Reaktor

[lewisbaral]

Hey everyone, I've just started building my own stuff in Reaktor, figured I'd post and ask how many of you use it?
Feel free to share some of the devices you've built with it in here.

As I said, I've only recently started making stuff so I'm only really making basic synths atm. Wanna start building some unique filters, built a wavetable synth and have a crack at building a reverb unit (I hear that's really difficult though). Where did you guys all start out and do you have any beginners tips for me?

[knobgoblin]

Reaktor is pretty much the only soft synth I use these days. It's such a powerful tool if you learn how to build what you want with it.

For the last few months, I've been working on an algorithmic dubstep generator. These aren't really full on tracks, just an example of what comes out when you hit play in reaktor, to document the progress as the system gets more refined, so I hope I'm not violating forum rules by posting them, if so feel free to pull them down. It's all self made other than a few small bits, including the entire sequencing system. It's all based on probability and randomized selection/automation of user defined values.

Soundcloud

Soundcloud

I could post it up for you if you we're interested, but its not labeled at all, and thus super confusing to anyone but me

[Electric_Head]

That's cool knobgoblin.
I'm big on algorithmic music machines.
Ghost in the machine business.

I love Reaktor but honestly havn't gone beyond playing with the Factory ensembles and a few downloaded bits.

[lewisbaral]

That's dope! How long have you been fiddling with Reaktor to get to the point where you can build something like that?

[knobgoblin]

Thanks! I've been working with reaktor for about 5 years now, but I used max/msp for a while before that. I also have a background in physical modular synths, which helps a lot.

I feel a lot of people get trapped using other people's creations. Try creating something small that serves a specific purpose, like a few drum synthesizers. It's much easier to learn if you go at it with a specific project in mind, rather than just poking around and seeing what comes out. Try to learn (over time) what all the basic objects do, and how they are used for common functions, before moving on to the larger macros or more complicated core objects.

Also read up on synthesis and dsp wherever you can. I'm might be over your head for a while, but eventually things start to sink in. The SOS synth secrets series is a good place to start, as it shows signal flow in block diagrams, making it easy to recreate in reaktor.

[mks]

I guess for me, and I know I have talked about this in other Reaktor threads we have had over the years, is that I realize that I am more of a musician and a composer rather than a programmer/synth builder etc.

I did make one just to see if I could do it and it came out pretty cool. It's just a basic two oscillator, two envelope analog type synth though, but it was a good experience making my own synthesizer.

I am now content making music on other people's synthesizer creations.

Reaktor is bad ass!!

[lewisbaral]

Thanks! I've been working with reaktor for about 5 years now, but I used max/msp for a while before that. I also have a background in physical modular synths, which helps a lot.

I feel a lot of people get trapped using other people's creations. Try creating something small that serves a specific purpose, like a few drum synthesizers. It's much easier to learn if you go at it with a specific project in mind, rather than just poking around and seeing what comes out. Try to learn (over time) what all the basic objects do, and how they are used for common functions, before moving on to the larger macros or more complicated core objects.

Also read up on synthesis and dsp wherever you can. I'm might be over your head for a while, but eventually things start to sink in. The SOS synth secrets series is a good place to start, as it shows signal flow in block diagrams, making it easy to recreate in reaktor.

Thanks! I think the main things I wanna make are just (from what I can see) effects, my own Tape Saturator, a filter and a reverb later on (I figure a reverb is probably the most difficult thing to make) and also a basic wavetable synth.

@ mks, I find that if I get writers block, it's nice to do something to take a break, like building a synth for a week.

[knobgoblin]

Oddly enough, I think tape saturation and home built filter will be some of the more difficult things to create in reaktor. You could make the standard biquad filter algorithms with math in core I believe. I've made a reverb that I can post up that sounds pretty interesting. Reaktor comes with an object that is the fundamental building block of any algo reverb, a delay and all pass filter combined, I think it's just called defuser delay or something similar. Play around with creating networks of a few of those with feedback running between them all and you can get pretty close to reverb.

[misk]

or you can play with ~tapin and ~tapout - but be sure to turn down your volume as close to "off" as you can.

late night sessions making karplus-strong patches, a web of ~tapin and ~tapout objects, and the wrong float value can result in some... ahem... feedback

don't drink and MSP

[3za]

I mostly make weird effects, and noise generators, and all of them are still in prototype stage

[knobgoblin]

I've been reworking some of my reactor sequencers in the last week or so and thought I'd post some stuff up for your enjoyment. There is a rhythmic only sequencer as well as one optimized for melodic work. There are also a few of my drum synthesis machines, a kick, snare, clap, tom and a metallic percussion synth. There is a few synths included in the patch, just very simple acid bass synths and a chord generator, all very basic, just patched together as I was testing out the sequencers.

Here is a clip of it doing its thing:
Soundcloud

and here is the patch itself:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gnr6pcrw9hazdjl/AutoAcid2.ens

Anyway, hope someone can get some use out of these, Ive been having a blast with them