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Silverwood Bb Clarinets

Experimental breath-controlled clarinet physical model

(37 Votes)
1.0 (Updated 9 years ago)
1.8MB
April 24, 2014
Reaktor 5 or lower

DESCRIPTION

Silverwood Bb Clarinets is an experimental synthesizer that mimics a Bb clarinet. It creates sounds using waveguide physical modeling synthesis. It’s an attempt to revisit and try to improve the original clarinet model in Silverwood.

It is monophonic and is meant to be played using a wind or breath controller on CC #2 (although other CC’s can be selected). I'm currently using a TEC breath controller, available at http://www.tecontrol.se/products/usb-midi-breath-controller. It plugs right into my computer's USB port. It's very nice.

The sample rate must be 44.1 or 48.0 kHz. Internally, the model is 4x oversampled.

The original Silverwood clarinet model was simply a nonlinear reed connected to a delay line, followed by a graphic equalizer. This updated model has five parts:

• The same nonlinear reed used in Silverwood.

• A pitched vortex noise generator as patented by Dr. Chris Chafe.

• A bore with register holes that properly play in the chalumeau, clarino, and altissimo registers.

• A conical bell made of a 40-stage Kelly-Lochbaum ladder filter.

• A two-dimensional dynamic equalizer for making final timbre adjustments.

The model has eight adjustable parameters:

• Register – The state of the two register holes.
• Stiffness – The stiffness of the reed.
• Aperture – The distance between the reed and the mouthpiece.
• Noise – The amount of vortex breath noise.
• Absorption – The tone of the reflection received from the bell.
• Damping – The amount of reflection received from the bell.
• Finger Time – The time to open and close tone holes while playing.
• Half-Finger – The distance that tone holes are raised.

Three clarinet models are supplied, each with slightly different timbres. Also, five different mutes can be placed onto the bell.

Vibrato and flutter tonguing are included.

Six MIDI modulation busses are included, with 10 sources and 15 destinations. Each snap responds in some way to pitchbend changes, both up and down.

The sample mp3 demonstrates the Basic snap.

COMMENTS  (24)

Andrew Trapani
3 years ago
I am very grateful for your skillful work. Thank you for sharing it with us.
EvilDragon
4 years ago
Splendid as usual! Might I suggest it would make a lot of sense to change the GUI styling to match your newer flute and tenor sax ensembles, maybe? :)
Robert Gregory-Browne
5 years ago
There are companies charging huge bucks for instruments that are not even as good as this one.
Timothy Tyler
5 years ago
I am very grateful for the ability, ambition, and technical skill that combined in Mr. Singer to produce this instrument. Nice job!
Chet Singer
6 years ago
Hello Matthew, thanks for your kind words. I've done several models of conical woodwinds such as saxes and oboes and have yet to be satisfied with them. I should give them another try. I'll revisit that work this weekend to see if I can make some additional progress.
Matthew Babineaux
6 years ago
Chet, there is no better modeled vst than this-this coming from a clarinetist and professional sax player. If you can make an oboe, English horn, and bassoon vst like this, I will never buy Sample modeling winds. Nor will anyone else. Would you be willing to make some for these instruments? I'd be glad to be an advisor/beta tester on a future modeled sax too, if you'd be interested. Would love to stay in touch!
Laxplanet
7 years ago
This is a great synth. I used it on the first track on my EP https://laxplanet.bandcamp.com/track/scooter-crash
James Larson
8 years ago
Wow. I just made a glowing comment on Serenade, then found this. Chet, you are a genius.
Chet Singer
8 years ago
No, there isn't. But if you have questions I'll be happy to answer them.
Leo Claxton
8 years ago
Is there a user guide or some notes for the instrument anywhere ?
GOI PHILIPPE
8 years ago
Thank you for it fabulous work, it would be necessary to realize in the future the same thing for the flute, the oboe and the bassoon and also the horn, the trumpet, the trombone and the tuba. This clarinet is fantastic, the very pleasant interface.
HERVE TREZON
8 years ago
Another great work...Congrats!
Chet Singer
9 years ago
Thank you all for your kind thoughts. Joris, I listened to your Brahms Clarinet Sonata. That sounded fantastic, as did all the tunes I listened to on that page. Thank you so much for pointing me to that. It's very rewarding to me to hear people making music with these instruments.
Joseph Stickney
9 years ago
I like making freebie instruments and sometimes I think I've made something decent. Then I look at your stuff and I realize I'm in kindergarten. Your instruments are absolutely amazing and I don't even have the right controllers for them. Just the concept of creating a true computer instrument controllable in ways similar to real life instruments astounds me. Now I'm just waiting for someone to build a good robot to play them.
Joris Holtackers
9 years ago
Unbelievably inspiring instrument!!! I've done an experiment to see how realistic this gem can get with a classical piece. For ultimate realism, I've added some sampled breathing and clarinet valve noises. Would be awesome if there would be a way to implement these noises in the ensemble. :) Here is the link to the recording (second from the top: the Brahms Clarinet Sonata) http://dropr.com/sonopoly/91786/classical_performances_2
IP
9 years ago
Just AWESOME !!!
Mauro Biagini
9 years ago
really nice, with ewiusb control is perfect. an idea, add the controls implemented to an analog synth. (I used a translator). Complimenti
arachnaut
9 years ago
Beautiful instrument, beautiful sound
Dieter Zobel
9 years ago
better than a gigabyte heavy sampler instrument, much thanks
Lars Bo Hermansen
9 years ago
Respekt. Wish i had a wind controller. Good thing wheels and pedals can be used.
Loowps
9 years ago
Top-notch. Thank you! I dream about Audio-In to accomplish some percussive elements similar to those: http://youtu.be/JJT0R_zDRG0?t=2m22s Nonetheless quite stunning.
Paule
9 years ago
I like it too; Klezmer out of Reaktor!
Chet Singer
9 years ago
I'm glad you like it. Regarding other instruments, I'm working on adding a bass clarinet to it. After that I plan to add some saxophones.
Przemyslaw Kopczyk
9 years ago
Wow, this really sounds fantastic and also dynamic. I hope there will be more such instruments/ensembles in the future. Thanks
now