So why would you want to learn synthesis? After all, most synths today release with hundreds, if not thousands, of presets (aka patches) that cover not just basic sounds, but plenty of esoteric timbres as well – and you can buy hundreds more for most synths very cheaply! With such a wealth of options available to synth users, why bother to learn how to do it yourself?
Well, for one thing, even tho there’s nothing wrong with using presets, using sounds you created yourself adds a certain personal touch to the music you’re working on. One synth bass might sound a lot like another, but the one you made is always going to be a little more personal than one almost just like it that you pulled out of a preset pack. Second, learning about building sounds from the ground up will teach you things about sound and music making that you can apply at all levels of music creation and production. And, perhaps most importantly, it’s fun! I don’t know about you but I make music primarily for the fun of it, and for me, making sounds is one of the most enjoyable parts. (And if this part isn’t enjoyable to you… well, see my point about how it’s always okay to use presets!)
Before we start on the ins and outs of synthesis, I want to spend a minute covering my philosophical approach to synth programming as a framework for getting the most out of this series. There are basically three points to keep in mind about my approach as we go thru this series.
The first is that this will work best as a hands-on exercise. Reading, watching how-to videos and thinking about this stuff will only get you so far – to learn it for real, you have to do it for real. So get yourself a synth and practice as we go! Hardware or software doesn’t matter, as long as it has hands-on controls rather than requiring endless menu-diving or keypress combos to accomplish basic functions. If you don’t have one, the basic version of Vital is free, and is plenty powerful enough to explore everything covered in this series, apart from a few specialized synthesis approaches.
The second thing, closely related to the first, is to use your ears to decide, not your eyes or an arbitrary collection of rules and correct settings. While there’s certainly some utility in learning to do something a specific, supposedly “correct” way (for example, matching a genre’s norm’s) ultimately you’re the one using these sounds, so it’s not helpful to “be right” if it sounds wrong. As you’re working thru these lessons, continually evaluate what is most interesting/most useful to you and feel free to focus on that. That’s what we’re after here: bespoke synth sounds unique to your aesthetic.
The final thing is that I am a firm believer in the KISS principle. In case you aren’t familiar, that’s an acronym for Keep It Simple, Stupid. When it comes to synths, this means not doing more than is necessary. With modern synths in particular, there are so many options available that it’s easy to get overwhelmed and/or feel lost. My solution is to never use more than you need; in practice, especially when starting out, it means to use as little as possible to accomplish what you are trying to do, and more importantly, ignore the rest.
Some of the most iconic synth sounds of all time were created on the simplest, most basic synthesizers, and even today, it’s often easier to make something cool on a basic synth than it is on more advanced gear. The good news is that anything can be simplified by just ignoring the stuff you don’t need (and/or don’t understand) – so do that, whenever possible. You can always go back later and tweak the sound as you learn what things do and/or realize you need additional elements added to your sound.
With that in mind, we’re ready to look at the landscape of synthesis techniques.
Next: Types of Synthesis