One of the cheapest way to ‘analogize’ your digital synth / VST synth tracks is to process them using analog filters. Two of the cheapest ways of doing this are:

1-Use an analog filter bank or filter unit.

A cheap and great unit i use is  Electrix’s Filter Factory. This unit is no longer made (since Electrix sadly, went out of business) , but you can still find them used on Ebay. The Filter Factory has a pair (Stereo) of analog Low Pass / Notch filters, one LFO + buzz (overdrive), but it has plenty of manual controls (and MIDI) to give you many different sounds. This unit not only can be used with various synths, it has features made for live performance, such as phono inputs for DJ decks, tempo tapping button for the LFO speed, 4 LFO waveforms, an envelope follower and can be controlled via MIDI.
Another good and cheap analog filter is the $50 Korg Monotron, which has a real VCF analog Korg low pass MS-20 filter on board. The unit itself has a stereo jack where you care route your audio directly to the filter!

2-Use a bass envelope follower filter.

You can borrow a trick from Parliament / Funkadelic’s bass player Bootsy Collins and process your synth tracks through an envelope follower filter such as the Electro Harmonix Qtron. This pedal can be purchased used on Ebay and has various Low Pass, Band Pass, High Pass filters that can be used with a variety of sounds, not just bass. The Low Pass filter is not as deep as the Electrix Filter Factory’s 4 Pole mono filter, but it can give wonderful results, and it is especially effective in bass synth tracks. This is one of the best envelope follower units ever made.

To complete this article, i did a little experiment with a used, lowly & cheap digital Yamaha TX81Z, a four operator FM synth, which can produce some great analog-like tones due to its ability to use different waveforms as operators (as opposed to the holy grail of FM synths, the Yamaha DX-7 which only uses sine waves)
i ran the TX81Z through the Filter Factory, the Electro-Harmonix Qtron and to complete the experiment, i ran it though, what is considered to be one of the best sounding digital emulations of analog filters, the FabFilter Volcano 2

This is what the original TX81Z sounds like playing the Odyssey..1 patch
You can find out how to download this TX81Z patch and many others by checking out our TX81Z editor librarian review

analogize-Original-TX81Z.mp3
Below is what the same piece of music sounds like processed though the Electrix Filter Factory. The first part of music is processed though the envelope follower and the rest of the music is processed though the LFO matching the tempo. The filter’s frequency was changed manually. Believe it or not, the resonance of the filter was nowhere near the upper limit of its range.

The next test is what the piece of music sounds like processed though the Electro-Harmonix Qtron’s Low Pass filter with me changing the frequency manually.

Next is what the Filter Factory and the Qtron pieces sound when mixed together in Ableton Live:

A quick look at all the recorded tracks in Ableton Live reveals that the Filter Factory ‘decompresses’ the sound by adding some wild dynamic variance to the recorded music via filtering and filter self-oscillation.

Just for kicks i tried to re-create the settings for the analog envelope followers in Fabfilter Volcano by using one ‘Extreme’ filter just set to the point of self-oscillation and by manually changing the filter’s frequency.

and this is what it sounds like:

Conclusion
Althought Fabfilter Volcano2’s filtering can probably pass for an average analog filter unit and despite the fact that this filter software can do things that would be impossible in an analog filter, i still couldn’t really get it to match the Electrix’ Filter Factory’s crazy self-oscillation and sound or the Qtron’s envelope following.
Maybe i need to play around with Fabfilter Volcano some more, maybe i haven’t mastered the software yet, but it seems to me like there is really no match for the best analog filters, at least not yet..

When i listen to the Filter Factory + Qtron mix, I can’t tell the original synth sounds came from a digital synth…  maybe you can?
for the money, i think you will be better off  buying some cheap, used, real analog filter units on Ebay and using them in your tracks, instead of spending big bucks on virtual analog synths.

The iPad music revolution is brewing. It seems every month we get new MIDI & OSC controllers apps.
It is a matter of time before we see hundreds of MIDI / OSC / Ableton touchscreen controlling programs!

Here is the latest round-up of iPad & Android MIDI controller apps:

Midipad
Midipad is the one of the most interesting applications created for the iPhone / iPad.
This software transmits touch-controlled MIDI data to Apple and Windows PCs over wi-fi. The software has several custom “views” (studioView, djView, launchView, fxView, keysView) much like Ableton does.

What it doesn’t do is to enable musicians to program their own custom MIDI controller interface, like the JazzMutant Lemur, but i expect someone to offer such features sooner or later.
The Midipad for the iPad is currently in beta, which you can see in action here:

TouchAble
TouchAble is another promising and awesome-looking MIDI Ableton controller coming for the Ipad!
The app looks truly impressive, with multiple screens and capabilities, makes me want to run and get an iPad!
I love how easily you can switch between views and how easy it is to scroll through your clips. I can’t even do that with my keyboard / mouse.
Watch is in action here and be blown away:

Griid
Griid is basically an Ableton clip launching app, think the Novation Launchpad on an iPad with many navigation improvements, and the fact that you can see what clips you are triggering without having to look at the Ableton screen to find your way around your set.. something you have to do in the Launchpad.

ANDROID

On the other hardware side of things, another touchscreen controller revolution is quietly brewing with the eventual release of cheaper iPad-like Android based touchscreen tablets, like the sold-out, $150 Augen’s 7-inch Gentouch-78 Android tablet, which will probably drive down the price of the iPad. MIDI apps have already been created for the Android platform.. and once the first tablet Android models are launched you are going to see a lot of competing apps, which is great for all musicians.

Musical for Android
Musical for Android seems to be the first Android app which offers some basic and common apps like a keyboard and tuner and  MIDI over wi-fi functionality.

Android MIDI pad
Android MIDI pad is a free Android app , built by Timothe Faudot. This app enables any Android device to send MIDI controller messages via bluetooth to a python server running on the host PC, which can be router virtually to any MIDI application.
Here is a great video of the Android midi pad controlling Native Instrument’s Massive synth remotely.

Right now, the iPad applications are more sophisticated, but i expect the Android side to eventually catch up, once the cheaper Android tablets are released and become popular, almost like a replay of the monome vs. Novation launchpad controllers.
The stage is set for the iPad and for the upcoming Android tablets to take over the MIDI touchscreen controller market.
Whomever creates the best apps, wins!

If you know of any other iPad / Android MIDI controller apps, please let us know!

Novation Launch Pad, Korg Kaossilator Pro, Yamaha Tenori on, Akai MPC-1000, Monome 256, Jazzmutant Lemur, Buchla 222e, etc, etc

Apple fanboys point out that the iPad is cheaper and can do a lot more than a lot of the controllers listed above. The truth is not that simple. Eventually, multi-touch, programmable controllers (like the very expensive Jazzmutant Lemur, which was created way before the iPad ever existed) will replace most hardware controllers, because the GUI can be customized to the user’s needs; something no hardware controller can do. In a way, the success of the monome and its variants (Novation launchpad, etc) is due because they are semi-programmable controllers, with arrays of generic buttons that can be programmed to do all sorts of tasks.

If anyone wants the iPad to be a dominant player in the MIDI / OSC controller market, the following needs to happen:

1-Develop a framework to create programmable OSC / MIDI controller interfaces, something like the software Jazz Mutant developed for its Lemur multitouch controller. Actually, the folks at Jazz Mutant should be seriously considering porting their apps to the iPad, because, let’s face it, if a competing application were to be developed in the iPad, they will never be able to compete, price-wise with the Apple tablet.

Some companies have already started working on this..

The first is Midipad, according to its website the “midipad is an exciting new app for the iPad/iPhone for music creation and live-performance.“… “This multitouch-capable midi-controller-application communicates with your Apple Mac your Windows-based PC and even standalone hardware-synths via Wifi.”

also, there is already a control interface software that runs on the iPhone / iPod Touch called TouchOSC that utilizes Open Sound Control.

You can watch TouchOSC in action, courtesy of well-known reaktor user Theologiae controlling a hybrid Reaktor Carbon / Gaugear ensemble with his iPhone:

Other competing software includes Jasuto, Noise.io, Intua

2-Create a hardware interface to physically connect the iPad to a music host computer. Wi-fi is not fast or reliable enough to carry enough MIDI / OSC / audio data to compete with a few dedicated hardware controller. This is, right now, the main limitation of the iPad.

3- Once the framework and the hardware is in place, the software functionality hardware such as the monome will have to be ported using some kind of emulation, which is not very hard to do.

Eventually, larger-sized multi-touch monitors and laptops will become common place and the multitouch capabilities of future OS releases (already present in Windows 7) and programmable controllers will be everywhere, not just in places like the iPad or the Jazzmutant Lemur.

The future for multi-touch controllers looks very bright indeed.

One of the great things about this synth is that you can buy one used on Ebay CHEAP.. really CHEAP.. i purchased mine for around $33 plus shipping. Before you say that FM synths suck and their sound is outdated.. you should listen to the bass sounds i can pull out of the TX81Z by connecting it to an Electrix Filter Factory Filter Box..

Some idiot asked me why i was “dabbling with old hardware” why didn’t I just “buy a MOTIF”
A “MOTIF”.. what a joke.. I’ve heard the latest and greatest Korg and Roland gear and i am not impressed.. ever wonder why a used 35 year old Minimoog costs more than the latest digital Korg or Roland top of the line synths?
The answer is simple:
1-they don’t make Minimoogs anymore.
2-digital technology has yet to make anything that sounds like a real Minimoog
3-Do you really think any of the new cheesy, plastic, made-in-China digital synths are going to last 35 years?
I don’t think so. I’ve had two year old computer power supplies go bad after their cheap chinese capacitors literally burst open… just think what will happen to all those cheap plastic digital synths made with 1 cent electronic components

Anyway, to continue my story, for a grand total of under $200, i got myself a used TX81Z, a used Filter Factory unit and over a thousand free patches i can modify to my hearts content. The question is: what software editor / librarian to use?

Here is a round up of the usable PC (sorry, i don’t have a mac) editor / librarians i was able to find for the TX81Z:
1 – Sound Quest MIDI QUEST XL 10 Universal Editor and Librarian



After trying MIDI QUEST with my Oberheim Matrix 1k, i was so disgusted with the software, that i uninstalled it from my computer, but i decided to reinstall it again and give it a shot with the Yamaha TX81Z.

I grabbed the latest instrument definition from soundquest after failing to log into their cheesy ftp site a couple of times (who the hell is still using FTP? it takes eons to grab a few files using the program itself.. hasn’t SoundQuest ever heard of http?)

I opened the instrument and it communicated with the TX81Z.. I tried grabbing a voice bank from the synth and it automatically initiated a dump. Soon i was looking at a 32 voice bank from the unit and was able to open the voice editor and edit away..
Everything seemed fine, until i realized i had no idea what bank i downloaded and no idea how to grab any of the other banks.
After some investigating i realized the software only allows you to grab the 32 user voice bank.. i have no idea how to grab any of the ROM banks as there is no place to to specify what bank from the TX81Z to download. I tried switching the unit to a different voice on a different bank and tried to grab the bank again.. this time, the unit displayed a MIDI Buffer Full error.. and i would get nothing.

I rebooted the synth and grabbed another bank of 32 voices after clicking many times on the Get button in the TX81Z set window.. the strange thing is that although they voices in the bank had the same names as the voices in the first bank i grabbed, they sounded completely different when i was auditioning them side to side.. WTF? Welcome to MIDIQuest. Here is a quick run down of MIDIQuest’s pros and cons.

PROS:
A-Nice looking interface

B-Technically supported by manufacturer

C-Has the ability to build and comment a voice library with different fields.

D-Can morph and generate new voices from existing patches

E-Able to edit all of TX81Z’s parameters and functions.

CONS:
A-Extremely expensive ($300)

B-There is no graphical representation of the envelopes in the editor window.. so if you want to edit them you have to guess the shape of the envelope by editing the pretty numbers. Even the free editor librarian JSynthLib has a graphical view of the envelopes, and you can even edit them graphically.

C-User unfriendly, poorly designed, confusing interface. You HAVE to read manual to do simple things, such as how to create a library (page 42). MIDIQuest is so convoluted with so many features that seem to have been glued to the original software piece by piece, that this program is nearly unusable without having to read the 82 page manual.

D-Erratic program Behaviour. Software sometimes works sometimes doesn’t, Sometimes it takes a lot of clicking for the grab data from a synth. Crashes are common. For example, i opened a new empty library (after having to read the manual on how to do it) and tried populating it by clicking and dragging a patch, and i was greeting by a program crash.

Midiquest has a lot of features, but it takes a lot of work and time to get the program working properly. After spending some time with the program I still couldn’t figure out how to import sysex bank dumps into the library or how to download the ROM banks from the synth into Midiquest. In my opinion this program is not worth the $300 tag.

2-TX81Z Programmer

TX81Z Programmer is a $20 program you can demo free for 30 days.
You can download a fully functional demo here..
The nicest thing about TX81Z Programmer is that it has a 1000+ patch (voice) TX81Z library for download freely from the website page.

I installed the program and i opened the library and voila.. i was auditioning and commenting patches inmediately. Make sure you save the library every once in a while to save your comments and changes.

Double clicking a patch in the library opens the editor Window where you can edit the patch in realtime. Another great feature is that if you switch patches in the synth itself, the change will be transmitted to the TX81Z Programmer and you can see the new patch in the editor right away.

PROS:
A-Free 1000+ Voice library (from the old Yamaha user forums) available to be used with the program.

B-Simple, no need to read 80 page manuals to figure out how to use it.

C-The whole program is Library Centric. I was editing and creating my own patches in less than 10 minutes… just find a patch you like in the library… put some comments on it, then open it in the editor, edit it, rename it and save it back to the library.. the program will insert your new patch automatically at the end of the library list so it will be easy to find. The library can also be re-sorted so you can find patches easily.

C-Another great feature of TX81Z Programmer is the ability to export selected voices or the entire library to patch banks in SysEx format, so i was able to export the entire library to about 40 sysex banks.. so if you want to import the entire library to another editor / librarian (such as JSynthLib) you can.

D-TX81Z Programmer allows you to easily build libraries out of libraries, so if you want to build a new library out of your favorite voices (patches) from the huge 1000 voice library, all you need to do is to select the patches you like in library 1 and hit the copy button and put them on Library 2, which you can just name and save where ever you want. This is a great way to sort and separate sounds if you have a big patch library by creating sub-libraries or patch banks you can quickly dump into the synth.

E-Able to edit all of TX81Z’s parameters and functions.

D-Supports different versions of TX81Z’s firmware.

F-Can download the user voice bank plus all four ROM voice banks from the synth.

CONS:
A-The Editor Window layout is not the best.. it is kind of clunky and it doesn’t fit entirely on a single 1024×768 screen.

B-The operator envelopes cannot be edited graphically.

Overall, I like TX81Z Programmer.. i am sure a lot of work and effort went into it, i you really want to do a lot of programming in your TX81Z, or just build a nice library of sounds, it is well worth the $20.

3-JSynthLib
JSynthLib is a Free, Open Source, Universal Synthesizer Patch Editor / Librarian written in the Java Language, that supports the Oberheim Matrix 1000. It can be dowloaded here. The last beta version was updated in 2005, so this program is pretty much abandonedware.

Since i was using JSynthLib with my Oberheim Matrix 1000, i didn’t need to reintall the version i am using (beta 0.20), so, i started JSynthLib by clicking on the jar file, clicked on Window, Preferences, Synth Driver, Add Device and installed the driver for the TX81Z. Simple, no need to read any manuals.

After having the program configured and running i decided that instead of trying to grab banks from the synth, why not try to import the sysex banks i exported from the 1000+ library previously using TX81Z Programmer.
I was able to easily import all the banks into the library, but unfortunately they imported as individual bank entities instead of being divided in their voice components, so in order to populate the library i had to open the bank itself and copy each one of the 32 voices at the time and paste it back to the library.
I did this process for two banks. You can download the two bank TX81Z Jsynth library here, so you can test JSynthLib yourself with some sounds.

PROS:
A-Open Source, Free, easy to use. Can be modified and expanded if you wish to code in Java.

B-Voice editor has a nice, logical layout and allows to graphically edit the operator envelopes.

C-Users can comment patches

CONS:
A-Abandonedware: Software is not being developed or supported anymore.

B-No library of TX81Z sounds for download.

C-Can edit only voices and voice banks, Performances, tuning tables, system configuration, etc, cannot be edited with JSynthLib.

D-Cumbersome when it comes to moving patches between imported sysex banks and the library. It will take several hours of cutting and pasting voices from an imported bank to fill a library.

4-NoiZe for Windows Version 3.21

Noize is a $99 old Windows Universal Editor Librarian that apparently hasn’t been updated in years, although the software still appears to be supported, so i decided to download the latest 30 day demo version to try it out.
You can grab the demo here

After installing and running the program you are forced to enter a user name and leave the serial and registration information blank to use the demo. The first time the program starts it forces you to configure your MIDI setup and then install the Editor modules of supported synth drivers, then you have to install the library module of any supported synth you want. This is kind of silly.. you should be able to install the editor and the librarian for whatever synth you want to use in one shot.

After installing the editor and librarian drivers, you will be prompted to open a project file, and once that is created you will see the TX81Z various driver pages. Clicking on each opens an individual windows for each parameter.

I started using the program right away to see if i could figure it out.. I clicked on one of the patches on the Voice bank window and i saw an MIDI buffer error on the synth followed by some ungodly noise that forced me to restart the TX81Z. After restarted the synth a MIDI Data error was still showing on the TX81Z’s LCD. I clicked again one of the voices in the Voice bank window and played some notes.. the synth sounded like it was circuit bent! LOL..
I clicked on a different patch and i got some great digital error sounds out of the synth.. then the sound went away and i was able to play the patch normally. None of the patches in the downloaded Voice bank were named, but apparently they were all different.

To grab a bank from the unit, you right click on Voice bank and click on fetch. The software initiates a bank download but the first time i tried it, it timed out.. while the synth LCD read “Midi Buffer Full”.
I was about to give up on the program, but after restarting it, the software was able to communicate normally with the synth.

PROS
A-Nice Windowed interface, The software can open and see all TX81Z parameters on windows that fit in the screen.

B-Graphical editing of envelopes

CONS
A-Some of the controls on the editor window are just too small for fast editing.

B-Can only build libraries of just banks, not patches (voices)

C-No way to import / export sysex bank dumps from other programs (TX81Z Programmer and JSynthLib)

D-Can only fetch the user voice bank from the synth.

CONCLUSION
Considering the price, usability and features of all software packages, i think the best TX81Z software editor / librarian is “TX81Z Programmer” followed by JSynthlib, which is not really useful if you plan on editing tuning tables and performances on the synth.
Due to their relative high price to feature /ease of use ratio , i cannot recommend Midiquest or Noize.