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Topic: Flanging with SB64! (Read 3209 times) previous topic - next topic

Flanging with SB64!

I was fooling around with NWC one day when I realised that I can achieve universal flanging on a midi song that may be played by SB64. If one writes multiple (e.g. four) times the score for e.g. drums and base andd asigns them to a different channel, using chorus and reverb from the SB64 control panel, the soundcard renders the .mid as if tehre was a flanger effect on it. If ne1 is interested for an example email me and I will post to you an .nwc file that shows how it is done.

Re: Flanging with SB64!

Reply #1 –
And the question is: Is this a bug or a feature?

For me it's usually a bug of Creative's soundcards. Whenever the same sound patch is assigned to different MIDI chanels and the same note plays at the same time in several channels the dreaded flanging effect may appear.

In symphonic music, were all five strings groups (violins 1 and 2, violas, cellos and double basses) are assigned to different channels but all use the same patch (usually, String Ensemble 1), this annoying effect may appear if two or more channels play exactly the same note.

To avoid it I usually insert a Pitch Bend mpc at the beginning of all string staves, to detune slightly the channel's sound. Usually values of +400 and -400 (to create an 800 difference between channels) are enough to get rid of this flanging effect.

Re: Flanging with SB64!

Reply #3 –
Another way to avoid the dreaded flange is to use a sequencer that allows time sliding and move the voices apart a few ticks in time.
This was the only way I could get a unison multi-voice chord to sound on an SB16 without choking.
Adds a bit of presence to piano and guitar chords too.
 

Re: Flanging with SB64!

Reply #4 –
This isn't a bug or a feature. It happens on plenty of other soundcards and midi controllers, even the nice $2000 alesis synth I use at the studio. There's several different names for this effect, one is: "constructive interference" I also believe (but dont quote me) its called "crosstalk cancellation" (could be wrong).

---Basically, its what happens when you take the exact same sound sample and play more than one of it at almost exactly the same time. It literally starts cancelling itself out.

A way around this is to use different samples. If I need more than one string section at the same time, I use string ensemble 1 and string ensemble 2, and pan them apart. This generally helps.

Another thing that helps is adding the REVERB effect to your midi file, which smooths out the interference. However, since NWC still doesn't have controller support, this feature has to be added externally.