Book description
Bridging the gap from theory to programming, Designing Software Synthesizer Plug-Ins in C++ For RackAFX, VST3 and Audio Units contains complete code for designing and implementing software synthesizers for both Windows and Mac platforms. You will learn synthesizer operation, starting with the underlying theory of each synthesizer component, and moving on to the theory of how these components combine to form fully working musical instruments that function on a variety of target digital audio workstations (DAWs). Containing some of the latest advances in theory and algorithm development, this book contains information that has never been published in textbook form, including several unique algorithms of the author’s own design.
The book is broken into three parts: plug-in programming, theory and design of the central synthesizer components of oscillators, envelope generators, and filters, and the design and implementation of six complete polyphonic software synthesizer musical instruments, which can be played in real time. The instruments implement advanced concepts including a user-programmable modulation matrix. The final chapter shows you the theory and code for a suite of delay effects to augment your synthesizers, introducing you to audio effect processing.
The companion website, www.focalpress.com/cw/pirkle, gives you access to free software to guide you through the application of concepts discussed in the book, and code for both Windows and Mac platforms. In addition to the software, it features bonus projects, application notes, and video tutorials. A reader forum, monitored by the author, gives you the opportunity for questions and information exchange.
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Foreword
-
Chapter 1 Synthesizer Fundamentals
- 1.1 Synth Components
- 1.2 Oscillators
- 1.3 Filters
- 1.4 Amplifiers
- 1.5 Envelope Generators
- 1.6 Basic Synth Architecture
- 1.7 Fundamental Goals of Synth Patch Design
- 1.8 Audio Data Formats for Plug-Ins
- 1.9 Signal Processing Review
- 1.10 Continuous Signals
- 1.11 Discretized Signals
- 1.12 The Laplace and z-Transforms
- 1.13 Aliasing
-
Chapter 2 Writing Plug-Ins
- 2.1 Dynamic-Link Libraries
- 2.2 C and C++ Style DLLs
- 2.3 The Application Programming Interface (API)
- 2.4 API Function Comparisons
- 2.5 The RackAFX Philosophy and API
- 2.6 Writing RackAFX Plug-ins
- 2.7 Setting Up RackAFX
- 2.8 Designing the User Interface in the Prototype Phase
- 2.9 Setting up Continuous Controls
- 2.10 Setting up Indexed Controls: Radio Buttons
- 2.11 Setting up Indexed Controls: Sliders
- 2.12 Placing Controls Inside the LCD Control
- 2.13 Using the RackAFX GUI Designer
- 2.14 The RackAFX Plug-in Object
- 2.15 Writing VST3 Plug-ins
- 2.16 VST3: Processor and Controller
- 2.17 The Common Object Model: COM
- 2.18 VST3 Synth Plug-in Architecture
- 2.19 Processor and Controller Declarations
- 2.20 The Class Factory
- 2.21 VST3 Conventions
- 2.22 Implementing a VST3 Plug-in: Controller
- 2.23 VST3 Controller Initialization
- 2.24 VST3 Controller Serialization
- 2.25 VST3 Controller MIDI Mapping
- 2.26 Implementing a VST3 Plug-in: Processor
- 2.27 VST3 Processor Initialization
- 2.28 VST3 Processor Serialization
- 2.29 VST3 Note Events, Control Changes and Rendering
- 2.30 Implementing a VST3 Plug-in: GUI Design
- 2.31 Using the VSTGUI Drag-and-Drop Interface
- 2.32 VSTGUI Design Example
- 2.33 Implementing a VST3 Plug-in: Debugging
- 2.34 Writing Audio Unit (AU) Plug-ins
- 2.35 AU XCode Projects
- 2.36 The Info.plist File
- 2.37 Managing AU Parameters
- 2.38 AU Conventions
- 2.39 AUSynth and AUInstrumentBase Class
- 2.40 Implementing the AUSynth Object
- 2.41 Implementing the Cocoa View Objects
- 2.42 WPRotaryKnob
- 2.43 WPOptionMenuGroup
- 2.44 The View Factory and CocoaSynthView.plist
- 2.45 The View Event Listeners
- 2.46 The View Interface and Initialization
- 2.47 Implementing an AU Plug-in: Debugging
- Chapter 3 MIDI
-
Chapter 4 Analog and Digital Signal Processing
- 4.1 Analog and Digital Building Blocks
- 4.2 Analog and Digital Transfer Functions
- 4.3 Digital Delay
- 4.4 Digital Differentiation
- 4.5 Analog and Digital Integration
- 4.6 The Bilinear z-Transform
- 4.7 Virtual Analog Filters
- 4.8 Analog Block Diagrams
- 4.9 First Order VA Lowpass Filter
- 4.10 First Order VA Highpass Filter
- 4.11 Second Order VA Filters
- 4.12 Series and Parallel VA Filters
- 4.13 Resolving Delay-less Loops: Modified Härmä Method
- 4.14 Resolving Delay-less Loops: Zavalishin’s Method
- 4.15 Analog Signal Flow Graphs
- 4.16 Wave Shaping
- 4.17 Challenges
-
Chapter 5 Synthesizer Oscillator Design
- 5.1 Trivial Oscillator Algorithms
- 5.2 Trivial Sawtooth Oscillator
- 5.3 Trivial Square Wave Oscillator
- 5.4 Trivial Triangle Wave Oscillatora
- 5.5 Quasi Bandlimited Oscillator Algorithms
- 5.6 Bandlimited Impulse Trains (BLIT)
- 5.7 Bandlimited Step Functions (BLEP)
- 5.8 Wider Window BLEP
- 5.9 Polynomial BLEP (PolyBLEP)
- 5.10 Coding the BLEP and PolyBLEP Algorithms
- 5.11 Wave Shaped BLEP Sawtooth Oscillator
- 5.12 BLEP Square Wave Oscillator
- 5.13 Differentiated Parabolic Waveform Oscillators
- 5.14 DPW Triangle Wave Oscillator
- 5.15 Other Non-Sinusoidal Oscillators
- 5.16 White Noise Oscillator
- 5.17 Pseudo Random Noise (PN Sequence) Oscillator
- 5.18 Random Sample and Hold Oscillator
- 5.19 Exponential Decay Oscillator
- 5.20 Wavetable Oscillators
- 5.21 Bandlimited Wavetable Oscillators
- 5.22 Sinusoidal Oscillators by Approximation
- 5.23 Pitched Oscillator Calculations
- 5.24 Sources of Modulation
- 5.25 Pitched Oscillator Starting Phase Consideration
- 5.26 LFO Features
- 5.27 Designing the Oscillator Objects
- 5.28 The COscillator Base Class
- 5.29 NanoSynth: Oscillators
- 5.30 NanoSynth Oscillators: RackAFX/VST3/AU
- 5.31 The CLFO Object
- 5.32 The CQBLimitedOscillator Object
- 5.33 The CWTOscillator Object
- 5.34 NanoSynth Oscillators: Processing Code
- 5.35 NanoSynth Oscillators: RackAFX
- 5.36 NanoSynth Oscillators: VST3
- 5.37 NanoSynth Oscillators: AU
- 5.38 NanoSynth: Wavetables
- 5.39 Challenges
-
Chapter 6 Envelope Generators and Controlled Amplifiers
- 6.1 Analog Envelope Generators
- 6.2 Triggers, Gates, and Reset to Zero
- 6.3 Note on Modes
- 6.4 Note offModes
- 6.5 Digital Envelope Generators
- 6.6 Envelope Generator Variations
- 6.7 Iterative Generation of the Exponential Function
- 6.8 Biased Envelope Generator Output
- 6.9 Envelope Generator Intensity Controls and Connections
- 6.10 Envelope Generator Implementation
- 6.11 The CEnvelopeGenerator Object
- 6.12 Digitally Controlled Amplifi
- 6.13 The CDCA Object
- 6.14 NanoSynth: EG/DCA
- 6.15 NanoSynth EG/DCA Audio Rendering
- 6.16 NanoSynth EG/DCA: RackAFX
- 6.17 NanoSynth EG/DCA: VST3
- 6.18 NanoSynth EG/DCA: AU
- 6.19 Challenges
-
Chapter 7 Synthesizer Filter Design
- 7.1 Virtual Analog Filters
- 7.2 Oberheim SEM State Variable Filter Model
- 7.3 Korg35 Sallen-Key Filter Model
- 7.4 Korg35 LPF Model
- 7.5 Korg35 HPF Model
- 7.6 Moog Ladder Filter Model
- 7.7 Moog Ladder Filter Gain Compensation
- 7.8 Oberheim XPander Variations
- 7.9 Nonlinear Moog Ladder Filter Models
- 7.10 The Second Order Moog Half-Ladder Filter
- 7.11 The Diode Ladder Filter Model
- 7.12 Designing the Filter Objects
- 7.13 The CFilter Base Class
- 7.14 The CVAOnePoleFilter Object
- 7.15 The CSEM Filter Object
- 7.16 The CKThreeFiveFilter Object
- 7.18 The CDiodeLadderFilter Object
- 7.19 Filter Key Tracking Modulation
- 7.20 NanoSynth: Filters
- 7.21 NanoSynth: Filters Audio Rendering
- 7.22 NanoSynth Filters: RackAFX
- 7.23 NanoSynth Filters: VST3
- 7.24 NanoSynth Filters: AU
- 7.25 Build and Test
- 7.26 Challenges
-
Chapter 8 Modulation Matrix, Polyphony, and Global Parameterization
- 8.1 Modulation Routings
- 8.2 The Modulation Matrix Object
- 8.3 Using and Programming the Modulation Matrix
- 8.4 NanoSynth MM Part One: RackAFX
- 8.5 NanoSynth MM Part One: VST3
- 8.6 NanoSynth MM Part One: AU
- 8.7 More MIDI Modulation Routings
- 8.8 NanoSynth MM Part Two: RackAFX
- 8.9 NanoSynth MM Part Two: VST3
- 8.10 NanoSynth MM Part Two: AU
- 8.11 User Controlled Modulation Routings
- 8.12 NanoSynth MM Part Three: RackAFX
- 8.13 NanoSynth MM Part Three: VST3
- 8.14 NanoSynth MM Part Three: AU
- 8.15 Polyphony Part One
- 8.16 Dynamic Voice Allocation
- 8.17 Poly NanoSynth: RackAFX
- 8.18 Poly NanoSynth: VST3
- 8.19 Poly NanoSynth: AU
- 8.20 Global Parameterization
- 8.21 Final NanoSynth: RackAFX
- 8.22 Final NanoSynth: VST3
- 8.23 Final NanoSynth: AU
- Chapter 9 MiniSynth: Analog Modeling Synthesizer
-
Chapter 10 DigiSynth: Sample Playback Synthesizer
- 10.1 Audio Samples
- 10.2 .wav Files
- 10.3 Multi-Samples
- 10.4 Splits, Layers, and Note Regions
- 10.5 The CWaveData Object
- 10.6 The CSampleOscillator Object
- 10.7 Audio File Location
- 10.8 DigiSynth Specifications
- 10.9 The CDigiSynthVoice Object
- 10.10 DigiSynth Files
- 10.11 DigiSynth: RackAFX
- 10.12 DigiSynth: VST3
- 10.13 DigiSynth: AU
- 10.14 Challenges
-
Chapter 11 VectorSynth and AniSynth: Vector Synthesizers
- 11.1 The Vector Joystick
- 11.2 Vector Paths
- 11.3 Rotors and Orbits
- 11.4 Combining Paths and Orbits
- 11.5 The Moog AniMoog Anisotropic Synthesizer
- 11.6 VectorSynth and AniSynth Path Modes
- 11.7 The Vector Joystick and JS Program in RackAFX
- 11.8 The Vector Joystick in VST3
- 11.9 The Vector Joystick in AU
- 11.10 Programming a Vector Path: VST3 and AU
- 11.11 VectorSynth Specifications
- 11.12 The CVectorSynthVoice Object
- 11.13 VectorSynth Files
- 11.14 VectorSynth: RackAFX
- 11.15 VectorSynth: VST3
- 11.16 VectorSynth: AU
- 11.17 AniSynth
- 11.18 AniSynth Specifications
- 11.19 The CAniSynthVoice Object
- 11.20 AniSynth Files
- 11.21 AniSynth: RackAFX, VST3, and AU
- 11.22 Challenges
- Chapter 12 DXSynth: FM Synthesizer
- Chapter 13 Delay Effects
- Appendix A
- Index
Product information
- Title: Designing Software Synthesizer Plug-Ins in C++
- Author(s):
- Release date: October 2014
- Publisher(s): Routledge
- ISBN: 9781317661689
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