[ Hypnos Forum ]

Does it all focus on the amplitude attack and decay?

I've only studied subtractive synthesis to date, but I know Zebra 2 has some FM oscillators available. I just don't know how to use FM in conjunction with basic oscillator waveforms.

Detuning seems to be a constant in the tutorials I've found over on YouTube, but what else other than softer attack and decay slopes add depth and richness to a drone? Is it the harmonics within the oscillators' waveforms, or can a drone be multiple synths all playing different waveforms simultaneously?

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Hello everyone. Been out of work since February...UE is running out soon and I'm still not finding work. Thus, I need to offer up the following:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/msg/1387085773.html

If anyone's interested, please let me know!

Thanks for looking,

Jim

Well this weekend I'm still not connected fully; not sure what I'm missing or not doing. I couldn't get the routing to work when I had the Mackie controller hooked up, so I simply ditched it and now have the following configuration:

Audio interface/Mixer:  M-Audio NRV10
MIDI interface:  M-Audio Midisport 4x4
Sequencer: C4
Synths: Yamaha AN1x & Access Virus A

Here's all I've been able to do so far...and I think I'm "almost there"...but still encountering some weirdness:

1. Installed the NRV10 on to my Mac. In the Audio/MIDI devices section of the System Preferences, I have the NRV10 as my audio input/output device set to the main "multichannel" configuration.

2. Connected the AN1x and the Virus to the 4x4 according to the quick card instructions (AN1x OUT to the 4x4 IN / 4x4 OUT to the AN1x IN : Virus OUT to the 4x4 IN / 4x4 OUT to the Virus IN).

3. In Cubase I created a 2-stereo bus template so I have two Input busses coming from the two stereo channels on the NRV10 (5/6 for the AN1x and 7/8 for the Virus) into Cubase. I've followed the C4 manual's instructions on connecting external gear and both synths show up in the VST connections panel as well as in the VST instruments rack as external VST's.

I know I need to set up the MIDI control chain...but not sure how to do it. I'm assuming that C4 needs to be the MIDI master and time source, but I'm not sure how to do this. I'm about to start going through the synth manuals to set them up to be slaves to Cubase...but again, this is all new to me and while I think I understand the connections/routings...I must be doing something wrong yet.

I have 2 audio tracks and 2 midi tracks open in Cubase to control and record from the synths. And while the routing is correct on the mixer, I'm not sure if they're correct in general.

The one puzzle I'm not sure about, too, is latency. When I start playing the AN1x (which I have set as the midi input for both synths) I get instant playback from the AN1x. When I solo the Virus track, however, and start playing the AN1x...I've documented the lag to be 56 seconds from the time I press a key and actually get sound back from the Virus. Any suggestions as to what I'm missing or doing incorrectly?

I haven't even tried recording yet since this lag is wigging me out a bit.

If anyone has any advice...I'm all ears. I'm still reading through the manuals...but as of this post, I'm still kind of stuck.

If anyone is in Philly and would be willing to swing by at some point during the week or next weekend, that would be more than appreciated!

Now I need to see if I can return the Mackie...

FYI...

http://phillysoundforum.org/

Hey everyone!

I've been meaning to ask this for a while now: can anyone tell me the history of drones becoming a focal point in modern ambient? In addition, what constitutes a "quality" drone versus a "boring" drone?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Jim

To getting new gear...only to open one box and discover the NRV10 arrived with a slider missing a cap, and the Mackie Control Universal arrived with a European power cord.

This is my life...brand new gear...still f-ed up.  :(  I don't care about the slider not having a cap on it...but I now have a $1,500 paper weight til I can get a power cord that actually works with the unit I bought. 

Unreal.

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I've logged in, I finally finished my bachelor's degree in May; and have been enjoying the freedom of getting my life back.  hehe

Now I have the time to attend to the studio I've put together over the last 2 years while I was a student. I've run into a problem, and after consulting manuals...I'm still a little confused and need input from my peers.

Hardware involved:  MacBookPro - OSX Leopard, Edirol UA-25 audio interface (external), Edirol M-10DX digital mixer, Yamaha AN1x, and Virus A Rack.

Situation: I cannot find a way to connect both the Yamaha and Access together and get them to show up in Cubase. I think the issue lies with the digital mixer, but I'm not sure. When I connect the Yamaha to the digital mixer, I get the audio out of the synth but I cannot seem to get Cubase to record it. I can use it as a midi controller in Cubase for any vsti in Cubase, however, and I can also play it via midi data in a midi channel. So now I just need to figure out how to get the outputs of the synths to show up in Cubase's mixer with their own channel/bus.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Jim

Hey gang,

Sorry for not posting much lately...I'm graduating in 4 weeks so I'm trying to finish on a good note.  hehe

I've noticed something funky happening with my left monitor speaker. It's happening almost daily now...but, it seems to be picking up radio frequencies and static. Like talk radio and lots of high end hiss. I find it really odd that only one of the monitor speakers is doing this.

Any advice or help? It's really annoying when I'm trying to watch a movie or listen to music at low volumes.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Jim

Hey everyone!

I finally got my TR8's connected to my audio interface...I forgot HOW nice these monitor speakers are. Flat and honest...I've been mixing in 6-8 hour sessions on them and I've had no ear fatigue. And then, it happened. I listened to Atlas Dei through the Events.  lolol  WOW.  :)  This is what brings me to my post:

What is the basic pattern structure used in space music? Is it the pairing of specific instruments that makes a song "space music," or is it a specific state of mind through which the listener becomes engulfed in the sonic environments and soundscapes?

I'm absolutely blown away by space music. I had never heard of it when I was younger...and now it's all I want to compose.  :) 

Are there any books or papers published that discuss the history of the genre? Also, to any of the modern space producers on this forum: are there any good exercises or methods a noobie such as myself would need to learn in order to create quality space environments?

As always, thanks in advance for any advice or guidance!

Peace,

Jim

Anybody else enjoying this DVD as much as I am?

...an absinthe drinker?

I'll be trying it for the first time later this week in Miami when I am on holiday.

It's good to see the FDA finally educated itself about this drink and dropped the ban last year (if you didn't know, it's now legal again in the US).

The only US-based absinthe my friends and I could find on short notice was Lucid. Has anyone tried it?

It's getting mixed reviews from various absinthe forums.

Thanks for any feedback.

Jim

Hey everyone,

As I've been studying about subtractive synthesis, I've had one creature elude my knob-turning fingers: evolving pads/textures. I either get tones/sounds that are too "tinkly" or too "pale" when I try to create a drone or evolving texture. I'm at a loss.

Can anyone recommend a good tutorial or process that is essential to making rich, evolving textures and pads? I've been using Atmosphere from Spectrasonics until I can improve my own pads.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Jim

Hello everyone!

Happy 2008 to you all. A few of you may remember me from back in 2005. My name is Jim. I live/study/work in Philadelphia, PA. As some of you may remember, I had to take a sabbatical (so to speak) from production due to my religious obligations as a priest. I also returned to school to finish my bachelor's degree. I made a promise to myself I wouldn't buy back a new studio until I finished my degree...well, I graduate on May 19th...so I've started the re-building process.

I'll be lurking for a while getting caught up on all the conversations and threads, but wanted to say hello to everyone. I see many familiar names are still here. I hope you're all doing well!

Best wishes,

Jim