8 ms·
KS is one of the most interesting algorithms to experiment with. You can modify, multiply and recombine it with itself in a huge variety of ways, and always get
by pierrec 11y ago
KS is one of the most interesting algorithms to experiment with. You can modify, multiply and recombine it with itself in a huge variety of ways, and always get new and weird sounds out of it.
In fact it forms the basis of a large branch of DSP for sound effects and synthesis, physical modeling. Of course many techniques can be used in physical modeling, but often it's actually delay lines all the way down, and delay lines are really a generalization of the KS algorithm with a better interpolation. Many crucial effects in digital music such as chorus, phaser/flanger, and algorithmic reverbs are also just delay lines fed into each other.
Then there are masters of the genre that create jaw-dropping effects and instruments by making massive use of delay lines - I'm looking at xoxos:
http://www.xoxos.net/vst/vst.html#nature http://www.xoxos.net/vst/vst.html#nature
- chipsy 11y agoEvery time I delve into audio DSP I'm a little amazed at how simple a lot of the techniques are in an algorithmic sense. The FFT is a notorious outlier but most effects are elaborate compositions of beautifully simple pieces of code that warrant pages of mathematical background. It's starkly different from "core CS" because almost everything operates on arrays and pure functions. Yet at the same time it presents an immense design space for both software engineering and UX - most of the "secret sauce" in an audio DSP product comes from exposing the right parameters in the right combinations. A low level tool like Max/MSP or PD leads to a different workflow from a "pick the presets" VST plugin, in the same way that programming languages are targeted against certain problem domains.
- the_cat_kittles 11y agowow, the sounds on that link are insane, thanks for sharing
- nitrogen 11y agoDang, nearly every single DSP effect I've ever dreamed up and intended to create is right there as a free VST download. Thanks for the link to xoxos!
- stagas 11y agoI find it very interesting too, like you said, that every effect or technique boils down to delay lines. It's similar as to how every sound boils down to a combination of sine waves and if you think about it, delays and everything periodic like musical sequences can be expressed as functions of sine waves. So, with these thoughts, the god particle of music and audio is the sine wave.