Results for plants

Sometimes I feel that we have so many virtual instruments and effects that it seems near impossible to come up with something new and exciting.

And then Sonic Charge brings Synplant, completely proving me wrong.

If you’re into electronic beats you may very well be familiar with Sonic Charge’s µTonic (or MicroTonic), Magnus Lidström’s top notch drum and percussion synth.

And if you’re a Reason user that name Magnus Lidström might ring a bell as well. Magnus worked on several things for Propellerhead Software, most notably designing and developing the Malström synth for Reason 2.0.

And now for something completely different

I hope you weren’t expecting I was going to tell you that Synplant is some kind of Malström 2.0… Just take a look at Synplant and compare that with Malström’s GUI.

This isn’t properly scaled, but I’m sure you’ll notice they don’t look much alike. Synplant has 7 sliders and a few buttons around the plant’s bulb, while Maltröm’s controls are… many.

Right, so let’s focus on Synplant then. Here’s what the product page reads:

Synplant is a software synthesizer with a genetic approach to sound creation. Instead of creating patches the conventional way by turning dials and knobs, Synplant lets you explore a world of organic sounds by planting seeds that grow into synth patches.

Aha, the lack of controls on that Synplant GUI is intentional! Btw, note how it says it has a genetic approach to sound creation, not generative. Although Synplant uses a generative synthesis engine, it isn’t actually a generative music system (you might’ve thought so when seeing the circle of notes on the interface…)

Synplant invites you to take a different approach to sound creation. Using seeds to plant, and branches to grow sounds isn’t something I’ve ever seen before.

… read more

Some interesting things I bookmarked on del.icio.us on August 22nd, 2007:

• USB Powered Mini Greenhouse – Features an adjustable growth light and an easy view window that offers maximum plant protection.
• Amazon forest carved up in resettlement scam – Rather than moving communities onto land that has already been deforested Incra has been allocating tracts of land that are still part of the rainforest.
• reddit media: intelligent fun online – Monitors reddit?s front page, collects picture & video links, and builds an archive of them over time.
• Monster attack steals user data – US job website Monster.com has suffered an online attack with the personal data of hundreds of thousands of users stolen, says a security firm.
• Robots Can Be Friendly, Groovin?: Max-Powered Keepon and Beatbots – The Keepon is a cute, yellow robot that dances to music you may have seen bopping on YouTube. It shows how subtle changes could make robotics friendlier in the near future.
• Deezer – The first global website for music on demand with no restrictions: listening to all kinds of music is now free, unlimited, legal and accessible to all Internet users via a Web browser.
• Google Earth Shows Real-Time Traffic – This has been achieved by adding a Traffic layer in Google Earth. Once you?ve enabled this feature, you?ll see a real-time picture of traffic and conditions.
• SimpleTEXT: a cellphone enabled performance – SimpleTEXT is a collaborative audio/visual public performance that relies on audience participation through input from mobile devices such as phones, PDAs or laptops.
• Lee Broom – The application of neon elements to the outlines of the six hand-carved Mahogany pieces “haloes the delicate lines of the traditional furniture whilst casting deep reflections in their richly lacquered surfaces.”