randy's Recent Posts
I don't understand what happens when you guys are saying you can't log in. What happens instead? And then, I guess it is intermittent, or you couldn't be here? Did you do anything different to get logged in?
re: Logic and graphics I have fixed a possible issue for the next update. I'll get Aalto 1.6 out ASAP so please stay tuned and let me know how it goes.
This update fixes a weird font display problem that happened on some Macs.
Also, the fix to the note-off problem in 1.1 was not working in all situations. This fix should be better.
Also the "note lock" feature is restored for those who want it. When "note lock" is selected, the note is only sent when a touch is first detected and does not change during the duration of the touch. This is good for, say, triggering a different sample or a different note on each key, but still having the x and y and z parameters of the touch to affect the sound.
Depending on your host you may have to hold shift before turning the dial to get the fine tuning.
Do all dials move too fast or only maybe only those with detents on them? What OS are you on? Can you tell me another plugin I can demo where the knobs work well for you?
It seems whenever I change the mouse ballistics, I make someone happy and someone else sad. Still I'll do what I can.
update coming very soon, but no new models in it. more focus on usability.
Hi Roland,
Always a pleasure! Thanks for the report. I can't hear anything wrong in this patch you posted. But maybe that's because the sample is a shifting cloud of different pitches.
I've gotten another report about something similar going on with the granulator. I'll make some of my own longer sounds to test with and see what I can figure out.
Cycling 74's Gen might be a good tool for this kind of thing. I haven't found time to try it.
hi randy, what i meant was that the inlet amount dial for Host Ratio should ideally snap to the timing divisions.
I'll give this some love with the upcoming sequencer overhaul.
the sequencer rate is PLL-driven, so even though the dial may not seem to go to the right place, there should be a little range around the simple ratios where the tempo locks into the right ratio exactly.
OSC: 1st ADSR, Filter 2nd ADRS, LFO to main volume/reverb/whatever, Sequencer to play ARP/sequence.
A very common situation i think.
Yes, I understand. I'm just trying to explain the thinking behind the design. Aalto's design is a tradeoff between lots of attributes. Having a simple UI, so that you can learn Aalto as a performance instrument , was probably my #1 goal behind great sound.
A good idea awaiting v2.
This is fixed for the next update.
It's only a problem with the 64-bit VST.
I just tried to reproduce this with Live 9.0.6 and Aalto 1.5 as well as Kaivo. I can't make the problem happen. With either Aalto or Live's window selected the space bar and other keys work as they should in Live.
I am now downloading Live 9.1.1 to try it out. Jeez, the update is 686 Mb. WTF.
[EDIT] OK now I can reproduce it. The VST has the problem but the AU does not. So, while I try to fix this, you can always use the AU.
also, feeding multiple voices into the Seq Rate when host-sync'd should sync the dif voices to multiple timing divisions.
doesn't this work? Can you send me a patch where you tried this?
You may have noticed there are three possible sources of oscillations for modulation: the sequencer, the LFO and the ENV2 in repeat mode. These offer a lot of possibilities! So there will be only the one LFO proper, but if you want 3 LFOs for some reason, you have them. This basic design won't change.
I might add more flexibility to the LFO in v.2. It's not as easy as it seems, because other shapes besides sine potentially cause lots of aliasing in the things they modulate.
Are there any parameters that can be changed?
Nope, it is what it is. Kind of like the reverb in an old semi-modular synth like the arp 2600... If you want a full-featured reverb I like the ones from ValhallaDSP!
Hi Thetechnobear, thanks for the comments.
I have been wrestling with the sample Import window for a little while now. In some form it will definitely make it into the 1.1 release. This first version will just let you quickly copy other kinds of sound files to WAV format where they belong and clip them to 8 seconds. In future versions I'd love to add the capability to combine tracks from multiple files.
I hear you about getting sounds in quickly. You can drag and drop into the import window, which should help.
thx!
Yup. Thanks for the report.
I am happy to offer an educational discount. Email me for details.
Thanks for the details.
Last time I checked, there was no way around this issue in Logic. The problem is that Logic's automation does not respond properly to logarithmic ranges in Audio Unit parameters. It does OK with its internal synth plugins, but not Audio Units. Go figure.
A good workaround exists: just send a MIDI control to Aalto and route that controller to one of the "mod" sources in the key module. (use mod cc# to select the base channel for the three outputs.) Then you can patch that control to the frequency or wherever you like. It should be sample-accurate (even when MIDI automation is not) and smoothed as a plus.
Thanks for the ideas. I'll think about how Aalto would work with a monome. I really should get one. A patching controller with an attenuverter dial controller on each output would be great!
No discount for Aalto users? :)
nope.
... and they were delicious!
just kidding, the Scales moved along with the presets directories from /Library (system library) to ~/Library (user library.) You can get here from the Finder "Go" menu by holding down the option key. Then from there it's /Audio/Presets/Madrona Labs.
Thx for the feedback.
Hmm, maybe thinking about the arc or other particular controllers will be a useful way of getting at this problem.
Yes, I see the issue. Let's say that the position of each voice is a fractional number from 0.0 to 15.9999... The initial position on trigger is set to 15.9999 so that when you start the sequencer, it plays the first trigger the first time through. A trigger only works when it goes from low to hi, so the voice has to actually /cross/ 0.
So, fixing a problem with triggers and timing created the more obscure problem you see here. I'm sure there is a way to get both kinds of desirable behavior to happen with some work. I'll look at this when I give the sequencer some attention soon.
Oh jeez the bug spreadsheet is way out of date, it didn't really make it into my workflow, thanks for reminding me about it.
Nice patch BTW!
I hear you. I am working on updates for both Aalto and Kaivo to ship ASAP. This is an important issue.
I haven't heard of this problem before. I will investigate for the upcoming updates.
This will definitely be host-related so tell me what host and what version of it you are using!
I've thought a lot about a fully modular product to do in the future. It would be nice to have some low-level capability in it for people with your desires to get down and dirty. I'll add that to the long list...
Advice to a new DSP programmer is a subject I could go on about for a long time! Here are a few ideas:
- get a programming environment that allows fast iterations.
The design -> write -> compile -> test cycle is something you will go through thousands and thousands of times, so if you have to do something else for a minute while you compile, it's a real drag. I use C++ for speed of the finished product, but I think that some more interactive ways of playing with low-level sound are out there and I would recommend them more highly as learning tools.
- find a project you want to do and move toward it incrementally.
Having a goal is important for learning even if you don't get there. There are infinite possibilities, so it's real easy to get lost just playing around. But be sure to start with small steps toward the goal so you don't get discouraged!
- learn some of the underlying math pretty well.
Check out some intro. to DSP programming books. I don't have a specific one I can recommend. But lots cover the basics well. You should be able to push meaningful symbols around on paper that describe the frequency domain, and transformations like the FFT, and the bilinear transform. This stuff is not as hard as it might seem, if you step away from the computer and give yourself plenty of time. And once you do know it, it opens so many doors in your head, to think realistically about what will be possible to do in the digital domain.
The audio interface prototype I built was great for experimenting, but I wouldn't want it for an instrument. Too noisy, unwieldy.
I'll recommend that you start with building a one or two pressure-point device, which is something you could read with an Arduino. This will give you experience in building and what materials to use. And time to think and research more about your instrument.
An Arduino doesn't have the computing power needed to do something like you eventually want, or a Soundplane.
Since you are going more for string emulation, you may be willing to sacrifice the true general multitouch capability of the Soundplane for a one-note-per string solution. This might be easier.