Learning Synths • Hacker News Board

Re: Learning Synths

#91

Post by runarberg » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:02 PM UTC

Aromasin wrote: post #22

louthy wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or go modular. Just be prepared to remortgage your house a year later. Seriously addictive [1] https://imgur.com/a/chegsO5 (my setup)

Or go a step further and build them yourself. You get to keep the house, but you won't be able to make much use of it because every available space is taken up with a random assortment of wires, op-amps, resistors and capacitors. DIY synth making will take up every bit of spare time you think you have left, and then some. Your hands will become a puzzle of soldering iron scars, and you'll slowly lose your hearing fro…

You can get a set of lego-like toy synth for like 160 bucks. I got one of those and I do recommend it for learning and fun, even as an adult.

https://littlebits.com/products/synth-kit

Re: Learning Synths

#92

Post by jf » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:16 PM UTC

shadowoflight wrote: post #86

fermentation wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That looks really great, but a little pricey. Any recs for someone who isn’t sure if they want to invest the cash into learning synthesis?

Just fyi, Syntorial is currently on sale at VST Buzz for half price (~$65USD): https://vstbuzz.com/deals/50-off-syntorial-by-audible-genius...

Thanks for the link! Considering that I was about to buy Syntorial at full price, I'd like to donate $30 to a charity on your behalf. Reply here or email me with the name of the charity that you'd like the money to go to.

Re: Learning Synths

#93

Post by djohnston » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:24 PM UTC

only tangentially related, but ableton is a personal dream job . anyone have experiences working there?

Re: Learning Synths

#94

Post by alexilliamson » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:26 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #69

Wow weird coincidence, I've just started getting into Ableton and production, a sort of lifelong goal of mine, and just last night finally started watching some videos on Wavetable. I was completely blown away by the infinity x infinity possibilities. Totally overwhelming! This tutorial is great for helping me understand the concepts, very fortuitous. Now if I could actually sit down and make a song instead of just t…

Also wanting to get into this... would you mind describing your hardware setup? And any other software besides Ableton?

Re: Learning Synths

#95

Post by munificent » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:33 PM UTC

louthy wrote: post #15

realshowbiz wrote: post #4

Possibly unpopular opinion, but IMO to learn a synth it’s best to start with a simple physical subtractive monosynth. Software synths are often built to model popular hardware instruments in both sound and interface. So learning the basic concepts on a “real” subtractive synth builds a foundation to learn more. Plus a physical synth is far less distracting than a multitasking device. I find it much easier to create,…

Or go modular. Just be prepared to remortgage your house a year later. Seriously addictive [1] https://imgur.com/a/chegsO5 (my setup)

Non-snarky question: how much music do you finish?

Every time I think about getting more into synths, I worry that I'll just end up endlessly noodling and never actually complete any songs. Years ago, I bought a copy of Reason and had tons of fun playing with it, but eventually I realized that after every session, I was rarely any closer to having a completed work I could share with others.

Re: Learning Synths

#96

Post by shadowoflight » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:33 PM UTC

jf wrote: post #92

shadowoflight wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just fyi, Syntorial is currently on sale at VST Buzz for half price (~$65USD): https://vstbuzz.com/deals/50-off-syntorial-by-audible-genius...

Thanks for the link! Considering that I was about to buy Syntorial at full price, I'd like to donate $30 to a charity on your behalf. Reply here or email me with the name of the charity that you'd like the money to go to.

Hey! I'm not knowledgeable enough to endorse a specific national charity, so I'd suggest that you buy some local artist's merch or donate to your local/regional human or animal shelter!

Re: Learning Synths

#97

Post by zhaso » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:35 PM UTC

asdf21 wrote: post #89

nfoz wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You and I live in different worlds.

Apparently, if the dishwasher at a fast casual restaurant can afford this yet you cannot.

He's not saying he can't afford it. He's saying it's a lot of money. I'd imagine when you make minimum wage, it's a lot of money even if you can afford it.

I make typical FANG SWE income and I still consider it to be a lot..

Re: Learning Synths

#98

Post by kevinguh » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:46 PM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #69

Wow weird coincidence, I've just started getting into Ableton and production, a sort of lifelong goal of mine, and just last night finally started watching some videos on Wavetable. I was completely blown away by the infinity x infinity possibilities. Totally overwhelming! This tutorial is great for helping me understand the concepts, very fortuitous. Now if I could actually sit down and make a song instead of just t…

ah, the thought process of every producer ever :)

Re: Learning Synths

#99

Post by esistgut » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:53 PM UTC

comboy wrote: post #13

omer_balyali wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Syntorial is a charm, definitely the best resource to develop your ear. There are possibly waay extensive resources like books, but as the nature of the medium it's good for getting information, but for practice and developing the ear, Syntorial is #1.

It's a different thing but I've had some fun with https://tonedear.com/ training my imperfect pitch.

I'm trying to learn guitar in my 30s and I'm really struggling with the ear training parts. Can you point other resources like this one?

Re: Learning Synths

#100

Post by jf » Tue, Jun 25, 2019, 5:54 PM UTC

shadowoflight wrote: post #96

jf wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the link! Considering that I was about to buy Syntorial at full price, I'd like to donate $30 to a charity on your behalf. Reply here or email me with the name of the charity that you'd like the money to go to.

Hey! I'm not knowledgeable enough to endorse a specific national charity, so I'd suggest that you buy some local artist's merch or donate to your local/regional human or animal shelter!

Okay! I donated $30 to the SF SPCA. Thanks again for the tip! https://www.evernote.com/l/ABLjCal10i5CnYiRvlMhlxj_vGjFWojD2...