BP site updated

I have added a number of issues to the BP site, and I have tried to eliminate
some errors (probably creating some others in the process). Anyway, it might
be worthwhile to have a look:
http://members.aol.com/hpbohlen/index.html
Best regards
Heinz Bohlen

> Do any of you folks have recommendations for your favorite synthesizer
> capable of building sounds from scratch, and also having at least one
> user-specifiable completely arbitrary tuning table?

Actually, when I sent out this question, I wanted to check John
Loffink's web page first, but had some sort of network problem that made me
unable to reach it. It just now seems to have started working though -
just as abruptly as it stopped. Hmmm...

But anyway, now that I can get to his page, I think I see more answers
to my questions than I realized previously. First of all, I had forgotten
about the column in his tables that describe the types of tone generation
(sampling, FM, etc.) it supports.

I'd like to verify something though: If I understand your definitions
correctly, John, "keyboard scales" mean completely arbitrary tunings
key-for-key (within the resolution and range of the instrument), right? I
think I must have misread that definition the last time I looked at your
web page.)

This is a great web site, by the way.

In any case though, I'm definitely interested in you folks' personal
recommendations in particular (i.e., not only which synthesizers have that
ability).

> Do any of you folks have recommendations for your favorite synthesizer
> capable of building sounds from scratch, and also having at least one
> user-specifiable completely arbitrary tuning table?
>
IMHO the best sounding of the new DSP type synthesizers is the Korg
Prophecy. In many cases I think it sounds better than the old analog
synthesizers they're trying to emulate. The Prophecy is monophonic, but
Korg now has the Z1 which is 12 note polyphonic, expandable to 18 notes,
and fairly expensive. It has only one full keyboard tuning table, but you
can save global settings to a PCMCIA card.

The only other real alternative is Yamaha's discontinued SY77, TG77 or SY99
which featured their final and most powerful version of FM synthesis
coupled with resonant filters. They had 2 global tables, floppy disk and
cartridge storage. I haven't demoed these keyboards, though.

There isn't anything else that fits your criteria. Yamaha's VL series are
mono or duophonic. Kyma is more of a computer synthesis workstation than a
traditional synthesizer.

If realtime control is not an issue I recommend one of the many computer
synthesis programs that can generate files for your sampler. I personally
use Synthia Pro on my Amiga to generate sounds that couldn't be done any
other way.

> I'd like to verify something though: If I understand your definitions
> correctly, John, "keyboard scales" mean completely arbitrary tunings
> key-for-key (within the resolution and range of the instrument), right?
I
> think I must have misread that definition the last time I looked at your
> web page.)
>
Right.

John Loffink
jloffink@pdq.net

John Loffink suggested some Korgs and Yamahas and wrote,

>There isn't anything else that fits your criteria. Yamaha's VL series
are
>mono or duophonic. Kyma is more of a computer synthesis workstation
than a
>traditional synthesizer.

Why wouldn't you admit the Ensoniq VFX-SD? I've worked with the Yamaha
SY?? and found the Ensoniq to be comparable in synthesis ability.

> Do any of you folks have recommendations for your favorite synthesizer
> capable of building sounds from scratch, and also having at least one
> user-specifiable completely arbitrary tuning table?

> jloffink:
> The only other real alternative is Yamaha's discontinued SY77, TG77 or SY99
> which featured their final and most powerful version of FM synthesis
> coupled with resonant filters. They had 2 global tables, floppy disk and
> cartridge storage. I haven't demoed these keyboards, though.

I can vouch for the extreme versatility of the SY99, which I haven't
come close to fully exploring yet: 6-operator FM, 45 algorithms, 16 raw
waveforms, independent envelopes on each operator; two resonant filters
and good effects unit; also sample playback and the interesting option
of being able to use a sampled sound as an FM modulator.

The cheaper SY/TG77 are basically the same but with fewer effects and
no sample RAM, along with a few other differences. Used instruments
turn up regularly, in fact an SY77 was just advertised yesterday on
rec.music.makers.synth, which is where I found my '99 a year or so ago.

--Ken W.

Thanks a megabunch for the suggestions.

Anybody know where I could find a TG77? Just keep scanning the
newspapers I suppose... Or perhaps a TG77 will follow that SY77 on
rec.music.makers.synth!

> From: "Paul H. Erlich"
>
> Why wouldn't you admit the Ensoniq VFX-SD? I've worked with the Yamaha
> SY?? and found the Ensoniq to be comparable in synthesis ability.
>
The VFX-SD is wavetable based. Gary's Ensoniq sampler can already do
anything the VFX-SD can do, including Transwaves if he's got an EPS-16 Plus
or ASR-10.

> From: mr88cet@texas.net (Gary Morrison)
>
> Anybody know where I could find a TG77? Just keep scanning the
> newspapers I suppose... Or perhaps a TG77 will follow that SY77 on
> rec.music.makers.synth!
>
Try the Harmony Central classified ads, though I think those might be cross
posted to the newsgroups.

John Loffink
jloffink@pdq.net