What is it with this Virus sound?

[LivePsy]

Hi -X-,

Regarding aliasing: I gather you've never heard a V-Synth FM aliasing? The TI is pure silk compared to that. I'm intrigued with the Nords if they don't alias.

I think if you've heard actual 1970 analog equipment, you're expecting a different sound. Much of vintage oscillators rounded the waveforms (reduced harmonics) at higher frequencies. A saw wave often had a slow reset which noticeably affected the waveform at high notes, the TI doesn't do this. So to some extent, you are hearing more harmonics in a TI wave than analog. This may seem unpleasant to you and has a similar tone to aliasing, although the TI is not a bright sounding instrument.

But even if you're not comparing the TI with analog, I hear alias-like sounds with my imperfect hearing even with acoustic instruments. I genuinely hear inharmonic artifacts in some frequencies. I think its possible for people to experience this and mistake it for aliasing - not everyone has golden ears but we sure all like to think we do

Aliasing should be verified by looking at the waveform rather than hearing it. And even if it is there, it doesn't detract from the wonderful sounds only a Virus can make.

Cheers,
B

[fx1mark]

the lack of aliasing on the NL2 is pretty good. acceptable levels for my use. most new V.A.'s are much improved in that department. I have a creamware minimax asb and aliasing doesn't occur until you play notes higher than most people would find usefull. (can't compete with the virus for fat poly patches though)

[S@wtooth]

just wondering at what note\octave do you start to hear the aliasing?

Ive always found the higher notes sound a little strange on the virus and i normally tend to layer the higher riffs with another synth. leaving the virus playing lower\mid range

[-X-]

Originally Posted by S@wtooth

just wondering at what note\octave do you start to hear the aliasing?

Ive always found the higher notes sound a little strange on the virus and i normally tend to layer the higher riffs with another synth. leaving the virus playing lower\mid range

Like I said before, when triggering the virus with an external keyboard, I can hear aliasing very clearly when putting the Virus to 0 (octave/transpose) and the play the fourth octave on my NL2. I guess that would make it C4 and up?

[Khazul]

Originally Posted by LivePsy

I'm intrigued with the Nords if they don't alias.

I think the NL3 run at an internal sample rate of 96K - that would put the main aliasing tones well outside audiable range.

I remember a recent discussion on the Korg forums about odd tones on the Radias. Turns out there is actually a quirk in OSC 2 in that it simply doesnt produce such a perfect waveform as OSC 1 and the extra high frequency tones come from that - and if you listen carefully there are definately harmonics and not just unrelated tones.

So its worth checking out the waveforms in a wave editor.

[-X-]

Originally Posted by Khazul

I think the NL3 run at an internal sample rate of 96K - that would put the main aliasing tones well outside audiable range.

I thought it was the NL1/2 that runs at 96kHz sampling frequency. The NL3 runs at 48kHz thus has more features.

Access must have done some heavy processing with the oscillator implementing phase shifts and random pitch changes to make it sound so big. I guess the tradeoff is that they kept the sampling frequency lower (I read somewhere it is around 28kHz). This is a shame to a certain extend since the filter can process (external) sounds with higher pitch just fine without the annoying aliasing.

Anyway, it is a matter of features versus quality I guess. And the trend is not changing with the TI, using the two DSPs rather for efx and new oscillator modes instead of using the increased power to build up quality.

Note, the PPG/VS has aliasing to the gazoo as well, but it never sounds bad, rather interesting. I guess keeping it all in the digital world has some disadvantages.