Dynamic Articulation using the Whoosh Model
2019-12-05
Introduction
Even until now, the Whoosh model has offered us the ability to inject motion into several highly customisable sound sources. But, as of version 2019.2, this model also allows us to import any other GameSynth patches as one of these sound sources. This feature is, of course, not only limited to creating whooshes, as we can assign any custom Meta Parameter to any of the 3 axes on the Sketch Pad. This is especially useful for Modular patches, as they can now be live-performed and further finessed right from within the authoring tool!
Patch Design
There are no rules for which axes should correspond to which sorts of Meta Parameters, but the default setup of the Whoosh model can be a great place to start if you’re unsure (X for panning, Y for pitch, and Z for amplitude). Since the Creature module has some fun interactive potential, I’ve decided to showcase this with an assortment of effects to mimic the default setup.
[Note] You don’t need to worry about making the patch stereo if you want the in-built whoosh panning. Patches are automatically converted to mono, so panning will automatically match any other source layers.
In the above patch, the Creature pitch is controlled directly, and the X-axis is controlling constriction position; but rather than directly controlling the amplitude, the “amplitude” is being controlled by a Saturator (which helps to add a little flavour). A few other effects have been added to make things more sonically interesting, but these are not being controlled directly (although they could be!).
GameSynth also supports “notes” now, which can be used to help make sense of things and act as documentation. Be sure to make liberal use of these!
Interactive Control
Loading a patch into the Whoosh model is very straight-forward. Simply:
- – Navigate to the Patch tab under > Sound sources
- – Click the button next to the Patch directory location
- – Select a patch to load in
Once linked to a patch, this source will automatically be updated when any changes to the patch are saved in the Modular section. This is handy for quick iteration on ideas and plugging in new effects. Finally, the Sketch Pad now provides an interactive playground for creating some directly controllable procedural sound.
Bonus
You can find even more ready-to-download patches on the repository by clicking the “get” button at the top. I took the Glottis patch, which sounds really lush, and hacked it up a bit to get some interactive control.