SAFEdistortion

SAFEDistortion is a semantic distortion, it can load settings by typing descriptive words.

The SAFE plug-ins are a series of audio plug-ins which allow the user to provide timbral descriptions of the audio they are processing with them. The plug-in then analyses the audio and saves the data to the SAFE server. This data is collected from all the users and analysed to give a general synopsis of what types of sound a given descriptor is used for. All this information can then be used to create a series of `semantic plug-in settings’. Users will be able to load plug-in settings by typing in descriptive words of how they want the audio to sound. The more people who upload descriptors to the server the better the downloaded plug-in settings will get.

The SAFE Project is motivated by the lack of statistically-defined transferable semantic terms in music production and the requirement for more intuitive control of low-level parameters. One of the main outcomes of the project is a suite of DAW plug-ins that allow you to both save and load semantic terms from within the audio production workflow. This means you can now control your audio effect plug-ins using terms that normal human beings can understand! Just type a term (such as warm, bright, etc…) into the text-box, and if we have it on our server, your parameters will be moved around to represent this. Similarly, if you achieve an effect that can be explained in semantic terms, input it into the box and hit save. As the plug-ins are based on the music production community, the more users that input terms, the more representative the effects become for everyone else.