**How to read it:** Left: captures per effect family. Right: how many captures each probe signal was used for.
**Takeaway:** The report rests on thousands of controlled, repeatable measurements, not listening impressions.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** The *category* regimen steps one control at a time across every algorithm. The\n", "*rehash* regimen re-measures chosen controls with purpose-built probes\n", "(click + tail, two-tone bursts, a dynamics staircase, a sustained stereo\n", "chord, a routing test); its spectral sweep is 3.000 s long.\n", "*Supplement* captures vary two controls at once (§9); *deep dives* use a\n", "sweep-only probe.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** nothing here is a listening impression. Each effect was fed known\n", "> test signals and recorded, one knob moved at a time, then re-tested with signals built\n", "> for the specific question each knob raises.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- 27,719 captures recorded: 12,892 in the main runs across 121 algorithms and 14,827 in the Gap Fill run.\n", "- 27,674 are analysed so far, 27,629 cleanly; 45 Gap Fill takes await analysers for their probes.\n", "- Every capture moves one control with the rest at default, so each change belongs to one knob.\n", "- Matched probes (click and tail, two-tone bursts, a level staircase, a stereo chord, a routing test) re-measure the controls a sweep cannot read." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 12, "id": "56836b8d", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:09.769047Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:09.768936Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:09.983871Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:09.983466Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** Top: the probe's waveform. Bottom: its spectrogram, the rising sweep then the tone. The second chart tests candidate sweep lengths; the sharpest impulse marks the true one.
**Takeaway:** The measurement is tuned to the signal actually sent, to a fraction of a millisecond.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** The main probe is a 2.000 s log sweep (20 Hz–20 kHz) followed by a\n", "sustained tone. The sweep length was not taken from the audio segment — it was\n", "fitted by maximising the sharpness of the deconvolved impulse, because a\n", "mismatched inverse filter smears it.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** the test signal is a whistle gliding from the lowest to the highest\n", "> pitch in 2 seconds, then a steady note. We measured the glide's exact length\n", "> from the recordings themselves, because being even slightly off blurs every result\n", "> computed from it.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- The main probe is a 2.000 s logarithmic sweep from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, then a sustained tone.\n", "- The sweep length was fitted from the recordings, by maximising the sharpness of the deconvolved impulse.\n", "- A mismatched length smears every result derived from the sweep, so it was measured, not assumed." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "eab9e6bb", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "## 3. Deconvolution works\n", "\n", "> **Recap** · **Why:** Deconvolution turns the recorded sweep back into the effect's impulse response: what the effect does to a single click, from which frequency response, echoes and decay all follow.
**How to read it:** First chart: a nearly dry capture collapses to one clean spike, so the method adds nothing of its own. Second chart: with distortion, each harmonic appears as its own echo ahead of the main one, at a spacing the sweep rate predicts.
**Takeaway:** Clean response and distortion are measured in one pass and never mixed up.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Harmonic distortion appears as discrete pre-echoes at offsets fixed by the sweep rate.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** from the recorded glide we can work out what the effect does to a\n", "> single click. Distortion shows up as separate \"ghost\" clicks ahead of the real one,\n", "> so it is measured apart from the tone.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- One sweep capture yields the impulse response, and from it the frequency response, echo taps and decay.\n", "- A nearly dry capture collapses to one clean spike: the method adds nothing of its own.\n", "- Each distortion order lands as its own pre-echo ahead of the main response, so harmonics are measured apart from the linear response." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "9d3f3a60", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "## 4. Reliability\n", "\n", "> **Recap** · **Why:** Before trusting a 1 dB difference, you need to know how much the same setting varies when captured twice. The run happened to capture some settings twice, which gives that noise floor for free.
**How to read it:** Each point is a pair of identical settings; the further from zero, the less repeatable.
**Takeaway:** Effects without an LFO repeat bit-exactly. With an LFO the capture lands at a different point in its cycle, so small differences there are expected, not errors.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** 625 pairs of accidental repeat captures give a direct test-retest\n", "noise floor. Effects without an LFO repeat to a median 0.00 dB —\n", "effectively bit-exact. With an LFO running the median is 3.03 dB,\n", "since the capture lands at a different LFO phase each time. Knob effects in the\n", "atlases are judged against this noise (z ≥ 3).\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** the same setting recorded twice came back identical, unless a\n", "> wobbling LFO was running — then differences of about 3 dB are just the wobble\n", "> caught at a different moment. A knob only counts as \"doing something\" when its change\n", "> is well above that noise.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- 625 accidental repeat pairs give the test-retest noise floor.\n", "- Without an LFO, repeats agree to a median 0.00 dB: effectively bit-exact.\n", "- With an LFO running the median difference is 3.03 dB, from where in its cycle the capture lands.\n", "- A knob counts as doing something only when its change is at least three times this noise." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 13, "id": "6455b878", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:09.985707Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:09.985553Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.348881Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.348565Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** Rows are families, columns are traits; warm = above the other families, cool = below. Blank = the trait does not apply.
**Takeaway:** Each family has a distinct measurable signature, which the atlas pages break down effect by effect.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Each feature's median within each category, as a robust z-score across\n", "categories, restricted to rows where the feature is valid.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** a family portrait. It shows at a glance which families are unusually\n", "> bright, long, wobbly, distorted or wide compared with the rest; the atlas pages break\n", "> each family down effect by effect.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Each family has a distinct measurable signature across brightness, decay, modulation, distortion and stereo width.\n", "- Values are robust z-scores of each family's median against the other families, on rows where the feature is valid.\n", "- The atlas pages break each family down effect by effect." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 14, "id": "a0f4f457", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.353288Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.352989Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.525905Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.525055Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** The first chart maps the Speed knob to the LFO's actual rate in Hz; the second lines up the default rates; the animation shows the Tremolo's volume LFO at each depth setting.
**Takeaway:** Speed is exponential: each step multiplies the rate. Left and right can share one LFO, run in quadrature, or be deliberately decorrelated for width.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** `LFO Speed` maps exponentially to rate, topping out at 39.73 Hz.\n", "Read from the pitch of a sustained chord, the default Chorus 1 LFO runs at\n", "2.68 Hz; the per-channel traces show whether left and right\n", "share one LFO, run in quadrature, or are decorrelated. Auto Pan drives the two\n", "channels 178° apart — a true antiphase pan.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** each step of the Speed knob multiplies the wobble rate rather than\n", "> adding to it, so the knob runs from a slow drift up to about 40 wobbles a second —\n", "> fast enough to become a buzz. The default Chorus 1 wobbles about 2.7 times a\n", "> second. Auto Pan swings the sound between the speakers in exact opposition: as one side\n", "> gets louder, the other gets quieter by the same amount.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- LFO Speed is exponential and tops out at 39.73 Hz.\n", "- Chorus 1's default LFO runs at 2.68 Hz.\n", "- Auto Pan drives left and right 178° apart: a true antiphase pan.\n", "- Left and right can share one LFO, run in quadrature, or be decorrelated; the per-channel traces show which." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "99c295cf", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "See the [Chorus atlas](atlas/Atlas-03-Chorus.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-03-Chorus.ipynb)), [Flanger atlas](atlas/Atlas-04-Flanger.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-04-Flanger.ipynb)), [Phaser atlas](atlas/Atlas-05-Phaser.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-05-Phaser.ipynb)) and [Modulation atlas](atlas/Atlas-06-Modulation.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-06-Modulation.ipynb))." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 15, "id": "778378d0", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.528278Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.528153Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.769571Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:10.769226Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
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**How to read it:** Reverb Time against T30 per algorithm; then an engine comparison, an echo-density chart (how fast reflections blur), a texture map, and the first 200 ms of each engine.
**Takeaway:** Twenty menu names come from fewer engines, and the real differences are in diffusion and darkening.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Across the 20 algorithms, `Reverb Time` raw 0→51\n", "spans a median T30 of 0.32→6.7 s. At raw\n", "69, 10 of 20 decays do not fall 60 dB inside\n", "the recording window and are shown as lower bounds. Decay curves are\n", "noise-compensated before T30 is read.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** the Reverb Time knob takes you from a short room (0.3 s)\n", "> to a long hall (7 s). At the very top of the knob, half the reverbs ring\n", "> longer than we recorded, so those bars show \"at least this long\".\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Reverb Time raw 0→51 spans a median T30 of 0.32→6.7 s.\n", "- At raw 69, 10 of 20 decays outlast the recording and are lower bounds.\n", "- Twenty names come from 11 engines: at identical settings several algorithms give the same impulse response, sample for sample.\n", "- 12 of 20 algorithms are diffuse within 10 ms; Rich Plate stays grainy for 112 ms.\n", "- Pre-delay is not in the data (the captures are fully wet); a dry-plus-wet re-capture is queued (T28)." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "3dbc38de", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "See the [Reverb atlas](atlas/Atlas-01-Reverb.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-01-Reverb.ipynb))." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 18, "id": "b76174ba", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:11.334699Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:11.334593Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:11.477492Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:11.477123Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** Each panel is one delay's echo pattern; labels show which set delay times add up to each tap. The animation builds Cross Delay's echoes one click at a time.
**Takeaway:** The taps match the displayed settings exactly for most delays, which proves the topology; Ctrl Delay is the exception.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** All delay baselines are fully wet, so the absolute timeline is recovered by\n", "matching the click-probe taps against sums of the set delay times. That match\n", "explains 100% of echo energy for Cross Delay,\n", "100% for Delay L,C,R, 100% for Delay L,R,\n", "100% for Delay L,R St and 100% for Echo — but\n", "only 85% and 85% for Ctrl Delay 1\n", "and 2, whose timing does not follow their displayed settings.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** send one click into a delay and you get a pattern of echoes. For\n", "> five of the delays every echo lands exactly where the displayed times add up to — no\n", "> hidden taps, no rounding. Ctrl Delay 1 and 2 are the exception: about\n", "> 15% of their echo energy arrives at times the settings don't explain, so\n", "> set them by ear rather than by the numbers on the screen.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Echo taps match sums of the displayed delay times: 100% of echo energy explained for Cross Delay, 100% for Delay L,C,R, 100% for Echo.\n", "- Ctrl Delay 1 and 2 are the exception (85% and 85%): their timing does not follow the displayed settings.\n", "- Each echo is read as a signed tap, so topology, loss per repeat and polarity inversion are visible directly." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "48c702d6", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "See the [Delay atlas](atlas/Atlas-02-Delay.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-02-Delay.ipynb))." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 21, "id": "b5308c87", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:12.019652Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:12.019541Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:12.437297Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:12.436955Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
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**How to read it:** THD against input level (flat = hard clipper), odd against even harmonics (odd = symmetric, transistor-like; even = asymmetric, tube-like), the Drive law, and three effects' harmonic spectra side by side.
**Takeaway:** Most drives saturate early in their travel; three differently named distortions share one clipping stage and differ only in voicing.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** At defaults, Distortion measures THD -21.5 dB, IMD\n", "-7.2 dB and odd-over-even +13.5 dB — a symmetric\n", "clipper: on the tone probe H3 sits at -8.5 dB and H5 at\n", "-12.3 dB, while the even harmonics stay at or below -46 dB.\n", "Dual Rotor SP 2 is a soft clipper, THD -77.5→-35.9 dB across input\n", "level; Harmonic Enhancer is by far the most even-dominant effect (-33.4 dB). Of\n", "22 Drive controls with a readable law, the median reaches within 3 dB\n", "of its maximum third harmonic by raw 31.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** almost every distortion here is a hard, symmetric clipper — the\n", "> kind that adds odd harmonics and a buzzy, transistor-like edge rather than the warm\n", "> even-harmonic glow of a tube. And the Drive knob does most of its work in the first\n", "> quarter of its travel; past that you mostly get louder fizz, not more distortion.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Distortion at defaults: THD -21.5 dB, odd over even +13.5 dB: a symmetric hard clipper.\n", "- Distortion, Overdrive and Amp Simulator share one clipping stage (harmonics within 0.6 dB at Drive 63) and differ only in the tone voicing after it.\n", "- Of 22 Drive controls, the median is within 3 dB of its maximum third harmonic by raw 31.\n", "- Harmonic Enhancer is the most even-dominant effect (-33.4 dB); Dual Rotor SP 2 is a soft clipper.\n", "- Two notes at −30 dBFS: intermodulation climbs from -86 dB at Drive 0 to a ceiling of -10.2 dB by raw 31; a 5 kHz note reads -36 dB THD against -7 dB at 100 Hz, because the tone filter removes its harmonics." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "08bc8304", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "See the [Distortion atlas](atlas/Atlas-08-Distortion.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-08-Distortion.ipynb))." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 23, "id": "be56e0d2", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:14.692183Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:14.692066Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.094754Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.094413Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** first, intermodulation against input level, one line per Drive setting; second, the same reading at −30 dBFS for every drive control; then bars per effect, where taller means more distortion.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** With Drive at 0 the Distortion's intermodulation at −30 dBFS is -86 dB; by raw 31 it is within 3 dB of its ceiling of -10.2 dB, and more Drive changes nothing at this level. Distortion, Overdrive and Amp Simulator trace the same ladder to within 0.2 dB at every Drive step above zero: another independent sign of one shared clipping stage. At −16 dBFS and default settings those three read -7.4 dB THD at 100 Hz, -10.8 dB at 1 kHz and -36.1 dB at 5 kHz: the harmonics of a 5 kHz note fall above the tone filter that follows the clipper, so they are filtered out, not absent. Fed a sine plus its own second harmonic they change the second harmonic by -2.7 dB and add a third at -16 dB, consistent with symmetric clipping. Harmonic Enhancer does the opposite: it raises the second harmonic by +11.8 dB, leaves a 100 Hz sine clean (-76 dB THD) and works on 1 kHz and above (-39 dB).\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** turn Drive up from zero and the grit arrives almost at once: by 31 of 127 the effect is as distorted as it gets on a normal-level signal. Low notes come out dirtier than high ones, because the tone filter after the clipper removes the fizz from high notes. The Harmonic Enhancer is not a distortion in this sense: it adds a gentle octave-up shimmer to the upper part of the sound and leaves the bass alone.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Intermodulation at −30 dBFS climbs from -86 dB at Drive 0 to a ceiling of -10.2 dB, reached by raw 31.\n", "- Distortion, Overdrive and Amp Simulator match within 0.2 dB at every Drive step: one clipping stage.\n", "- THD by frequency at default: -7.4 dB at 100 Hz, -10.8 dB at 1 kHz, -36.1 dB at 5 kHz (the tone filter removes a high note's harmonics).\n", "- Harmonic Enhancer adds +11.8 dB of second harmonic and leaves 100 Hz clean." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 25, "id": "45211382", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.176070Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.175956Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.489340Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.489068Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "text/html": [ "
**How to read it:** Input step against steady output: the bend is the threshold, the slope above it the ratio. The per-step panels show overshoot (attack) and settling time (release).
**Takeaway:** The Compressor's knobs do what their names say, measurably; the multiband compressors need louder input than this probe gave; the Gap Fill staircase below reaches them.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** The Compressor's staircase gives 3.03:1 at defaults with a knee\n", "near -57 dB; `Ratio` at maximum reaches 22.6:1.\n", "`Attack` moves step overshoot from 1.7 to 14.9 dB,\n", "and `Release` moves settling from 81 to 501 ms.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** at defaults the compressor turns a 3 dB rise in level into a 1 dB\n", "> rise, and it starts working on very quiet signals. At full Ratio it is close to a\n", "> limiter. Attack decides how much of each hit's initial punch slips through before it\n", "> clamps down; Release decides how quickly it lets go afterwards (from under a tenth of\n", "> a second to about half a second).\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Compressor at defaults: 3.03:1 with a knee near -57 dB; Ratio tops out at 22.6:1.\n", "- Attack moves step overshoot from 1.7 to 14.9 dB.\n", "- Release moves settling from 81 to 501 ms.\n", "- The multiband compressors need a louder input than this probe gave; the Gap Fill staircase reaches them: 2.7:1 and 2.7:1 from about -21 and -19 dBFS.\n", "- Ratio is eight fixed steps (1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20.6 : 1); Attack spans 9–167 ms and Release 40–916 ms after a 30 dB step." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "9a6d5a2e", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "See the [Dynamic atlas](atlas/Atlas-09-Dynamic.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-09-Dynamic.ipynb))." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 26, "id": "b34309c0", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.490793Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.490688Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.677397Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.676644Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** five charts follow, each with its own description directly under it.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Compressor `Ratio` raw 0–7 reads 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 20.6 : 1 at 1 kHz, and within 0.5 of that at 100 Hz and 6 kHz: the same curve in all three bands. At defaults the knee sits near -42 dBFS at the probe and the −6 dBFS step is turned down 24 dB (the staircase above quotes its knee as recorded level, about 11 dB lower on the scale; the two agree within the 6 dB step size). `Threshold` moves the knee from -43 to -18 dBFS and switches compression off at raw 121; every setting up to raw 75 reads the same knee. `Attack` runs from 9 to 167 ms and `Release` from 40 to 916 ms (time to come within 1 dB of the settled level after a 30 dB step); at raw 15 it had not recovered one second later. MultiBand Comp 1 and 2 compress at 2.7:1 and 2.7:1 from about -21 and -19 dBFS at 1 kHz, 9 and 8 dB of reduction at −6 dBFS. The Noise Gate opens at -56 dBFS at raw 84 and -42 dBFS at raw 97 and closes within 0.5 dB of where it opened. At raw 72 and below its threshold lies under the ramp's −70 dBFS floor and cannot be read (T30). The knee is read where two fitted lines cross, from steps 6 dB apart.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** Ratio does what its label says, in eight fixed steps from no compression to near-limiting. Attack sets how much of a loud hit slips through before the compressor clamps down, from about 9 to 167 thousandths of a second; Release sets how long it takes to let go, from 40 thousandths of a second to nearly a full second. The multiband compressors only start working on loud signals, which is why the quieter test made them look inactive. The Noise Gate opens and closes at practically the same level.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Compressor Ratio is eight fixed steps: 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 20.6 : 1.\n", "- Attack 9–167 ms, Release 40–916 ms, after a 30 dB step.\n", "- Default knee near -42 dBFS; Threshold moves it up to -18 dBFS and off at maximum.\n", "- MultiBand Comp 1 and 2: 2.7:1 and 2.7:1 from about -21 and -19 dBFS, reached for the first time by this probe.\n", "- Noise Gate: opens at -56 dBFS at raw 84 and -42 dBFS at raw 97; under 0.5 dB between opening and closing." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 27, "id": "215defea", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.681139Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.680857Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.928730Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.928391Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "text/html": [ "
**How to read it:** The EQ panel shows the High Gain knob's full swing; the wah panel shows the filter's brightness rising as the hits get louder.
**Takeaway:** Both do what they claim, with measured ranges.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** 3-Band EQ `High Gain` swings the top octaves by 23 dB over its\n", "range. Touch Wah's filter follows input level, read from the spectral centroid\n", "of stepped transients.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** the EQ's treble knob covers a 23 dB range, from clearly dull to\n", "> clearly bright. The Touch Wah opens up as you play harder, as its name promises.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- 3-Band EQ High Gain swings the top octaves by 23 dB over its range.\n", "- Touch Wah's filter opens with input level, read from the spectral centroid of stepped transients.\n", "- On noise bursts 18 dB apart Touch Wah brightens by 2.0 octaves; Auto Wah does not follow level." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "6b8f202c", "metadata": {}, "source": [ "See the [Wah atlas](atlas/Atlas-10-Wah.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-10-Wah.ipynb)) and [Misc atlas](atlas/Atlas-13-Misc.html) ([notebook](atlas/Atlas-13-Misc.ipynb))." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 28, "id": "d8eade13", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.930394Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:15.930253Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.199341Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.198966Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** one bar per effect. First, how much brighter the loud burst comes out than the quiet one, in octaves; second, how much of the 18 dB level difference is removed; third, how long a pluck takes to fall 20 dB.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Touch Wah's spectral centroid rises 2.0 octaves from the quiet burst to the loud one and the Vintage Touch Wahs' by 0.9; Auto Wah's does not follow level (-0.7 octaves), its filter being driven by an LFO. The distortions remove a median 17 dB of the 18 dB level difference and hold a plucked note within 20 dB of its peak for 1.49 s, essentially the whole 1.5 s note, against 1.02 s through bypass; the Compressor removes 12 dB and holds it for 1.48 s.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** play harder into a Touch Wah and its filter opens by about 2 octaves; an Auto Wah sweeps on its own and ignores how hard you play. Distortion evens out your dynamics almost completely, so loud and soft come out at nearly the same volume, and notes ring at least 1.5 times as long.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Touch Wah opens 2.0 octaves between quiet and loud playing; Auto Wah does not follow level.\n", "- Distortions remove 17 of 18 dB of level difference; the Compressor 12 dB.\n", "- A plucked note stays within 20 dB of its peak for at least 1.49 s through the distortions, 1.02 s through bypass." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 29, "id": "7fde7a10", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.200989Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.200870Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.426383Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.426104Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "text/html": [ "
**How to read it:** Horizontal: how alike left and right are for a centred input. Vertical: how much side (stereo) content survives compared with centre.
**Takeaway:** Most effects are true stereo; a few sum to mono, and Voice Cancel removes the centre as designed.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Of the routing-probe effects, 20 are true stereo,\n", "2 cross channels (Cross Delay, Tempo Cross Delay) and\n", "5 sum to mono (Ambience, Auto Pan, Pitch Change 1, Pitch Change 2, Voice Cancel). Voice Cancel passes\n", "side signal 17 dB above centre.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** most effects keep left and right separate. The cross delays bounce\n", "> echoes from one side to the other by design. 5 effects fold everything to mono\n", "> first — worth knowing before putting one on a wide stereo pad. Voice Cancel does what it\n", "> says: it keeps the sides and pulls the centre, where a lead vocal usually sits, down by\n", "> 17 dB.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- 20 effects are true stereo, 2 cross channels and 5 sum to mono.\n", "- Sum to mono: Ambience, Auto Pan, Pitch Change 1, Pitch Change 2, Voice Cancel.\n", "- Voice Cancel keeps side signal 17 dB above centre." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 30, "id": "49793fb9", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.427873Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.427754Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.591519Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.591064Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "image/svg+xml": [ "\n", "\n", "\n" ], "text/plain": [ "
**How to read it:** Envelopes for each Room Size setting (light to dark), gate length against Room Size, and Early Reflection 1's six reflection patterns. Then the knob pairs that do not simply add.
**Takeaway:** Room Size, not Feedback, sets the gate length; the earlier runs had mislabelled it.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Gate Reverb and Reverse Gate share the Early Reflection parameter layout (Type,\n", "Room Size, Diffusion, Initial Delay, Feedback, HPF, LPF, Dry/Wet, Liveness,\n", "Density, High Damp). The earlier deep-dive runs addressed the wrong slots, so\n", "their \"Feedback\" curves were really Room Size; those runs are replaced here by\n", "the Gap Fill captures. `Room Size` sets the gate length: Gate Reverb holds within\n", "20 dB of its peak for 200→2039 ms\n", "across its range, Reverse Gate for 96→801 ms.\n", "Early Reflection 1 and 2 are measured here for the first time. The supplement\n", "2×2 grids show where two controls do not add.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** Gate Reverb and Reverse Gate are a burst of room reflections chopped\n", "> off abruptly — the classic 80s snare sound. The knob that sets how long before the chop\n", "> is Room Size (200 to 2039 ms on Gate Reverb); earlier runs had\n", "> mixed up the labels and are replaced here. The grids at the end flag knob pairs that\n", "> interact: turning both does something neither does alone.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Room Size sets the gate length: Gate Reverb 200→2039 ms, Reverse Gate 96→801 ms.\n", "- Gate Reverb and Reverse Gate use the Early Reflection parameter layout; earlier runs addressed the wrong slots and are replaced by the Gap Fill captures.\n", "- The 2×2 grids flag control pairs whose combined effect is not the sum of the two." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 31, "id": "4fd700e1", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.594070Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.593926Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.727646Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:16.727107Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "text/html": [ "
**How to read it:** Each chart puts a knob's raw value on the horizontal axis and the physical quantity it sets on the vertical. Hover for exact values; click legend entries to show or hide an effect.
**Takeaway:** The Motif's controls follow clean, exact laws: 0.1 ms per delay step, 44.1 kHz ÷ (n + 1) for Lo-Fi, exponential LFO rates.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** The Gap Fill run gives each control a probe matched to what it does. This section\n", "uses the 14,737 captures analysed so far (109 effects) of the\n", "14,827 recorded; the other 45 use probes that have no analyser yet (spectralSweep ×26, sustainedStereo ×9, clickTrain ×9, noiseStop ×1). Every Gap Fill probe is fully wet and the file\n", "start wanders by about ±50 ms, so times are read within one capture (one channel\n", "against the other, tap against tap), never from the file start.\n", "\n", "**Delay time.** 15 of 17 delay-time and\n", "feedback-time controls move their tap exactly 0.1 ms per raw step (read against the\n", "other channel, or from the echo spacing). The other 2 are Delay\n", "L,R's two feedback times: both lines feed both channels, so their echoes interleave and\n", "the spacing reads half. Hollow markers are steps where the moving tap was no longer the\n", "first arrival, so the reading stalls — that is the geometry, not the delay law. Feedback is bipolar: repeats fade fastest near raw\n", "64 and invert below it. High Damp removes treble on every pass.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** every step of a delay-time knob is exactly a tenth of a millisecond,\n", "> so the numbers on the screen can be trusted. Feedback has its \"fewest repeats\" point in\n", "> the middle of its travel: turn it up for more repeats, turn it down and the repeats\n", "> come back upside-down. High Damp makes each repeat a little duller than the one before,\n", "> like echoes in a real space.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- 15 of 17 delay and feedback times move exactly 0.1 ms per raw step; the other 2 read half because two feedback lines interleave.\n", "- Feedback is bipolar: repeats fade fastest near raw 64 and invert below it.\n", "- Chorus and flanger Speed spans 0.23–39.7 Hz over 17 steps.\n", "- Lo-Fi's sample rate is 44.1 kHz ÷ (raw + 1): 6 of 9 settings match within 1 Hz, with no anti-alias filter in front.\n", "- Across 55 drive controls, THD reaches 29.8 dB." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 33, "id": "6940564a", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:17.146479Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:17.146350Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:17.246205Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:17.245771Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "text/html": [ "
**How to read it:** Tone: waveform and spectrum with harmonics labelled and THD printed. Impulse: the decay with its envelope dashed. Sweep: a spectrogram, time left to right, frequency upward, colour = level.
**Takeaway:** Any capture in the corpus can be opened this way with one line.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Three interactive views for a single recording (hover, zoom, drag). `iviz.inspect(path)`\n", "opens any capture in the corpus with the view its probe calls for.\n", "\n", "- **Tone:** the waveform from its onset beside the power spectrum in dBFS, with the\n", " first ten harmonics marked and THD printed on the plot. Here, Distortion's Drive at mid\n", " travel on the 100 Hz sine.\n", "- **Impulse response:** the decay from the first arrival with the Hilbert envelope\n", " dashed, and EDT/T20/T30. Here, Gate Reverb at its default Room Size.\n", "- **Sweep:** a spectrogram of a log sweep through an effect. Here, Flanger 1 with feedback\n", " at maximum, where the comb shows as bands across the sweep.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** pick any recording and look at it three ways — the wave and the\n", "> overtones it contains, how a single click fades away, and a picture of pitch over time.\n", "> Hover, zoom and drag to explore.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- Any capture in the corpus opens with one call, in the view its probe calls for.\n", "- Tone: waveform and spectrum with harmonics and THD. Impulse: the decay with EDT, T20 and T30. Sweep: a spectrogram of the log sweep." ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 41, "id": "091ca2f2", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:20.869097Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:20.868890Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:20.930176Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:20.929769Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "text/html": [ "
**How to read it:** The list names each open question, why the current data cannot answer it, and the capture that would.
**Takeaway:** Most gaps already have re-captures designed and queued.\n", "\n", "**Technical explanation.** Tests that would close the remaining questions are logged in `TESTS_NEEDED.md`.\n", "\n", "> **Plain explanation:** some questions cannot be answered from the recordings made so far.\n", "> This is the list of what is still missing and which new recording would settle each one.\n", "\n", "**In other words, the main points:**\n", "\n", "- The open questions, and the capture that would answer each, are listed in `TESTS_NEEDED.md`.\n", "- Queued re-captures include dry-plus-wet reverb for pre-delay (T28) and full-rate Lo-Fi word length (T29)." ] }, { "cell_type": "markdown", "id": "c69e9b59", "metadata": {}, "source": [ " ## 17. Every effect on the same measurements\n", "\n", " The five-probe battery (steady pink noise, level steps of six sizes, two notes at ten levels, tones at 100 Hz,\n", " 1 kHz and 5 kHz, and silence) was recorded for every insertion effect at its default settings on 2026-10-06, with a\n", " bypass take of each probe as the reference. Eight scalar readings are taken per effect and referred to bypass\n", " where that applies. The parallel-coordinates axes are scaled to the 1st and 99th percentiles; the map is the first\n", " two principal components of the eight readings after each is standardised.\n", "\n", " > **Plain explanation:** until now every family had its own tests, so a chorus and a compressor could not be put side\n", " > by side. Here every effect gets the same five test sounds and is described by the same eight numbers.\n", " " ] }, { "cell_type": "code", "execution_count": 44, "id": "c3a66e5c", "metadata": { "execution": { "iopub.execute_input": "2026-10-18T00:24:21.191485Z", "iopub.status.busy": "2026-10-18T00:24:21.191361Z", "iopub.status.idle": "2026-10-18T00:24:21.506637Z", "shell.execute_reply": "2026-10-18T00:24:21.506356Z" } }, "outputs": [ { "data": { "text/html": [ "