BaconPaul has started the new year off with the launch of the Six Sines audio rate modulation synth, freely available for download and tinkering on GitHub.
Using techniques often called Phase Modulation and Digital Ring Modulation, it has an architecture which allows lots of modulation and a synth engine with a few things making it sound pretty good.
Claiming it to be rather difficult to program, the author says you can still have a lot of fun with the synth anyway.
In basic terms, Six Sines is a six operator FM synth. Each of the six operators can output to audio or can modulate themselves (feedback) or subsequent operators. For example, operator 3 can feedback its own signal or modulate operators 4, 5 and 6.
Modulation of subsequent operators can be phase modulation (the ‘phi’ symbol) or digital ring/audio-rate-amplitude modulation (the ‘A’ symbol).
Apparently, the real trick of sound design with Six Sines is the modulation architecture. Each knob on screen represents a node with an independent envelope and LFO per voice. Each operator, operator modulation application, operator feedback, and operator level can be independently and individually modulated.
Take a look here.
