Synthesis is a mesmerizing world of sound creation, manipulation, and exploration. Whether you’re an aspiring musician, sound designer, or just a sonic enthusiast, the journey to becoming a synthesis virtuoso is a long one. There’s no shortcut to mastering this craft, but the following steps will guide you on how to get good at synthesis.
Do it A Lot
The first step on your synthesis journey is to dive in headfirst. Grab a synth and just use it daily, or at least regularly. To get good at anything, you need to practice, and synthesis is no exception. Spend as much time as possible experimenting with synthesizers, learning their controls, and creating different sounds. The more you practice, the more intuitive and creative you’ll become. It’s like learning to play guitar or guqin, but more… precise and scientific.
Read Scientific Articles, Papers, and Books
Understanding the underlying principles of synthesis is essential to creating new sounds. Explore scientific articles, research papers, and books that delve into the mathematics, physics, and theory behind synthesis and its myriad of techniques. Especially look into Curtis Roads’ Microsounds and Gordon Reid’s Sound on Sound Synth Secrets series.
Experiment
Experimentation is where the magic happens in synthesis. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries, try unconventional techniques, and explore the possibilities of your chosen synthesizer. Use a filter as an oscillator and an envelope as a filter. Create sounds using just an overly complicated reverb unit. Try to make otherworldly, glitchy, or weird sounds using a basic synth like a Minimoog (or, for the budget oriented, Behringer Model D or Viking VK-1 software synth). Some of the most groundbreaking and iconic sounds have been discovered through trial and error or happenstance.
Get a Modular Synth
Modular synthesizers offer a hands-on experience that will deepen your understanding of synthesis. Even if you can’t afford a physical modular synth, there are software alternatives like VCV Rack which are free and that mimic the experience through a VST-like UI and even includes real-world modules, though often with fewer features. Modular synths teach you the intricacies of signal routing, voltage control, and how different components interact, thus giving you a deeper understanding of how synthesis works, and why modern amenities like modulation matrices in Serum are so handy.
Take Notes
As you experiment, keep notes on the sounds you create. These can be mental notes, patch notes in a text document or built into saved presets, or actual written documentation. I’ve found that making notes of how you got to the final sound, what your process to get there was, and what settings to modulate/manually change for a given sound will help deepen your understanding and make it stick. Note any any unique techniques you discover, as these will be invaluable for future reference and inspiration.
Read Synth Manuals
Familiarize yourself with the manuals of synthesizers, even those you don’t own. This will broaden your knowledge of various synthesis techniques, signal routing, and the specific features of different instruments. Each synthesizer has its unique quirks and capabilities, and most manuals often include patch notes for specific sounds which you can use with other synths.
Consider Synth DIY
If you’re truly passionate about audio synthesis, consider diving into the world of Synth DIY. This entails building your own synthesizers from kits or even designing circuits from scratch. Or, you can just learn to read a schematic and study the hundreds of freely-available service manuals for older synths. It’s an excellent way to gain a component-level understanding of how synthesizers work, especially on the analog side, but can also be useful when designing sounds with digital means. For example, look up how the Bberheim matrix filter works then apply those techniques to VCV rack.
Seek Employment in the Field
While this might be a long shot, if you’re truly dedicated to the art of audio synthesis, consider pursuing a career that involves working with synthesizers or synthesis techniques daily. Jobs in music production, sound design, or electronic instrument manufacturing can offer opportunities to immerse yourself in the world of synthesis professionally.
Becoming proficient in audio synthesis is a journey that combines hands-on experience, theory, and experimentation. By practicing frequently, delving into scientific resources, and experimenting with different synthesizers, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a true synthesis maestro. Careers involving synthesis are not be easy to come by, but the journey itself is a rewarding and endlessly creative one as a hobby. So, embrace the world of audio synthesis and let your imagination run wild with sound!
co-written with chatgpt4
Taika Sound Design 