What the pluck?

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by Barnelby

Alright so like I said I'm not with the virus but I did grab an audio file out of one of my tracks that I think shows my case in point well enough:

http://www.mediafire.com/?bk6d13qtntyw2d7

This may not be the best example...I'll throw something down later when I get a chance, but my concern is definitely present in this clip.

I think this was using a ramp LFO to modulate volume, so the plucks are only heard at the beginning of each chord... Its really hard for me to get any kind of pluck that isn't just kind of limp and frail like that

Someone show me the way.

Wow, please don't take this the wrong way but there is absolutely NOTHING about that patch that has anything to do with a pluck. It's what I'd call more of a detuned stab sound. I think that is your point though, right?

[MBTC]

Originally Posted by feedingear

Having a play with Dune at the moment and honestly think it sounds pretty dull... has that same soft, plasticky tone that a lot of plugins tend to have, no bite or warmth or even a sense of character to it. That could just be the presets not being particuarly well programmed however.

Take a listen to the 30 second clip I posted called PluckBite and let me know if you hear what I'm hearing there. I don't know if any of the presets have such a dramatic point on them, but I did that literally in a few seconds of tweaking the filter and amp envelopes. That's one of the beautiful things about Dune, how quick you get from concept to goal. Literally seconds, every time for me.

[MBTC]

Here I am using Zebra2 to illustrate a point about the slope of the filter modifiers.

In the first 18 seconds, listen for the subtle but noticable change. I am NOT working the cutoff filter here. I have used Zebra's v-slope filter in 8sx mode option. The change you hear to the sound is simple changing the curve of the attack slope. Notice the effect it has on the bite? I am moving it very slowly to make the point. At 18 seconds I slide it back all the way to the left, and you can hear it return to how it is when the clip beings... then I reach for one of the cutoff filters at about 23 seconds in (this patch actually has 2 VCF filters on it) and open it up for the last few seconds of the clip.

http://www.mediafire.com/?oqv1aei57g2fzn3

Hope that gives an example of what I mean by the slope of the filter envelope being the "sink or swim" element of a pluck sound. I am not sure what options the Virus has here, but the envelopes of all the factory patches sound very linear to me... so different, non-linear slope types might be sort of a buried option on the Virus?

By the way, I've been talking alot about Dune here. Zebra2 is also a freaking monster synth that I dare say is probably not only capable of everything the Virus can do, but due to some of special oscilators, someone really skilled in modular synthesis can probably create a whole category of acoustic sounds with it that would be harder or impossible on the Virus, simply because the Virus is not modular at all.

[MBTC]

Wow, I can't believe no responses yet after Barnelby and myself went to the trouble to set up softsynth examples. I was really hoping with all the Virus visibility here we would hear some really good examples of Virus aftermarket soundset plucky sounds (or, better yet, factory patches I may have overlooked)?

It's put up or shut up time gentlemen!! (hehe... no attacks please, I'm just being facetious to get some involvement here..., I KNOW the Virus is capable of a good pluck I just want to hear the difference.. hoping someone can convince me of something other than my belief that the difference between hard and softsynths is indistinguishable once mastered and ripped to MP3).

Edit: Also wanted to point out you can upload a file to mediafire without creating an acct and all that (it's temporary of course).

[Barnelby]

Alright so I admit that my first clip wasn't very good...ok it totally sucked.

But I've been tweaking away for a while now and have gotten some pretty decent plucks...all about balanicing the env. amount, resonance, and both filters. I used both low pass in this.


http://www.mediafire.com/?ya0qob1kjv0i53t

[infraction]

Originally Posted by MBTC

Wow, I can't believe no responses yet after Barnelby and myself went to the trouble to set up softsynth examples. I was really hoping with all the Virus visibility here we would hear some really good examples of Virus aftermarket soundset plucky sounds (or, better yet, factory patches I may have overlooked)?

It's put up or shut up time gentlemen!! (hehe... no attacks please, I'm just being facetious to get some involvement here..., I KNOW the Virus is capable of a good pluck I just want to hear the difference.. hoping someone can convince me of something other than my belief that the difference between hard and softsynths is indistinguishable once mastered and ripped to MP3).

Edit: Also wanted to point out you can upload a file to mediafire without creating an acct and all that (it's temporary of course).

I don't know about the rest of the people on here but I didn't buy a hardware synth to have showdowns on internet forums over hardware vs software. But just to add to the virus front I don't even have to bounce down any audio, there's enough examples of viral plucks here:



and here:



and

[Barnelby]

Haha.

I feel you. I didn't really intend anything like that; I was going for more of a comparing notes vibe. I like hearing what other people can do, I learn from that. I would REALLY like to hear more home made virus making pluck sounds, but I guess if you guys just wanna sit on the sidelines while me and MTCB master our craft, so be it.

[infraction]

Originally Posted by Barnelby

I feel you. I didn't really intend anything like that

Just these topics are lame, it's similar the whole analog vs digital argument where you got people fighting over what sounds better when they probably forget why they bought the things in the first place.

Forget comparisons and actually use the tools.

Here's a quick pluck btw did it on headphones.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7IYE1EYS

[MBTC]

Infraction I was not able to download from megaupload without a gazillion popups and my antivirus telling me I will have herpes if I go there.

Can you try mediafire? Doesnt require an account to upload, would love to hear what you did.

Also regarding the videos from elsewhere... Not that they sound bad but I would like to hear user-submitted material.. there are a gazillion things that can be done with compression amoung other FX that makes it harder to see what the synth is really capable of.

My earlier comments, as noted, were intentionally playful... I am not looking for any sort of contest here, just trying to discuss the differences between softsynths and hardware.. Dont say analog because the Virus is not analog, it is just a dedicated (but weak) CPU with an optimized OS that plays software and nothing more. My only argument has been that mainstream CPUs have gotten so good in the last few years that for the most part, one core of most people's Dell or HP laptops will now run circles around the the processing power of the Virus, and its up to Access to take things to the next level at this point.

[MBTC]

Ok it's been several weeks now and I have still now heard one single decent example of a good pluck related sound straight from a Virus with no external FX and no references to other videos which may or may not be Virus.

After all the work we went through, cannot someone show us the kind of plucks a Virus is capable of? Bonus for default patches (but do not be hindered by it). Any FX must be provided by the Virus to qualify, if you're using a plugin for reverb or delay you are just making a case for soft synths.

Takers?