I'd like to see a synth from SCI with a voice architecture like the one I've made a picture off here.
You could say that it could be some sort of "Evolver 2", but that's not really the point.
My initial idea was, that two simple analog oscillators was converted into digital, and then used a sources for further manipulation in a powerful per voice DSP chip. There are many options as what to do with the converted sources before being output into an analog filter and amp (still with stereo separation in the signal path), so only the imagination will be the limit here... I could very well see this DSP module being set up like choosing algorithms, and if the DSP has some built in memory, it would give lots of options for crazy algorithms.
Regarding the UI I clearly see the DSP module given a big screen with parameter navigation buttons/knobs.
What the filters should be could be discussed, but I would not mind it being the new filters from the Prophet X... point is, that digital filters could and should be easily implemented in some of the DSP algorithms as well, so it's not overly necessary to have costly analog filters after the DSP... I don't want this synth to cost the same as a MOOG ONE
I've only drawn out the voice architecture, but certainly there will also be the control modulation section as usual with all the LFOs and EGs etc. plus the obligatory FX sections at the end of the signal chain.
The reason for this voice architecture is that when the audio sources are converted from an analog oscillator, then their analog nature will permeate all the way down thru the digital DSP path before being converted back into analog before the analog filter and amp... all the imperfections will be kept down the line.
My initial idea was to use the sources as "accumulators" for looking up digitally stored waveforms in memory for example. using a simple ramp up waveform on an analog oscillator like this would create a digital "copy" of the analog waveform, but with all the imperfections transfered to the stored waveform... and if the waveform is changed on the analog oscillator, you'd get crazy waveshapings going on in the result...
This is but one example... many other creative uses could be made, making a huge potential in sonics.
Somehow dreaming about the DSP module of this being made open source which could potentially make this synth's potential explode, but it would probably be easier to create a fixed set of algorithms.
1708 Replies
769914 Views