Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: string section instrument patch (Read 2243 times) previous topic - next topic

string section instrument patch

hello

does anybody know what kind of "chord" is made by the string section family of patches (slow strings, tremolo strings, etc.)? my guess is that it's just octaves and unisons, otherwise if you inserted a note, you'd get a chord of that note, and that's not what you'd want.

thanks

Re: string section instrument patch

Reply #1 –
This is a rather big question, and one that could be done injustice with a simple answer. The simple answer being "Yes, string patches generally contain only octaves and unisons." However, in any complex sound there will be harmonics which fall on or near frequencies of other tones in the scale.

In organ patches is is very common to add fifths. There are also pad and FX patches that intentionally add fifths. But these are AFAIK the only ones in which other tones are specifically added to produce the sound.

So far the discussion has been based on relatively modern wave-table cards. The older FM synthesis cards (SB16 etc.) are a different can of worms, in that they produce all their sounds "on the fly" by adding together simple waveforms. What's under the hood in these synths as they attempt to create more complex sounds is anyone's guess.

Re: string section instrument patch

Reply #2 –
I think the effect aimed at in the string ensemble patches is of a number of string instruments all playing the same pitch. Yes, as in any sound more complicated than a sine wave, there will be overtones, but it's safe to say that most listeners will interpret a note in any of these patches as representing a single pitch, not any kind of chord.

There are organ stops I can't stand because they sound to me like two instruments playing a perfect 5th apart, which is tolerable in Gregorian chant but objectionable in music with a strong harmonic component such as Bach or Franck. The fact that I have no such reaction to any of the Midi string ensemble patches (at least the ones I've heard) tells me that they don't contain any over-strong overtones.