More tuning info: Absynth 2

I've been watching this one for a while, as the developer had indicated tuning support. I'd love to report on the tuning implementation/editor, but the NI demo is only version 1.2, which doesn't have micro support. I'll keep bugging them to get a 2.0 demo so someone can try it.

Native Instrument's Absynth 2.0 is an amazing synth, but not one if you are wanting to have it sound like pianos, banjos, clarinets, etc. But if you want it to sound like... something else...

All that said, here is a paragraph from a recent review on audiomidi.com:

"Microtuning
------------
Absynth might well be a microtonalist's dream! While earlier versions showed a glimmer of promise, tuning was restricted to a collection of preset factory tunings. The new version is fully tuneable. This means that every one of the 128 possible MIDI notes can be individually tuned, with a theoretical precision of at least one thousandth of a cent! (The user interface actually goes down to a millionth, but I was unable to verify that.) Repeating, equal tempered scales can also be easily programmed. To understand how simple but revolutionary this tuning system is, consider that the majority of other instruments (both hardware and software) limit their microtuning to repeating octaves. Even those with "full keyboard" tuning often constrain the detuning of each note to 50 or 100 cents from its nominal pitch. The final frustration is that many of these instruments have tuning precision coarser than one cent. Not so Absynth! I'm recommending it to my microtonalist friends, even the fussy ones."

Intriguing, eh?

Cheers,
Jon

On the oddmusic group, a member there says he uses Absynth now for
microtonal work. I guess he must be talking about the latest
version. His post was in response to my post about the relatively
sparse selection of microtonal soft synths for the Mac OS X
platform. He also suggested I look into using something like CSound
to generate tuned samples for use with a sampler (hardware or
software) that can map individual samples per note. I have the
Emagic EXSP-24 sample player so I may look into that.

I'm also holding out a bit for Glenn Olander to add microtuning
capability to Crystal, a free soft synth that appears to have much of
the same functionality as Absynth (a $300 retail product) - semi-
modular architecture, granular synthesis, etc. CronoX-plus-VST-to-AU
wrapper remains a consideration as well. It's just I've been so busy
practicing viola lately, having recently joined a church orchestra...

Paolo

Paolo,

{you wrote...}
>He also suggested I look into using something like CSound to generate >tuned samples for use with a sampler (hardware or software) that can map >individual samples per note.

Just so long as you are aware (which you may already be) that Csound is not a quick-and-easy situation to master.

>I'm also holding out a bit for Glenn Olander to add microtuning capability >to Crystal...

I think you should stop holding out: Glenn posted on his user list that he has a new software job and is curtailing any new dev work on Crystal. Details here:

/crystal-users/message/1317

Cheers,
Jon

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Jonathan M. Szanto"
<JSZANTO@A...> wrote:
> Paolo,
>
> {you wrote...}
> >He also suggested I look into using something like CSound to
generate
> >tuned samples for use with a sampler (hardware or software) that
can map
> >individual samples per note.
>
> Just so long as you are aware (which you may already be) that
Csound is not
> a quick-and-easy situation to master.

Yeah, I took Greg's post with a grain of salt. I do have the CSound
Book, but I haven't opened it much due to being occupied by other
concerns.

> >I'm also holding out a bit for Glenn Olander to add microtuning
capability
> >to Crystal...
>
> I think you should stop holding out: Glenn posted on his user list
that he
> has a new software job and is curtailing any new dev work on
Crystal.

I can afford to put of my decision on soft synths a little longer
because my first electronic gig won't be until December. When I feel
confident enough with my orchestra parts to cut down on practice time
a bit is when I'll make my decision - I'll base it on what is out by
that time (hopefully the new LinPlug stuff will be out, otherwise I
guess I'll cough up the dough for Absynth).

Paolo