The synthesizer is now an essential part of today’s modern studio, and any aspiring music producer should be able to answer the question, how do synthesizers work? Understanding how they work will open up a whole world of sound creation and manipulation that can transform your recordings and productions. It’s one of my favorite instruments in the studio.
What is a synthesizer? A synth (sometimes seen as synthesiser) is an electronic instrument that can create a wide range of different sounds and textures. A synth can imitate real instruments, or can be used to create new sounds that have never been heard before. Continue reading from Practical Music Production
Have you ever seen a mass of cables and blinking lights on someone’s desk or in a studio and wondered how such an amalgamation can be a musical instrument? This device is most likely a modular synthesizer, one of the most versatile and inspiring electronic instruments in existence. Modular synths are a powerful tool for music and sound design; some musicians can compose entire albums or soundtracks with just a synth and no DAW!
Modular gives you the unique ability to create the exact synth you want from different readily available parts or modules. You could make a synth with the oscillator of a Prophet-1 and the filter of a Korg MS-20 or a clone of a Roland 303 that is sequenced by hooking it up to a houseplant. Perhaps even a theremin that has 8 voice polyphony of exclusively cat sounds. Your dad’s Microkorg can’t do that now, can it? Continue reading from Producer Hive
A database for planning your own module synth (ModularGrid)
A dictionary of synthesizer terminology (Roland)
A visual timeline of the history of synthesizers (Google Arts & Culture)
A blog showcasing unique discoveries and user creations (Matrix Synth)
A YouTube channel dedicated to synthesizers and music production (BoBeats)
