The Harmony Central Guide to Software Synthesizers 2000
Are we facing the end of hardware?
by David Korn
November 2, 2000
"Today it's possible to turn your computer into a 160-voice sampler, an SCI Prophet-5, or a Stylophone, and seeing a Powerbook on a concert stage is not uncommon at all."
Software synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines are efficient, convenient, and cost-effective tools. They cover a wide gamut of uses: toolbox-type programs with which to build your dream modular synth, multitimbral modules, digital pianos, or organs that are great for touring (think "Powerbook B3"), or terabyte samplers for Hans Zimmer wannabes. Some programs come with an attitude and clearly target certain genres, others cater to all types of music.
The program that started it all: Rebirth from Propellerhead software. Which one got the point across better-the graphics or the sound? (click for a close-up) |
These virtual modules take their share of CPU power, and it may be wise to dedicate a separate computer to them, especially if you're already using the first one for recording and mixing. A decent computer will provide a platform for a bunch of extra sound sources without hogging space in your studio.
It's been a few years since manufacturers started tapping the power of new-generation microprocessors from Intel and Motorola to emulate the electronic circuitry found in hardware synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines. Seer Systems' Reality was among the first such products on the market, while Propellerhead Rebirth really got the idea across, thanks to the right mix of fun, features, and credibility, both in sound and graphics.
This DSP board from Creamw@re is effectively a sampler-on-a-card, which doubles as a high quality soundcard.? (click for a close-up)
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Since then, things have been progressing fast. Today it's possible to turn your computer into a 160-voice sampler, an SCI Prophet-5, or a Stylophone, and seeing a Powerbook on a concert stage is not uncommon at all. In the last few months, soundcard drivers have been optimized to offer better real-time performance and lower latency. Many of the latest programs can take advantage of hardware options such as multiple outputs, 24-bit resolution, and 96kHz operation. In many cases, you can route the output of the soft-synth directly to the mixer inputs of other audio software resident on the same computer, and these tracks can be integrated into your mix. Most importantly, the growing power of personal computers has made it possible to run software synthesizers, an audio sequencer, and a few effect plug-ins at the same time, and has brought latency -- the nemesis of native processing -- to an all-time low.
Still, replacing dedicated hardware with a piece of software that runs on a computer designed for spreadsheets or desktop publishing brings up a few issues.
Next Page: Latency; Soundcard and Drivers; Connections; Native or DSP?....
David Korn ("that French journalist") is a musician, sound designer and journalist who specializes in the creative tools offered by computing technology. He's also a vintage synthesizer specialist. His articles have been published in various magazines around the world, such as Keyboards (France), Audiomedia (UK), and Keyboard (Japan). He is based in Paris.
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