Sax Sample Player Experiment
Experimental sax using phase-aligned samples
DESCRIPTION
EDIT: V3.0 now includes a mod matrix, and a keyboard display.
This is an experimental saxophone synthesizer. It’s a sample player and uses phase-aligned samples.
Phase-aligned samples make possible clean morphing across dynamics and pitch. Crescendos, decrescendos, slurs, and pitch bends are all free of sample-playback artifacts. The samples are looped and will play continuously.
The samples were created using the following steps:
• Tones at various pitches and amplitudes were recorded from a discontinued saxophone software product.
• The recordings were then processed by a phase vocoder software package called SNDAN, producing tables of the time-varying pitches, phases, and amplitudes of each harmonic.
• These tables were used by an off-line additive synthesizer program to generate WAV files. The pitch and phase envelopes were forced to zero, producing phase-aligned results.
• The results were subtracted from the original tones, producing WAV files containing residual noise not detected by the phase vocoder.
• The residual noise WAV files were added to the phase-aligned WAV files to produce the final results.
• These results were loaded into a Table Reference Sample Map and are played using a core cell that reads them and interpolates across dynamics and pitch.
This is a monophonic solo instrument. The dynamics are playable by a modulation wheel, wind controller, or breath controller.
When using a mod wheel, the tonguing (hardness of the attack) can be controlled by either the position of the mod wheel or by note-on velocity. When using a wind controller, the tonguing is controlled automatically by the wind controller’s note-on velocity. When using a breath controller, the tonguing is derived by measuring the suddenness of the air increase.
It includes three saxophones, an alto, a tenor, and a baritone.
Features include vibrato, flutter-tonguing, subharmonics, and the speed of slurring (legato note-to-note transitions). The pitch bend goes as wide as 24 semitones so it can be played on a Linnstrument.
There is a simple mod matrix that can route pitch bend, hard air (air between 96 and 127), and the sustain footswitch to various destinations.
Future improvements might include a pretty skin.
It may yet be buggy. Please speak up if there are problems with it.
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