NICK'S WORLD OF SYNTHESIZERS

 

Click on the keys

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This is an interactive version of a real homemade synthesizer

It is made using flash. Each note on the keyboard was recorded seprately So it plays just like the real thing.

The reason for the strange keyboard is beacuse it is tuned in 'just intonation'. This form of tuning gives perfect harmonys.

Here are a few tips to help you navigate the keyboard.

Octaves are stacked vertically
White is the root note
Yellow is the 5th
Purple is the 4th
Red and blue are more major
Orange and green are more minor
Follow the colours whithout mixing major and minor and it should sound pretty harmonious


 
ANOTHER INTERACTIVE SYNTHESIZER


 
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Name: Maccus
E-mail: imcilravey@yahoo.com
Date Posted: 20:10, 21 07 2010
Message: This is a very beautiful looking and sounding e-instrument/home made synth. Most impressive.

Name: Adreezy
E-mail: youwish@yearite.com
Date Posted: 00:09, 28 05 2010
Message: This is so cool ! It sounds really creepy, but I LIKE IT ! :)

Name: Nicks World of Synthesizers
E-mail: a@a.a
Date Posted: 21:30, 12 05 2010
Message: Reply to comment below

Thank you. If only experienced musicians were this open minded about alternative instument design.

The colour scheme works because it shows the harmonic conections between the notes.

On most conventional instuments the notes are layed out sequentially in order of pitch. The problem is that harmony dosen't work in a linear 1 dimentional way.

If you pick a note then the notes that have the worst harmony with it are it's imediate neighbours, where the frequency has changed very little. You get the stongest harmonys are you double or halve the frequency, slightly less strong if you change the frequency by 2/3 or 3/4 and more interesing if you change the frequency by 4/5 5/6 3/5 5/8

My colours represent these fundamental harmonys. The two colour keys represent combinations of the simple harmonys.
For example yellow=2/3 and orange=5/6, the yellow and orange key gives you 5/6 harmony with the yellow key or 2/3 harmony with the orange key. When I am playing I like to think of these hamonic triangles. The beauty is that the different triangles share notes so you jump from one to another.

I am not completely satisfyed with this explanation but I hope it helps.

Name: Panda
E-mail: panda.in.oregon@gmail.com
Date Posted: 19:46, 06 05 2010
Message: I instantly got how this worked. This is the only instrument that has ever made sense how to play...

I wish I understood why it sounded good and how to do it on any other instrument. I would buy one of these too just because its something I can actually play!

How come no other instrument lays it out this simply? I can transition from one note to the next effortlessly and it sounds good and feels so natural.

It may seem unbelievable but this flash is blowing my mind and changing my life and the way I think about music... Just in the few minuets I've been playing with it. This is the best music I've ever made and I want to make more. Help me out. Why does your color scheme work?

Name: Arie
E-mail: bob@bob.bob
Date Posted: 14:53, 03 04 2010
Message: This is good! If you sold these things I would definitely buy one! Great harmony!

Name: Nicks world of synthesizer
E-mail: a@a.a
Date Posted: 22:07, 31 03 2010
Message: Just testing the message board.