Kyma.5 Unveiled by Symbolic Sound at AES
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October 2, 1999 Symbolic Sound Corporation demonstrated a major new
release of the award-winning Kyma sound design softwareKyma.5at
the Audio Engineering Society's 107th Convention in New York City.
According to Symbolic Sound, "We're calling it 'recombinant sound' because
Kyma goes beyond the traditional sampling, layering and pitching-up or down that
have defined sound design in the past. In Kyma, sound designers can actually get
in and cross-modulate the parameters of one sample with another. By combining
characteristics of one sound with those of another, you can create sounds that
have never been heard beforeit's like splicing a string of DNA from a cat
onto the DNA of a dolphin to create a furry land-dwelling lap dolphinbut
doing it all in sound."
New Features
Kyma.5 provides a new, high-level Graphic User Interface between the Capybara
sound computation engine and the user, making it easier for beginning Kyma users
to do complex sound design right out of the box and streamlining the entire sound
design process for experienced Kyma users.
New features include:
Virtual Control SurfaceKyma users can design their own virtual
devices and custom virtual control surfaces without having to write a single line
of code. Kyma does an initial layout for you automatically. If you'd like to make
changes, you can do it by graphically adjusting the positions, ranges, names,
sizes, colors and types of widgetsno programming required.
Hardware Control SurfaceKyma.5 includes software support for
the Motor Mix™ worksurface from CM Automation (www.cmautomation.com)
turning it into an integrated MIDI controller for Kyma. When you play a
sound in Kyma.5, the sound's parameters are automatically mapped to MIDI faders
on the Motor Mix for you. Not only that, but each parameter name is displayed
on the Motor Mix's LCD scribble strip just above its MIDI fader. If you've saved
a preset for that sound, the motorized faders on the Motor Mix automatically jump
to those preset positions as soon as you play the sound.
Hot Sound LibraryLocate, get info on, play, and even test combinations
of all the sound-related files on your disk using the new Hot Sound Library. You
can try out different effects and combinations right in the file list without
even opening an edit window. Kyma comes with over 400 examples in its sound library,
but even more interestingly, you can add to the sound library, saving either a
finished sound or the process by which you arrived at a great sound.
Preset ListsEvery Kyma Sound now comes with its own list of presets
that you can modify or extend. Instantaneously switch between presets by tapping
a switch on the Motor Mix or selecting a new preset from a menu.
Rolling the DiceSometimes the quickest way to explore the possibilities
of a synthesis or processing algorithm is to step through some random parameter
settings. Rolling the dice can be an efficient way to stumble upon parameter combinations
you might never have tried on your own and to discover new synthesis and effects
settings that have never been heard before.
TimelineA new timeline window lets you graphically mix and sequence
your sounds in time. Control the sound parameters live from MIDI, record your
fader moves, or simply draw the control in the editor. Live and automated controls
can be slaved to one another, scaled, inverted, offset and otherwise transformed.
Kyma's timeline is different from a MIDI sequencer or a DAW in that each bar in
the Kyma timeline represents a synthesis or processing algorithmnot a MIDI
sequence or disk track. It's as if a new synthesizer or effects box would appear
in your studio each time a new bar starts up.
Drag & Drop EffectsIf you want to apply an effect to one
of the sounds in your timeline, just drag the effect's icon into the timeline
and drop it onto the sound you want to process. No editing required.
Multichannel PanningAssign sounds or effects to specific channels
or specify the location of a virtual sound source in space. Do live panning and
spatialization with up to eight channels using MIDI continuous controllers.
ConveniencesConveniences like fly-by help, color-coding of sound
sources, sound modifiers, control signals in the signal flow editor, as well as
other improvements to the user interface add to the general sense of the system's
responsiveness and intuitiveness.
OptimizationsNumerous software optimizations have resulted in
more efficient use of the DSPs and memorymeaning that Kyma users will be
able to squeeze even more realtime sound out of their Kyma systems using the new
Kyma.5 software.
The Capybara-320 Sound Computation Engine is a multi-processor hardware accelerator
for the Kyma software sound design environment. The Capybara 320 provides a minimum
of four DSPs (expandable to 28) with multi-channel I/O, synchronization to external
clocks, and 96 MB of sample RAM (expandable to 672 Mb) in a low-noise, rack-mountable
package connected to a desktop or laptop Macintosh or Windows PC.
Hardware Specifications
Basic Configuration
- 4 Motorola 56309 DSPs
- 96 MB sample RAM
- 12 expansion slots (See Expansion Card specs below)
- I/O and external sync (see below)
- External desktop or rackmount case (protects the DSPs and converters from
the electrically noisy environment inside your personal computer, and leaves valuable
slot-space free to use for other cards on your host computer)
Expansion Card
- 2 Motorola 56309 DSPs
- 48 MB sample RAM (per card)
Inputs and Outputs
- 4-8 channels
- 32-100 kHz sample rate
- 24-bit
- Balanced Analog & Digital (AES/EBU)
External Synchronization
- Word Clock input
- House Sync input
- VITC & LTC Timecode input and output
Interface options
- PCI
- PC(MCIA) to laptop machines
- ISA or NuBus for older machines
For more information, visit Symbolic Sound
on the web at www.symbolicsound.com. | 
