Synth Secrets
For your enjoyment, we've collected together links to this hugely popular SOUND ON SOUND series, written by synth afficionado and regular contributor Gordon Reid.
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| The Secret Of The Big Red Button | Technique : Synthesis | July 2004 | |||
Synth Secrets After over five years, Synth Secrets reaches its conclusion (and conclusions!). Will we ever look at synthesis in quite the same way again? |
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| More Creative Synthesis with Delays | Technique : Synthesis | June 2004 | |||
| Synth Secrets In the penultimate instalment of this long-running series, we delve deeper into what can be achieved with just a few delays and some creative routing... |
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| Creative Synthesis With Delays | Technique : Synthesis | May 2004 | |||
| Synth Secrets Effects can play just as important a role in sound creation as the elements in a synth's signal path — provided you have access to their constituent parts. We take a closer look at effects synthesis using simple delays. |
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| From Analogue To Digital Effects | Technique : Synthesis | April 2004 | |||
| Synth Secrets When synthesizing sounds, the effects you place after your synth's output are often as important as the synth itself (just think of last month's Leslie). As we near the end of Synth Secrets, we consider how a digital effects processor works. |
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| Synthesizing The Rest Of The Hammond Organ: Part 3 | Technique : Synthesis | March 2004 | |||
| Synth Secrets We conclude our analysis of the fabulously complex beast that is the Leslie rotary speaker. |
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| Synthesizing The Rest Of The Hammond Organ: Part 2 | Technique : Synthesis | February 2004 | |||
| Synth Secrets As with so much surrounding the Hammond organ, there's much more to the Leslie rotary speaker than meets the eye, and synthesizing its effects involves considerably more than just adding vibrato, as we find out this month... |
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| Synthesizing Hammond Organ Effects: Part1 | Technique : Synthesis | January 2004 | |||
| Synth Secrets So, you can synthesize a Hammond's tonewheel generator -- but what about its all-important effects? This month, we look at recreating the Hammond's percussion, vibrato, overdrive, and reverb -- and find that it's harder than you might think... |
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| Synthesizing Tonewheel Organs: Part2 | Technique : Synthesis | December 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets If you followed last month's advice, you'll know how to synthesize a basic Hammond tone on a Roland Juno 6. But can the same technique be applied to any other synth? |
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| Synthesizing Tonewheel Organs | Technique : Synthesis | November 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets Long before Bob Moog built his first synth, there was the Hammond tonewheel organ; effectively an additive synthesizer, albeit electro-mechanical rather than electronic. So emulating a Hammond with an analogue synth shouldn't be too hard, right? Well... |
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| Practical Flute Synthesis | Technique : Synthesis | October 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets As we saw last month, there's much to synthesizing a convincing flute sound — and yet basic analogue monosynths have offered reasonable flute patches for 30 years. Surely the process can be simplified? |
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| Synthesizing Simple Flutes | Technique : Synthesis | September 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets The Monty Python team once famously claimed that being able to play the flute was a simple matter of 'blowing here, and moving your hands up and down here'. But there's a lot more to it than that... |
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| Synthesizing Pan Pipes | Technique : Synthesis | August 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets The characteristic sound of flute-like instruments is complex — but fortunately not so complex that it can't be emulated fairly successfully with a synthesizer... |
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| Synth Secrets | Technique : Synthesis | July 2003 | |||
| Articulation & Bowed-string Synthesis The skilful articulation of a synthesized string patch can improve it no end, even one created using very basic building blocks, as we saw at the end of last month. But we can take this approach much further... |
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| Practical Bowed-string Synthesis (continued) | Technique : Synthesis | June 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets After putting all our bowed-string synthesis theory into practice on a Korg 700 last month, we found that the result was only acceptable as a string sound with a lot of wishful thinking. Can we improve on it? |
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| Synth Secrets: Practical Bowed-string Synthesis | Technique : Synthesis | May 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets Having looked at the mechanics of how a bowed string instrument generates its sound last month, it's time to put these principles into practice, using nothing more complex than a miniKorg 700 monophonic synth... |
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| Synthesizing Bowed Strings: the Violin family | Technique : Synthesis | April 2003 | |||
| Synth Secrets Following our success at synthesizing the sound of analogue string machines, we hone our techniques with a view to recreating the sound of the real thing... |
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| Synth Secrets | Technique : Synthesis | March 2003 | |||
| Synthesizing Strings • PWM & String Sounds Pulse-width modulation is a vital tool in achieving lush-sounding synthesized string pads - so what if your synth doesn't have it? Fear not - for PWM can itself be synthesized. Here's how... |
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| Synth Secrets | Technique : Synthesis | February 2003 | |||
| Synthesizing Strings: String Machines Analogue synths can't synthesize every sound, but the attempts made to replicate the sound of orchestral strings were so successful that so-called string machines became much-loved instruments in their own right. We begin a voyage into the world of synthesized strings... |
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| Synth Secrets | Technique : Synthesis | January 2003 | |||
| Synthesizing Acoustic Pianos On The Roland JX10 When trying to copy a real piano with an analogue synth, if one patch doesn't quite do it, two just might... |
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| Synth Secrets | Technique : Synthesis | December 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Acoustic Pianos On The Roland JX10 How did they make that sound on a subtractive synth? We continue to dissect the analogue 'Acoustic Piano' Perfomance from Roland's 1986-vintage JX10. |
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| Synth Secrets | Technique : Synthesis | November 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Acoustic Pianos On The Roland JX10 As explained last month, synthesizing the sound of an acoustic piano is difficult, but it can be done reasonably realistically, as the 1986-vintage Roland JX10 shows. We find out how Roland managed it... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | October 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Pianos Surely the only convincing synth pianos are sample-based ones? A sound as rich and expressive as that of an acoustic piano is far too complex to be rendered by subtractive synthesis... isn't it? We find out... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | September 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Cowbells & Claves Having learned last month how to synthesize tuned bells, we turn this month, in the last of this series on the subject of percussion, to untuned bells - in the form of the humble cowbell - and claves. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | August 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Bells Having come up last month with a reasonably realistic cymbal patch, its time to take the principles of synthesizing metallic percussion one stage further, and produce bell sounds. But there's more to this than you might think... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | July 2002 | |||
| Practical Cymbal Synthesis Synthesizing realistic cymbals is complex, but not impossible - after all, over 20 years ago, Roland's TR808 drum machine featured synthesized cymbals. We look at how they managed it, and attempt to create cymbals on another affordable analogue synth. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | June 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Realistic Cymbals Having analysed the complex process by which a cymbal makes its sound, it's time to synthesize our own... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | May 2002 | |||
| Synth Secrets: Analysing Metallic Percussion The task of synthesizing convincing metallic percussion defeated many synth giants - you only need to listen to Kraftwerk's weedy cymbals on 'The Model' to be persuaded of that. So why is it so difficult? We find out... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | April 2002 | |||
| Practical Snare Drum Synthesis Last month, we revealed just how hideously complex the sound-producing mechanism of the snare drum can be. Nevertheless, synthesizing the sound is not as hard as it seems, as we find out with the aid of a Roland SH101... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | March 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Drums: The Snare Drum If you thought synthesizing realistic bass drums was complex, that's nothing compared to snares. So how is it that the analogue snare sound is so well known? And how do you go about creating it? We find out... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | February 2002 | |||
| Practical Bass Drum Synthesis Moving from last month's theoretical bass drum synth patch to its practical application on affordable analogue synths, we also take a look at how the world's most famous drum machines produce this fundamental rhythm sound... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | January 2002 | |||
| Synthesizing Drums: The Bass Drum Ever wanted to synthesize unpitched membranophones? No? Well, you might if you knew that bass and snare drums are of this percussion type. We show you how... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | December 2001 | |||
| Practical Percussion Synthesis Building on the theory of what makes up the sound of timpani, as explained last month, this month's Synth Secrets reveals how to synthesize realistic kettle drums using a Korg MS20 and a Yamaha DX7. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | November 2001 | |||
| Synthesizing Percussion Synth Secrets turns its attention to the synthesis of percussion instruments, beginning with pitched drums. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | October 2001 | |||
| Part 30: A Final Attempt To Synthesize Guitars Having proved that subtractive synthesis of an acoustic guitar is completely impractical, Gordon Reid tries his hand at the electric variety, and deconstructs some past attempts to emulate the sound via analogue means. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | September 2001 | |||
| Part 29: The Theoretical Acoustic Guitar Patch Having explained last month the reasons why analogue synthesis of guitar sounds should be well-nigh impossible, Gordon Reid puts the theory to the test... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | August 2001 | |||
| Part 28: Synthesizing Plucked Strings Having dealt exhaustively with the mechanics of brass instruments and how to go about synthesizing them, Gordon Reid turns to instruments that use plucked strings to generate their sound, taking the complexities of the acoustic guitar as an example... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | July 2001 | |||
| Part 27: Roland SH101/ARP Axxe Brass Synthesis * Gordon Reid concludes his attempts to adapt an idealised analogue brass patch so that it can be programmed on real synths. This month, he looks at the Roland SH101 and ARP Axxe. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | June 2001 | |||
| Part 26: Brass Synthesis On A Minimoog Last month we looked at how analogue modules can reproduce the sound of a real trumpet. All very well if you own a wall-sized modular system - but what if your means are more limited? Gordon Reid adapts theory to practice with a Minimoog. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | May 2001 | |||
| Part 25: Synthesizing Brass Instruments Gordon Reid builds on the acoustic theory of wind and brass instruments he introduced last month, and explains how to produce a convincing analogue trumpet sound. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | April 2001 | |||
| Part 24: Synthesizing Wind Instruments Gordon Reid embarks on a journey to synthesize convincing woodwind and brass. This month, he considers how these instruments make their sound in real life. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | March 2001 | |||
| Part 23: Formant Synthesis Ever heard a synth talk? If you have, it's due to formant synthesis. Gordon Reid concludes the purely theoretical part of this series with a look at the theory of analogue formant synthesis, how it relates to the human voice, and modern digital synths like Yamaha's FS1R. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | February 2001 | |||
| Part 22: From Springs, Plates & Buckets to Physical Modelling Onboard effects may seem like relatively recent synth innovation, but even old modular synths offered analogue effects. Although they were basic, the freely patchable nature of modular synths allowed them to be used to create convincing acoustic instrument sounds Ñ thus effectively physical modelling. Gordon Reid explains how. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | January 2001 | |||
| Part 21: From Polyphony To Digital Synths Polyphony is hard to achieve on analogue synths without incurring hideous expense. This month, Gordon Reid explains how synth manufacturers employed digital technology to overcome this problem. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | December 2000 | |||
| Part 20: Introducing Polyphony Having explored the way monophonic and duophonic analogue keyboards work, Gordon Reid puts away his Minimoog and Odyssey and descends into the complex world of polyphonic synths to a florish of complex jazz chords. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | November 2000 | |||
| Part 19: Duophony Gordon Reid discovers that two's company, as he investigates how manufacturers stretched the capabilities of analogue monosynths to offer the magnificent total of two notes at a time. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | October 2000 | |||
| Part 18: Priorities And Triggers In these days of 64-note polyphony and 32-part multitimbrality, it's easy to forget the importance of note-priority systems in analogue monosynths - yet they can have a drastic effect on what you hear when you play or trigger an old synth. Gordon Reid provides a refresher course. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | September 2000 | |||
| Part 17: From Sample And Hold To Sample-rate Converters (2) Sample and Hold modules, as Gordon Reid explained last month, convert a continuously varying signal into a stepped series of fixed pitches. And this, as we shall see, is the basis of what we know as 'digital audio'... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | August 2000 | |||
| Part 16: From Sample And Hold To Sample-rate Converters (1) Gordon Reid introduces the synthesis modules that allow you to create a number of commonly used 'random' effects, and their close relatives - analogue sequencers. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | July 2000 | |||
| Part 15: An Introduction To ESPS And Vocoders Gordon Reid turns his attention to the effects that can be achieved when subtractive synthesis components are applied not to the output from oscillators, but to real-world sounds - such as human speech. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | June 2000 | |||
| Part 14: An Introduction To Additive Synthesis Every pitched sound can be though of as a collection of individual sine waves at frequencies related to the fundamental. Gordon Reid introduces a powerful method of synthesis that works by manupulating these individual harmonics. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | May 2000 | |||
| Part 13: More On Frequency Modulation Last month, we examined the frankly scary maths allowing you to predict the audible effects of Frequency Modulation. This month, although the maths gets even tougher, Gordon Reid relates the theory to the practical implementation of FM synthesis on Yamaha's digital synths, as well as modular and non-modular analogues. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | April 2000 | |||
| Part 12: An Introduction To Frequency Modulation As Gordon Reid explained last month, audio-frequency modulation of the amplitude of a signal can be a powerful synthesis tool. The possibilities expand still further when we consider what happens when you use one audio-frequency signal to modulate the frequency of another... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | March 2000 | |||
| Part 11: Amplitude Modulation Last month, Gordon Reid examined the concept of modulation at low frequencies. This month, he speeds things up a bit. The result is not just faster versions of the same modulation effects, but a new type of synthesis... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | February 2000 | |||
| Part 10: Modulation In this month's instalment of his series on the basics of subtractive synthesis, Gordon Reid considers the magic ingredient that makes all the other elements sound interesting... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | January 2000 | |||
| Part 9: An Introduction To VCAs Having laid bare the inner workings of oscillators, contour generators and filters, Gordon Reid turns his attention to something which at first sight seems entirely self-evident. Can the humble voltage-controlled amplifier really hold on any Synth Secrets? |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | December 1999 | |||
| Part 8: More About Envelopes Gordon Reid reveals some of the limitations of the 'classic' ADSR envelope with reference to a practical synthesis example, and explains some of the different types of envelopes found on classic analogue synths, from AR envelopes right up to highly flexible digitally controlled EGs. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | November 1999 | |||
| Part 7: Envelopes, Gates & Triggers You press a key on your synth. It plays a note. That's it, right? Wrong. Gordon Reid explains the role of envelopes, triggers, and gates in this deceptively simple process. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | October 1999 | |||
| Part 6: Of Responses And Resonance As parts 4 & 5 of Gordon Reid's series showed, even the simplest analogue filters mess with your sound in complicated ways. In this part, he considers what happens when you make the design more sophisticated... |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | September 1999 | |||
| Part 5: Further With Filters Gordon Reid continues his series on the theory of subtractive synthesis by delving deeper into the amazingly complex world of the analogue audio filter. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | August 1999 | |||
| Part 4: Of Filters & Phase Relationships Having dealt last month with the conceprts of envelopes, oscillators and LFOs, Gordon Reid moves on to the subject of filters, and the havoc they wreak on the signals that pass through them. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | July 1999 | |||
| Part 3: Modifiers & Controllers Gordon Reid moves on from discussing the harmonic components of sound to explaining how they change over time, and some of the tools subtractive synths give you to emulate this process. |
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| SYNTH SECRETS | Technique : Synthesis | June 1999 | |||
| Part 2: The Physics Of Percussion The first part of this series explained how the tones of most real instruments can be reduced to patterns of harmonics, which can be generated using sine, saw, square or pulse waveforms. This month, Gordon Reid considers the sonic raw materials needed to imitate unpitched percussion. |
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| Synth Secrets | Technique : Synthesis | May 1999 | |||
| Part 1: What's In A Sound? In the first part of this new series exploring the world of subtractive synthesis, Gordon Reid goes right back to basics. What are waveforms and harmonics, where do they come from, and how does the theory relate to what we actually hear? |
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| Synth Secrets: Links to All Parts | Technique : Synthesis | ||||
This page contains links to every part of Gordon Reid's popular SYNTH SECRETS series which ran for over three years in Sound On Sound. |
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Sat 25 May 2013
Sound On Sound : Est. 1985