Wiardgroup

> 
> Excellent post, Grant. Thanks.
> 
> 
> >In the "West Coast" instruments, there are 3 possible synthesis 
> >modes. Additive, non-
> >linear waveshaping and dynamic depth FM are the primary synthesis modes....
> 
> Like most people's, my knowledge is quite slanted toward the East 
> coast school. So, for example, I don't understand why non-linear 
> waveshaping and dynamic depth FM can't be done with East coast style 
> VCOs. (I'm not asking you to expound on this, though I would 
> certainly welcome anything more that you'd care to write.)

The only thing preventing it is that the features are not available! A Minimoog, Arp 
Oddyssey or 2600 do not support non-linear waveshaping. IIRC the FM is also exponential 
and not linear.

> 
> Off the top of my head, it seems that dynamic depth FM would require 
> 2 "East coast" VCOs -- one with a linear FM input -- and a VCA to 
> modulate the FM depth. Am I oversimplifying? Wouldn't be the first time. ;-)

In the case of the 259, it contain two oscillators and a VCA for modulation depth.

> There's also been a lot said about the need for through-zero 
> operation, but we don't need to get into a big ZO discussion, do we?

I have designed and tested a through zero core. My only concern is that the extra 
componentry will adversely affect stability. It is hard enough to get a stable analog VCO 
with out doubling the component count of the core.

> >... Modulating the timbre parameters then becomes a matter of "walking
> >about" in a large timbre space with multiple dimensions of 
> >simultaneous control. This is
> >true timbre morphing and not just simple crossfading between timbres 
> >(which is good
> >too).
> 
> Cool. Sounds like the "terrain" thing you've mentioned.

The original Wave Terrain designs were an algorithm used to compute a waveform in real 
time to eliminate the memory needed for waveform storage. The idea of "wave terrain" was 
the start of looking at wavefrom generation from a geometric, rather than algebraic 
perspective. In reality, a drum for example is a four dimensional generator, it is "projected" 
down to two dimensions by a microphone. The idea of starting with a multi-dimensional 
wave generating process is what is important.