Operation Manual

The Tassman Builder 48
3 The Tassman Builder
The Tassman Builder is used to create instruments. Constructing instruments is very easy and
straightforward. One first drags modules from the Modules section of the Browser and then con-
nects them together in order to create a patch. Modules are units that either produce or transform
sound in a particular manner. They each have a certain number of inputs and outputs which are
used to transmit signals from one module to another and which can be interconnected by using
wires . The Player view is then displayed to play instruments that have been made with the Builder.
The different modules of the library are just like building blocks that can be connected to other
blocks any way you desire. The only limit is your imagination! Of course creating instruments
implies a certain amount of experimentation, but that is part of the fun! You can start with simple
instruments, trying them right away with the Player, and then come back to the Builder to modify
the patch. Very rapidly you will be able to construct the instruments you have always dreamed of.
And that’s not all! The architecture of the Tassman is entirely modular, which makes it a
powerful evolutionary creation tool. As you create patches, you can save them as sub-patches and
then reuse them in another patch just like any other elementary module. Very rapidly your library
will expand and contain many different types of instruments and synthesizers.
When you save an instrument, the Builder creates an entry in the Browser under the Instruments
folder describing the patch you have just made. This information contained in this file is used by
the Tassman to generate the instrument front panel and the computation code necessary to simulate
the instrument. These instrument files are very light and can be exchanged with other users (using
the Export/Import command) via e-mail. Check the Applied Acoustics Systems website often for
new instruments to download.
3.1 The Builder area
The Builder is divided into two different areas: the construction area and the help area. The
Browser contains the module library.
The library area
The module library, included in the Browser, contains the different modules of the library. The
modules are divided into eleven categories: Effects, Envelopes, Filters, Generators, In/Out,
Logic, Mixers, Resonators, Routing, Sequencers and Sub-patches. The different sections are
selected by clicking on the corresponding folder in the Browser, to open a section, click on the sign
at the left of the folder, this will display the list of modules contained in the folder.
The construction area
The construction area is where you build your patch. After dragging modules from the module
section of the Browser, you connect them with wires using the mouse.