Phase-Warper
Phase-Warper is a 'Vector Phase' synthesizer. You can see from the screenshot that unlike 'traditional subtractive' synths, there are no wave shape selectors or filters on this one. Why? Because the synthesis technique it uses doesn't require them! The central sound production algorithm distorts the phase of a sinusoid by a 2-dimensional vector p=(d,v) where d is the horizontal and v the vertical position of the 'bending point'. As d and v are varied, a wide range of wave shapes are produced, from narrow impulses to full cycle sinusoids. Certain combinations of d and v produce formants centred around harmonics of the fundamental frequency (giving rise to human voice-like effects).
The XY pads of the two oscillators (left pad is for Osc 1 and right pad for Osc 2) each have 4 points that can be freely moved about, and the co-ordinates of these determine the d and v values of the phase of the waveform over the Attack (green), Decay-Sustain (yellow) and Release (red) portions of the note you are playing from your virtual or 'real' midi keyboard. The ADSR dials dynamically control both the level of the sound ('Amp' in a traditional subtractive synth) and change the d and v values according to the line segments on the XY pads.
As the d and v values change, the sound changes - the result is not unlike a filter sweep - but this 'filter' differs from a conventional HP/LP you may have heard before, because of the human voice 'formants' it can produce. If you want to hear how the d and v values contribute to the sound, simply move the points together into a 'clump', press 'Group', then as you play the keyboard, move the 'clump' horizontally across the XY pad, and then vertically.
The values on the oscillator dials are in cents - so can be swept in a range +1200 to -1200 cents ie can be tuned up to 1 octave above or below the note you are playing . The Sync button simply syncs the phase reset of the second oscillator to the first. The 'Mix' dial controls the intensity of the modulation in 'FM' or 'AM' mode, and the relative levels of the two oscillators in 'Add' mode.
As the d and v values change, the sound changes - the result is not unlike a filter sweep - but this 'filter' differs from a conventional HP/LP you may have heard before, because of the human voice 'formants' it can produce. If you want to hear how the d and v values contribute to the sound, simply move the points together into a 'clump', press 'Group', then as you play the keyboard, move the 'clump' horizontally across the XY pad, and then vertically.
The values on the oscillator dials are in cents - so can be swept in a range +1200 to -1200 cents ie can be tuned up to 1 octave above or below the note you are playing . The Sync button simply syncs the phase reset of the second oscillator to the first. The 'Mix' dial controls the intensity of the modulation in 'FM' or 'AM' mode, and the relative levels of the two oscillators in 'Add' mode.
Phase-Warper Download
| phase-warper102install.zip |
Simply unzip the contents of this file into any directory on your hard drive, and double-click on 'Phase-Warperv102.exe' to launch the application.
System Requirements
Minimum Hardware: Intel Pentium 2, 500MHz. 512MB RAM
Operating System: Windows 2000, XP, 7. I have successfully installed and run the application on these platforms, but should also work with Windows Vista.
Operating System: Windows 2000, XP, 7. I have successfully installed and run the application on these platforms, but should also work with Windows Vista.
