Yet more new stuff

[Arpangel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxnEjur ... rt_radio=1

Sorry chaps, but how much more stuff do we need?
Every time I log in to YouTube there are yet more emperors new clothes, sounding exactly the same as the 80's and the 90's.

[resistorman]

Maybe we've explored 99.5% of the ways to generate and torture sound...

[Arpangel]

Yes, also, its so easy now, and many electronic sounds are very familiar, to the general public, they aren't mysterious or special anymore they are generic electronic. No one cares if its analogue digital FM computer or what not, you can get them anywhere.
The days of the first Moogs people were freaking out, it was like what's this? what made that? nothing sounds mysterious or futuristic anymore we are 'there'''

[Arpangel]

OK, this Magnolia, I like the look of it, a lot, the sound is nice and gnarly if required, that's good, but, I'm thinking, is it worth it? a Prophet 5 could cover what I've heard so far for me anyway, if I was going to have to spend this type off money I'd go for a Pro 10, and a decent pedal, but that's just my take.

[Folderol]

OK, this Magnolia, I like the look of it, a lot, the sound is nice and gnarly if required, that's good, but, I'm thinking, is it worth it? a Prophet 5 could cover what I've heard so far for me anyway, if I was going to have to spend this type off money I'd go for a Pro 10, and a decent pedal, but that's just my take.

Hmmm. So when is it arriving?

[RichardT]

With all my sample libraries and soft synths, I have access to about 50,000 sounds. I don't think that's at all abnormal these days.

But it's not just about the sounds we have. Trying something new can be very creative and help people generate ideas they wouldn't previously have had.

On the other hand, western classical and jazz music benefit from the opposite effect - a very constrained set of sounds to work with. That can also encourage creativity.

[Arpangel]

With all my sample libraries and soft synths, I have access to about 50,000 sounds. I don't think that's at all abnormal these days.

But it's not just about the sounds we have. Trying something new can be very creative and help people generate ideas they wouldn't previously have had.

On the other hand, western classical and jazz music benefit from the opposite effect - a very constrained set of sounds to work with. That can also encourage creativity.

I suppose synths are a bit like any musician with an instrument, synth's can be more or less similar, but the way they are laid out, the work flow, how they can "steer'' you in certain directions is a bit like playing with different types of people, a violin is a violin, the end result comes form the musician, some we get on with some we don't, same as synths, its' a similar vibe, give me this new synth and I'll sound like me, give it to Richard or anyone else here and it'll have their stamp, it's not ultimately down to the instrument, synth's take on different personalities, depending who's playing them, doesn't matter that the architecture may be similar, that's not entirely what shapes the end result.
I think, maybe, the way they were talking about the Magnolia, they might be marketing it as a sort of polyphonic West Coast Buchla type of vibe.
Hang on! "Magnolia?" WTF! isn't that colour a bland icon? you may as well call it "The Beige"

[Nazard]

Maybe we've explored 99.5% of the ways to generate and torture sound...

Daphne Oram occupies part of that 0.5%, her work going back to the 1940s.

[Arpangel]

Maybe we've explored 99.5% of the ways to generate and torture sound...

Daphne Oram occupies part of that 0.5%, her work going back to the 1940s.

Very true.
we have reached a situation where we are becoming way to obsessed with the minutia of sound, it's not important, if I want to convey say, the feeling of desolation, and sadness, I can choose to use many different sounds to do so, but, as long as the emotional goal is reached by the composer snd conveyed successfully to the listener.
The sounds used can be many, but the goal is the same, so why labour over the choice? as long as the right emotion is conveyed.

[MOF]

Daphne Oram occupies part of that 0.5%, her work going back to the 1940s.

No, we’ve done that with sampler technology, that’s just the modern version of cutting and splicing tape and speeding up and slowing down ‘found sounds’.

[Arpangel]

Daphne Oram occupies part of that 0.5%, her work going back to the 1940s.

No, we’ve done that with sampler technology, that’s just the modern version of cutting and splicing tape and speeding up and slowing down ‘found sounds’.

Daphne Oram's work goes way beyond standard Musique Concrete techniques, into actual new ways of generating sound, among many other things, that are still unique to her.

[MOF]

I’ve seen a few items about her and apart from using oscillators plus tape manipulation I can’t think of anything that’s unique to her that’s not being done now.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Oramics

[Arpangel]

I’ve seen a few items about her and apart from using oscillators plus tape manipulation I can’t think of anything that’s unique to her that’s not being done now.

Oramics was unique to her, and no one else did it or is doing it now.
Her machine was in the science museum, I think it's still there now.

[MOF]

Wasn’t that on the Fairlight too?
Then there’s this which is not quite the same as drawing waveforms but is music created by drawing.
https://www.binaura.net/apps/soundbow/# ... 20produced.

[Arpangel]

Wasn’t that on the Fairlight too?
Then there’s this which is not quite the same as drawing waveforms but is music created by drawing.
https://www.binaura.net/apps/soundbow/# ... 20produced.

A visual method to make sound may have been used but it wouldn't have been done in the same way. Her way was more akin to film sound, drawing on film, and her machine was designed from the ground up to do what she wanted.
She was of her time, a pioneer, that spawned a lot of ideas in other people, she was one of those people that do amazing things by thinking of something in her head, and then realising it herself simply because the tools weren't available off the shelf, a lot of people at that time did the same thing, think of an idea, and then make something to realise it, not common today, as everyone wants to buy something ready made, which doesn't stimulate such original ideas and thinking, in fact, it does exactly the opposite.

[Hugh Robjohns]

In my experience it's just as common today, but when creative innovative people have an idea now they write code and build plugins to realise their ideas... Same approach, different technology.

[OneWorld]

Oramics

What a contraption, you don't see many, if any, of them on Gumtree that's for sure

[MOF]

In my experience it's just as common today, but when creative innovative people have an idea now they write code and build plugins to realise their ideas... Same approach, different technology.

I can't code but I'm more than happy to use digital technology, photography especially. Even though there was some satisfaction to be had from developing and printing B&W film (I'd promised myself at some stage I'd do colour processing but never did) it was was very time consuming and expensive and not nearly as instantaneous and versatile as using Photoshop.

[Arpangel]

Coding is coding, er, it's limited to coding, it's the same activity all the time no mater what you're designing
Something like an Oramics machine is a mixture of all different types of skills and engineering, metalwork, woodwork, electrical engineering and electronics, and artistic skills.
And if you were going to design something different, the materials and skills would be different. You can design anything you want with software, but the skills and tools are always the same.

[Folderol]

You can design anything you want with software, but the skills and tools are always the same.

Erm... have you actually done any software development?

[Rich Hanson]

You can design anything you want with software, but the skills and tools are always the same.

Erm... have you actually done any software development?

Was about the say the same, but you beat me to it!

Signed,
A professional software developer

[BJG145]

Haha, I can see both sides here, Arpy is right in suggesting that painting, metalwork and coding are different areas with their own traditions and mindset.

Coding can embrace it all, and obvs there’s a multitude of systems and approaches…you could master one of them, but another might be as alien as taking up table tennis after specialising in macramé. But, he has a point though. There’s inspiration and cross-fertilisation to be found in different fields of activity.

[Arpangel]

What I'm trying to say is coding involves sitting in front of a computer using a keyboard mouse etc, that's a particular skill set, and it doesn't matter what you're coding, you have to have those particular things, and there is a commonality of usage of the tools themselves.
Whereas, a lot of things are multi-disciplinary in other fields, involving a few different skill sets, like, woodwork, electrical, metalwork, upholstery, mechanics, all completely different things, but all necessary for some things, like say, a pipe organ, a car, Oramics, or, a modern synthesiser that might be a hybrid of traditional techniques and ideas that require coding too, as well as all the other things I mentioned, but not just one universally.