[linux-audio-dev] Project: modular synth editor

Iain Duncan iainduncan at telus.net
Mon Jan 19 00:30:17 UTC 2004


> You seem to be really attached to this idea.. I guess what I don't
> understand is.. why?  What, exactly, is the point/benefit?

It's really not that I think anyone should follow my suggestions, I'm not an
experienced enough programmer. The reason I piped up again was because I
think it is very easy for computer programmers emulating a modular to lose
track of what a modular actually is/does. So if that is the stated goal,
keeping an eye on the definition is important. I also tend to think that
historically programmers often say:

"Oh that will be way too impractical to use and CPU intensive" and two years
down the road it's a different story. Csound is a perfect example, it's
flexible as a real time instrument now because the design was never intended
for real time use. No one was worried about how CPU hungry it is.

So all I'm saying is keep in mind these points about a hardware modular if
you really want to make a software one:

One standard type of connection ( a jack ) can be used between modules of
different manufacturers for all of:
- instantaneous audio feedback ( well speed of light anyway! )
- any audio signal can be used as a control signal and vice versa
- any signal can be used to cross modulate or mix with any other signal
- a signal can be used for as long as wanted in a control chain without
worrying about resolution loss ( sure it may get distorted, but the
distortion is also happening at the speed of light. )

For example, the ear is *extremely* sensitive to the coarseness of an
amplitude enveloping signal. ( You can hear the difference between a 44khz
and a 10khz envelope signal applied to amplitude. ) Anything less than audio
resolution is noticeable. So if you want *any* signal source to be able to
go *anywhere* then that signal has to be audio resolution all the time. If
this is the case, why not use the best standard we have for passing signals?
That will be expensive, and that will be a modular. Anything less is IMHO
not a *modular* though it might well still be a wicked modularish-app.

However, this does not mean that I don't think other approaches will make
wicked audio software. We are always stuck choosing between expense and
features, and many choices are valid. In my live Csound rig I cut corners
for fast response all the time. But it ain't no modular . . .

Iain




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