[LAU] Yoshimi - Random Detune

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Thu, 3 Dec 2015 21:05:12 +0000, Will Godfrey wrote:
>On Thu, 3 Dec 2015 19:35:37 +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
>> I guess it's a useful feature, but it's not entirely true that it's a
>> seldom provided feature. It's possible to use a slow LFO that affects
>> the pitch a little bit, assumed it doesn't start in the same position
>> each time a key is touched.
>
>That's not really quite the same. It would produce a note that was
>regularly varying in pitch, albeit very slowly.
>
>Our implementation produces a note that may start at a different
>pitch, but will then maintain that for its duration.

I understand this and it could be useful, but often there unlikely will
be a noticeable difference, since the LFO should be really slow and
the detuning should be minimal. Unclean intonation of instruments isn't
fixed either, but changes after a while, for e.g. fretted string
instruments after you pushed a string on a fret or after the attack of
a string finished. Usually just different kinds of portamento or pitch
envelops without random are used by synth to archive this, regarding the
interaction with other instruments, it likely isn't noticeable that the
pitch doesn't change randomly. However, the higher the value of the
detune becomes, the more noticeable is the difference between different
methods to archive this and depending to the tempo the kind that is used
to change the pitch matters too. If you don't care about the instruments
intonation, but about the ability of a musician, to e.g. play a
fretless string instrument, then the pitch usually gets corrected
during the attack or right after the attack too. For string
instruments with frets, the inaccuracy regarding the warp of the wood
at different room temperatures does cause more fixed detuning, than
random detuning caused regarding other issues. Open played and played at
the 12 fret everything might be ok, but in the middle, those
instruments are bad-tempered.

In short, as long as just minimal detuning is used, there often isn't
much noticeable difference between notes that randomly change the pitch
each time they are played and while they keep this during sustain and
ways where the of "detune" moves, especially because the sampled sound
per se might change it's pitch a little bit and because tone colour and
timing vary too.

Real humans often play more accurate, than human touch features of
synth and drum machines ;). I noticed that more important then timing
and tuning, is the release time of sampled sounds or synth sounds that
are imitations of real instruments. The attack and sustain/loops often
sound very realistic, timing and pitch is often much realistic, but
regarding the way the sound is played, the release (fade out) sounds
unnatural or much unnatural, but seldom it sounds as a natural
instrument.

Regards,
Ralf
-- 
http://www.grundgesetz-gratis.de/