Composers Desktop Project Forum

Soundshaper 6.4 has now been re-built and released as version 6.4.1.
Vn. 6.4 was withdrawn due to finding some serious bugs, which have hopefully now been fixed.
An update zip containing the revised Soundshaper.exe and a few documents can be downloaded here:
https://www.ensemble-software.net/downloads/Soundshaper64UD.zip
Users should replace their existing Soundshaper.exe file with the new one.

The new version improves the loading of saved patches, described in a supplied document (see DOCS\Patch_Save+Load.pdf).
The various Patch-Load options can be summarised like this:
 • check "Include Sources" to auto-run the patch as saved
 • uncheck "Include Sources" to run it with different source(s)
 • check PatchPreview to see the patch before running it or choosing different source(s)

Version 6.4.1 also includes revised methods for copying and erasing files, which were introduced last December to accommodate WINE.

Please report any further bugs found, either through this forum or by email (see ensemble-software.net/links). Suggestions for improvement are also very welcome.

The interface of Soundshaper 6.3 looks very small, letters and all. Is there any way to configure it to make it look bigger?

** UPDATE 10 JUNE **
Some progress in finding/ curing bugs - but one of these was also in vn6.3. So I've rebuilt 6.3.1 without this bug and now recommend users to download this file (6.3.1.1 June '25) instead, replacing their existing Soundshaper.exe. The links are still as above:
https://www.ensemble-software.net/downloads/Soundshaper6.3Exe.zip
or
https://www.ensemble-software.net/downloads/Soundshaper6.3.1Exe.zip

The bug concerned a soundfile being left open after editing in the graphic editor; it couldn't be erased without first exiting Soundshaper.

The revisions to loading patches, introduced in 6.4, will be revised next, with the fully revised program hopefully available within a week.

Hello!

It seems you are right. I've now tried with a different audio souce (laughing voice), and was able to proceed.
The problem I've mentioned above still happens when using bell sound from one of tutorials, though.

Perhaps it should be added to documentation that these processes rely on determination of pitch.

Thank you for details, and thank you for additional information.

Best wishes,
Vasilakis

Hi
Robert a lot of thanks for your detailed answer.
I've tried it and it doesn't work, I must be doing something wrong.

https://ibb.co/Wv6vMZ03

I just uninstalled Soundshaper 6.4 (because I read on the forum that is withdrawn) and i have installed version 6.3 and got the same error.

Hi
A lot of thanks for your great and effective support.
- The version is Soundshaper 6.4. Maybe I installed it wrong and some files are missing.

* you could try just going straight to the CROSS process having selected your 2nd file.
- This is the solution, this way it works perfect!

* (How did you do the video, by the way?)
- Yes, of course! The program is licecap from Reapèr:

https://www.cockos.com/licecap/

Thanks for the video screenshots - very helpful. You're not really doing anything wrong, but I wonder what the Soundshaper version is?

Your PVOC conversion is displaying  channels=1 for stereo files, but is naming the files correctly with channelised extensions (_c1.ana and _c2.ana). Unfortunately the preview hasn't picked this up and is looking for a file names without these extensions (see the error message), so it crashes from there on.   

I tried CROSS in Soundshaper 6.3 and later without problems, after doing explicit PVOC conversions as you have (channels = 2 after conversion). Soundshaper doesn't normally need explicit PVOCs and you could try just going straight to the CROSS process having selected your 2nd file. But clearly there was a bug there and if your version is up-to-date, that may still be another one for me to sort out...   Let me know and I'll look into it.

(How did you do the video, by the way?)

For Varibank, you want a datafile something like this:
0.00  110 -3dB   220 -3dB   330 -3dB   440 -3dB   550 -3dB 660 -3dB
that is:
time Freq1 Amp1  Freq2 Amp2 etc. - all in one line (even if that overspills in your text editor. don't put a carriage-return there)
The notes here are the first 6 harmonics of A1 (just below the bass clef), so those are in just intonation (!): the equal-tempered C# is 554.37, not 550.

This is for Varibank Mode 1 - filter bands as frequency - for Mode 2 (MIDI) the numbers could be:
0.00  45 -3dB   57 -3dB   64 -3dB  69 -3dB   73 -3dB 76 -3dB
which are equal tempered, though you can have fractional MIDI values, e.g. 550Hz is MIDI 72.863.

Each line begins with a time value in seconds, and values are interpolated between each pair of lines. If you don't want pitch glissandi, insert a copy of the previous line with a time value just below your next set of values, like this:
Time
0.00 .... first set
0.0999 ... copy
1.00... second set

In the above, -3dB works quite well, but you need to adjust it as required.

* * * *
Thinking of just intonation again, what value might you give a C#, relative to a C? Would it be the pure-3rd of an A, itself a pure 3rd up from an F (2/3 of C), or maybe a Db (a fifth down from an Ab, a pure-3rd down from the C?)

Hi,
These are CDP error messages. The "shift/respace with formants" (CDP: specfnu modes 13,14 and 19) clearly have some pitch-extraction built in (I didn't know this), so as to be able to shift formants, and CDP is saying it can't find a valid pitch with your particular sound. I tried previews with a speech sound and a violin sound and these 'errors' didn't appear; the processing worked fine.

No need to do an explicit PVOC conversion in Soundshaper - it does it for you behind the scenes. The only exception I would recommend is: if saving a patch that has a spectral file at the end of the process chain, then follow this with a PVOC SYNTH before saving.
   

Hello,

Thank you for reply, I've managed to found the process of "Shift" now, and thanks for mentioning that it has additional functions.

At first I've tried just the "shift frequences" process and it was easy to use, however when I switched to "shift/respace with formants" and tried to do a preview after small adjustments, I've got this error:

INFO: Extracting pitch contour.
ERROR: CANNOT ACHIEVE TASK:
ERROR: No valid pitch found.
ERROR: INVALID DATA
ERROR: Can't open file ~X_0.ana to read data.

I need to say that I've replaced the executable file for SoundShaper, so it's version 6.3 again. Did I miss some steps perhaps? Of course, I've did "analyse" conversion before doing "Shift" process.