Dave Smith Instruments SYNTHESIZERS

I should have been more specific...

It's going to be an EVOLVER-centric guide, not another "synth basics  
101"-type thing.  I've actually already started, based on some feedback  
 from a few users.

I plan to document each feature and provide some "hands-on"  
tutorials/guides/lessons to help people understand how the different  
features work, how they can be used for sound shaping, and so forth.

I also hope to include a basic synthesis guide.  This won't be at the  
"academic" level at all, but rather a "here's how you put Evolver's  
features together to make some basic and advanced sounds"

It may be somewhat pedantic for more sophisticated users, but so far, I'm  
having fun writing it.

If there are any "expert users" out there who have tips/tricks they want  
to share, send 'em to me and I'll include them with appropriate  
attribution.

I see this as a workbook of sorts.

I could really use something like this and probably many others too!

--- In DSI_Evolver@yahoogroups.com, "Anu Kirk" <anukirk@p...> wrote:
> I should have been more specific...
> 
> It's going to be an EVOLVER-centric guide, not another "synth 
basics  
> 101"-type thing.  I've actually already started, based on some 
feedback  
>  from a few users.
> 
> I plan to document each feature and provide some "hands-on"  
> tutorials/guides/lessons to help people understand how the 
different  
> features work, how they can be used for sound shaping, and so 
forth.
> 
> I also hope to include a basic synthesis guide.  This won't be at 
the  
> "academic" level at all, but rather a "here's how you put 
Evolver's  
> features together to make some basic and advanced sounds"
> 
> It may be somewhat pedantic for more sophisticated users, but so 
far, I'm  
> having fun writing it.
> 
> If there are any "expert users" out there who have tips/tricks 
they want  

> to share, send 'em to me and I'll include them with appropriate  
> attribution.
> 
> I see this as a workbook of sorts.

> I plan to document each feature and provide some "hands-on"  
> tutorials/guides/lessons to help people understand how the 
different  
> features work, how they can be used for sound shaping, and 
so forth.

This sounds great.

> 
> If there are any "expert users" out there who have tips/tricks 
they want  
> to share, send 'em to me and I'll include them with appropriate  
> attribution.

We sure do have some experts on the list. I hope they share their 
tricks. he he

this is an excellent idea. go for it!

also, you might want to keep an open structure, like let other people 
work on different chapters. back when i was into csound, i got the 
csound book and that was great. each chapter was written by someone 
else. you should write down everything you want to get out but also 
leave it pluggable.

i hope this is going to be like a pdf in the files section. hey, 
ultimately maybe dave would publish it through some small press or 
something. or print on demand. yeah, print on demand baby.

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

also, i'll do proof reading, i'm an english major and know how to use 
it.

later

I am happy to have other folks contribute to the project - anyone who is  
interested should contact me off-list.

In the past I've found that most people WANT to do something, and few  
actually DO it. ;-)

I can post my outline/Table of Contents here if people want to see it, and  
I hope to have the Sequencer section finished over the weekend.  I will  
post that for download as well so people can comment on it.

I think that a good way to look at synthesizers is in the 'modular'
view.  (Except that particular synthesizers are limited in particular
aspects of their modularity, which is a good reason for proposed
Evo-Noob-Guide). I find the Evo very 'internally' flexible, and that
is the reason I bought one (well, it sounds cool too.) 

Main point of writing, to understand-->> 

The types of signals--->>>

1. Audio (Oscillators, Feedback)
2. Control (LFOs, ADSR (envelopes), Sequencer
3. Gate(Keypress)/Sequencer Triggers

That's it!

[I think the Evo's "flow chart" diagram that is supplied with the
manual says everything about its 'Audio Path.']

'Audio' from Oscillators 1-4 (& 'Feedback')--->this into the VCF
(filter), Filter goes into the 'Effects section' (Distortion/Delay.) 
Something like that.

The rest is understanding the 'Control Signals' or as I've read
somewhere else, the 'invisible hands' that 'tweak the knobs' over time.

The 'control signals' (modulators) LFO's, ADSR's, and the Sequencer -
these do not 'produce' audio, they in essence, 'turn the knobs' of
their selected destinations.  (LFO 1 to OSC 1 pitch means that the LFO
will 'turn the pitch knob' of OSC 1 at whatever speed/intensity is
selected.  ADSR 3 to Pulsewidth 1 means that when the ADSR (envelope)
receives a keypress/seqencer gate-on, it will create the shape
programmed (ADSR) and 'invisibly turn the pulsewidth knob' of OSC 1.

The 'Evo sequencer' is a beast of its own and I think a little page
could be written just on it and its possibilities.  But do think of
the Sequencer as just another modulator/control signal generator
(LFO/ADSR) just a lot more pliable.

The 'Feedback section of the Evo' is yet another beast which deserves
its own little section.  But don't forget that it is just an 'Audio
Signal'.  That is processed by the Filter and Effects just like the
Oscillators.

Then, 'keypress/sequencer steps or gate'.  This is a little spike or
trigger that occurs when there is a keypress/midi note received, or of
course the sequencer is a trigger generator.  Basically, this 'gate'
Triggers the ADSRs!  So when a gate is received, the envelope is
'started' and its signal goes and 'modulates/turns the knob' of
whatever it is assigned to modulate.  (Try ADSR 3 to and OSC while it
is synced to the other.)

[The Evo (or any synthesizer with programmable 'Audio and Control
signals') is like a Casio keyboard with knobs for every parameter (in
a sense) so you can change anything you like to make it not sound like
a shitty piano.  ALSO, using the LFO, ADSR, and SEQ is like having ~15
'extra-hands' that will turn certain knobs for you with respect to
time/keypress.

...or, maybe like a guitar that is plugged into some efx pedals and
then into an amp.  You play (or MIDI plays) the guitar strings, and
the LFOs, the ADSRs and the SEQuencer turns the knobs of the effects
pedals as you do your thing.

..or like, your vocal chords are the 'audio signal', your throat/mouth
is the filter, and your hand is the 'control signal' tugging on the
skin of your neck to give your voice 'vibrato'.  I guess your soul is
the keypress.]

So, there is a little mess of words to hopefully give you a better
picture of the way synths work.  It's simple, I think.

[Synth-vets, don't take shots because I left out any FM, RM, or VCF
self-oscillation, etc. 
-And I don't mean to take away any momentum from the prospective
authors of the proposed Guide, just to throw in my 2 cents for the
time being.  Go on and write that thing!]

Time to go make some custom waveforms for my Evo!!!!

Chris