A curated overview of sndkit

This page features some of the various DSP algorithms that are a part of sndkit, with a few words by the author talking about each one.

I wish I could say less, but I didn't have enough time.

The table lookup oscillator is probably a good early one to study and use. Some concepts are a little bit tricky to understand, but it is a real wavetable oscillator. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. Oscillators, and really any DSP algorithm that can be pitched, are great DSP algorithms for musician to start with because they can leverage music theory (chords, scales, etc).

For those interested in pitch oriented stuff like the humble table-lookup oscillator, a table-lookup FM oscillator is a great next step. This algorithm builds on the table-lookup oscillator to make the simplest possible FM configuration (known as an FM pair). Learning how this conceptually works is a great way to begin grokking FM synthesis.

A good reverb in your sound arsenal is a must. While not trivial to understand, the bigverb algorithm is a great reverb algorithm to have, especially for use in ambient electronic music. The sound of this Reverb motivated the author to actually get serious about learning lower-level DSP audio programming. Everything that follows is a result of what you see here. As it turns out, Bigverb isn't terribly complicated as far as reverb algorithms go, but you'd never guess it listening to it. The modulation techniques used in Bigverb add lot of unwanted DC bias, so it's highly suggested that this be paired with a filter that can block DC.

Digital reverbs sound magical, but they are not magical themselves. Most of them use some form of feedback delay, in order to simulate reflections in a room coming from a real room. Delays themselves are very important concepts in audio programming. The vardelay algorithm implements a pretty typical delay line with variable delay times using interpolation. This interpolation causes audible pitch shifting to occur, which forms the basis of chorus and flanging techniques.