS202 to create his strings? How many times does ENYA sing each choral line (answer - 400 times)??
You mean to say - that because you don't see a need - that you legislate on who needs what in terms of number of sound sources?? You can't see a need, so there isn't one? Is that your claim? Really??
In any case - the actual point is - the 'scope' of options is any combination of one to 1024 oscillators in any synthesized way you want. I do accept however that I got that wrong - it's a maximum of 128 oscillators on one note. But there's scope for imagination and creativity in that quite vast, extraordinary and unique domain. That's the point!
Maybe it's just the way we argue but somehow we always seem to get off on the wrong foot. I'm not "legislating" what anyone needs at all or "claiming" anything and I strongly object to you putting words in my mouth. If you feel that you do need 1024 oscillators on one note, more power to you. I can't imagine many useful sounds that would honestly need a 1024 oscillators to make. This is a bizarre discussion anyway. I'm all for musical exploration and new sounds. But if I made a synth tomorrow that could put 4096 oscillators on one note it's not more musically useful to me than one that can put, say, 128 on one note. You can do whatever you want. You can also do like Enya and record your one oscillator 400 times.
Once again - the point being - between 1 oscillator, and many oscillators, passed through a complex synthesiser engine, there are lost of options. Here are some:
FM Synthesis
Additive Synthesis
Ring Modulation
Hard Sync
X-Modulation
Layering
Velocity cross-fading
and so on.
Broadly - the more oscillators the better. For example, an orchestra uses 16 first violins and 14 2nd violins for the rich sound that delivers due to minute changes in timing, pitch and phase of all of those notes (oscillators). The same applies to a choir.
So - there are some reasons to use many oscillators, and the more the better. For example, AL-1 can, at a stretch, layer about 64 or more oscillators. If you have n OASYS or Kronos, go to the download section of this site and download my AL-1 programs and check our Unison and CS80 Bass programs for such layering. Play around with them as single notes with varying velocity and turning the filter open. I think you'll agree it has its uses.
Montage will deliver admirably in this regard. A very good example historically of two 8-operator algorithmic programs played together and sounding sublime is the GS1 Keyboard solo by TOTO on the song Africa, where both an 8-operator Marimba and Flute are layered.
Montage can layer 16 such programs - surely a domain for extraordinary scope and nuance, given how sophisticated even one FM-X program is
As said - because you can't imagine a use for more oscillators, and seem to be quite condescending to anyone proposing such usage, does not render invalid the concept. Music is replete with exquisite examples (some of which I've given here).
