Splitting a signal into hamonics

[Undistraction]

I've just watched a nice intro to modular synthesis:

At 40:20ish he starts playing with a module that splits a sine wave into its component harmonics. The module allows him to move through these harmonics using an LFO, playing one or many harmonics at a time.

Is there any way to achieve this within Reason (using REs or not).

[Loque]

A simple sine has only one harmonic. I guess what he is talking about using a specific harmonic. This requires a additive synth. Since i played around with Spectra the last time, i know you can really move or to be more priced emphasize a specific harmonic which can be automated or modulated.

Its sound like you jump a few notes. Maybe you can do similar things with other synths which support harmonics. Maybe Revival or JPS Harmobic can do things like that too. Not sure about that.

EXpanse has additive capabilities too, but you can not modulate it.

Iam curious what other ppl think....

[synthetechsound]

A simple sine has only one harmonic. I guess what he is talking about using a specific harmonic. This requires a additive synth. Since i played around with Spectra the last time, i know you can really move or to be more priced emphasize a specific harmonic which can be automated or modulated.

Its sound like you jump a few notes. Maybe you can do similar things with other synths which support harmonics. Maybe Revival or JPS Harmobic can do things like that too. Not sure about that.

EXpanse has additive capabilities too, but you can not modulate it.

Iam curious what other ppl think....

+1 You could do something similar in spectra using an LFO to modulate the GEN#_HARMONIC (from 1 to 64) and setting the GEN1_SINGLE amount to between 10% and 100% (which is the harmonics volume). It looks like that modular enables only harmonics 1 to 16 to be modulated.

[Ahornberg]

There's the "time-domain": You can define a waveform by a chunk of samples like in a .wav file.
There's the "frequency-domain":You can also define a waveform by a list of frequencies and start-phase-positions and volumes per frequency. AFAIK there's no file format to exchange waveforms in this way.

Spectra RE does a good job converting from time-domain to frequency-domain. Beneath Spectra there's Parsec and for me it's the #1 for manipulating harmonics.

[Undistraction]

@Loque thanks. Yes of course you are correct. I meant a triangle wave which is split into sines.

This is the module he is using: https://www.reddogmusic.co.uk/catalog/p ... E4QAvD_BwE

@synthtechsound thanks I'll grab a trial of Spectra and have a play.

@ahorberg what do you mean by 'beneath Spectra there is Parsec'?

[Ahornberg]

What the guy does in the video at 40:20 is the following: He as an additive synth in front of him with I think 6 sine wave generators and he takes some cables to split a signal coming from an envelope to control the volume of these sine wave generators. He does not split a sine wave into harmonics. All the 6 sine waves together are the harmonics because they are tuned in the harmonic series where you got a base frequency and each harmonic is an integer multiply of that base frequency, e.g. 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 300 Hz, 400 Hz and so on. I assume this would sound like a sawtooth wave. To get a more bellish sound, you have to detune the harmonics and make them inharmonic, like 100 Hz, 210 Hz, 276 Hz, 320 Hz, 488 Hz and so on. This produces a constantly changing waveform in opposite to the harmonics that produce a cycling waveform that always looks the same.

[Ahornberg]

@ahorberg what do you mean by 'beneath Spectra there is Parsec'?

There is Spectra that can analyse waveforms. And there is Parsec that comes with predefined waveforms.
Spectra can not analyse or make inharmonic overtones. Parsec can bend harmonics to inharmonics. That's where the fun begins

[Undistraction]

@ahornberg Thanks. That explaination is helpful. So effectively that module allows him to change the pitch of the root sine and have the others update pitch relative to that root, creating a harmonic series based on the root. He is then moving through that series using the LFO.

Could this be simulated using layered oscillators, for example by using multiple Little LFOs with their pitches shifted relative to a root Little LFO?

[Ahornberg]

@ahornberg Thanks. That explaination is helpful. So effectively that module allows him to change the pitch of the root sine and have the others update pitch relative to that root, creating a harmonic series based on the root. He is then moving through that series using the LFO.

Could this be simulated using layered oscillators, for example by using multiple Little LFOs with their pitches shifted relative to a root Little LFO?

Yes, you can use any synth that produces sine waves.

[Loque]

@ahorberg what do you mean by 'beneath Spectra there is Parsec'?

There is Spectra that can analyse waveforms. And there is Parsec that comes with predefined waveforms.
Spectra can not analyse or make inharmonic overtones. Parsec can bend harmonics to inharmonics. That's where the fun begins

Yea, Spectra lacks some typical additive modifiers. But what exactly is inharmonic? Its a detuned to the fundamental afaik. You can try the DADSR envelops for the harmonics (HENV) to get close to it, but you cannot modulate it. Some additional modulatable modifiers beside the spectral morphing would be a nice addition. If i had access to the HENV with an LFO would be sweet. Not sure how far we can get with the filter morphing too??

Gotta try a bit to create inharmonics with decayed/delayed overtones...

[dancing fool]

Jiggery pokery's harmonic synth can do this and it has more than 6 sines.

[avasopht]

I created an additive string from sines using lots of Thors in FM mode (set FM to 0, and the value for the carrier is the harmonic).

[O1B]

I dont think it was a pure sine .. cause harmonics?

I believe he is using a Verbos Module. That's probably the ("ONLY") secret.
That's the one with the Red Knobs. I'm a Scan and Pan fan!

If it's the Verbos Bark Filter Processor, well, then ... it's a "fixed filter Bank"
easy isolation - with those faders...



Same for the Moog Murf:


Does anybody else recognize that module? I could be wrong... i never saw him zoom in on them.

I've just watched a nice intro to modular synthesis: https://youtu.be/LBY-AtQwP_M. At 40:20ish he starts playing with a module that splits a sine wave into its component harmonics. The module allows him to move through these harmonics using an LFO, playing one or many harmonics at a time.

Is there any way to achieve this within Reason (using REs or not).

[O1B]

Looking at Verbos Modules, it could be a few of them... Verbs Harmonic Oscillator:


Their stuff aint cheap...

[mataya]

Would this be helpful?

https://shop.propellerheads.se/rack-ext ... scillator/

Or maybe this one... it can output isolated bands

https://shop.propellerheads.se/rack-ext ... -analyzer/

[Undistraction]

@mataya Thanks for the links. I'd never seen that crazy oscillator before. I'll grab a trial and have a play.

[synthetechsound]

There is Spectra that can analyse waveforms. And there is Parsec that comes with predefined waveforms.
Spectra can not analyse or make inharmonic overtones. Parsec can bend harmonics to inharmonics. That's where the fun begins

Yea, Spectra lacks some typical additive modifiers. But what exactly is inharmonic? Its a detuned to the fundamental afaik. You can try the DADSR envelops for the harmonics (HENV) to get close to it, but you cannot modulate it. Some additional modulatable modifiers beside the spectral morphing would be a nice addition. If i had access to the HENV with an LFO would be sweet. Not sure how far we can get with the filter morphing too??

Gotta try a bit to create inharmonics with decayed/delayed overtones...

The only way to introduce true inharmonic partials into a sound in Spectra is via the Ring Modulator . Spectra can produce bell sounds. the bell sounds it has internally are mostly FM based waveforms. Inharmonics do indeed create a more metallic or harsh sound. I believe Europa can do inharmonics pretty well and in a nice musical way. The Harmonic Envelopes in spectra are cool for creating simple formants among other things.

[abeonis]

VPS Avenger has what they call a FFT filter.

From Avenger doc: "An FFT splits the signal up into innumerous bands and thus lets you work on individual harmonic or disharmonic frequency components. The deepest harmonic is known as the fundamental harmonic."

[Reasonable man]

you can do the old 'play the filter' in Thor (and most analogue synths) by turning the kbd up full on the filter and adujusting frequency/ resonance and let it self oscillate but its limiting at best