Potential older SE-based synth "conversion" project

[Duckett]

Hey gang,

Not something that's going to happen quickly- but one frustration I've had for a few years is with a VSTi I helped design with decadebridge (formerly Saltline) https://www.decadebridge.com/category/software/saltline/ called ADHDidi; very nice intro video for the original version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UokuRJGSBs and UPROAR24 doing his, er, usual thing with the 2nd version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQgQW2aFL8c

My favorite review, from MusicBird in 2018: "...ADHDidi sounds like a K5000 on steroids, as it has more waveforms and a great filter. You can get some great lead and bass sounds out of it with the right programming, if you have knowledge of additive synthesis. I don’t have GAS for the K5000 anymore because of this.")

Here's a soundbank demo by Kujashi (Armin of Krakli's "Arminator" fame): https://soundcloud.com/kujashi/adhdidi-soundbank-demo

So- the one thing on my wish-list that never happened, is the ability to switch the MSEGs (both segments and total envelope) between host sync and manual... this will probably be a giant PITA, but I think worth it, as I'm proud of ADHDidi and want to see it really show its potential at some point.

Thoughts?

[Duckett]

I wasn't expecting a flood of replies by now, but not even a "Good luck with that"?

I really hope I haven't turned into the "Shh..just wait until he eventually gives up and goes away" guy O_0

[deraudrl]

I really hope I haven't turned into the "Shh..just wait until he eventually gives up and goes away" guy O_0

Hey, stay in your lane: that's MY job!!

[Spogg]

I wasn't expecting a flood of replies by now, but not even a "Good luck with that"?

I really hope I haven't turned into the "Shh..just wait until he eventually gives up and goes away" guy O_0

Hi Duckett

Good luck with that!

I read every post but I don’t reply if I don’t think I can help with a problem, and I suspect the other guys do the same. So if you don’t get an answer please don’t go assuming none of us care, because we all want everyone to have fun and achieve stuff. So don’t give up and go away!

[Duckett]

Sooo, anyway... have any here had a go with ADHDidi? I know Spogg's made several feature-rich explorations of additive (even if they're in the "stock knobs/all-orange oldies" part of the Quilcom page), but I also know that once people like us dive into an area, often we go "whole hog" investigating everything about it- and, once done, the subject no longer holds much interest- so if that's the case, I get it.

Hmm...I wonder if I can get Ted (DecadeBridge) to at least describe or sketch out a rough SFD, since the project was SE and I doubt he still has the project files ready at hand.. even though SE has been slowly but steadily updated since the Saltline era, his interest in making VSTs fairly seems to have vanished, and while he still has all the old stuff available for download, he's understandably not providing support or updates for old freeware.

One of the features Ted implemented at my suggestion between the first and 1.01 versions of ADHDidi was not being limited to sine partials, but being able to set the waveform for each of the 16 partials to be either sine, triangle, square, or saw.. this was, to me, fairly unique, and I'd love to understand how he implemented that.

[Spogg]

Yes you’re spot on about the “been there, done that” thinking. I’m a bit like Terry Pratchett (but not dead yet) in that my favourite project of all time is always the one I’m working on at the time.

To change from sine waves to others you would just have a wirelessly connected droplist menu thingy that told all the partial generators to select a different oscillator. I have no idea what 16 sawtooth waveforms at integer harmonic intervals would sound like, so why not have a go…?

[Duckett]

Hmm. It is sometimes *cough* the case that I think tangled loops around a problem, when the answer is simple and straightforward.. in any case, think I'll both try rattling Ted's cage, as well as having a good nose-around your own efforts, and see what, if anything, sparks out of that effort.


Also, perchance might you be able to describe the most painless way to implement a basic ducking feature in a delay line? I've read through some discussions here re: ducking in general, RMS, threshold setting issues, unrelated compressor side-chain topics, etc. -and the end result is I'm less confident as to the right way to do it

[Spogg]

Also, perchance might you be able to describe the most painless way to implement a basic ducking feature in a delay line? I've read through some discussions here re: ducking in general, RMS, threshold setting issues, unrelated compressor side-chain topics, etc. -and the end result is I'm less confident as to the right way to do it

Sorry, I'm not sure exactly what you want to achieve.

Briefly: Any gain control needs an envelope follower to convert a signal’s amplitude (rms/peak/average etc.) into a control value. This control value can then set the level of whatever you need to duck or compress.

[Duckett]

Actually, that's helpful. I've been in love with putting envelope followers where they doesn't usually go in my various spaghetti-fests, so a reminder that "Hey, that's what envelope followers are for" helps to give me a nice basic starting point to futz around from.

(Pardon for topic derailment, BTW) The start of the ducking question began when I was looking over my recent delay project, and asked myself "What's a delay feature devs often get thanked for or requested?", and after some vidya-watchin' and review-readin' and the like, I concluded "People seem to appreciate an 'input ducking mix' control.. let's see, this should not be difficult", but instead of assuming it's simple, and then finding out it would be if I'd asked a question or two before having a gnarled and uncooperative schematic sticking its tongue out at me, I'd ask first this time