Streichfett vs PolyDelay

The sound engine of the legendary Waldorf Streichfett hardware is now available for iPad including AUv3 format. The Streichfett takes you back to the days of the legendary String Machines. In the old days, there was no choice – to create a massive wall of sound, you simply needed a String Machine. It was the time when composing contemporary music had no resemblance to doing your annual tax return on a PC. It was the golden years of rock and pop, when even keyboard players simply plugged their instrument into the amp and started playing, instead of labouring over endless preset lists in search of the perfect sound. Now there is Streichfett – and the good old days are coming back. Experience what a real String Synthesizer sounds like. Experience how a homogeneous, extremely dense, floating web of sounds can be created from a raw, basic electronic sound in just a few simple steps. Streichfett combines the best of the previously extinct species of String Synthesizers of the 70s and early 80s. Its dual sound engine features a fully polyphonic String Section and an eight voice Solo Section, which is essential for recreating classic movie sounds from the 70s and 80s. The Ensemble Effect provides depth and movement to the String Section, while the Effects Section adds adjustable Phaser and Reverb effects. Additionally, the Animate Effect can be used to modulate the Strings Registration, allowing spectacular sound morphs. The Solo Section offers presets named Bass, E-Piano or Clavi, and just like with a typical String Machine, the sound has little to do with that name. Instead, these are shimmering and slightly percussive sounds that blend well with the String Section. Although the User Interface is simple and easy to comprehend, it controls a rather complex sound engine which is capable of delivering rich and creamy pads unlike any other instrument.

PolyDelay Polyrhythmic Delay Plugin (AUv3) PolyDelay is an audio effect plugin that can run standalone, or in any AU compatible host application such as Logic Pro or GarageBand. Overview PolyDelay is a dual delay line / stereo effect with optional host tempo sync. While PolyDelay can be used to create interesting stereo polyrhythmic delays, it can also produce more familiar delay patterns such as dotted eighth and quarter note triplets. Polyrhythms, Divisions and Beats PolyDelay calculates delay times based on a BPM (beats per minute) tempo, and the polyrhythmic notation of D:B, where D = divisions and B = beats. For example, 3:2 would mean that the time for 2 beats should be divided by 3. If you're more use to the idea of note lengths and delay times, such as quarter notes and dotted eighths, etc., this might be confusing at first, but hopefully this guide will help. Firstly, everything starts with the beat! So, for 120BPM, each beat (or quarter note) will be half a second, or 500ms. So if you want a quarter note delay, you want 1 division within one beat, so you would set Divs and Beats to 1. Here are some typical note values, lengths (120BPM) and their D:B values: 1/4 = 500ms = 1:1 (take the length of one beat, and divide that by one) 1/8 = 250ms = 2:1 (take the length of one beat, and divide that by two) 1/16 = 125ms = 4:1 (etc.) 1/32 = 63ms = 8:1 (etc.) See how the divisions are doubled-up for each note? And here are some dotted and triplet note examples - see how the D:B numbers start to get interesting! 1/4D = 750ms = 2:3 1/4T = 333ms = 3:2 1/8D = 375ms = 4:3 1/8T = 167ms = 3:1 A classic stereo delay would be 1:1 (1/4) left, and 4:3 (1/8D) right with Width set to max. If you want a really long delay, a 1:8 setting would give you 4 seconds at 120BPM with Multiply set to Normal, or 8 seconds set to Half. The Presets also include some typical (and not so typical!) examples to get you started. The fun really starts when you start mixing "unusual" (typically odd numbers) divisions and beats, such as 5:4 or 2:7. These sorts of relationships are what we typically refer to as polyrhythms. Try experimenting with PolyDelay on simple sequences and drum parts / patterns and you may start to hear all sorts of interesting rhythmic interplay as your brain tries to figure out what's going on! For additional tone-shaping, PolyDelay includes variable stereo width, a high and low pass filter, stereo modulation and internal limiting to keep audio levels in check. For more info and support please visit: www.waverley-instruments.com/robjackson