The first focus guide derived from Beginning Synthesizer. Includes an introduction to electronic keyboard synthesizers and sections on Using Presets and Performance Controls.

Score

Electronic music instruments weren't called synthesizers until the 1950s, but their lineage began in 1919 with Russian inventor Lev Sergeyevich Termen's development of the Etherphone, now known as the Theremin. From that point, synthesizers have undergone a remarkable evolution from prohibitively large mid-century models confined to university laboratories to the development of musical synthesis software that runs on tablet computers and portable media devices. Throughout its history, the synthesizer has always been at the forefront of technology for the arts. In The Synthesizer: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding, Programming, Playing, and Recording the Ultimate Electronic Music Instrument, veteran music technology journalist, educator, and performer Mark Vail tells the complete story of the synthesizer: the origins of the many forms the instrument takes; crucial advancements in sound generation, musical control, and composition made with instruments that may have become best sellers or gone entirely unnoticed; and the basics and intricacies of acoustics and synthesized sound. Vail also describes how to successfully select, program, and play a synthesizer; what alternative controllers exist for creating electronic music; and how to stay focused and productive when faced with a room full of instruments. This one-stop reference guide on all things synthesizer also offers tips on encouraging creativity, layering sounds, performance, composing and recording for film and television, and much more.

Here is the fundamental knowledge and information that a beginning or intermediate electronic musician must have to understand and play today's keyboard synthesizers. This basic primer, newly updated from the classic original edition, offers step-by-step explanations and practical advice on what a synthesizer is, the basic concepts and components, and the latest technical developments and applications. Written by Bob Moog, Roger Powell, Steve Porcaro (of Toto), Tom Rhea, and other well-known experts, Synthesizer Basics is the first, and still the best, introduction available today.

From acid house to prog rock, there is no form of modern popular music that hasn't been propelled forwards by the synthesizer. As a result they have long been objects of fascination, desire and reverence for keyboard players, music producers and fans of electronic music alike. Whether looking at an imposing modular system or posing with a DX7 on Top of the Pops, the synth has also always had an undeniable physical presence. This book celebrates their impact on music and culture by providing a comprehensive and meticulously researched directory of every major synthesizer, drum machine and sampler made between 1963 and 1995. Each featured instrument is illustrated by hand, and shown alongside its vital statistics and some fascinatingly quirky facts. In tracing the evolution of the analogue synthesizer from its invention in the early 1960's to the digital revolution of the 1980s right up until the point that analogue circuits could be modelled using software in the mid-1990's, the book tells the story of analogue to digital - and back again. Tracing that history and showing off their visual beauty with art-book quality illustrations, this a must for any self-respecting synth fan.

Patch & Tweak with Moog is the ultimate resource for Moog synthesizer enthusiasts and musicians of all skill levels interested in an immersive modular synthesis experience. Opening with a foreword from acclaimed film score composer Hans Zimmer, this hardcover book by Kim Bjørn features 200 pages full of synthesizer techniques, creative patch ideas, sound design tips, professional artist interviews, in-depth discussions with Moog engineers, and a glimpse into the company's remarkable history. The book's primary focus is Moog's well-loved line of semi-modular analog synthesizers: Mother-32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, Grandmother, and Matriarch. Patch & Tweak with Moog brings readers inside the creative minds of composers, producers, and performing artists like Suzanne Ciani, Trent Reznor, Lisa Bella Donna, Paris Strother, Hannes Bieger, Stranger Things composers Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon, and Moog synthesizer co-inventor Herb Deutsch in detailed interviews featuring patching tips and tricks for musicians of all skill levels.

A single-volume guide to recreating 100 top-selected synthesizer sounds from hit songs provides illustrated two-page spreads that list details about how the sound was originally created on professional-grade synthesizers and how to create the same sounds today using modern plug-ins and readily available software instruments. Original.