Re:How Japanese technology shaped dance music
by erikschoster on Sunday May 23, 2021 @11:29AM
(#27255667)
> For music, synthesis and DSP are basically solved problems.
This composer respectfully disagrees. For example, there is a world of synthesis research that Luc Döbereiner has called "non-standard" although I prefer his phrase "compositionally motivated sound synthesis" which is not concerned with the reconstruction of known sounds, but exploring the margins of the possible. I don't see an end for that project in our lifetime.
https://direct.mit.edu/comj/article/35/3/28/94344/Models-of-...
1) Since many of these algorithms need to run on standalone hardware devices, many are still limited in power by their chips (and the economics). Amount of voices, oversampling, amount of presets, sound banks, samples can increase the quality of many devices. And many purely pc based electronic compositions also run into CPU/RAM limitations. Perhaps with endless money you don't run into this too quickly, but allowing more "bedroom producers" more power will surely breed new musical ideas
2) in my opinions there it is hard to overstate how much new inspiration can come from work on new UX/workflow/control ideas. Many of which will come at a cost of more CPU as you move away from 1 to 1 mapping from the DSP algorithms.
Re:How Japanese technology shaped dance music
by poisonarena on Sunday May 23, 2021 @10:51AM
(#27255366)
this is a good take. I think about my MC-707 Groovebox I bought last year, and it is nearly just the same as an EMU command station, but with the JV2080 rompler sounds stuffed in it, but now with a interface to record it into my computer. In some cases I have noticed grooveboxes have even worse features.. Sidenote, I always thing about Elektron and how they could make "the ultimate groovebox", but instead they make one for seperate things so you have to buy the drums, the fm synth, the analogue synth, the sampler all seperately
Re:How Japanese technology shaped dance music
by jsilence on Monday May 24, 2021 @04:04PM
(#27269047)
Might want to look into the Deluge. Different brand, I know, but does a lot with a very efficient workflow.
Re:How Japanese technology shaped dance music
by adamnemecek on Sunday May 23, 2021 @12:14PM
(#27256131)
> synthesis and DSP are basically solved problems
Nothing is ever a solved problem.
Buyers have mostly rejected more complicated kinds of synthesis - including resynthesis and physical modelling - because they don't understand them.
So we're stuck with expanded virtual versions of the old analog synth/wavetable/FM/sampler and studio rack processor models, but with a slightly wider range of oscillator types like granular, and somewhat content-aware processing.
There are areas on the R&D edge, but they're not about the audio.
Changing the subject - one reason Roland stood out was outstanding industrial design. Many of the synths and drum machines produced during the 80s peak are beautiful objects which combined a friendly, fresh, youthful look with a very clear programming model.
https://happymag.tv/the-roland-jupiter-8-the-fattest-synth-i...
http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/juno60.php
Yamaha tried to do colour coding with the CS series, but didn't quite get it right. So they made the world's most playable and expressive analog poly (CS80) instead.
They took the design hint with the DX7, but never quite hit the same design sweet spot with subsequent synths. And unlike the Roland designs, the DX7 was insanely difficult to program.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_DX7
US synth designers never quite understood colour coding, so the designs were more functional and more expensive, which made them feel more serious, more rock band, less accessible and less fun.