News: OASYS MOD-7
One of the many ways to bring new sounds into your OASYS
Posted by Stephen Kay:
OASYS version 1.3 adds the MOD-7 Waveshaping VPM synthesizer, a new EXi instrument that creates highly expressive and cutting-edge digital synthesis sounds. The MOD-7 is a powerful, semi-modular synthesizer, combining Variable Phase Modulation (VPM), waveshaping, ring modulation, PCM sample playback, and subtractive synthesis. VPM refers to Korg’s patented contributions to Frequency Modulation (FM) synthesis, as made famous on classic Korg instruments such as the Prophecy and the Z1 — and the MOD-7 takes this technology to a completely new level.
OASYS software version 1.3 includes a demo version of the MOD-7, which is fully functional except for a periodic fading in and out. Purchasing an authorization code from the Korg Usernet (www.korguser.net) removes this restriction.
• MOD-7 Overview
The MOD-7 includes six newly-designed VPM oscillators, plus a PCM oscillator, noise generator, audio input, two multi-mode filters, three 2-in/1-out mixers, and a 6-input main mixer—with a patch panel that lets you freely connect them all together, to create sounds in flexible and sophisticated ways. Exceptionally versatile, the MOD-7 produces everything from classic FM keyboards and bells to rhythmic soundscapes, from cut-through-the-mix synth basses to sparkling, epic pads - an incredible palette of sounds that can be used in a broad range of styles.
Each of the six VPM oscillators can be used as a sine, triangle, square, saw, or waveshaping oscillator for FM or ring modulation, or as a waveshaper or ring modulator for other signals—either from elsewhere in the MOD-7, or from the audio input. You can choose from 101 types of waveshaping, and modulate the waveshaper’s drive and offset.
Korg’s proprietary HD-1 class ultra-low-aliasing PCM oscillator includes four-way velocity switching for richly expressive sounds, and naturally supports user samples in addition to ROM and EXs. The MOD-7 then provides “vast” sample-mangling capabilities with incredible flexibility and power. Use samples as FM modulators, and create incredibly rich processing environments combining multiple stages of filtering, waveshaping, and ring modulation, patched together however you’d like.
Other features include:
- Dual multi-mode resonant filters, including the multi-filters introduced on the AL-1.
- Noise generator with a dedicated filter and saturation.
- External audio input.
- Each voice includes four LFOs
- Ten retriggerable EGs
- Nine key-tracking generators
- Eight AMS mixers
- and a per-voice step sequencer
All standard EXi functionality is also supported, including the Common LFO, Common Step Sequencer, Key Tracking 1 & 2, KARMA, EQ, and effects.
You can layer the MOD-7 with any other EXi (AL-1, CX-3, STR-1 or optional MS-20EX and PolysixEX), or layer two MOD-7s together for a total of twelve VPM oscillators.
Up to 52 notes of polyphony.
79 different template algorithms are provided, including all of the classic 6-operator FM synthesizer algorithms. These algorithms can then be modified as desired using patch cables.
MOD-7 can also load vintage DX-7 sounds, thousands of which are available on the internet. Once loaded, you can bring these sounds up to date using all of the MOD-7’s unique features, layer them with other EXi, and process them with KARMA and the OASYS effects.
Peter Schwartz aka “ski” added the following comments at korgforums.com:
“You are not limited to using just the preset algorithms. You can totally “roll your own” algorithms from scratch without any preset connections between VPM carriers or modulators. (The one lil’ exception is that in this case, VPM 1’s audio output is pre-connected into the rest of the synth chain so you can at least hear audio without having to patch that connection. But this too can be overridden.). Another thing which I believe is quite noteworthy is that MOD-7 has 8 AMS Mixers (”modmixers”) which provides a ton of complex modulation capability.”
And that is what Darren Richards aka “Daz” posted at korgforums.com:
“We all know about FM so it’s worth just talking about some of the other fun things you can do with MOD-7 :
Check out the virtual GUI and you’ll notice that you can choose to use either hard wired oscillator topologies/algorithms like the DX7 or you can use an MS20EX style patch panel to hook things up. This is a wonderful thing because you can build up your own connections of modulators/carriers as you’re designing your sound which feels very natural. You’d need to be a real FM wunderkind to know exactly which algorithm was the right place to start from when designing a sound that you only had an inkling of in your minds ear. The patch panel lets you change your mind very easily as you’re designing your sound and encourages a little more experimentation. It also lets you do more interesting feedback things than ye olde models did. Speaking of feedback that is a very effective technique used on the MOSS board and here you can introduce far more interesting feedback arrangements than the mixer on the MOSS board allowed.
All of those 6 FM ops are actually more like little processing units, you don’t have to use them as oscillators per se. You can do the DX7 thing and set the pitch ratio to FIXED and use it as a sine waveshaper, or you can use it for Ringmod (or AM) acting on a pair of inputs or you can just use Waveshaper section of the OSC alone to process inputs from other parts of the EXi. So you can take a guitar multisample and drive it through a waveshaper to get a very different guitar timbre and then drive that into another waveshaper which is acting as a tube emulator. If you’ve used Kurzweil’s VAST and enjoyed that, you’ll love this. The waveshapers are far better endowed and flexible in MOD-7
Speaking of waveshaping … FM & waveshaping … its a funny old combination when you first look at it, but the pairing works really well. In traditional FM you’d normally modulate a carrier using a sine wave or better still a slightly more complex waveform you created using feedback or a chain of other ops. With MOD-7 you can have a sine carrier and then modulate it with a very rich waveform created by passing a sine through a waveshaper. The waveshapers offer a whole bunch of shapes that take a sine and add extra harmonics, add a little drive, or recreate other waveforms such as those extra waves that were present in the TX-81Z for example. So you can create more complex sounds using less ops. The waveshapers are not static either. You modulate a bunch of parameters there to add some very interesting variation or motion to the sound. You can go really bananas and unleash waveshaping, feedback and ringmodulation all in one single oscillator, to create an FM modulator that goes well beyond anything you can even comprehend
The key thing to understand with MOD-7 is that is not just an FM synth. It’s really like a whole toolkit of different synthesis techniques :
- FM
- AM
- Additive
- PCM sampling
- Subtractive/Analog (the oscillators will generate saws/squares/triangles, there are filters, ring mod)
- Waveshaping
- Feedback
… that you can mix together to create fascinating new sounds. Or if you prefer, simply to add a little zest to a favourite ROM multisample like an acoustic bass or sax.
Finally, the real beauty of it is, all of that is just one half of an EXi Program. In the other half you can do it all over again with another MOD-7 instance or any of the other EXi engines. It’s particularly nice to mix it with a MS20EX or AL-1, very complimentary sound characters.
A little bit of freeform mind dump there about a few random things. It’s difficult when this information has had to be withheld and then released all in one go, like water building up behind a dam. I didn’t know where to start, there’s just so much to talk about it with this EXi. ”
And how does that all sound?
Please click here and scroll down to the bottom.
… you know what all that means if you are interested in designing new sounds? Sleepless nights!
And here is a first tutorial by sound programmer Peter Schwartz aka “ski”:
“So that it doesn’t seem too overwhelming, here’s a simple example of what you can do with MOD-7 within a single program…
Start by creating a pad using 2 FM pairs (4 VPM oscillators, detuned slightly from one another). Run them into one of the filters with their own EG to sweep it.
Next, select a sustaining type of PCM sound (strings, etc.) and run it directly into the second filter (with its own EG). You now have a layered FM + PCM combination that should result in a pretty thick sound. And you still have 2 VPM’s left!
Here’s something you can do with one of those VPM’s: take that same PCM oscillator and route it to a VPM set to Waveshaper mode (that’s right, you can “mult” the output of an oscillator to multiple destinations). Depending on the nature of the samples and the waveshape table that you choose, you can create everything from subtle distortion to filter sweep effects with that VPM.
Adjust the EG on the output of that VPM so that this sound swells only after you’ve held down the keys for a while. Or program it so that you can swell that part of the sound in using the JS or other controller.
You can route that VPM into one or both filters, or, route it directly to the output. Your choice!
And you still have one VPM left! What to do.. what to do…
OK, use it as a normal sine wave oscillator but set it to sine+waveshape (internal waveshaping within the VPM). Adjust it to be an octave or two higher than the rest of the sound. Select one of the waveshape tables that generates bell-like overtones from that sine wave and set the EG for that VPM to create a bell-like “ping” attack and decay/release.
And you can route that VPM to either one (or both) of the filters, or, directly to the output.
Don’t want bells in the LH part of the sound? Use an AMS Mixer (”mod mixer”) acting in Gate Mode to ensure that the bell sound only occurs above, oh, say, C5.
So within one program you have:
• 4 layered sounds: FM (x2) running through one filter, PCM running through the other filter, Waveshaping PCM and VPM Bell
• a split keyboard (bells in RH)
Now, throw a touch of chorusing on that, maybe a bit of delay or reverb and you’ll have a sound that’ll make a COMBI envious!”
“In MOD-7, the VPM’s are not dedicated sine wave oscillators. Each VPM can be set to act as one of the following:
• sine wave oscillator
• sine wave oscillator with built-in waveshaper
• sawtooth oscillator
• square wave oscillator
• stand-alone waveshaper
• ring modulator”
ps: but that’s not all, there is also interesting news concerning KARMA which will be quoted and posted soon.
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