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Learning Synths

learningsynths.ableton.com

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Re: Learning Synths

#111

Post by adriand »

weatherlight wrote: post #109
adriand wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it isn't, the original post is "Learning Synths", not "Learning Synthesis". It actually is a tutorial on how you might go about programming an acid patch (or a bass, or a wind instrument, or whatever).

The first two-thirds of this tutorial seems to be focused on breaking down the components of a standard subtractive synthesizer (essentially the synthesis process itself). However, it doesn’t really delve into how these components are interconnected or how they operate as a cohesive system. The latter part of the tutorial is more aligned with what you're referring to. That said, the knowledge gained here isn’t univer…

Fair enough. I should try it, although I have a pretty good grasp of how subtractive synths work. What about FM synthesis, do you have any suggestions on that? I find it the least intuitive by far, not that my experience extends to many other kinds (I mainly use wavetable, sample-based and subtractive synths these days).

Re: Learning Synths

#112

Post by weatherlight »

adriand wrote: post #111
weatherlight wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first two-thirds of this tutorial seems to be focused on breaking down the components of a standard subtractive synthesizer (essentially the synthesis process itself). However, it doesn’t really delve into how these components are interconnected or how they operate as a cohesive system. The latter part of the tutorial is more aligned with what you're referring to. That said, the knowledge gained here isn’t univer…

Fair enough. I should try it, although I have a pretty good grasp of how subtractive synths work. What about FM synthesis, do you have any suggestions on that? I find it the least intuitive by far, not that my experience extends to many other kinds (I mainly use wavetable, sample-based and subtractive synths these days).

I'd still do the first tutorial above, so you can understand how to use VCV Rack, but here is a small tutorial (10 minutes.) That will help you understand what's going on under the hood of your favorite FM synths. He doesn't do this in the video, but I would attach the output to the oscilloscope module to get an intuition for why certain parameters affect the specific harmonics that give FM its characteristic sound.

Your FM synth at home is 100x more time complicated than this patch you build but if you grok what's going on here, you should have a better idea of what going on in your other FM synths.

https://youtu.be/gzWFunWNTjQ?si=veuGdCTc1gETntO3

Re: Learning Synths

#113

Post by poulpy123 »

itishappy wrote: post #29
revskill wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Computer keyboard .

Don't. Computer keyboards are inexpressive. You'll be giving up the ability to modulate note velocity/volume, for starters. Get a cheap MIDI keyboard for a few hundred bucks. If instead of playing you're more interested in making cool sounds, I'd skip the keyboard completely and download a free DAW like Reaper, Ableton, or FL Studio. Whichever route you take, the secret is practice. It always is...

I think OP meant to use a DAW

Re: Learning Synths

#114

Post by poulpy123 »

chrisvalleybay wrote: post #10

I've been playing synths and piano for a while, but I've been struggling to get some solid intuitions about what is going on when I tweak the synths. One thing that really helped on this site, is the «dot» that is bouncing back and forth on https://learningsynths.ableton.com/en/playground . Try tweaking the nobs and see how the dots movement changes. It helped me visualize something that I wasn't able to grasp before…

I can't say for sure but there is surely a VST that allows to visualise the signal and understand what changes do what

Re: Learning Synths

#115

Post by AnthonBerg »

56j56n65u656 wrote: post #57
weatherlight wrote: post #30

If you want to understand (Subtractive) synthesis. The best way is to get copy of VCV rack and follow a few tutorials. If you patch one subtractive mono synth voice once, you understand 80% of all subtractive synth architecture moving forward. https://vcvrack.com (open source and wonderful) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35OhojjqDs Happy patching :) There's a bunch of other really interesting types of synthesis and…

Good lord what a horrible recommendation. This is like telling someone to learn programming by starting with assembly. If you want to actually learn subtractive synthesis minus the complexity use an all in one synth VST like Surge which is free and open source and you won't have to worry about tedious fundamentals that don't actually matter unless you're doing modular synthesis. Helm is another great VST. Once you un…

One man’s horrible recommendation is another’s… emancipation?

We’re all uniquely different!, I promise; After a number of other paradigms had failed to teach me programming, assembly was what finally did it.

And with synthesis, it was FM first and then subtractive. The picture is more concise when looking at it from the perspective of frequency modulation because all oscillators can do everything, you know? –That’s the sense it made to me, privately and personally.

Re: Learning Synths

#116

Post by javier123454321 »

AnthonBerg wrote: post #115
56j56n65u656 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good lord what a horrible recommendation. This is like telling someone to learn programming by starting with assembly. If you want to actually learn subtractive synthesis minus the complexity use an all in one synth VST like Surge which is free and open source and you won't have to worry about tedious fundamentals that don't actually matter unless you're doing modular synthesis. Helm is another great VST. Once you un…

One man’s horrible recommendation is another’s… emancipation? We’re all uniquely different!, I promise; After a number of other paradigms had failed to teach me programming, assembly was what finally did it. And with synthesis, it was FM first and then subtractive. The picture is more concise when looking at it from the perspective of frequency modulation because all oscillators can do everything, you know? –That’s t…

Don't have a dog in this fight as I don't know much about synthesis, but I always remember the old saying. The best book to learn about "hard subject" is the third book you read on it.

How many people will comment on a youtube video, course, strategy or book, and say something like - It's the best explanation. I tried all these different things and only this worked. The common denominator is previous failed attempts at the subject.

Re: Learning Synths

#117

Post by officeplant »

56j56n65u656 wrote: post #57
weatherlight wrote: post #30

If you want to understand (Subtractive) synthesis. The best way is to get copy of VCV rack and follow a few tutorials. If you patch one subtractive mono synth voice once, you understand 80% of all subtractive synth architecture moving forward. https://vcvrack.com (open source and wonderful) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V35OhojjqDs Happy patching :) There's a bunch of other really interesting types of synthesis and…

Good lord what a horrible recommendation. This is like telling someone to learn programming by starting with assembly. If you want to actually learn subtractive synthesis minus the complexity use an all in one synth VST like Surge which is free and open source and you won't have to worry about tedious fundamentals that don't actually matter unless you're doing modular synthesis. Helm is another great VST. Once you un…

Free VSTs are great and all, but VCV Rack + a wealth of online tutorials and synth knowledge seems like the perfect option to me. Especially if someone is actually more interested in the synthesis part than being musical. Plus VCV Rack is also free to start with until you want to go much much deeper.

I think they are both acceptable places to start and learn.

Re: Learning Synths

#118

Post by officeplant »

dingnuts wrote: post #86
weatherlight wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree... those "tedious fundamentals" is how all synths work, irregardless of synthesis type. Watch the video. It's 15 minutes. I wish I could learn assembly in 15 minutes! You build the synth one module and one connection at a time all connected to an oscilloscope. If I gave someone a SH-101 with no context, and let them noodle around with it and then asked them, to explain the architecture, they wouldn't be ab…

> You build the synth one module and one connection at a time all connected to an oscilloscope. making my music hobby feel like my job sounds terrible lol

Some of us are just synthesis hobbyists and the musical part comes second. Exploration is a joy.

Re: Learning Synths

#119

Post by brudgers »

weatherlight wrote: post #110
brudgers wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don’t have to know theory to make acid with a TB-303, i.e. the subtractive synth that changed music the most.

Not every one has a 303, Maybe they want to take that cheap Behringer mono synth and do acid on that? one could argue what made it great was that it only has 5 parameters that affects it's sound and it's sequencer, (and it was a total flop financially for Roland and could bought 2nd hand for like 50 bucks in Detroit. and dance music is better for it!) and as per the subtractive synth that change music the most...I'm…

much rather have a 303 then a mini-moog

Thanks to Uli, I can afford the both. And a 2600, etc.

Re: Learning Synths

#120

Post by adriand »

weatherlight wrote: post #112
adriand wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair enough. I should try it, although I have a pretty good grasp of how subtractive synths work. What about FM synthesis, do you have any suggestions on that? I find it the least intuitive by far, not that my experience extends to many other kinds (I mainly use wavetable, sample-based and subtractive synths these days).

I'd still do the first tutorial above, so you can understand how to use VCV Rack, but here is a small tutorial (10 minutes.) That will help you understand what's going on under the hood of your favorite FM synths. He doesn't do this in the video, but I would attach the output to the oscilloscope module to get an intuition for why certain parameters affect the specific harmonics that give FM its characteristic sound.…

Thank you, that looks super helpful!
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