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Learning Synths

learningsynths.ableton.com

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Re: Learning Synths

#171

Post by basq »

ben7799 wrote: post #119
NikolaNovak wrote: post #17

Question: All of "learn synths" tutorials I've managed to dig up are really "sound creation" tutorials. I have not found a good tutorial or paid online class on how to _play_ synths. Is taking a traditional piano course the best way to do so? Observationally, the play style seems quite different, even if some basics are the same. Most practically, I see synths typically played with right hand, left hand is on the mod…

Nothing beats a teacher but there are some problematic things with piano teachers IME. (I've had 2 over the past 20 years) - Piano is super super super biased towards classical music - Huge emphasis on reading music and playing it back even if you're not understanding it - Weakness on developing a sense of rhythm and playing by ear - Weakness on learning to play with others - The weakness on understanding leads to a…

Took a piano 1 class at a nearby college last fall, and I agree with all of your points. I did walk away with a firm grasp on major and minor chords, which is something that escaped me in the 20+ years I'd played music.

Re: Learning Synths

#172

Post by anigbrowl »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #141
anigbrowl wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It depends. What sort of music are you into? If you like funk and want to play weedly weedly bass sounds, you buy a Moog monosynth and you're set. If you want to play trance or dance styles then you figure out arpeggiators and sequencers and get to know the synth architecture so well that you can program it on the fly, because many styles of music are about taking a simple repeating motif and redoing it in different…

Thanks! My first love is guitar, and I've been playing it (badly;) for decades. But I've just discovered synthesizers, got increasingly hyper excited, and it seems I can really really nerd out about them. Historically on the electronic side I've enjoyed Depeche Mode, some Daft Punk, and a mix & variety of other stuff; but I've just found synthwave, such as Kavinsky, and am somewhat in love:). I've been geeking out fo…

Yeah don't bother learning piano, you can just play chords with your right hand and modulate/bend with your left. So much of that synthpop sound depends on simple arpeggiators.

If you like hardware (and why wouldn't you, it's so much more fun than software) you might find a looping device really useful, you're probably familiar with the guitar pedal version. And you should definitely look into step sequencers, check out the Arturia beatstep for a low-cost and versatile one or the Korg Volca synths which are dirt cheap and super awesome.

Use a simple mixer (probably something cheap like a mackie or Tascam) from about the vintage of the music you like. Consider not doing full mixes and just recording your jams in stereo. If you get fussy over computer recording use tape instead, which is delightfully forgiving in a way that digital is not and will save you from gain control headaches and ugly dropouts if you record too hot. An old portastudio can be a ton of fun.

Learn about dub even if you don't like reggae music, dub producers know a lot of old school production techniques.

Re: Learning Synths

#173

Post by munificent »

brokenmachine wrote: post #166
munificent wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I can definitely afford to sink some money into this. It's more that I'm wired to hate myself if I spend money on something and don't use it. There are few things I despise more than feeling like I'm a poseur. > Even though the hardware people seem like the most outspoken on most forums, Good point!

I don't like wasting money either. Of course it's up to you, but if I were you I would just get a controller and just get started. It's never been easier, cheaper or better. If you want to save money you could just get something secondhand from ebay. I am invested in and love Ableton but there are lots of good options out there. Like I say, I don't think hardware is necessary these days. It is fun to have dedicated k…

> if I were you I would just get a controller and just get started.

This is basically my plan. Except that I'm deliberately putting it on hold until I'm done with the book I'm writing because I really don't have the time and definitely don't need the distraction.

> It's heaps of fun, as long as you don't put too much pressure on yourself!

But putting pressure on myself is like my #1 personality trait. :)

Re: Learning Synths

#175

Post by hrangozz »

brokenmachine wrote: post #169
hrangozz wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, Elektron boxes and Ableton w/ push 2 have a lot in common. The push provides a similar UI to the octatrack, but expanded and aligned with ableton. Instead of a single row step sequencer/keyboard the push has a grid. And the push has a bigger, but still menu driven screen.

Do you have a Push? I do. I have no idea about an octatrack but I wouldn't agree that the Push is menu driven at all. There's a dedicated button for almost everything (except for browsing samples, which is something that it would be impossible to have dedicated buttons for). The great thing about Push is that you sort of make your own UI. If you put an instrument rack on a track then you assign your own macro knobs f…

What I mean is if the buttons/knobs have no (or generic) labels, and the menu on the screen defines the function of a button/knob, it's menu driven.

Without the on screen menu the function of the buttons/knobs across the top are not clear.

As opposed to having one button/knob per function.

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