Favorite spectral modules

[NastyFuego27]

Hi,

I'm very much into spectral effects when producing and am doing some research on what's available in the analogue domain.

what are your favorite spectral modules? Ranging from generators to FX. I seem to bump into very few at the moment.

THX

[NastyFuego27]

I've seen the 4ms module, but I also like the Frap Tools - Fumana module, since it kind of enters the same realm, although it's not spectral.

[NastyFuego27]

The fumana might be spectral tho

[Hovercraft]

I have (and love) the 4MS SMR--which is digital btw. It can do spectral transfer, but since it only has six bands, you'd really need a second module. It's still cool, though--and there's lots of interesting things you can do with the six channels of envelope followers. Haven't tried it yet, but I also have the SWN, and you can tune the six individual oscillators, so it would possible to do some kind of chordal spectral transfer.

Fumana looks amazing--an evolution of the Buchla 296e--you can do 16 band or dual 8-band spectral transfer--and it's all analog. Recently watched the divkid fumana video with the frap tools developers--it looks like they put a lot of thought and development into the fumana.

[oakwood]

Slight necro return; a thread to pull me out of lurker mode, and I hope to learn more (you'll get more questions than answers from me, lol)....

I too have been sniffing around the idea of exploring more spectral processing in the rack. I have been mainlining Fumana demos (along with fixed filter bank stuff) for about a month now....

I was intrigued by this (maybe painfully obvious to some, but intoxicating to my noobiness) statement re: spectral processing from the precis for an academic chapter on audio spectral processing: "The basic idea of spectral processing is that we can analyze a sound to obtain alternative frequency domain representations, which can then be transformed and inverted to produce new sounds."

From that perspective, I guess my interest in things like the Audio Damage Spectre fits in (discontinued, but still some affordable used ones out there).
It's FFT-based, so there's some shifting back and forth from the time domain to the frequency domain, but, still, maybe it counts, and more important, makes sounds like what you're seeking?

More directly, the upcoming Synth Tech E520 appears to promise a few different approaches to spectral processing.

Qu-bit has announced a "spectral reverb" - the Aurora. "It features a lush reverb algorithm, and a phase vocoder audio engine allowing for spectral transformations of the incoming sound. You can freeze the input signal in the time or frequency domain with the press of a button or gate input."

Back to oblique approaches, the Mungo c0's approach of convolution of (mostly smaller-size) spaces, like instrument bodies, or dog's mouths, tickles the same nerve that spectral processing blurb does, for me at least....

Also, comb filtering. Too blunt/crude? Not transformative enough? Does Rings as a sound processor approach the spectral?

So yeah, 2020, year'o'spectral processing. Bring it.

[Hidden_Path]

Been drooling over the Panharmonium myself. Fumana sounds great too.

[oakwood]

haha, just came back here to edit my post to include the Panharmonium

[starthief]

I had a Panharmonium for a short while. I felt like it had "a sound" that I wasn't really gelling with.

I'm looking forward to the E520. I wrote a few experimental FFT VST plugins using Juce and the FFTW library. Performance wasn't great on them and a couple of them were crashy, but they were kind of cool and unique. From the descriptions it seems the E520 will cover the best of those effects and go well beyond them, and with real-time CV control. Should be fun to run those parameters from an envelope follower

[oakwood]

Interesting re: the Panharmonium...I've seen similar reactions to the overall sound of the SMR (for different reasons, I'm sure). Listening to the Panharmonium demos, I could see that it might be grating for some. Definitely a different overall sonic presentation than, say, the Fumana.

E520 looks like a real beast - I was pretty much there just with the frequency shifter bits, but the spectral algos add a ton of depth in an area not well-served by other eurorack fx units.

[Hovercraft]

After 3+ years of looking at different fixed filter banks and spectral modules, I finally got a Fumana. Came very close to getting a Serge Res EQ or an AJH 914 FFB, but I kept coming back to how little cv control there is over most FFBs. Also, after using the excellent LZX sensory translator in my video synth system, I really wanted a filter bank with individual outputs for each filter, plus envelope followers. The more I dug into bandpass filter banks, the more I got interested in spectral transfer modules like the Buchla 296e.

The Fumana is in a class of its own with its 32 bandpass filters separated into modulator and carrier banks. I have virtually zero interest in vocoding, but spectral transfer opens up a lot of possibilities--especially with the field recordings that are part of my practice. Fumana has exceeded my expectations as a general purpose modular tool, that accepts and ouputs many channels of modulation (and audio). Fumana is simple and easily understandable--all analog, so no modes/menu/firmware issues. It's big and expensive, but if you're looking at alternatives, I'd go with something less digital and programmed and more something that can be used as a flexible general tool.

[oakwood]

oof, this is an inspiring but expensive area. I still think I want a Serge or AJH 914 for feedback, but the Fumana seems way more spectral and very deep.

Curves seems pretty awesome, but more of an animated filter a la MURF on steroids.

The Panharmonium seems super deep, but the demos are perplexing to me. Definitely a different thing than the filter arrays, being FFT-based, a lot of times it sounds more like Clouds than a filter bank. E520 feels like it would just be a tangent zag for me - "get the multifx - its does so much, something is bound to be a hit."

I think I need to spend a bit more time thinking about what I want to accomplish with this, haha. My thing has been drones for a while, but I'm slowly moving towards shifting bitonality and I'm thinking maybe I might want to pivot towards introducing more underlying rhythm rather than digging deeper into blocks of sonority, which means to me that these types of modules will probs remain relevant to me, but maybe not the first thing to expand into. It's most likely just another sad case of getting romanced by the tone....

I think taking 3 plus years to decide might be my best move too...for a lot of reasons.

[Hovercraft]

...
I think I need to spend a bit more time thinking about what I want to accomplish with this, haha. My thing has been drones for a while, but I'm slowly moving towards shifting bitonality and I'm thinking maybe I might want to pivot towards introducing more underlying rhythm rather than digging deeper into blocks of sonority, which means to me that these types of modules will probs remain relevant to me, but maybe not the first thing to expand into. It's most likely just another sad case of getting romanced by the tone....

I think taking 3 plus years to decide might be my best move too...for a lot of reasons.

Yeah, it's a good plan to take your time and do some deep thinking about your system and direction, rather than casually buying modules to see if they're useful. I've never regretted *not* buying a module--haha. Fumana is specialized, big, and expensive--something I'd only recommend if you've researched the other options and have a strong idea of how it would fit in your system. I'm lucky to have the cost covered by paying gigs--otherwise, I'd have gone with a less expensive option.

[oakwood]

thank you - this kind of perspective is a strong inducement to me to stay off lurk mode *

[tekzon]

Hey!
I'd like a AJH 914 with more controls as well, stereo would be great..

spectral feedback..
Have you seen this?