Cherry Audio Forums

How about a mutate function with range for the chosen parameters like on Reason's Algoritm or Native Instruments Absynth 5?

SA2K wrote: ↑Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:59 am How about a mutate function with range for the chosen parameters. . . ?

Is there anything stopping third-party developers from implementing this sort of thing?

I've always really liked the Mutate function on Absynth because it has a knack for making interesting modifications to the patch without going crazy and also because it keeps the mutation history so you can quickly jump around the mutations to find one you like. Anything that makes programming FM easier is a winner with me.

I've put randomize buttons on some of my stuff. They are not subtle but are quick and easy to implement! My compromise on Chordant was to put two buttons so you can randomize different parts of the chord and my current project, also chord-based, has four randomize buttons, plus a shuffle button, plus a random switch. Hmmm... it might be starting to become an addiction.

It's probably too late to attempt a mutate mutton on that one as it is almost finished but I'll consider it on future modules. It might be tricky to get a mutate function nicely balanced between too subtle and BRUTAL but it might be fun trying.

Would LOVE a mutate function for all modules

GusGranite wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 4:58 am Would LOVE a mutate function for all modules

To me it makes more sense for developers to make controlled randomizations tailored to each module rather than having a one-size-fits all algorithm or look-up list. Ideally each module maker knows his or her own modules inside and out and would presumably be in a better position to determine acceptable and useful "mutations."

If I were a module maker I wouldn't want someone else to decide how controlled randomizations should be implemented.

Steve makes a very valid point about randomization but I think the idea with a mutate function is that you have two preset sounds that you like and can then choose to create random interpolations between the settings of the various parameters.

So it's very controlled randomization where the result for each parameter is limited to values between those of the two presets. And in addition one can use a slider or whatever to adjust the weighting of the randomization so that it's say 75% more probable to be closer to one sound than the other.

To me the most obvious way to implement this in VM would be to extend the functionality of variations. So you could "mutate" between two adjacent variations.

So you could set the controls of any patch to one sound, hit save variation, adjust the controls to achieve another sound and save another variation. Then click on a new MUTATE button (perhaps with a small knob to control weighting) to automatically arrive at settings somewhere between the two variations.

A variations GLIDE knob so that you could gradually morph knob settings on changing a variation would be nice too but I'm not holding my breath.

That might be really useful, but I wouldn't want a mechanism that interfered with the normal usage of Variations. It seems to me that you'd have to have a pop-up menu to select the two Variations to use, because you might have more than just two Variations for a given module.

Reid

I was thinking about keeping things as simple as possible so the mutation would be between the current variation and the next (with wrap around).

ColinP: I was thinking about keeping things as simple as possible so the mutation would be between the current variation and the next (with wrap around).

I can see that. Still, the option to have such a menu would be nice.

Reid

ColinP wrote: ↑Tue Aug 16, 2022 1:39 pm . . . I think the idea with a mutate function is that you have two preset sounds that you like and can then choose to create random interpolations between the settings of the various parameters.

Makes sense. Sounds a little like an idea I considered for a line of hardware sound modules I used. They had a built in "Randomize" function. As I understand it the new parameter settings generated were not truly random, but were randomized based on an algorithm in the OS. The software I was interested in developing was a "Parametizer."

For the sake of simplicity, it was intended as a way for users to create their own psuedo-algorithms (parameters to change, the range of changes for each parameter to be changed, some weightings, etc. plus an automatic feature that would take two or more sets of parameters and derive settings that varied from the "seed" patches).

I actually have been wondering if something like this could be implemented for VM. Recently someone asked for a feature that would randomly select modules to be used in the VM patch and that got me thinking of the Parametizer again. I guess its not unlike a Mutator. (Or maybe a variation generator? or maybe a Voltage Controlled Variation Controller aka VC^2?)