Audio Architect 4.0 Released
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November 13, 1998Rave Technologies has released Audio Architect 4.0, a powerful and very flexible software-based synthesizer and sound design tool for Windows. It allows the user to construct audio synthesis networks by connecting modules in virtually endless combinations. Over two dozen modules are included, providing you with the building blocks for creating classic analog and digital synth sounds with MIDI control.
Version 4.0 is the first 32-bit release of the software synthesizer, so it requires either Windows 95/98 or NT, but this change allows for some significant performance increases. You can also now make changes to a live processing network so you can add new modules and immediately hear how parameter changes affect the output.
For more information, some audio examples of what Audio Architect can do,
and to download the demo, visit the Audio Architect web site at www.audioarchitect.com.
The full version of the program can be purchased for $149.
What's New in Version 4.0
Audio Architect 4.0 is now a 32 bit application
Audio Architect (AA) will no longer run in Windows 3.x. This change allows:
- Real time control - Changes can be made to a network while it is calculating. Modules can be added and deleted during run time. Changes can be made to module parameters on the fly. Therefore you can hear the results of changes to a sound as you make them.
- Performance - The 32-bit optimization has provided a massive performance increase. AA is now 5 times faster.
Polyphony
Audio Architect can now be up to ten-note polyphonic. Each module in a network can be defined as poly or monophonic, so networks can be adjusted to get as many notes from a given sound as your processor will allow.
Floating Point Optimization
This has been added to make use of the Pentium's floating point instruction set.
This improves the overall sound quality, and increases performance to the same degree as above. Thus AA 4.0 is actually 10 times faster.
Stereo Output
The output for Audio Architect is now in stereo.
New Modules
- Pan Module - This is to make use of the stereo output.
- Cross Fader
- Control Delay - Add delay to your control signals
- Wave Shaper - This is an interpolating waveshaper. Design your own sets of wavetables to mimic transitional synthesis. This module allows you to emulate PPG and Wavestation-style synthesizers.
- Control Shaper - Similar to the wave shaper but for control signals. With an envelope as the input for this module it is possible to sketch your own multistage envelopes.
- Wave Oscillator - This is basically a waveshaper that acts as a sound source. It is really a macro module containing an oscillator and a waveshaper. This has been added to make this function easier to use, while requiring less computational resources.
- Sine Shaper - This module adds resonance to an audio stream. It allows a simple audio through and has a single control input so that you can control the amount of resonance.
Wave Analysis
This function can be accessed through the wave shaper modules. It allows a set of Fourier Transforms to be performed on a .wav file to produce a wavetable. It can be used to produce sounds that don't exactly sound like the original, but provide a similar 'feel'. When used with vocal samples it can produce some very interesting effects
Small Changes to Old Modules
Many of you wrote in with suggestions for the next release. We have implemented as many as we could and had a few ideas ourselves. Here are a few:
- The oscillators now have an amplitude input so you can connect an envelope directly to them, rather than routing both through an amplifier module.
- The LFO has a re-trigger option.
- The filter has a level adjust to prevent clipping. It also has keyboard scaling, so the cut off frequency can vary according to the note played.
- The FIR filter now has an option to make it an Infinite Impulse Response filter.
- The envelopes can now be linear or exponential. There also an attack smoothing option to prevent clicks between different notes.
- The lag time processor now has a modulation input.
- The MIDI module has a number of user definable controller options.
- The sequencer has a re-trigger option so that it can be combined with a midi module to 'arppegiate'.
For more information, visit their web site at . | 
