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Pluto.Synth

Pfliegel Bálint2009.11.05. 06:08

We introduced a new blog engine! So let's start to migrate the old content :)

 

Pluto is a digital audio workstation demo implemented in a web browser - based on the raw audio capabilities of Microsoft Silverlight. In a nutshell:

  • 16 tracks with 32 voice polyphony plus 6 fx/track
  • Granular synthesizer, Karplus-Strong guitar synthesizer or drum-machine per each track
  • Highly optimized, multithreaded audio pipeline
  • MIDI import/export, WAV export

 

View the application

The synth could be launched HERE along with demo songs (check 'File' -> 'Load demo song' menu).

What is this synth?
  • Demonstration of the raw audio capabilities of Silverlight and our Silverlight competencies.
  • Implementation of highly-optimized audio pipeline in .Net (with some GUI).
  • Primarily a hobby project from Balint Pfliegel, CIO of Grape.
What is this synth not?
  • This is by no means a commercial application or a finished product (at least yet), there is still a lot to do!
Notes
  • You can import and export MIDI files or export your whole song as a .wav file from the file menu. No direct MP3 export support, sorry. Maybe the best jumpstart with the application is to import a MIDI file and play around a little.
  • Each track is 32 voice polyphonic. You can choose between a synth (2 oscillator granular synth), a guitar (a simple Karplus-Strong guitar) and a drum machine. All tracks have 6 different effects assigned that could be programmed, and the devices itself could be programmed as well (the synth and the guitar as a whole, and the drum machine per each drum track).
  • A synth program includes the parameters for the synth itself, but also the parameters for the effects. You can save/load your own instruments to a file. In case you load them, the original settings will be restored for the effects as well. Currently there are no guitar or drum programs, could be added later.
  • The guitar could be augmented with effects like chorus - sounding a lot better.
  • The drum machine accepts ZIP files as drum kit patches. The ZIP file must contain at most 16 wav files (uncompressed WAV, 16bit, 44,1khz, mono and stereo are both okay) and a manifest.txt describing the order of the samples (without the extension '.wav'). See a sample ZIP file here: TR909.zip. The drum machine could be also used as a very basic sampler - voice recordings or loops could be loaded and used.
  • Volume and pan is a must, but there is also a stereo widener for each track - the default setting does nothing. Move the slider left for a more narrow (mono) sound, and right for a wider one.
  • Set locators/markers by clicking in the marker lane (hold CTRL for left and ALT for right marker) - no drag yet, just click :)
  • Recording from keyboard: 1) make sure the song is playing and recording is on, 2) make sure the keyboard input icon is on (default), 3) set the proper transpose, 4) the input is based on the Silverlight standard notation syntax set by Charles Petzold :), check it here.
  • In the track editor, when the song is not playing, press CTRL+C for copy and CTRL+V for paste. There is no cut and undo yet. Selections could be dragged, length and velocity of notes could be adjusted. If you wish to select velocity of certain notes just select an area of notes and adjust the velocities - only the velocity of the notes that are included in the selection will be changed. This is quite useful for adjust velocity for separate drum tracks, where notes frequently overlap. Some features are still missing (no grouping, no individual note move [only as a selection], no autoscroll when selecting, no autoscroll when playing), I plan to add them soon.
Demo songs
Demo song pack #1, which includes:
  • 'Frozen' from Madonna
  • 'Equinox 5' from Jean Michel Jarre
  • Theme from Star Wars by John Williams
  • Second reality (Scaven part)
  • 'Final countdown' from Europe
  • 'If I ever lose my faith' from Sting
  • 'Popcorn' from Jean Michel Jarre
  • 'Water from a vine leaf' from William Orbit
  • 'The last ninja (wilderness)' from Ben Daglish
  • Theme from 'ER'
  • Theme from 'Love story'
Drum kits
More drumkits will be added in the future.

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Blog

You can read the full blog about Pluto here.
doveym hozzászólása: 2009.11.06. 01:381
Very nice job.
Red hozzászólása: 2009.11.09. 03:31
2
this sux. its waaaaaaay too hard... maybe some very specific instructions w/ pics would help! and it should come with sounds.
Art60 hozzászólása: 2009.11.12. 13:243
Very Nice ! BTW PopCorn is NOT from JM Jarre ;-)
bpfliegel hozzászólása: 2009.11.12. 22:46
4
Red, I understand your frustration... if you have not worked with an audio studio program before, it is really not self-explanatory. I'm currently quite busy still with other things and still have to optimize some core features on the application before focusing on real usability/help/etc. It currently has a quite high CPU usage (from the UI and not the audio processing surprisingly) and a very high RAM usage. Also there is one feature I'm excited to add and test before all of that, sorry for the slow process. It actually has some sounds built-in, if you select Synth/Guitar and press the button on the right to it. Play around with it and you'll get the hang of it - until I get time to come up with some guides :)
bpfliegel hozzászólása: 2009.11.12. 22:515
Did some research - Popcorn is originally from Gershon Kingsley - from 1969 ;) Probably I should also correct 'String' to 'Sting'...
Andy hozzászólása: 2010.02.03. 12:43
6
Hi Looks great but I may have my thick head on but I cant for the life of me work out how to use it!! I can see how to choose the instruments and alter what sound they make but not a clue as to how to select to build the track or edit and existing one
bpfliegel hozzászólása: 2010.02.09. 00:367
Andy, change the track to active with 'A', go left-middle of the screen to change to track edit mode and 1) use the pencil and draw some notes or 2) press record and play on the upper toolbar and tap the notes live on the keyboard. Hope this helps, Balint
bpfliegel hozzászólása: 2010.02.25. 08:00
8
Pluto - second edition is in the works now! The first (currently available) version was more a proof of concept - we will focus now on overall optimization (audio and UI aswell), upgrade the synth engine to allow for 3 LFOs, 2+1 oscillators (2 wavetable and 1 Karplus), 3 envelopes and heavy cross-modulation possibilities. Release date is likely this summer. There is also a planned update in winter to add parameter automation as a first goal, looping and voice recording if time allows. Balint

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