Blamsoft new Midi Distributor player modules???

[Re8et]

It has been a long time since Blamsoft released it's Distributor...
I still use it a lot when connecting hardware synths like the JP-08 Boutique.
It's Round Robin is fantastic...
You can theoretically chain multiple of them together, and increase the polyphony as well, with some note filtering magic...

The new Rsn 13 Player with MIDI filtering features is like a breath of fresh air...
But the Distributor is unbeatable...

When will Blamsoft release a new banger???
Maybe a Distributor in player format???

[veezay]

It has been a long time since Blamsoft released it's Distributor...
I still use it a lot when connecting hardware synths like the JP-08 Boutique.
It's Round Robin is fantastic...
You can theoretically chain multiple of them together, and increase the polyphony as well, with some note filtering magic...

The new Rsn 13 Player with MIDI filtering features is like a breath of fresh air...
But the Distributor is unbeatable...

When will Blamsoft release a new banger???
Maybe a Distributor in player format???

Distributor is indeed great. I use it in random mode with Korg M1 combi patch where each part is a piano panned differently in the stereo field so I can get some width when playing chords. Pretty much like NN19 with Spread set to Jump, but with more control. It's a bit wasteful on the MIDI channels, but whatever works!

[selig]

Maybe a Distributor in player format???

That already exists, no?
https://www.reasonstudios.com/shop/rack ... layer-tap/

[Pepin]

Distributor can already receive notes from players. It's not so clear to me what making it a player itself would accomplish, because ultimately a Player is placed above a single instrument. All the other voices would still need to be connected via CV.

Afaik CVPT isn't a proper alternative to Distributor, because it doesn't support voice limits / stealing. It could still work for basic chords and the like. And it's still useful for lots of other purposes, including the reverse conversion (from CV input to Player output).

[Whoopdee]

I think Blamsoft got pushed away from the platform when RS did them dirty by releasing the Europa synth which is practically just a mickey mouse version of the Expanse Hyperwave Synthesizer.

Aside from that, I exclusively use the Distributor device in all my music. You will never catch me loading up a single synthesizer ever in my personal projects, maybe just for the commercial music I make for the masses.

Why?

Why not, let me tell you. Having a whole synthesizer per voice (paraphonic) opens up your sonic possibilities X-fold of the number of voices you use.

Maybe a Distributor in player format???

That already exists, no?
<a class="vglnk" href="https://www.reasonstudios.com/shop/rack ... layer-tap/" rel="nofollow">

Someone has never built or used a paraphonic synthesizer and it shows <3! The problem with CV Tap as Pepin mentioned is note stealing and currently there is no alternative to Distributor in the market. I'm sure someone with a problem solving brain could create one using the math devices but I'm just not competent enough to do that and am fine with 8 note para-polyphony.


Here is what an 8 voice paraphonic instrument looks like within a combinator. Thanks to TonicMint for working on a microtonality utility that I'm currently testing, I can finally make combinator patches (Ochen K's Microtune device bugs out when you stuff it in a combinator.)

Screenshot_35.png (402.22 KiB) Viewed 2284 times

Doing synthesis this way, as I mentioned, changes everything. Everything sounds different, the Unison is just beautiful and distortion even translates differently because you are distorting each voice individually.

I might release a ReFill with a bunch of these combinators if anyone is interested. You will need MonoPlay & Distributor.

Before TonicMint, I experimented with building massive combinators where every note had its own voice, obviously the CPU was wild, but I mostly used it for ambient music where I would only have one or two tracks anyways.

[Ottostrom]

Here is what an 8 voice paraphonic instrument looks like within a combinator. Thanks to TonicMint for working on a microtonality utility that I'm currently testing, I can finally make combinator patches (Ochen K's Microtune device bugs out when you stuff it in a combinator.)
Screenshot_35.png

Doing synthesis this way, as I mentioned, changes everything. Everything sounds different, the Unison is just beautiful and distortion even translates differently because you are distorting each voice individually.

This is starting to pique my interest! I'd love to hear a sound example cause I don't own Distributor yet so I can't hook it up myself

[Toki]

I think Blamsoft got pushed away from the platform when RS did them dirty by releasing the Europa synth which is practically just a mickey mouse version of the Expanse Hyperwave Synthesizer.

Aside from that, I exclusively use the Distributor device in all my music. You will never catch me loading up a single synthesizer ever in my personal projects, maybe just for the commercial music I make for the masses.

Why?

Why not, let me tell you. Having a whole synthesizer per voice (paraphonic) opens up your sonic possibilities X-fold of the number of voices you use.

That already exists, no?
<a class="vglnk" href="https://www.reasonstudios.com/shop/rack ... layer-tap/" rel="nofollow">

Someone has never built or used a paraphonic synthesizer and it shows <3! The problem with CV Tap as Pepin mentioned is note stealing and currently there is no alternative to Distributor in the market. I'm sure someone with a problem solving brain could create one using the math devices but I'm just not competent enough to do that and am fine with 8 note para-polyphony.


Here is what an 8 voice paraphonic instrument looks like within a combinator. Thanks to TonicMint for working on a microtonality utility that I'm currently testing, I can finally make combinator patches (Ochen K's Microtune device bugs out when you stuff it in a combinator.)
Screenshot_35.png

Doing synthesis this way, as I mentioned, changes everything. Everything sounds different, the Unison is just beautiful and distortion even translates differently because you are distorting each voice individually.

I might release a ReFill with a bunch of these combinators if anyone is interested. You will need MonoPlay & Distributor.

Before TonicMint, I experimented with building massive combinators where every note had its own voice, obviously the CPU was wild, but I mostly used it for ambient music where I would only have one or two tracks anyways.

Shit the bed, that’s mental. I’d like to hear how this sounds. Very interesting what you say about voices and distortion. Super intrigued!

[selig]

That already exists, no?
<a class="vglnk" href="https://www.reasonstudios.com/shop/rack ... layer-tap/" rel="nofollow">

Someone has never built or used a paraphonic synthesizer and it shows <3!

Lets begin by seeing if we can agree on the definition of “paraphonic” synths, here’s how I’ve always understood it - what say you?
[my very first hardware synth in 1980 was paraphonic, duo phonic to be more precise.]
https://performermag.com/best-instrumen ... rminology/

[Toki]

Someone has never built or used a paraphonic synthesizer and it shows <3!

Lets begin by seeing if we can agree on the definition of “paraphonic” synths, here’s how I’ve always understood it - what say you?
https://performermag.com/best-instruments/best-music-keyboards-synth/synthesizer-polyphony-terminology/

So if I understand that article correctly, Blamsoft’s Distributor makes a set of connected synths multiphonic – each note is passed through its own filter envelope and amp but triggered independently. That is, each note in a chord could sound quite different.

Now, in a combinator where we have a stack of synths, each has its own oscillator, filter envelope and amp also, however each note in a chord would sound the same as each note triggers all sources simultaneously. So effectively it is a single structure and therefore paraphonic, despite the various filters and amps in play?

[selig]

Lets begin by seeing if we can agree on the definition of “paraphonic” synths, here’s how I’ve always understood it - what say you?
https://performermag.com/best-instrumen ... rminology/

So if I understand that article correctly, Blamsoft’s Distributor makes a set of connected synths multiphonic – each note is passed through its own filter envelope and amp but triggered independently. That is, each note in a chord could sound quite different.

Now, in a combinator where we have a stack of synths, each has its own oscillator, filter envelope and amp also, however each note in a chord would sound the same as each note triggers all sources simultaneously. So effectively it is a single structure and therefore paraphonic, despite the various filters and amps in play?

I would say the Distributer approach as shown in previous posts could be used as a polyphonic synth in the vein of the Oberheim SEM, or for voice alternation (hocketing) like the old TX802 and others, and probably a few other creative uses.

That said, it COULD also be a part of a true paraphonic setup if you used it with their PolyModular System, with the note CV going to multiple oscillators, and the oscillators all patched into a mixer feeding a single filter, and with all the gates merged to trigger one filter/amp/envelope (probably using "last note" priority).
[here is a crude diagram showing the basic differences, leaving out distributor logic and panel control connections]

Screenshot 2025-02-25 at 1.34.16 PM.png (145.96 KiB) Viewed 2001 times