Score

This book represents nothing less than the magnum opus of a jazz-rock master of synthesizer technique. Creative Synthesizer Technique is a unique addition to the Mel Bay keyboard bookshelf, both for its content and writing style. Holzman begins with an overview of the building blocks of sound as found on most synthesizers and then, through a series of hands-on, “Try This” projects, shows you how to use those blocks creatively. Each phase of synthesis is illustrated by a series of 43 downloadable audio tracks. Throughout, the author integrates synthesizer techniques with genuine musical ideas, providing images of his professional stage setup as well as a minimal equipment layout for home hobbyists. Additional information is shared in the author’s notes, footnotes and a generous glossary. His “Additional Thoughts on Performance” are filled with helpful suggestions for better soloing. Holzman has toured extensively with trumpet legend Miles Davis and British rocker Steven Wilson; he brings his 35 years of performance and synthesizer knowledge to bear in this outstanding book. Includes access to online audio.

The changes wrought by the MIDI and microcomputer revolution in the 1980s have dramatically transformed the world's music. Listeners now expect much more from the electronic music composer and performer, not only in audio quality, but also in skill and versatility across styles. However, to date there has been no comprehensive source of information to ground the synthesizer artist in the requisite technologies and techniques.

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.

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 practitioner's guide to the basic principles of creating sound effects using easily accessed free software. Designing Sound teaches students and professional sound designers to understand and create sound effects starting from nothing. Its thesis is that any sound can be generated from first principles, guided by analysis and synthesis. The text takes a practitioner's perspective, exploring the basic principles of making ordinary, everyday sounds using an easily accessed free software. Readers use the Pure Data (Pd) language to construct sound objects, which are more flexible and useful than recordings. Sound is considered as a process, rather than as data—an approach sometimes known as “procedural audio.” Procedural sound is a living sound effect that can run as computer code and be changed in real time according to unpredictable events. Applications include video games, film, animation, and media in which sound is part of an interactive process. The book takes a practical, systematic approach to the subject, teaching by example and providing background information that offers a firm theoretical context for its pragmatic stance. [Many of the examples follow a pattern, beginning with a discussion of the nature and physics of a sound, proceeding through the development of models and the implementation of examples, to the final step of producing a Pure Data program for the desired sound. Different synthesis methods are discussed, analyzed, and refined throughout.] After mastering the techniques presented in Designing Sound, students will be able to build their own sound objects for use in interactive applications and other projects

The Fundamentals of Synthesizer Programming provides an introduction on how to program a synthesizer for creating music in the studio and on stage. Used as a textbook for the introductory electronic music course at the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University, it covers the components and controls, of both hardware and software synthesizers, that are used to create a patch on a typical synth. Concepts are explained thoroughly with block diagramming, and practical examples are given with Reason Studio's Subtractor and a Moog Voyager.