June 6, 2024
by GForce Software
Shahruz Moshtael, a.k.a Polydata, is a composer, musician and sound designer based in Estonia. His music is inspired by sights and sounds circa 1978-1984.
Polydata, who contributed to OB-X, Axxess and more recently impOSCar3‘s sound design, kindly agreed to answer a few questions.
Do you have any tips for getting great-sounding patches?
There’s a lot of different types of patches, and different approaches you can take, but generally speaking I think understanding that small adjustments across all parameters add up to make the final sound. So taking the time and effort to really dial things in closely, and not stopping until it’s as good as it can be are part of how I work. I would also say that the settings of the envelopes are quite important to the final sound and are sometimes a bit overlooked.
Which of your impOSCar3 patches do you consider your personal favourite?
One of my favorites is called “Assembly Line“. It uses one of the unique features of this synth – dual filters. Using low pass and band pass filters together gives it a special kind of timbre that isn’t possible with a single filter. But the feature is used in a subtle way, and it still has a very classic, musical sound which could fit well in an arrangement.
Is there anything, in particular, you liked about impOSCar3?
Just like the hardware, it’s a unique synth design. So it was really nice to create some unique sounds that aren’t possible on a more traditional subtractive synth, while still having a warm vintage tone and character.
What’s your favourite synthesiser?
Anyone that knows me knows I just love my Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 rev 3.2 – so much so that it’s my only keyboard synth. It’s a wonderful design and sounds awesome. For me, it’s the perfect blend of versatility and simplicity. In the software realm, I definitely love the GForce’s Oberheim OB-E and SEM, they’re all over my upcoming album. They sound so good and it’s really nice to have those sounds in a digital workflow. Even if I had the money for say, a vintage four voice, I wouldn’t have enough space for it!
Where can readers find out more about you?
You can see and hear his work on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/poly.data/