Quantified TonesNotes on gear, mostly for self-edification.
Software
- Cuckos Reaper: The most versatile and customizable DAW.
- Csound: If it can't be done in Csound it can't be done.
- Tabledit: The long-lived French tab editor. I've used it constantly since last millennium.
Plugins
AdLibBlaster
Computer. Soundcard. 90s. Gaming. FM.
- Info from Jeff Russ: About the instrument, from its creator.
- Jeff Russ's Github: Source code and instruments.
- Windows Plugin (at Internet Archive): Downloadable Windows 64-bit binary.
HG Fortune
Expansive. Space. Clean. Serendipity. Pioneer.
- HG Fortune at Neocities: Information on all the synths.
- HG Fortune Complete Collection (at Internet Archive): All of Günter Hager Fortune's gorgeous instruments.
- Presets for HG Fortune (at Internet Archive)< Patches for various instruments.
- Fortune Cookie (at Internet Archive): Unique virtual analog synth.
Tweakbench
Nostalgic. Chiptune. 8-bit. Games. Cheap.
xoxos
Unique. Experimental. Abrasive. Chaotic. Organic.
- xoxos at kvraudio.
- Last save of the real xoxos.net at Internet Archive.
- xoxos instruments at plugins4free.com.
Synthesizers
Alesis Fusion
2000s. Versatile. Hollow Sun Sounds.
- Alesis Fusion Forum: All kinds of info on this absurdly versatile yet sadly overlooked synth.
- Fix for MIDI garbage transmit issue: Press Global Button, navigate to MIDI, turn off sends and receives for Sequence control and MIDI timecode.
E-Mu Proteus
1990s. SciFi. Metroid Prime. X-Files.
- Proteus 2 at Synthmania: Patch examples, including the X-Files whistle.
- 25 Patches used in Metroid Prime: Youtube video with examples.
- Sound on Sounds review of Emulator X: The sadly discontinued VSTi.
Yamaha DX7
1980s. Hit records. Twin Peaks.
- Bobby Blue's DX7 site: Patches and examples of iconic recordings.
- DX7 Synthmania: Examples and notes on patches.
- The Cultural Significance of Timbre Analysis: A Case Study in 1980s Pop Music, Texture, and Narrative: Megan Lavengood's excellent paper on timbre with a focus on the DX7 in Music Theory Online.
- Dexed: An astonishingly close free VSTi recreation.