Synthesizers

Alongside the people who make them, Patrick Gleeson has probably done more than anyone else to introduce synthesizers to popular music.

Any synth can be coaxed into producing vintage-sounding patches...

The theremin is one of the oldest electric instruments around, and its distinctive sound is instantly recognisable. However, real ones are hard to find, and even harder to play. Sam Inglis tries to work out a way of cheating.

Set the controls for the heart of the bass: Nick Magnus reveals just how low your digital synth can go...

Though sound synthesis has a relatively short history, its progress has been rapid, with the result that the basic concepts of synthesis are now becoming lost in the mists of time — yet to effectively programme current synths, it really helps to know them.