[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Title:* * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * *
Notice:Conference has been write-locked. Use new version.
Moderator:DYPSS1::SCHAFER
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 29 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2852
Total number of notes:33157

366.0. "Structured Adaptive Synthesis and Roland..." by MENTOR::REG (a remote control for my foot ?) Tue May 20 1986 14:42

    
    	Some of the Roland synthesisers use what they are calling
    Structured Adaptive synthesis.  So far I have seen it on the Alpha
    Juno 1 and 2, the MKS-20 (I think it is NOT used on the MKS-80 ?)
    and the RD-1000.  My question is, what's so marvelous about this
    form of synthesis, or is it just a fancy marketing buzz phrase ?
    It certainly seems neat to use the single alpha wheel for twiddling all
    those parameters, though they have to be called up one at a time.
    Does anyone know it its practical to lift the patches from one of
    the above synths and put it exactly into any of the others ?  Is
    anyone marketing "better" (than Roland's) patches for these synths
    yet ?
    
    	Reg
    
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
366.1MKS-80 Analog all the WayERLANG::FEHSKENSTue May 20 1986 17:366
    Yes, SAS is NOT used on the MKS-80 (Super Jupiter), which is a
    traditional all analog synth.  I haven't seen a technical explanation
    of what SAS is yet.
    
    len.
    
366.2I LIKE the alpha Juno presetsMENTOR::REGa remote control for my foot ?Tue May 20 1986 17:546
    re .1  But Len, it was YOU that I was looking to FOR the technical
    explanation ! :-)   Anyway, who else likes the presets on the Alpha
    Juno 1 & 2 ?   nobody ?   OK, no accounting for taste I guess :-)

    	Reg
    
366.3both impressive machinesBAILEY::RHODESWed May 21 1986 09:5110
    I have heard both the Juno 1 & 2, and am very impressed with both.
    Although I don't have the money for either, I wish I did.  One thing
    though - I tried changing some of the preset sounds to find that
    most of the parameters seem to have only a few different settings.
    (ie. modulation, etc.).  Maybe I was doing somthing wrong.  I would
    like to know more about them though.  I'll keep my eye on keyboard
    mag.
    
    Todd.
    
366.4Need to get into the other mode...MENTOR::REGLife is NOT a spectator sportWed May 21 1986 15:4112
    re .3	I don't think you were doing anything "wrong", but you
    may have entered the mode that combines several params and enables
    you to make fairly gross changes to them as a group.  I don't remember
    what this is called, but the other mode has a bewildering number
    of things that can be mucked with and the alpha dial is used to
    scan through them.  Roland boast 50 or more parameters I think, you can
    even use it to name/rename patches that you take off the presets,
    modify and store, similarly for from scratch patches.  I'll
    post_some_of_the_boast when I have their flyer in front of me. 

    	Reg	(I_want_one_too)
    
366.5Japanese competition at workBARNUM::RHODESThu Jun 26 1986 10:0510
    Oh well, its too late.  I already bought a DX100.  Looks like Roland 
    should have come out with a "Juno .5" (Juno 1 with mini keyboard)
    priced at around $350. :^)
    
    Maybe sometime in the near future "Keyboard" or one of those guys will
    have an article explaining the details of this technology.  I'm
    still interested.
    
    Todd.
    
366.6a snippet of very outdated info.AUSSIE::SULLIVANGreg SullivanFri Dec 08 1989 07:5113
    I read an article in an electronics mag. about four years ago (I think)
    that mentioned SAS. It did not give a very good explanation of this
    synthesis technique, but I remember that it said that SAS involved some
    'very advanced' statistical analysis of samples of real instruments,
    which allows a sort of 'formula' for the sound to be derived. This
    formula is then used to compute the sound in real time, instead of the
    original samples.

    The article also said that SAS was *not* capable of synthesising
    non-percussive instruments (Although they stressed that SAS was still
    in development at the time).
     
    Greg.
366.7My understanding of itDREGS::BLICKSTEINConliberativeFri Dec 08 1989 09:3122
    I've been given a pretty consisten description of it:
    
    Basically the key part of it is that they take samples across several
    domains (pitch, velocity, damper up/down, etc.) than they analyze
    how the waveforms change between samples and develope functions
    that approximate or I'd say "interpolate" between samples in
    a given domain.
    
    You can think of it as a sampler that instead of having distinct
    split points, knows how to gradually mutate the waveform on one side
    into looking like the waveform on the other side.
    
    So if you have a square wave sample for the A key and a sawtooth wave 
    sample for E key, the closer your play to A, the more you get something
    that looks like a sqaure wave.  The closer you play to E the more
    you get something that looks like a sawtooth.
    
    The real trick here is being able to do all this in real time.
    
    It's a neat idea.  I wish they'd publish more about it.
    
    	db
366.8SALSA::MOELLERGuinter is guarmer in Guaymas, MexicoMon Dec 11 1989 12:074
    If SAS is so hot then why oh why do I infinitely prefer the Kurzweil
    grand piano over any Roland grand piano I've heard ?
    
    karl
366.9Can't really compare with existing productsDREGS::BLICKSTEINConliberativeMon Dec 11 1989 13:2522
    It would be interesting to compare the Kurzweil method of piano
    synthesis to Roland's SAS.
    
    However we can't really draw a valid comparison from the products
    that are out there today:
    
    	o The KZ does stuff the Roland SAS doesn't (strings, brass, etc.)
    
    	o The Roland SAS stuff costs a lot less
    
    The reason why you may prefer your KZ could be something as simple like
    it having more samples (memory or higher sample rate) or just better 
    samples.  However that by itself doesn't imply any inherent inferiority 
    to SAS.
    
    I also prefer the Kurzy piano to the Roland, but not "infinitely".
    
    I do however prefer the Roland Rhodes sound to the Kurzy 
    Rhodes...  "infinitely" in fact.
    
    	db