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Emulating the TX81Z

Techniques for Reverse Engineering Hardware Synths

We all have our favourite synths and synth patches, but how do we go about creating software synthesisers which recreate these sounds?

Attempting to understand and recreate sounds we appreciate can at times seem overwhelming. This talk focusses on the analysis of a TX18Z hardware module in order to produce a software emulation in the Cmajor programming language.

The talk covers the challenges faced when recreating synthesis building blocks such as oscillators and envelopes, tools and techniques used to analyse hardware sound generation modules, and deducing the often complex interactions which form the character of the sound.

The techniques discussed can be applied to recreating other instruments, and best of all, being inspired by their architecture to build unique instruments of your own.

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