Tune Forge

Just added a transition matrix based "tune forge" to Chordinator. First few generations produced a few interesting tunes...

Multi host

There's MiniHost, a single VSTi host, there's VSTHost etc.

How about a MultiHost? Something that handles multiple VSTi and chaining of VST effects on that instrument...



Well, it works, but needs more... I got the MIDI input going, and the channel filtering. Now I need to make the UI work so I can try it out with Chordinator...

Then take a large spoon and stir Chordinator and MultiHost together...

(cue the electric storm, flashing lights, evil laughter, and "it is ALIVE!"... well, not yet anywhy)

Delphi 2006 is here...

After reading the posts about it, everything seemed ok. So I ordered it on the Friday, it turned up on the Tue afterwards. Rebuilt Chordinator with it, ok no problems so far. Hmmm... then got strange crashes, odd hangs. So far it's been ASIO causing issues, not sure why.

'tis the season to be...

Bah! Humbug! Can't stand xmas!

This year is different... something to do with whatever online community I hang out with. Three years ago I met Jonathan; this year I'm getting pressies from unexpected sources.

ImageLine have released FL Studio 6

H G Fortune sent me details of a 'Fortune Cookie' synth - since I bought a few of his VSTi creations.

Oh, and I've got a cold. sniff. me head hurts.

Editing with the Chordinator

I tried to put one of my songs in Chordinator and immediately hit a problem - it was hard to do as I couldn't see everything at once. So, I'm going to extend the pattern editor to allow multiple tracks and bars.

Delphi 2006

Borland has released Delphi 2006, a Delphi, C++, C# development system (I understand the C++ 'personality' is a pre-release).

I bought Delphi 2005... oh dear, I wish I hadn't. It was unstable, buggy and it's still not fixed, even after three updates. So I've help off buying Delphi 2006 for now (though it has, or will have, C++).

Delphi 7 seems to do everything I want, so I'm staying there. I'm watching in the USENET groups for reviews. I'm hoping Borland release a free version before my discount runs out, but I doubt it.

WindowBlinds

Just trying out WindowBlinds... themes for Windows XP. Nice eye candy. A few rough edges here and there.

There's just too many of them...

Plugins.

Those little pieces of software that you can create music with... my VstPlugins directory has at least 270 of 'em. Oh dear!

Some of the free ones made with SynthEdit are pretty good!

The Chordinator

Still working on my music pattern editor/generator...


(Updated to latest version)

Wusikstation

I've finally bought a copy of Wusikstation and had a lot of fun creating new presets based on Sound Fonts etc. I've got a few products like this already, but with ESC I can properly create the banks for it.

The inspiration for this comes from two sources: SynthMaker, which has taught me a lot about how virtual synths work and M42 Nebula which has an interesting set of pads based on a sound font.

I've also got LinPlug's CronoX3, another sample based synth. There doesn't seem to be a tool to help convert sound fonts for this as yet.

Melody Mine

Here's an application I'm currently working on: Melody Mine. It's unfinished as yet. Lots of details to work through! It has a MIDI editor with a difference - it highlights the scale and chord progression in the bar. I can never remember either of those two. It uses MIDI out of a sound card, so it sounds pretty basic. However, you will be able to export to a MIDI file and load it into your favourite sequencer.

Here's the older version which is pattern based:


I moved on from it as I felt it hindered development rather than enhanced it...

The Slumbering Giant

Here's another M42 song: The Slumbering Giant

I'm obviously having too much fun with this new synth.

Sombre Reflection

Here's one I did with Richmond-2: sombre reflection

Richmond-2 is a "Hybrid of Physical Modelling and FM synthesis" by Karkli Software, a free plucked/struck sounding synth.

Trance Gate

M42's pulsar makes me wonder if a "trance gate" would be a useful feature. To the left is one from LinPlug's ChronoX3. It's in the output chain, so it applies to volume, but a more general purpose one whose output is routed by a modulation matrix could be applied anywhere... filter cutoff, res, etc.

Incidentally, who do some people on KVR go to such lengths to avoid the word "trance"?

M42 Nebula - revisited

Here it is, the updated m42wow.

Tried to create my own bass and lead... hmm... not so easy, is it? I took some presets and tweaked them a little bit. The bass has lost some of its sharpness but I like it. The lead sounds a bit sawtoothy... still, nice echo and stereo panning. I love the squelchiness of the filter resonance.

M42 Nebula

Every now and then I stumble across a synth I really like... I did that today, with M42 Nebula.

Here's something I've created with it: m42wow!

(For those that are interested, reFX PlasticZ! on lead - with CamelPhat3 tweaks - and bass, uTonic on drums, spacey pad sound by M42 Nebula. I used ScaleGrid to help me figure out the scale and mode for this song. I'm thinking of switching out PlasticZ! to M42, not because there's anything wrong with it, but because this is a M42 song after all! As they say, "watch this space"!)

Why Blogger?

I had my own Blog setup with Pilot, so why try Blogger? Because it's Google and not Microsoft? It's free? It supports stuff better than I could ever try to do myself with Pilot? Ah yes.

Scales and Modes

One of the biggest barriers I've found to learning music is all the scales, modes and chords. A whole ream of endless stuff you have to learn...

Or do you?

I put together this plugin to help me remember where notes go in scales and modes. If you line it up against your piano roll, you can instantly see the notes on the scale, plus the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes.

This one is for FL Studio, but it shouldn't be too hard to make a VSTi out of it.

I've since modified it to include the chord progression index, and changed the display to use the Nashville system. The refresh button is still there due to bug on loading a project.

"Walking..."

One of my favourites: Zeta Go!

Just put together another song: walking

Interesting... sounded ok on headphones, doesn't sound quite right on speakers. Sounds a little distorted. Bit of EQ required, perhaps.

And so it begins...

"And so it begins...", said Kosh in Babylon 5.