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 Forum index » DIY Hardware and Software » Microcontrollers and Programmable Logic
TriXarp - 196 voice FPGA polysynth
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JovianPyx



Joined: Nov 20, 2007
Posts: 1988
Location: West Red Spot, Jupiter
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:58 pm    Post subject: TriXarp - 196 voice FPGA polysynth Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I've just gotten proper sound out of a new FPGA synth design. It's a triple 64 string harp system called "TriXarp" (pronounce that 'try-harp')

The three 64 string harps can be addressed separately and can be detuned from each other. The harps are based on a set of Karplus-Strong string models.

Each note plucked activates all 3 harps, much like how a piano hammer hits 3 strings.

Stereo was acheived by using the string number as a panning parameter.

The sample is of me making keyboard mistakes while playing the synth with varying amounts of detune from very small to somewhat large.

The reflection filters can also be individually controlled, but for the sample, they are all set to a harp-like sound (which tends to sound bell-like at the high end).

I literally took the Xarp-61 design and instantiated it 3 times in this project. Xarp-61 is a 64 string harp model.

The FPGA I used is a Xilinx Spartan-3A DSP 1800. The synth is not quite finished, there's a lot of RAM left over so I will add a stereo delay effect.


TriXarp_Sample_00.mp3
 Description:
TriXarp samples

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 Filename:  TriXarp_Sample_00.mp3
 Filesize:  3.04 MB
 Downloaded:  1129 Time(s)


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emeb



Joined: Dec 16, 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

That sounds fantastic Scott! Amazing stuff.
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JLS



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Nice one THANKS great example Smile
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Dan Lavin



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Scott: very nice! Even the very detuned samples at the end are useful.
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JovianPyx



Joined: Nov 20, 2007
Posts: 1988
Location: West Red Spot, Jupiter
Audio files: 224

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Thanks emeb, JLS and Dan Lavin.

The synth is now essentially finished (aside from whatever feature-creep I do from here forward). All three harps work, are in stereo with a functional looped delay effect.

I've been playing with tuning and it's amazing what can be done. I finally got some nice piano like beating by tuning one harp a bit sharp and another a bit flat. But instead of symmetrical tuning where the sharp harp is as sharp as the flat harp is flat, I made the flat harp half as flat as the sharp harp is sharp. (I hope that makes sense). This gives rise to a much more interesting beat pattern similar to when you press piano sustain and hit one note and then listen to it decay.

I am now working on a demo piece. I've chosen to use Robert Schumann's op. 15 no. 1, Von Fremden Laendern und Menschen. I have a MIDI file, but I don't like the expression nor the arrangement, but the notes are there so I can copy and paste to get the parts the way I want them and then the tedious task of editing the timing of individual notes to get the feel I want. When I finish that, I will post it here.

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FPGA, dsPIC and Fatman Synth Stuff

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JovianPyx



Joined: Nov 20, 2007
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Audio files: 224

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Here is my first "willing to let people hear" version of Robert Schumann's op. 15 no. 1, Von Fremden Laendern und Menschen.

I will admit to starting with a MIDI file I downloaded, but there is precious little left of the original data. I may make some changes in the future, but for now, this is good enough to demonstrate the instrument. I chose to keep the detune effect very subtle, so the 3 strings for each note are slightly different. I used a small amount of delay effect with short delay time. It's just the TriXarp. At 1:23 it should be tolerable Smile

EDIT ADD: I've updated the mp3. I had spelled Schumann with one n and this is a better recording.


R.Schumann_Von_Fremden_Laendern_und_Menschen_op.15_no.1_.mp3
 Description:
Robert Schumann's op. 15 no. 1, Von Fremden Laendern und Menschen played on a TriXarp synthesizer.

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 Filename:  R.Schumann_Von_Fremden_Laendern_und_Menschen_op.15_no.1_.mp3
 Filesize:  1.27 MB
 Downloaded:  1098 Time(s)


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FPGA, dsPIC and Fatman Synth Stuff

Time flies like a banana.
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JovianPyx



Joined: Nov 20, 2007
Posts: 1988
Location: West Red Spot, Jupiter
Audio files: 224

PostPosted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

And just for fun, here's a recording with TriXarp and my FM bell synth


R.Schumann_Von_Fremden_Laendern_und_Menschen_op.15_no.1_trixarp_with_bells.mp3
 Description:
Same piece, but with TriXarp and an FM bell synth (all FPGA)

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 Filename:  R.Schumann_Von_Fremden_Laendern_und_Menschen_op.15_no.1_trixarp_with_bells.mp3
 Filesize:  1.29 MB
 Downloaded:  1109 Time(s)


_________________
FPGA, dsPIC and Fatman Synth Stuff

Time flies like a banana.
Fruit flies when you're having fun.
BTW, Do these genes make my ass look fat?
corruptio optimi pessima
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