So you’ve always wanted to learn to program synthesizers, but it felt too hard, too mystifying, too big to tackle? Or maybe you tried but got overwhelmed or bored or lost? Well, friend, this is the series for you! 

Over the course of this series, I aim to lay out a straightforward, hands-on approach to learning how to make interesting and useful sounds on any synthesizer, from the most basic to the most complex. The focus of this series will be on practical programming rather than the theory behind what’s happening or how it works. 

Now, we will have a little theory (as a treat) here and there, especially when it’s helpful to illustrate a point, but this is more about learning an approach that will have you making neat sounds ASAP. For the most part we won’t be learning the kind of stuff that might help on a written exam on the theory of sound synthesis. Oh, and that means almost no math! (There might be some math, but it’s all the easy kind you learned before 6th grade – no learning how to plot a sine function or do a Fast Fourier transform required!) 

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to get started, and build your skills, programming synthesizers. Below, you’ll find an index for to all parts of this series. Start with a quick overview of the philosophy and approach this guide will take, and then either follow the guide step-by-step, or jump to whatever part you need help with. And, if you have questions, be sure to ask!

  1. Philosophy and Approach
  2. Types of Synthesis
  3. Subtractive Synthesis: Basics I
  4. Subtractive Synthesis: Basics II
  5. Subtractive Synthesis: Filters
  6. FM Synthesis

Additional On-Site Resources

  1. My Patch of the Week collection – modular synth patching!
  2. Exit Interview: Hydrasynth – a review of the ASM Hydrasynth