One Synth Challenge #140: Pendulate

KVR OSC Personal Top Three

Synthesizer Music all Parts made only with ONE Synth.

Best of OSC 2020

All the tracks were made using just one synth(chosen for that OSC round) for all the sounds, including percussion and drums.

One Synth Challenge

One Synth Challenge 156 @ KVR. Sequenced using 12x instances of Synister.

DLA (Osc156 - Synister)

My entry for KVR One Synth Challenge #166.  This month it's Wave Manuel, a quirky but very flexible synth. Really surprised at the tones that came out of it.
Recorded in Reaper with 16 instances of Wave Manuell, and some free and native FX. All sounds produced with Wave Manuel.

OSC166 - Wave Manuel

One Drop Manuel

An entry for the KVR One Synth Challenge #177 - Synful Orchestra & VSCO Percussion.

As the sun sets on the horizon, casting long shadows across the alien landscape, a lone figure sits cross-legged, silhouetted against the fiery sky. In his hands he holds his trusty bass guitar, its strings gleaming in the fading light.

Lieutenant Spaceman D. Bassman had been stranded on this planet for 7 months, his crashed spaceship was damaged beyond repair, but he hadn't given up hope of being rescued. Every day he would refill his oxygen tank and walk into the poppy fields at sunset to jam on some dubby grooves, his music echoing across the vast expanse.

As he plays, he feels a sense of peace wash over him. The sounds emanating from his instruments are an ethereal mix of orchestral timbres and heavy dub, infused not only with the smells, sights and sounds of the alien planet and his hopes for the future, but also mixed with the melancholy of longing for his home-world. Music is his last connection to humanity, his way of staying sane in the face of loneliness.

One day, as Bassman was jamming on a particularly bad-assed groove, he heard a faint sound inside his helmet. His heart beat faster with excitement; At last, the Corp had located his damaged ship and had come to rescue him! Then, almost imperceptibly at first, he started to make out a strange melody, not entirely inharmonic to his tasty bass licks.

Bassman was stung violently on the forehead. He flinched and almost dropped his guitar. "Feck!", he howled. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bee crawling on the inside of his visor, it's wings implausibly buzzing in a near perfect B Major. Desperate not to be stung again, he flailed his head around inside the helmet, attempting to squash the musical intruder against the side. After many attempts and with great effort, he struck one blow, then another, and with each strike the bee's buzzing became more and more erratic and atonal. Sensing victory, and with a final yank of his head, Bassman dealt a fatal blow, and the bee was silenced. 

As the sun continued it's slow descent below the horizon, Bassman composed himself, picked up his bass and continued jamming. Tomorrow he would seek out more of these alien musical bees, not only in the hope that one day they could forgive him for killing one of their own kind, but also that they might continue the collaboration between their two species on some more of those sweet-assed tunes.

Fin.

Reaper 7
Synful Orchestra (8)
VSCO Percussion (7)

A special guest appearance from an alien bee. RIP.

TrackFx : BC Chorus, CHOWTapeModel, db_Glitch1, IVGI2, MComb, MFlanger, MFreqShifter, MPhaser, Pro-C2 (7), Pro-Q3 (13), Ripple Phaser (Geraint Luff), Tape MELLO-FI, TEOTE, Kotelnikov GE.

MasterFx : Satin, TEOTE, Pro-Q3, Pro-L2, Loudness Meter (Cockos)

SendFx : Pro-R2, ValhallaDelay, ValhallaVintageVerb (2), Echobode, Ripple Phaser

OSC177 - Synful Orchestra

Dub Synfony

One Synth Challenge 179 @ KVR. Sequenced using 35x instances of Universal Audio PolyMAX Synth.

BIZ (Osc179 - UAD PolyMAX)

One Synth Challenge 181 @ KVR. Sequenced using 30x instances of SurgeXT.

KIN (Osc181 - SurgeXT)

My Submission for the @kvrosc 190. Have a great new year 2025!

DAW: Waveform 13 Pro
Synth: Vital (34 Instances)
FX: T-Compressor, 8-band EQ, Deelay, Orilriver, Supermassive, Gatelab, MIDI Arpeggiator, GClip, OTT
Mastering: Kotelnikov, GClip, Nova, LoudMax
Metering: SPAN, YLM2

Covert Art: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-night-sky-1819650/

Auralis

Auralis (OSC 190 Vital)

Stream on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6WDTQeHuXAJvvt0Uf8m6Fs

Submission for the @kvrosc #191. All the sounds using One Synth without much external processing. Just MIDI and no samples.

DAW: Waveform
Synth: Zebralette 2 (38 Instances)
FX (Free/built-in): Compressor, Gate, 8-band EQ, Khs Transient Shaper, Deelay, Orilriver, Supermassive, MIDI Arpeggiator, GClip, OTT, LoudMax
Mastering: Kotelnikov, CHOWTape, GClip, LoudMax
Metering: SPAN, YLM2

Image credits: cottonbro studio https://www.pexels.com/photo/shadow-of-a-person-on-gray-wall-6203497/

Superheroes

Superheroes (OSC 191 Zebralette 2)

Belief is about the contrast between going through the motions and truly feeling something. The first part is a bit groovy — like doing what we do, following the rhythm of life. The second part slows down, opens up—letting go, expressing, believing in something deeper. 

No overthinking, just letting it be.

DAW: Waveform
Synth: Six Sines (20 Instances)
FX (Free/built-in): Compressor, 8-band EQ, Deelay, Orilriver, Supermassive,  GClip, Gatelab, Loudmax
Mastering: Kotelnikov, GClip, LoudMax
Metering: SPAN, YLM2

Image Credits:https://www.pexels.com/photo/one-black-chess-piece-separated-from-red-pawn-chess-pieces-1679618/

Belief (OSC 192 Six Sines)

Stream on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1jq80Sv2MztNAhprgvTCjl

DAW: Reaper
Synth: Thorn (47 single instance patches from INIT)
Mixing FX (Free): Orilriver (for bus), GClip (for bus), Loudmax
Mastering FX (Free): Nova, Kotelnikov, LoudMax
Metering FX (Free): Prism, YLM2
---------------------------------------------------
The Awakening is a playful musical journey through the battle within—an exploration of self-doubt, fear, and the struggle to break free. It captures the voice inside that holds us back, the moments of uncertainty, and the eventual realization that the only true enemy is ourselves.

Narrative:
---------------------------------------------------
Krit was a small boy, often feeling like he didn’t quite fit in.
Despite his achievements, there was always a quiet voice telling him, 
"You don’t belong". 
He told himself it was normal, part of growing up. But it never went away. 
Then one night, he had a dream.

🌅 Act 1: The Dream
He ran through wide, golden fields, feeling light and free. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t have to think, everything just felt right.

🌑 Act 2: The Nightmare
Suddenly, the world grew still. The fields shrank, and a shadow appeared in front of him.
"You don’t belong."
The air thickened. He couldn’t move, and the doubt that always lingered felt overwhelming.
"You are nothing."

⚔️ Act 3: The Ascent
A shift. Krit started to move. Slowly at first, then faster. The shadow loomed, but he kept going. The doubt didn’t disappear, but it no longer held him back.

🌟 Act 4: The Awakening
He pushed forward, the weight lifting with each step. The shadow faded, and with it, the doubt.
Krit didn’t stop. He had awakened, and nothing would hold him back again.
---------------------------------------------------
I would like to thank Taron and The Sound Of Merlin for their valuable feedback and guidance in refining certain aspects of this song, truly grateful!

The Awakening (OSC 193 Thorn)

Stream on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6mSKcze7qnV0bQKOpDLn42

DAW: Reaper

Synth: Monolit (35 Instances)

Mixing FX (Free): ReaComp (Only Sidechain), ReaGate(Gating Snare Reverb), ReEQ (HP/LP), Flux Mini 2(Sidechain),  Orilriver, Supermassive, Deelay, DD AutoPan, Panagement 2, Wider, Lil Tube (Subtle Bus Saturation), GClip, Loudmax, ReaLimit

Mastering: Nova, Lil Tube, Kotelnikov, LoudMax

Metering: Prism

Calling the Monolith

Call the Monolith (OSC 194 Monolit)

Created with Xavier Kalensky's SE PolyMod - a lovely retro-style synth.

Dedicated to Japanese anime in the 1980s and poor Ariana's tattoos, I guess - both of which I know very little about.

Anime '85 (Single)

Anime '85

Anime '85 (One Synth Challenge: SE PolyMod)

OSC#120: SE PolyMod KX

Instances: 24
DAW:MuLab (www.mutools.com)
FX: 2Band EQ, 4BandEQ, Vintage Echo2, cross_delay, level compressor
3rd Party: abstract chamber, auburn studio panagement, OTT, Nova 67-p, Limiter 6, LoudMax64

Taron-Darko

My submission for the KVR One Synth Challenge(OSC) #120 using SE PolyMod KX Synth VST.
(All the sounds were synthesized using only PolyMod and no samples were used)

DAW: Reaper 5.965
SE PolyMod KX : 24 instances
Native DAW FX: ReaComp, ReaEQ, Ping Pong Pan, MDA Pseudo-Stereo
3rd Party FX: TAL Reverb 4, OTT, TAL Dub Delay, TDR Nova, TS-999, Ferric TDS
Mastering: OTT, TDR Slick EQ, TDR Nova, Ozone Imager 8, Limiter No.6, SPAN, Youlean Loudness Meter

The Exponent

Polymorphism

Polymorphism (OSC 120 SE-PolyMod)

OK, I've been away for a while. 

I wanted to make something simple but effective. Something retro'ish with a twist. Just like this months's synth. I was surprised how good it is in terms of analog modelling (said a man who never heard an analog synth in RL). Than I found a modulation matrix that released a living hell out of it. It has great potential for industrial and noise music for sure. Modulating oscillators with each other can get so extreme that it will create an almost chaotic waveforms. You can even get the noises of your motherboard or videcard, or perhaps any other electronic equipment. And ofcourse there is a possibility to emulate some sorts of old school hardware (in musical ways).

Althrough, there is some stability issues. It crashes my DAW each time I close the project (which is a minor thing but still annoying). And ofcourse there is a whole bunch of quirks, such as wierd mouse movements (thanks MadPsyance) and unintuitive behavior of some components. But I thinks it is pretty useful and deserves a use in commercial mixes. And it's "hardware madness" capability that you can get perhaps only in Modular in real world. I will definately use it in my sound design sessions.

28 instances of SE PolyMod KX Used.

Modulation effects are not used. However, internal delays are used to create chorus/flanger effect on some instruments.

Distortion/Bitcrushing is not used.

DAW: FL Studio 20.1.1.

Native Effects:

x2 Balance
x8 Paremetric EQ 2
x6 Delay 3
x6 Reeverb 2
x2 Stereo Enhancer
x1 Patcher
x1 Limiter
x1 dB meter
x1 Wave Candy

VST Effects:

x2 Sonimus SonEQ
x15 VoS DensitymkIII
x9 TDR & VoS SlickEQ
x7 VoS FerricTDS
x1 VoS epicVerb
x1 TAL Filter
x7 Thomas Mundt LoudMax
x13 eAreckon MIDI Polysher

Master Chain:

TDR Nova
Limiter No6

83 effects used in total.

Meet Me In The Night (OSC#120)

19 SE PolyMod KX Synthesizers
http://kx77free.free.fr/English-page-vst.html

Unknown Challenger

All Is A Cycle

All Is A Cycle KVROSC120

not dance but...

29 Pedulate synths in Ableton Live
+ Abeton Reverbs, Delays, Compressors, EQs

Desktop

World Mechanics

Tried to make a cinematic soundtrack that is unsettling, yet emotional and hopefully provides some closure.

As always, everything is synthesized and MIDI; no samples were used.

DAW: Reaper 6
Pendulate : 23 instances
Native FX: ReaComp, ReaEQ, ReEQ, ReaGate, ReaControlMIDI
3rd Party Free FX: RandArp, Leveling Tool, SN03-G Tape Recorder, OrilRiver, SuperMassive, Cocoa Delay, GClip, LoudMax, W1 Limiter,  OTT, MAutopan, A1StereoControl
Mastering: JS: DC Filter, TDR SlickEQ, TDR Nova, TDR Kotelnikov, GClip, LoudMax
Metering: SPAN, Youlean Loudness Meter 2

Tempest

Tempest (OSC 140 Pendulate)

Music made for the OSC Challenge 140, using only Pendulate to create all the sounds.

DAW: FL Studio 20.6
Pendulate: 55 instances

FL Effects: 
Fruity Parametric EQ2, Fruity Compressor, Fruity Limiter, Fruity Balance, Fruity Reeverb 2, Fruity Delay 3, Stereo Enhancer, Fruity Send, Fruity Delay Bank

3rd Party effect: OTT

Three Movements Of A Complex Pendulum

Leo Amaral - Three Movements Of A Complex Pendulum

"Watch... as a young ambitious camel, dreaming of getting both very rich AND entering the Kingdom of Heaven, sets off on an epic journey in search of the Big Giant Needle. A tale of dusty plains, dazzling cities and, of course, genies and bottles. Will The Eye remain shut...or open to reveal it's wonders ?"

Entry for the One Synth Challenge 140 ( Pendulate by Newfangled Audio ) at kvraudio.com

EQ was not used for sounddesign purposes.
No transient processing was used to create percussion. 
All 100% Pendulate.

The main players are:
12 instruments  (  flute-ish, reed-ish, 3 plucks , mallet, brassy, brassy-stringy, bass - sustained, bass - pluck )
7 SFX  ( buzz, creaky, metallic, noisy trickle, not-noisy trickle, bubbly laser sweep )  
10 percussives ( kick, snare (2i), clap, cymbal, hat, crackly boom, hand drum, short tom ) 

The support caravan:
ReaControlMIDI ( transposing to get noise )
BlueARP (4)  ( on SFX and briefly on Mallet )
TAL Dub II as bus effect for some instruments and SFX )
Valhalla Supermassive ( insert for Brassy  ) 
ReaQ (5)  ( light EQ'ing, light HP-filtering ) 
TDR Nova 12 ( light EQ'ing, light HP-filtering and sidechaining of kick to bass, also on master bus)
Blue Cat's triple EQ 4  (2) ( stereo control for Sustained Bass )
Oril River (14) ( seven pairs of mono instances )
ReaVerb ( very, very  lightly on master bus ) 
Chebyshev LP  ( on master bus ) 
Ozone Imager 2 ( on master bus )
Limiter No6 ( on master  bus )
Signalizer
Voxengo SPAN
Voxengo Correlometer
Youlean Loudness Meter 2

ELEX - 1002 : A Desert Odyssey

Yet another hobbyist bedroom composer, producer and sound designer.