RAZOR

RAZORのインターフェースは、「伝統的な」シンセサイザーと同様のコンセプトです。 オシレータ、フィルター・セクション、その他の多くのパラメータが揃っており、これに加え、フォルマントやウォーターベッド・セッティングといった新たなオプションが加わりました。 この新たな機能とこれまで用いられてきた機能のコンビネーションにより、サウンドの制作が驚くほどシンプルになりました。

RAZORは、科学者のためではなくミュージシャンのために設計されています。 インターフェイスは、コンパクトで分かりやすい内部モジュレーション・フレームワークと大きなグラフィック・ディスプレイを搭載しています。 視認性に優れたディスプレイと素晴らしい3Dグラフィックは、サウンド作成において非常に有効的です。

Errorsmith is a producer and DJ based in Berlin. He is a solo artist, a member of MMM and half of Smith'n'Hack. Errorsmith operates without a label, releasing all his tracks independently through the legendary Berlin record store Hard Wax. He developed RAZOR initially for personal use, using REAKTOR 5. Errorsmith is a REAKTOR ninja – he’s been using it since 1996.

Read on for his personal take on some of the unique features of RAZOR.

Visit Errorsmith's website

"Usually, you only get Cutoff and Resonance as filter parameters, but Razor lets you additionally set the resonance width, because I love the sound of broad resonance peaks... You can also set the Filter Slope continuously from 0 db to an extreme -36 db/octave.

Comb filters have repeated notches or peaks over the frequency axis. My simulation of the comb filter found in hardware flangers, though ‘mathematically correct,’ sounded too thin, so I experimented with less spiky shapes and they sounded much better. I also added a continuous blend between flanger and phaser behavior.

The waterbed filter is really new. It simulates ripples on a water surface, creating a filter curve with a rippling shape. It's like an 'organic' phaser. This sound, together with the spectral display, has an instant calming, meditative effect on me. Try it out for yourselves!"

"Both the stereo pan and the stereo spreader FX pan each partial individually in the stereo field. These effects are great for creating a stereo sensation without altering the basic sound too much. It's amazing how much a simple sound gains from this – it stays 'pure' but sounds broader and fatter."

"There are two tools in RAZOR that keep the partial amplitude in check. The first is Spectral Clip. It's like a multiband limiter with up to 320 bands - every partial has its own limiter. It's useful when using two modulated filters in sequence, for example, when their resonant frequency overlaps. Set the clipping curve so that the single resonances are just above it (use the spectral display!) and your problem's solved.

The second is Safe Bass. It doesn't boost the bass – it backs it up, adding bass frequencies to fill out the sound and preserve a big low end. This can be very handy – with the Pulse Width oscillator, for example, the sound gets brighter and less bassy as the pulse width gets narrow. Safe Bass irons out this dynamic and keeps the bass energy at a constant level. Even if the pulsewidth gets so narrow that the sound is turned off!"

"The 'pseudo pitchbend' oscillators don't actually bend the pitch at all. Instead, they give the illusion of pitch bend by filtering out partials that would not be present in the pitch shifted waveform. For example, if set to octave step, the first partial is eliminated, then the third, the fifth etc. This sounds exactly as if the sound had been pitched up an octave. Other pitchbend intervals are approximated – this sounds less polished, and in a way, more interesting.

It's similar to overtone singing, where melodies are created just by shifting formants. Sometimes it has a dissonant character, but this is an illusion – the sound is actually perfectly harmonic. I like this sound a lot."