that bouncing ball delay effect

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I call it exponential delay or dynamic delay depending on the flavor. I've attacked this problem from many different angles mostly using reaktor. It's actually quite simple. You can use any sequential curve to create the delay. In reaktor this could be an event table driven by a ramp oscillator with variable rate. The read can be triggered by a gate signal and the length of the read controlled using a simple time to frequency conversion. So the ramp runs through the various table values which control your delay and you can change the curve live. Alternately, you can use a decay envelope to drive the table.

Another method is to still use the envelope but instead of reading sequential table data to get the delay times you use a simple algorithm. For instance, use an attack-decay envelope to control the frequency of a pulse oscillator whose amplitude spikes trigger sample playback. A long attack time will give you that exponential division of time because of the icreasing frequency of the oscillator. Add some filtering and slight delay between multiple samplers and you're starting to sound like autechre. Or multiply the envelope by a controllable constant to produce delay times for a simple feedback delay. This gives you the felxibility to control the maximum delay time in milliseconds or synchronized with a tempo.

There are a lot more variations on this but there's basically two methods: one is to use a curve to control the triggering of sample playback and the other is to use a curve to control delay times in a feedback delay. I'm sure there are some other broad methods but these are the ones I've messed around with.

I'll post a couple of reaktor machines illustrating these techniques soon ::)

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here's one using delay and one using sample triggering.

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exp_delay.zip
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Filename:	exp_delay.zip
Filesize:	56.99 KB
Downloaded:	865 Time(s)

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[mosc]

Is the zip file a Reaktor file? Can you upload an mp3?

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sure. here's an mp3. it's not very exciting though. the zip file has 2 reaktor machines. someone was asking about it on a different thread so I through together a couple of general examples.

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exp_delay_demo.mp3
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Filename:	exp_delay_demo.mp3
Filesize:	628.78 KB
Downloaded:	1341 Time(s)

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[Kruge]

Hint:

If you believe that fx like the bouncing ball delay, as you call it, are something *special* you never ever should have a look at Cool Edit - the effects available there might blow you away...

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actually, cool edit was my first audio processing software. I love it and use it probably more than any other program especially since my laptop is a piece of shniz and so it's hard for me to do certain things realtime. The first tracks I ever made were all cut and paste.

the reason I posted this thread was because someone was asking about this particular effect in the movie music thread. It seemed like an opportunity for some fun nerdiness as well as to maybe demystify this simple technique that's becoming somewhat of a fad. I mean, I built 2 machines in reaktor that do it in under ten minutes. There's no black art. It's just linear math, envelopes.

so rock on! cooledit rules. I haven't seen audition yet but it appears to be the exact same thing as coolpro2 but with a different splash screen.

[Kruge]

[cloudscapes]

Pretty cool, thanks! Up till now I've been using a VST for that effect. I give this one a try once I'm more familier with Reaktor.

[mosc]

Thanks for posting the mp3. Now I know what you are talking about. I've heard this in a lot of IDM stuff. It's a good effect for that kind of music. I'm still going though exercizes on the G2, but that's a good one to add to the bag of tricks. Everything in my kit must be for live performance, ya know.

[zynthetix]

Miscellaneous Autechre pieces and "Bucephalus Bouncing Ball" by Aphex Twin immediately come to mind anytime I hear such delay effects... Regardless, nice reaktor structures. I found your post and the models quite informative.

[Anig Browl]

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