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[cutout]

they're quite different beasts though aren't they? I am loving DS 10 for it's hands on synthesis and instant wonky fun ...but nitrotracker, especially with these new features, is becoming a serious compositional tool with increasing 'hands on' fun elements.

[Shagbat]

Maybe this would make a nice future "product" to compete with the Korg DS-10

I can't stop thinking about this and have come up with a few ideas

I think if you were to make a separate product capable of realtime synthesis it may be best to go for FM synthesis as it would seem to be easier to get a decent amount of poly out of the cpu's compared to virtual analog synthesis. I'm not a coder but I noticed that jEnesisDS which is a megadrive/genesis emulator has an emulation of the megadrives sound chip which is a 4op 6 channel FM synth, so it seems well within the realms of possiblity.

Also you could recycle Nitrotracker sequencer as a tracker would be the best way the maximise the usefulness of what ever polyphony is available. The instruments could be replaced with sets of parameters for the synth and then triggered by the sequencer.

I'd personally choose more notes of FM poly over limited analog poly any day. It would be nice to be going in a different direction to DS-10 too.

Cheers.

[0xtob]

Interesting. I'll look into that. This hypothetic new "product" should be one synth with as few knobs/settings as possible, but with a high variability in sounds you can create with it. The DS-10 is an awesome example of that, but creating the sound they want is still difficult for people who are not into vintage synths. Also I don't want to make a retro vintage synth I like innovative synth interfaces like Ableton's operator.

Back on topic though: Do you have any resources for FM synth? And what do you mean by "poly"? Is that polyphony, as in the number of channels that can play simultaneously?

[Shagbat]

Sorry for the late reply, I didn't realize you'd replied.

yes I mean polyphonic by 'poly'.

A ds version of something like operator would be heaven (operator is an FM synth as is megarive chip by the way), especially if this instrument could be implemented in the same ultra flexible way that trackers are able to use there channels in the most flexible way possible (ie multitimbrally). There is actually a megadrive sound chip compatible tracker that someone wrote, I suppose it would be helpful. its called 'TFM Music Maker'. I think this is the authors website http://shiru.untergrund.net/software.htm

Perhaps you code also take a sneaky peak at the code that creates the sound in the megadrive emulator, or does it have to be open source to do that? Here's a link http://www.neoflash.com/forum/index.php/topic,4571.0.html

I'm not sure what you mean by resources for FM synth but I hope this helps.

If you are worried about the difficulty in people being able to create their own synth sounds with little or no synth programming experience then perhaps it would be best to include a large user created patch (synth sound) library. You could even give the user access to a patch library online via the ds wifi. seeing as any synth sound can be stored in a bunch of parameters which could be contained in just a few bytes then it should be possible. I wouldn't mind contributing!

As per usual I seem to be getting way too excited, but these ideas are worth noting I suppose.

By the way, the wife is getting my DS-10 for xmas so that'll be nice

Cheers.

[moncrey]

I really hope this comes to fruition. This is already my favorite composition tool, synthesis would surely take it over the edge.

[this is me dreaming, but] I'd love to see nitrotracker gain an fx column for changing synth params (or volume, starting point, etc)!

[The Onyxmizer]

as long as you can make more complex harmonies and rythems, I'll buy the DS-10 compeditor.

(as far as I know you can only have 2 voices at a time in DS-10 right?)