Favorite kind of synthesis on IOS?

Fear2Stop

Figured this would be an interesting topic....

wim

Lately I get the most satisfaction out of FM. But subtractive gets at least as much use - it's just not as fun. I rarely get patches I like out of granular. Additive I just don't really get. I don't think of phase distortion as a synth type, but rather something that I add to other types of patches.

I love Nambu, and Tera Pro (and yes "Dr*mb*") for the ease of combining all types.

Fear2Stop

FM for me...I debated even adding PD on there as there are only 3 such synths on IOS to my knowledge, and as of now I only own one of them (Phase 84)

But yeah, I love the hell of out of FM, as for me it's the most fun to create a patch in

Fingolfinzz

Granular just seems meant to be with a touch screen especially with like Fluss and Spacecraft I love the granular options on iOS

jwmmakerofmusic

I chose "other (list below)", because I like all synth types equally and also make use of my romplers. (I love romplers, but when using synths I prefer to start from scratch and see where the timbre leads me). For instance, I'm not sure what kind of synth SUBscription by Caelum is, but I can type in some tosh like "my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat" and come out with something that sounds distinctly digital. 😂 Slap on some sort of analogue filter after it (like in miRack or something of some sort), sample it into Koala, and voila. Got a bass, or a lead, etc.

Fear2Stop

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
I chose "other (list below)", because I like all synth types equally and also make use of my romplers. (I love romplers, but when using synths I prefer to start from scratch and see where the timbre leads me). For instance, I'm not sure what kind of synth SUBscription by Caelum is, but I can type in some tosh like "my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat" and come out with something that sounds distinctly digital. 😂 Slap on some sort of analogue filter after it (like in miRack or something of some sort), sample it into Koala, and voila. Got a bass, or a lead, etc.

I gotta use that in a song now LOL

jwmmakerofmusic

@Fear2Stop said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
I chose "other (list below)", because I like all synth types equally and also make use of my romplers. (I love romplers, but when using synths I prefer to start from scratch and see where the timbre leads me). For instance, I'm not sure what kind of synth SUBscription by Caelum is, but I can type in some tosh like "my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat" and come out with something that sounds distinctly digital. 😂 Slap on some sort of analogue filter after it (like in miRack or something of some sort), sample it into Koala, and voila. Got a bass, or a lead, etc.

I gotta use that in a song now LOL

Hahaha!

Fear2Stop

@Fingolfinzz said:
Granular just seems meant to be with a touch screen especially with like Fluss and Spacecraft I love the granular options on iOS

I'm just starting to get into it, and so far I just have Samplewiz 2.

Just to shed some light on me... my favorite synth apps are Omega, Mood, and the Iceworks synths (all of them)

Fear2Stop

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
I chose "other (list below)", because I like all synth types equally and also make use of my romplers. (I love romplers, but when using synths I prefer to start from scratch and see where the timbre leads me). For instance, I'm not sure what kind of synth SUBscription by Caelum is, but I can type in some tosh like "my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat" and come out with something that sounds distinctly digital. 😂 Slap on some sort of analogue filter after it (like in miRack or something of some sort), sample it into Koala, and voila. Got a bass, or a lead, etc.

I gotta use that in a song now LOL

Hahaha!

"my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat/ my son is a monkey and my daughter is a bat"

Fear2Stop

@Fear2Stop said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
I chose "other (list below)", because I like all synth types equally and also make use of my romplers. (I love romplers, but when using synths I prefer to start from scratch and see where the timbre leads me). For instance, I'm not sure what kind of synth SUBscription by Caelum is, but I can type in some tosh like "my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat" and come out with something that sounds distinctly digital. 😂 Slap on some sort of analogue filter after it (like in miRack or something of some sort), sample it into Koala, and voila. Got a bass, or a lead, etc.

I gotta use that in a song now LOL

Hahaha!

"my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat/ my son is a monkey and my daughter is a bat"

I just did that as AI art, and ...yikes...
https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/lSRxfj6CqwHwo1Ld5QHt

jwmmakerofmusic

@Fear2Stop said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
I chose "other (list below)", because I like all synth types equally and also make use of my romplers. (I love romplers, but when using synths I prefer to start from scratch and see where the timbre leads me). For instance, I'm not sure what kind of synth SUBscription by Caelum is, but I can type in some tosh like "my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat" and come out with something that sounds distinctly digital. 😂 Slap on some sort of analogue filter after it (like in miRack or something of some sort), sample it into Koala, and voila. Got a bass, or a lead, etc.

I gotta use that in a song now LOL

Hahaha!

"my mother was an elephant and my father was a rat/ my son is a monkey and my daughter is a bat"

I just did that as AI art, and ...yikes...
https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/lSRxfj6CqwHwo1Ld5QHt

Hahahaha! 😂

espiegel123

phase distortion is definitely a type of synthesis. I think Shockwave sounds great.

Slam_Cut

Hybrid, preferably sample, analog and some wave table (yeah you know what I mean).
FM is incomprehensible to me, but not inconceivable.

HotStrange

This was a hard. I went with Granular because the possibility for experimentation is so huge.

If I had to list in order:

Granular & FM.
Wavetable.
Subtractive VA.
Additive.
Phase Distortion.
ROMplers.

sevenape

other - West Coast, both the Buchla style complex oscillator, lpg business (although that is fairly limited on iOS), and just the crazy random, self-playing, tape-looping, experimental aspect of it... Which is more of a philosophy though, and for which the iPad is amazing.

HotStrange

@sevenape said:
other - West Coast, both the Buchla style complex oscillator, lpg business (although that is fairly limited on iOS), and just the crazy random, self-playing, tape-looping, experimental aspect of it... Which is more of a philosophy though, and for which the iPad is amazing.

Would love to see a bunch more west coast stuff on iOS. We need to get Make Noise in here lol

sevenape

@HotStrange said:

@sevenape said:
other - West Coast, both the Buchla style complex oscillator, lpg business (although that is fairly limited on iOS), and just the crazy random, self-playing, tape-looping, experimental aspect of it... Which is more of a philosophy though, and for which the iPad is amazing.

Would love to see a bunch more west coast stuff on iOS. We need to get Make Noise in here lol

Man that would be amazing, but seeing their replies on an old audulus forum post when someone 'cloned' the 0 coast, they don't have much love for the digital world!

Fear2Stop

My wife's favorite is west coast, which is one of the reasons she loves Ripplemaker so much!

I forgot wavetable in the poll lol

michael_m

I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

HotStrange

@sevenape said:

@HotStrange said:

@sevenape said:
other - West Coast, both the Buchla style complex oscillator, lpg business (although that is fairly limited on iOS), and just the crazy random, self-playing, tape-looping, experimental aspect of it... Which is more of a philosophy though, and for which the iPad is amazing.

Would love to see a bunch more west coast stuff on iOS. We need to get Make Noise in here lol

Man that would be amazing, but seeing their replies on an old audulus forum post when someone 'cloned' the 0 coast, they don't have much love for the digital world!

That makes sense. Their hardware is so cool and I’d love to see it but they definitely seem like a hardwire first company. Luckily we have Hilda, Branches, Ripplemaker, etc.

I’d like to see any dev release some more west coast though.

Fear2Stop

@michael_m said:
I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

For me, it's kind of the opposite...I'll be working on patches and in the course of doing so I'll start getting ideas for songs!

michael_m

@Fear2Stop said:

@michael_m said:
I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

For me, it's kind of the opposite...I'll be working on patches and in the course of doing so I'll start getting ideas for songs!

Almost always I’ll start at the piano or playing a guitar and then expand ideas, so don’t often have much idea of how I’ll go through sounds.

HotStrange

@Fear2Stop said:

@michael_m said:
I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

For me, it's kind of the opposite...I'll be working on patches and in the course of doing so I'll start getting ideas for songs!

I’m the same way. From what I’ve noticed more experimental/genre musicians tend to do things that way and more straightforward musicians tend to start with piano or an acoustic. Not every time, just something I’ve noticed.

I generally start with patch making or sample mangling or something like that. Or if I’m using piano it’s usually being ran through lots of effects lol

Fear2Stop

@HotStrange said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@michael_m said:
I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

For me, it's kind of the opposite...I'll be working on patches and in the course of doing so I'll start getting ideas for songs!

I’m the same way. From what I’ve noticed more experimental/genre musicians tend to do things that way and more straightforward musicians tend to start with piano or an acoustic. Not every time, just something I’ve noticed.

I generally start with patch making or sample mangling or something like that. Or if I’m using piano it’s usually being ran through lots of effects lol

Oddly enough, I find myself being able to play the onscreen keyboard on my phone in GarageBand (or standalone AU apps) but not an actual piano. I think the smaller keys actually make it easier for me.

My daughter is just the opposite though lol

onlydeals

Tera Pro, Nambu, ButterSynth, FRMS; so many of my current favourites are combining multiple forms of synthesis.

HotStrange

@Fear2Stop said:

@HotStrange said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@michael_m said:
I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

For me, it's kind of the opposite...I'll be working on patches and in the course of doing so I'll start getting ideas for songs!

I’m the same way. From what I’ve noticed more experimental/genre musicians tend to do things that way and more straightforward musicians tend to start with piano or an acoustic. Not every time, just something I’ve noticed.

I generally start with patch making or sample mangling or something like that. Or if I’m using piano it’s usually being ran through lots of effects lol

Oddly enough, I find myself being able to play the onscreen keyboard on my phone in GarageBand (or standalone AU apps) but not an actual piano. I think the smaller keys actually make it easier for me.

My daughter is just the opposite though lol

Haha I know a few people like that. Or they’re amazing songwriters and couldn’t tell you which keys are what on a keyboard lol

As long as it works for you, that’s all that matters. My midi keyboard shit the bed a couple months or so ago and I’ve been just utilizing the on screen keyboard lately. It’s not horrible. And some of the MPE options are great (Velocity Keyboard rocks). But I do miss having a nice, fulls size, 4 octave keyboard. I’m saving up for another right now.

MadGav

My other is digital synthesis in general, FM, PD, additive, granular, sample playback… it’s all the stuff I’m not prepared to pay Eurorack money for!

Telefunky

@onlydeals said:
Tera Pro, Nambu, ButterSynth, FRMS; so many of my current favourites are combining multiple forms of synthesis.

Yes, it‘s not about the form, but about sound...

bygjohn

@HotStrange said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@michael_m said:
I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

For me, it's kind of the opposite...I'll be working on patches and in the course of doing so I'll start getting ideas for songs!

I’m the same way. From what I’ve noticed more experimental/genre musicians tend to do things that way and more straightforward musicians tend to start with piano or an acoustic. Not every time, just something I’ve noticed.

I generally start with patch making or sample mangling or something like that. Or if I’m using piano it’s usually being ran through lots of effects lol

I think your analysis is pretty much spot on with respect to the two approaches, which I’d also say aren’t mutually exclusive by any means. I’m definitely in the “follow the sound” camp. Confuses people sometimes who don’t understand that I play synths and other electronics, but not keyboards. I’ll use a keyboard if I need to, but for me it’s just another controller. The piece I’m most proud of this year was played entirely with filter cutoff and resonance controls (mostly just the cutoff), once I’d got the whole thing set up!

Anyway, I answered granular, as I use it a huge amount of the time either to make instruments or as processing. I am very much drawn to Buchlas/West Coast, though. Ripplemaker, Branches, Hilda and the Buchla-inspired modules in MiRack (plus the Mutable stuff) I find hugely inspiring. Plus I generally seem drawn to weird and quirky instruments 🙃

HotStrange

@bygjohn said:

@HotStrange said:

@Fear2Stop said:

@michael_m said:
I don’t really think about things like that. Everything I do starts with figuring out the notes, so the sound source is secondary.

For me, it's kind of the opposite...I'll be working on patches and in the course of doing so I'll start getting ideas for songs!

I’m the same way. From what I’ve noticed more experimental/genre musicians tend to do things that way and more straightforward musicians tend to start with piano or an acoustic. Not every time, just something I’ve noticed.

I generally start with patch making or sample mangling or something like that. Or if I’m using piano it’s usually being ran through lots of effects lol

I think your analysis is pretty much spot on with respect to the two approaches, which I’d also say aren’t mutually exclusive by any means. I’m definitely in the “follow the sound” camp. Confuses people sometimes who don’t understand that I play synths and other electronics, but not keyboards. I’ll use a keyboard if I need to, but for me it’s just another controller. The piece I’m most proud of this year was played entirely with filter cutoff and resonance controls (mostly just the cutoff), once I’d got the whole thing set up!

Anyway, I answered granular, as I use it a huge amount of the time either to make instruments or as processing. I am very much drawn to Buchlas/West Coast, though. Ripplemaker, Branches, Hilda and the Buchla-inspired modules in MiRack (plus the Mutable stuff) I find hugely inspiring. Plus I generally seem drawn to weird and quirky instruments 🙃

For sure. A lot of my tracks in the past have started because of a patch I was making which then sorta just lends itself to certain notes and progressions. Sample mangling is my favorite so of course granular is huge for me as well.

I love west coast stuff but it’s also an arena I could stand to learn more in. I’m in the process of diving into MiRack now, so hopefully that will help in the long run.

Btw, there’s a really cool Buchla inspired Drambo patch on patchstorage if you haven’t tried it!

rs2000

@espiegel123 said:
phase distortion is definitely a type of synthesis. I think Shockwave sounds great.

That was my second thought as well, after dragging away that Casio popup.