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Antares Kantos
Antares kantos software. From the company that revolutionized
vocal intonation processing comes kantos 1.0, a software-based
synthesizer that finally liberates you from the tyranny of
MIDI, keyboards, controllers or, in fact, anything that stands
between you and the music you hear in your mind.
Mac - Native MAS / VST / RTAS
Whether you are looking for an alternative to conventional
controllers, or are looking to produce electronic music with
a level of dynamic expression that's simply not otherwise
possible, kantos 1.0 will, quite literally, change the way
you make music.
Basic Q&A (January 15, 2002)
For this first preview, we'll be answering some basic questions
about kantos 1.0 and giving you a chance to hear some audio
examples produced using the latest development build. If you
just can't wait to hear what we're talking about (and we don't
blame you), check them out now. We'll wait.
So now you're probably thinking, "How the heck does kantos
1.0 do that?" Well, here's how:
Q: How the heck does kantos 1.0 do that? A: Unlike conventional
MIDI synthesizers, kantos 1.0 is controlled by audio. Any
pitched monophonic audio. Like your voice. Or a musical instrument.
Live, in real time. kantos 1.0 analyzes incoming audio and
instantaneously extracts pitch, dynamics, harmonic content
and formant characteristics. This information is then used
to control the kantos 1.0 sound engine in ways never before
possible with a conventional MIDI synth.
Q: In some of those audio examples it's hard to believe that
we're not listening to a processed version of the input signal.
Does kantos 1.0 also function an effects processor? A: Nope.
kantos 1.0 is really a synthesizer. While it is possible to
mix some of the input signal into the final mix (and we make
it very clear where that has been done in the examples below),
pretty much everything you are hearing is the result of using
the input signal's pitch, dynamics and timbral characteristics
to control kantos 1.0's various functional modules.
Q: Does the input signal have to be a solo voice or instrument?
A: Not really. For reliable pitch detection, the input does
have to be monophonic. But unlike most pitch detection algorithms,
kantos 1.0 works fine with unison sections (i.e., multiple
singers or instrumentalists playing the same pitch).
Q: What happens if you drive kantos 1.0 with a polyphonic
or unpitched signal? A: All sorts of potentially interesting
things. You obviously won't get predictable pitches from unpitched
input, and kantos 1.0 won't generate harmony from chords,
but particularly with rhythmic input, you can get very exciting
(and sometimes downright surprising) results. Check out some
of the audio examples below to hear for yourself.
Q: What exactly makes up the kantos 1.0 sound engine? A: kantos
1.0 provides a combination of traditional synthesizer functions
and new functions unique to audio control. They include:
Wavetable oscillators Pitch constraint and quantization control
Noise source Resonant multimode filter Timbral articulator
Envelope generators LFO Modulation matrix Gate generator Delay
line Mixer
Other stuff we're still working on Q: I'm familiar with most
of those functions, but what the heck is an "articulator?"
A: The kantos 1.0 articulator is a unique module that takes
the harmonic content and formant information from the input
signal and dynamically applies it to the synthesized signal.
It can either reproduce the input signal's formant and harmonic
characteristics with uncanny accuracy or, through the use
of its formant offset and resonance controls, warp them into
a variety of mutant forms. (We'll be covering the articulator
in more detail in the next preview.)
Q: Can you add new wavetables for the oscillators? A: Of course.
(Did you think we'd include a question like that just to answer
"No?") kantos 1.0 will ship with a variety of traditional
- and not so traditional - wavetables. As we develop new wavetables,
we'll make them available for download from our web site.
And for the more adventurous, we'll show you how you can create
your own custom wavetables with pretty much any audio or sample
editor.
Q: Is kantos 1.0 polyphonic? A: Not in the traditional sense.
If you are using kantos 1.0 to create melodic lines, you get
one line per instance. If you want harmony, you can create
multiple lines one-at-a-time, or instantiate kantos 1.0 on
as many individual tracks as your CPU power will allow. On
the other hand, audio example 4a below was created in real
time with one instance of kantos 1.0. No overdubbing or multitracking
was involved.
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