"Human Playback" Ideas
Posted: Thu Apr 22, 2010 1:19 pmI was reading a few posts on the Garritan forums regarding realism and playback methods/options that could improve the perception of sampled sounds. I know this has been discussed at some length before, but I’d like to offer a few ideas that were thrown around on the Garritan forum.
1. Note on/off randomization. Even the best musicians in the world, given the same rhythm, will begin and end notes at slightly different times. I suggest an option that will randomize when a note is played and cut off. It shouldn’t be dramatic (as in, change the perceived rhythm of the part being played), but a few milliseconds of space may give a more authentic feel.
2. Intonation randomization. Just as musicians won’t be in perfect rhythm together, neither will they be on the exact same pitch. Some fluctuation (sharp or flat) is bound to occur over the course of playing a pieced. I suggest an option that will fluctuate the pitch of a note (by as little as a cent or two) randomly and even during the course of a sustained note.
3. Velocity and dynamic variation. I recommend an option that allows the dynamic level fluctuate; again, not by much, just enough to sound “fluid.” This randomized variable should probably come after whatever dynamic command is given. For example, if you have a crescendo from piano to forte and introduce the random variations afterword, the crescendo would no longer be perfectly linear (i.e. more realistic).
4. Velocity and dynamic diminuendo at the end of notes/phrases – a trick that is encouraged among the GPO users is to decrease the mod wheel data near the end of notes and phrases to emulate a player’s steady “lift” from note to note or from note to rest instead of an abrupt stop. Perhaps a rule that “faded out” the velocity towards the ends of notes would do the trick. Exceptions to the rule would be notes with specific dynamic markings (crescendo through the note) or notes that are to be played legato.
Additionally, each option should be able to be turned on/off per staff in order to preserve CPU power, prevent variations that may already exist in the sampled sound (i.e. intonation variation wouldn’t be necessary with GPO), or to prevent variations that may already exist within recorded MIDI content.
I know these ideas aren’t easy to implement (as far as I know, no one program has ever been able to offer all of the above), but I’d like to create a thread where users can offer ideas that may offer new ideas to Notion’s developers as well as offer possible features or work-arounds that already exist.
1. Note on/off randomization. Even the best musicians in the world, given the same rhythm, will begin and end notes at slightly different times. I suggest an option that will randomize when a note is played and cut off. It shouldn’t be dramatic (as in, change the perceived rhythm of the part being played), but a few milliseconds of space may give a more authentic feel.
2. Intonation randomization. Just as musicians won’t be in perfect rhythm together, neither will they be on the exact same pitch. Some fluctuation (sharp or flat) is bound to occur over the course of playing a pieced. I suggest an option that will fluctuate the pitch of a note (by as little as a cent or two) randomly and even during the course of a sustained note.
3. Velocity and dynamic variation. I recommend an option that allows the dynamic level fluctuate; again, not by much, just enough to sound “fluid.” This randomized variable should probably come after whatever dynamic command is given. For example, if you have a crescendo from piano to forte and introduce the random variations afterword, the crescendo would no longer be perfectly linear (i.e. more realistic).
4. Velocity and dynamic diminuendo at the end of notes/phrases – a trick that is encouraged among the GPO users is to decrease the mod wheel data near the end of notes and phrases to emulate a player’s steady “lift” from note to note or from note to rest instead of an abrupt stop. Perhaps a rule that “faded out” the velocity towards the ends of notes would do the trick. Exceptions to the rule would be notes with specific dynamic markings (crescendo through the note) or notes that are to be played legato.
Additionally, each option should be able to be turned on/off per staff in order to preserve CPU power, prevent variations that may already exist in the sampled sound (i.e. intonation variation wouldn’t be necessary with GPO), or to prevent variations that may already exist within recorded MIDI content.
I know these ideas aren’t easy to implement (as far as I know, no one program has ever been able to offer all of the above), but I’d like to create a thread where users can offer ideas that may offer new ideas to Notion’s developers as well as offer possible features or work-arounds that already exist.
