Which book on sound synthesis?

Sinjin · Post by **Sinjin** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 1:19 pm

pj is right. if its your first go round with synthesis, then power tools for synthesizers is the one you want. if youve been at it a while its going to take a couple passes for you to dig out new info, but if its a new subject to you itll help quite a bit.

Kas. · Post by **Kas.** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 2:03 pm

Sinjin wrote:pj is right. if its your first go round with synthesis, then power tools for synthesizers is the one you want. if youve been at it a while its going to take a couple passes for you to dig out new info, but if its a new subject to you itll help quite a bit.

I´m always a bit weary of recomending books like that. It´s called "Powertools for synthesiser programing" but the index seems to indicate that "A introduction to substractive synthesis" would be a more apropriate title. I think a broader foundation may be better to avoid getting stuck with just tweaking LP filters like so many people do.

For sure substractive synthesis can make a large range of apealing sounds but I think it´s more "healthy" to aproach it as one of a number of options instead if as the benchmark to compare everything to. For decades this made sense since sadly the only thing you could realistically get your hands on was hardware substractive synths and perhaps the odd FM synth but these days I realy see no reason at all to stick to that limited frame of reference.

Sinjin · Post by **Sinjin** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 2:06 pm

Kas. wrote:
Sinjin wrote:pj is right. if its your first go round with synthesis, then power tools for synthesizers is the one you want. if youve been at it a while its going to take a couple passes for you to dig out new info, but if its a new subject to you itll help quite a bit.
I´m always a bit weary of recomending books like that. It´s called "Powertools for synthesiser programing" but the index seems to indicate that "A introduction to substractive synthesis" would be a more apropriate title. I think a broader foundation may be better to avoid getting stuck with just tweaking LP filters like so many people do.

For sure substractive synthesis can make a large range of apealing sounds but I think it´s more "healthy" to aproach it as one of a number of options instead if as the benchmark to compare everything to. For decades this made sense since sadly the only thing you could realistically get your hands on was hardware substractive synths and perhaps the odd FM synth but these days I realy see no reason at all to stick to that limited frame of reference.

i thought i made it clear it was a beginners book...lighten up.

Kas. · Post by **Kas.** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 2:49 pm

Hey, no agression intended at all, I just wanted to plead in favour of a broad basis as a start instead of starting with a more in depth look at one speciffic kind of synthesis. It´s a different way of aproaching the matter; I have no stock in the book industry... It´s all fine with me. :¬)

Cheers.

Sinjin · Post by **Sinjin** » Sat Jun 25, 2005 4:03 pm

well, i think of it this way...

if youre to the point where you want to know about synthesis, then a broad overview isnt really going to tell you that much. that being said, it seems a lot easier to pick it apart in finer points, like mebbe say...subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis, granular synthesis, modular synth construction, effects processing, eq'ing, and sampling. if i was writing a book i figure id go like this: subractive synthesis, eq, fx, modular, sampling, granular, finally additive.

i think this helps because everytime you change subjects, the one before it gave you a necessary buildign block for the next one..i mean its no good telling a guy who just got his first copy of reason "go be brian eno! well check up on ya next month!'" the poor guy needs some direction. i really think you gotta break it down into those pieces and in that order, because if you dont already understand modulation, envelopes, LFOs, eq'ing and fx, sampling is going to be a brick wall. believe me, i know. by the time you get to the 'electives' part of our little course-that being additive and granular, which are still kinda out there anyway-you can already get by, and now youre just kinda doing enrichment work. i think the most important thing anyone can do who is learning how synthesis works is to build something in reaktor or max/msp or learn how to patch up an ARP2600 etc. to where it becomes a useful instrument, because thats the point at which you can sit down in live and think "hmm..lets see...i heard this sound once that clint mansell made that i liked and it sems like it might work here...lets make it happen' and then actually MAKE the bloody sound and tweak it to the point of personalization, well, thats the point when electronic music really becomes fulfilling.

so uh, anyway, this was just a long winded way of saying, i think i dont correctly understand what you mean.

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Wed Jun 29, 2005 5:40 pm

Thanks a lot guys for your opinions and help.

I myself am not a newbie in audio production or audio-related topics, but sound synthesis is a big "MUST" that I haven't got the chance to really study. I always prefer reading, reading, reading before using, that way I can better understand what i am doing, and which direction to aim when looking for something in particular. That's what I'm missing when it comes to synthesis.

So i'll probably get that synth-newbie book and then, when I feel the hunger for knowledge again, go and pick another one.

Thanks for the links too, but for now I prefer a book. There's nothing like reading when going to work on a bus!!!