I've been singing with a choir for a couple of months, and wow! this experience is one of the most transcendant I've ever lived. And all this with the oldest and more used of all instruments, singing mostly pretty old sacred music! The tones that I hear while rehearsing help me to find a direction when I use synths and make mod patches, just because I return to the basis of music our relation with sounds. Nothing beats the power and exhilaration produced by a live classical orchestra or choir playing beautiful, constructive music.
Of course, synths open incredible sonic universes, but can a synth approach the expressiveness and feeling which can be conveyed by a violin, a flute or a human voice? No way! Not even close! The richness and deepness and variety of the colors produced by the sound of a grand piano is completely on another level than anything else. Of course, it does what it does and is not as versatile as synths in some aspects, but acoustic instruments are untouchable in their field or specialty.
It's all a matter of preference and taste, but for me, I've known no greater sonic ectasy than hearing a live clasical orchestra or choir and I perfectly understand why traditional instruments are still drawing crowds at concert halls! Imo this will never change, and fyi I spend uncountable hours patching and tweaking synths and I love it!
Why Do People Hate Synthesizers?
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Counterparts
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On 2004-12-06 11:27, Plato wrote:
http://www.rathergood.com/morris_dancers/
I can't understand this attitude or relate to it at all. Music is music. Some of it is good and progressive and innovative, and some is bland, formulaic and stagnant. You make your choices as a listener. Things have never been any different since records started being released.On 2004-12-07 01:31, braincell wrote:
Guitar is the most popular instrument and there is no good reason for it other than tradition which perpetuates the way things are and hinders progress.
edit: just saw Borg's link... I haven't laughed so hard for ages
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: dArKr3zIn on 2004-12-07 07:24 ]</font>
Can't say I agree. Violins, flute, synths, human voices, they're all technically mechanism to produce sounds. With some of them (voice), you'll get a bit more control, since your nerves are built into the mechanism and all, but technically there's little difference between a mechanical unit (flute, violin) and an electrical unit (synth.) You can find synths that sound like crap, some that sound amazing, just like you can find pianos/violins/flutes that sounds like crap or sound amazing. You can't get that Nord2 to sound like a Grand Piano, you can't get the Grand Piano to sound like a Nord2 (unless you push it down a flight of stairs maybeOf course, synths open incredible sonic universes, but can a synth approach the expressiveness and feeling which can be conveyed by a violin, a flute or a human voice? No way! Not even close!
)It's more a matter of who is using the synth/piano than anything else
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Symbiote- you make valid points... But just think about how many different attack variety you can produce with a violin bow. Practically an infinite variety... And how many kinds of vibrato you can make... A violinist has literally hundreds of parameters accessible in real-time at his-her fingertips. Synths do not. That doesn't make them less valuable, only less flexible in this particular area. Things are evolving quite fast though and synths can do things you that nothing else can do and are truly amazing! But in terms of expressiveness and sheer real-time tonal control (within their physical possibilities of course), nothign else tackles them.
Did you ever sit beside a violinist and carefully listen to what happens? And for those who never heard a live symphonic orchestra, by all means go hear a concert at least once! It's really worth it! The impact also depends upon the played compositions, but real orchestras... ahhh! They're so vibrant!
Did you ever sit beside a violinist and carefully listen to what happens? And for those who never heard a live symphonic orchestra, by all means go hear a concert at least once! It's really worth it! The impact also depends upon the played compositions, but real orchestras... ahhh! They're so vibrant!
Perhaps we need better controllers. I am learning the Yamaha WX5 Breath Controller. It gives a great amount of control and expression. I don't want to hear about sympathetic vibrations because imitation of that will be possible in the future. Eliam, I don't think it is correct to say that synthesizers will never be as expressive because they are in their infancy. Technology of tomorrow will go beyond anything we can imagine today. There are many limitations to analog instruments.
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paulrmartin
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Agreed that synths could get a bit better interfaces I mentionned the Nord2 because it has a pretty nice amount of parameters available at fingertips. Probably not the same as a violonist, but parameters all the same .
Also, synths have been around for a while, just look at church organs. Modern day synthesis just managed to put the whole church into a smaller box so that you don't have to lug the church with you at gigs
I mentionned the Nord2 because it has a pretty nice amount of parameters available at fingertips. Probably not the same as a violonist, but parameters all the same .Also, synths have been around for a while, just look at church organs
. Modern day synthesis just managed to put the whole church into a smaller box so that you don't have to lug the church with you at gigs Yeah - but what range do those variations cover? In scope you have ... doh been too many weeks, since I had the time to open SDK ... I think it is something like 2.1M settings per parameter. I could however see some nice aspects about a MIDI controller for violinOn 2004-12-07 12:59, eliam wrote:
just think about how many different attack variety you can produce with a violin bow. Practically an infinite variety... And how many kinds of vibrato you can make... A violinist has literally hundreds of parameters accessible in real-time at his-her fingertips.
But for the sake of your precious time DO get a good seat. I have been at symphony concerts, where my cheap tickets gave me such bad seats, that I literally could hear the person next to me BREATHE while the orchestra played forte! I have also once been on the first row, middle position. Lots of people will say the sound doesn't blend right there. To me it was great ... HUGE soundscape and just the right volumeOn 2004-12-07 12:59, eliam wrote:
And for those who never heard a live symphonic orchestra, by all means go hear a concert at least once! It's really worth it! The impact also depends upon the played compositions, but real orchestras... ahhh! They're so vibrant!
this is complete nonsense and contrary to any experience about technological achievements I'm aware of (at least in the domain of software principals).... Technology of tomorrow will go beyond anything we can imagine today. ...
If you're better informed please share what assures your confidence.
And yes, sympathetic sounds for the piano HAVE been realized (at least) for 5 years - another indicator that 'progress' is not in the direction you seem to expect it
cheers, Tom
Exactly! there is no fight here, just many, many flavours that can complement each other to the taste of the creator and listener! We really live in amazing times!
It seems that comparison is inevitable though, since our primary scheme of reference is human voice and acoustic instruments, as well as Nature's noises. And we must not forget that instruments were developed through centuries and milleniums to be raised to their level of perfection, which will continue to evolve imo. In my point of view, the creators of modern classical instruments were divinely inspired artists who were channels for a Higher Perfection that is beyond our usual level of perception. Sort of gifts from God to help mankind through the terrific struggle which is ours... Possibly the creators of synths were Divinely inspired as well!
It seems that comparison is inevitable though, since our primary scheme of reference is human voice and acoustic instruments, as well as Nature's noises. And we must not forget that instruments were developed through centuries and milleniums to be raised to their level of perfection, which will continue to evolve imo. In my point of view, the creators of modern classical instruments were divinely inspired artists who were channels for a Higher Perfection that is beyond our usual level of perception. Sort of gifts from God to help mankind through the terrific struggle which is ours... Possibly the creators of synths were Divinely inspired as well!
well an organ is an organ ...it's been developed over hundreds of years to sound like an organ .........violins have probably thousands of years of development behind them and a body of work that was written with that paricular sound in mind .
synths great strength is that they dont realy have an individual sound in the way that a trumpet is more or less recognisable as a trumpet . The classical world like just about everything else in this day and age is a world of specialisation and synths are sort of generalist aren't they ?Dare I say it ....synths can be seen as instruments played by failed grand pianists if you hold to the classical paradigm . Personally I reckon synths sound great but they dont fit everywhere even if they are generalist instruments . Mr. H Hancock made them work a treat and so did little Stevie . I thought the band in the bar in the first star wars movie was a pretty groovy synth band ...hotter than the great kraftwerk but definitely in the same genre
synths great strength is that they dont realy have an individual sound in the way that a trumpet is more or less recognisable as a trumpet . The classical world like just about everything else in this day and age is a world of specialisation and synths are sort of generalist aren't they ?Dare I say it ....synths can be seen as instruments played by failed grand pianists if you hold to the classical paradigm . Personally I reckon synths sound great but they dont fit everywhere even if they are generalist instruments . Mr. H Hancock made them work a treat and so did little Stevie . I thought the band in the bar in the first star wars movie was a pretty groovy synth band ...hotter than the great kraftwerk but definitely in the same genre
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paulrmartin
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