Posted on August 13, 2008 by arman. Categories: press, vst.
The three VSTi plugins I have made so far (Skdrummer, Sk-crooner, Toy Piano) have been picked up and are being distributed by the Japanese magazine DTM. I was contacted about six weeks ago by the editor. They asked me if they could include my instruments on the DVD that is distributed with the magazine.
Why not?
I requested a copy of the magazine in return and it showed up on my doorstep (literally) today. They wrote the address in a funny way that made it look like they wanted it to be sent to Arman Bohn in the city of Distropolis. I’m definitely keeping the label.
I thought they were just going to include the files on the DVD, but after flipping through the pages, I found some funny looking little guys on page 26!
I guess I’m famous in Japan now! I wish I knew what the little blurbs said …
Soon it will be time to bust out the wine glasses and start building the “Armanium”!
Posted on August 10, 2008 by arman. Categories: vst.
Last week, I started a poll that would let the public decide which VSTi I should make next. 134 people voted on one of five choices. The winner by a decent margin is …
Wine Glass!
This instrument will be created from my own samples of the ethereal ringing notes of a rubbed wine glass. I’m not sure how it will go down … but I’ll have it up here by the end of the month.
So far, I know it will include:
ADSR amplitude controls
A filter with cutoff and resonance
Reverb
Portamento
It will be called “The Armanium”
There may be other tweaks as well. As I am hard at work on my solo record “Bits” right now, I’ll have bust some moves to get this thing done.
Thanks to all those who participated in the poll, and emailed me suggestions!
Posted on August 5, 2008 by arman. Categories: vst.
A few years back I recorded a series of chromatic cello samples played in a number of different styles. I used two PZM microphones and some Oktava MK-012s into a modified PAIA tube preamp. I cut up the samples and used them to create the soundtrack for a short film called “Ring! Ring!” (yet to be blogged about).
My favorite part of the session was when I had the cellist (Topu Lyo) play some pizzicato scales. A couple of years later, I worked these sounds into a Misadventures of Two song called “Fielding”. They added a sort of “Early Sixties Claymation Christmas Special” sound to the song.
Fielding
by The Misadventures of Two
You can really hear the strings in the beginning of the song and during the break at 1:50.
I am considering making these samples into a VSTi with some tweakable parameters such as the usual ADSR envelope for amplitude, some distortion, reverb and a bit/sample crush for the mentally disturbed.
Posted on August 4, 2008 by arman. Categories: vst.
I thought I would post a little more information about the “Wine Glass” VSTi I have proposed in my recent poll.
If it wins, the instrument will likely have 36 notes (similar to the 37 found on Benjamin Franklin’s Armonium) and be sample based. I will try and get 36 discrete tones by rubbing my finger on various glasses and goblets filled to pitches matched with my chromatic tuner. I’m not sure if I will be able to recreate some of the lower octaves due the the physical size of my wine glasses.
Maybe I’ll go buy a big one … I don’t know. An enormous frat boy margarita glass for the bass notes? I’m sure Ben Franklin would be proud.
The VSTi will have ADSR amplitude controls, a filter of some sort, reverb, and some other things yet to be determined.
This instrument could only be named one thing:
The ARMANIUM!!!!!!
PS -
If you have voted for something else … the game isn’t over yet!
Next Post: Plucker - the sad pizzicato cello VST in last place.
I am making some progress on the feedback VSTi (designed for use on my upcoming record “Bits”). I have the internals all planned out and the GUI is coming together. I’m going for a “hand drawn” look. The scope on the lower right is animated by the actual waveform and scalable in both the X-Y directions (for fun).
It has:
Amplitude ADSR
Filter with resonance and cutoff
Reverb with width, size and mix
Master Volume
Adjustable wave scope
Vibrato with rate and depth
Velocity sensitive amplitude
I finished about half the lyrics today. I made some progress on the overall melody line too.
The song starts with sequenced guitar feedback, which got me thinking about constructing a VST based on guitar feedback again.
I think a guitar (22 frets) can produce 46 discrete notes. I’m note sure if I need to capture feed back representing all the possible fretted notes of a guitar … it might be too much. It might now even be possible to create feedback of all the pitches. Maybe three octaves (36 notes) would do.
That will take some time.
I’m thinking it will have ADSR amplitude controls, vibrato, reverb, and maybe a distortion(?) … not sure what other controls it should have.
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