John Bowen Synth Design

OK. I think I see what the "Mixer" section is all about now. I think the initial confusion was that most synths don't have this. Let me see if I can describe this clearly... ;-/

The mixer section is a pre-filter mixer for each filter. What this does is let you send more than 1 oscillator to a particular filter. Mixer 1 goes to Filter 1; Mixer 2 goes to Filter2; and so on.

Each mixer can be used in a couple of different ways. One way to use the mixer is to set the levels of the oscillators going into the filter. This is the way people usually think of a "mixer".

But each channel of a mixer can alernativly be used as an additional pre-filter modulation point. This mode looks much like the modulation you would see in the oscillator section of Solaris and creates the opportunity for additional modulation in the signal path. In addition, the combined 4 inputs for each mixer can also be modulated.

A couple of additional features to note about the pre-filter mixer section. The individual channels of each mixer, as well as the combined output of each mixer can be leveled or modulated. Also note, mixers can also be sources inputs for other mixers.

That sound about correct?

Yepp, similar ideas on the DSP model.
I have been using SpaceF's CC devices on my analog synth practicing up for Solaris in hardware.
I only use a few presets on hardware synths and then change the envelopes and filter settings with footswitches and expression pedals.
For example I can assign several controllers with seperate lag times ( bi-directional ) offests and curves to one expression pedal.
He is working on a new version for SFP where the lag times can be up to 7 seconds !!!
I never liked being slaved to a sequencer, and this opens up a whole new side to live performance control.
The beauty of it is that it will save time for the sequencer/recording guys too. No more having to record then edit, then overdub, etc.
For guys who don't have SFP the hardware 1U MIDI Solutions F8 will allow such control and also sends out note off/on commands for changing articulations in software romplers.
That's why having both is important to me.

I can just see Solaris's crossfade rates, filter cutoff & rez, envelopes, mixer I/O's, etc all being used simultaneously live with the F8 and CC devices !!!!

It'll be like having four trained munchkins twisting knobs and doing Wave Oscillator fades while I keep both hands playing.

Nice Vid's JB.........

ScofieldKid,
Yes, that's correct! The plug-in has it this way as well, of course, so sometimes I forget there's a lot of new users coming to this (now 6 years old ) plug-in design!

In addition, the Insert FX can be placed between the Mixers and the Filters, or after the Filters (between Filters and VCAs). At the moment, the structure is, as you noted, Mixer 1->Filter 1->VCA1, and Mixer 2->Filter 2->VCA2, etc., but I have requested to open that up more, so that any mixer goes to any filter, or any filter goes to any other filter, etc., but it's not done yet...and might not make it for v1.0 actually.

To be clearer - each "pre-filter modulation point" idea is not the same as modulation in the oscillator section, because at the mixer you are only modulating the signal levels (as you state in your last paragraph).

Another thing I quickly passed over in the narration - when you modulate the mixer inputs (or the mixer output), the initial levels act as 'offsets', so if you have a level full on (at +/-63), you won't hear your modulation. You first have to reduce this 'offset' to zero if you want to hear the full effect of modulating the signal (so, you set the initial levels to zero - unless you desire a little bit of constant signal).

Another thing - modulating the mixer inputs here is very much the same as the AM sections, but only one of the algorithms (can't remember which one at the moment). You are taking 2 signals and multiplying them in either case....
-john b.