Ploughing an Old Field
I have spent the last three days trying to synthesise a six string rock guitar - mainly so I don't have to learn to play a real one myself. This I have completely failed to do. But in a productive way.
Because on the road to making something that sounds less like Axel Rose and more like a harpsichord on long wave radio, I've found acres of other plucked string instruments, several kinds of electric pianos and organs, and even a bit of trumpet.
The method is called the Karplus-Strong algorithm, and it involves cycling very short bursts of white noise while progressively taking out the higher frequencies. From such unmusical beginnings spring dulcimers, wurlitzers and thrumming upright basses.
So here's some early results, arranged in a doodle I call:
Tubular Hells
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Wow! I'm seriously impressed! Not only do the sounds you've created work, but 'Tubular Hells' does too. And very well. You should re-name it the Kapitano-Peachy algorithm.
ReplyDeleteThanks Camy, glad you like my doodle. There's still work to be done on the project - more envelopes, and get the tuning right.
ReplyDeleteI just spent the night crunching numbers for retuning it to Just Intonation - and it's true what JI proponents say, tuning notes up or down just a few hundredths of a semitone can make a big difference to how a chord sounds.
So now, after breakfast...it's bedtime.
Soooo.....where's the rest of it?
ReplyDeleteI settled back and enjoyed and then it was done.
Humpf.
ENCORE!
*whispers*
I'm a Mike Oldfield fan and I still cracked up at the title.