Members soundwave106 Posted October 13, 2012 Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 There's always DIY to get your feet wet. Muffwiggler has a DIY section, and there was a mailing list (Synth-DIY) that may or may not be active. I think these were more analog oriented. There's also forums for digital DIY (eg VST makers), can't remember the links offhand. I could probably Google them. Are you more interested in analog (which may involve no code), digital (which will involve code), or hybrids? Pro-tip: Learn how to solder. That's why I never got into DIY, I can't solder worth a damn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 13, 2012 Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 Some DIY work here would be a big, big help in opening your eyes to what skills and knowledge you'll need here. You might also haunt the Electro Music forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 13, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 Well I want to make a 2 rack Soundmodule of the GX1 and a 40 pound Polyphonic Moog Modular, And a Virtual Acustics 2, And to finally make a Good Wind controler Yes actually i'm interested in all! But yes very seriously investigating that direction Well Doing Renewable Energy but i think i can take atvantage of some material I'm seing there . But please I very very very ...... humbly apreciate "any" comments or suggestions you can ad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members midinut Posted October 13, 2012 Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 Mini - check this link out as well when you get a chance: http://www.spectrasonics.net/video/videos.phpClick on the video "Mavericks of Sound Design". Rather lengthy but very informative - even funny at times. I think you'll enjoy.After watching you may even want to drop Eric Persing an email and ask his advice on how to get started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members intercorni Posted October 13, 2012 Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 I'm a Synthdesigner and I talk and test with musicians. However not public! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 13, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 13, 2012 Hardware or sound design ? any advice ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 15, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2012 This was getting incredebly interesting and informative ..... I hope some last participant will contribute but I really do apreciate a million for does who did . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poserp Posted October 15, 2012 Members Share Posted October 15, 2012 If you're interested in digital synthesis (and even if you're not, since many analog synths these days sport microcontrollers and other digital bits), I would be become a C guru (that's a programming language, not to be confused with C++, which may also come in handy). Know your math, from trig up through a few differential equations classes. DSP coding uses lots of FFTs (Fast Fourier Transforms) and a whole host of other fun bits of math, so math math math math. Learn real-time OS programming, as that's a whole different ballgame than programming for, say, Linux/Windows/OSX. Also, knowing your way around current microprocessors would be good too. Understanding how to throw all of that stuff at musically-useful problems is the capstone -- how to program sequencers, arpeggiators, AD and DA conversion, MIDI/OSC programming, and so forth. Really, there are a few different skillsets that could be useful. One is the industrial designer -- i.e. the people who come up with design concepts for physical products. One is the electrical engineer, or in other words the guy who understands what all the pieces of silicon do and how to hook them up correctly so nobody gets hurt and signals get transferred properly from place to place. One is the OS/DSP programmer, which is the person who writes code to make all the bits of silicon work together to perform different tasks; display a list of programs on a screen, apply digital DSP to signals, control hardware signal routing (via relays or something similar), manage patches in a logical and useful way, and so on. The Sound Designers, or the people who make the presets, are in another class altogether. They have the ability to translate vague and specific descriptions of sounds into usable patches, and come up with stuff on their own as well. A good sound designer (IMO) should have an idea as well of what a "useful" sound is and how to determine if it's actually useful to somebody. A vast functional sonic knowledge of music helps in both of those processes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 15, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2012 Originally Posted by intercorni I'm a Synthdesigner and I talk and test with musicians. However not public! Is there something you do can talk about, or PM me about it ? All is apreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 15, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2012 poserp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members midinut Posted October 15, 2012 Members Share Posted October 15, 2012 I'm getting ready to start college (again) in January and am planning to major in Computer Science. I am very interested in some of the same questions you are Mini. I realize that it will be 4 years before I am done, but I'd like to know where to put my emphasis. I heard what poserp said about Math, Math, Math and I understand that. I never have done well in math and that concerns me a bit. I'm trying to approach it from an understanding that math is more about probelm solving than anything else but it still scares the {censored} out of me. I'm leaning towards wanting to develop VST's and/or iPad/iPod/iPhone Apps at this time but that could all change in 4 years. I am planning on getting a good foundation in C but the last time I studied programming was COBOL and RPG II so things have changed quite a bit since then. At my age (53) school is going to be a challenge as my memory/mind isn't what it used to be. I'm also interested in Sound Design as well. So like Mini, any advice from anyone here would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 15, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 15, 2012 but the experience and maturity you have gain is going to make up or even give you some advantage.WHY CAN'T WE VISIT A FACTORY OR SE MORE UPCLOSE HOW ITS DONE ?THERE IS NO ACTUAL VIDEO OF IT ON YOUTUBE ONLY ONE BUT IT'S MINIMAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ElectricPuppy Posted October 16, 2012 Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 Go take a tour at the Moog factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Randyman Posted October 16, 2012 Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 PM Dave Polich over at Motifator.com, he's a sound designer, he might be able to steer you. Post this same post at korgforums.com, and Motifator.com, lots of sharp folks there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Plink Floyd Posted October 16, 2012 Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 Lot's of wisdom in this thread. I agree with those who recommend schooling in CompSci. After that, go back for EE. Then MegaCorp will offer you Big Bucks to sit in a cube and twiddle bits and you'll forget all about this silly synth business. Originally Posted by midinut I'm getting ready to start college (again) Good luck! I admire adults who can tackle college and work at the same time. I always planned to finish my BSEET, but I made the mistake of working for 'a few years' after I got my AS. The 'few years' turned into 35 so far... I did sign up for night school once, but on the way to the first class a drunk driver totaled my car. I took that as a sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted October 16, 2012 Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 Athan Billias is Bad mister in motifator.com? No, he is not. Bad Mister's real name is Phil Clendeninn, he's a customer support guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Audacity Works Posted October 16, 2012 Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 WHY CAN'T WE VISIT A FACTORY OR SE MORE UPCLOSE HOW ITS DONE?Unless you're talking boutique companies (and considering their size, Moog is probably still considered boutique), most hardware synths are manufactured in Asia. Not sure if Korg runs a dedicated manufacturing plant (Roland and Yamaha certainly do), but the design and manufacturing teams are almost always in completely different locations. Actually, manufacturing is generally the least interesting part of synth creation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Randyman Posted October 16, 2012 Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 Audacity Works wrote: Or you could do what I did, and design so many products with so much detail that some company says "Hey Audacity. We're not sure if we want to invest in your product line(s), but damn, you're a geek. Why don't you just work here?" That's cool- from the ground up, your resume is all the work you've done. Like a lot of musicians, I got into recording engineering 'cause I wanted a leg up on recording myself cheaply and be in the biz. I found out the hard way that there's a lot of musicians like me, and even after substantial capital investments in my studio (upwards of $20k), and going to school for recording engineering (dedicated courses at a Community College), my competition was incredible, with people giving away their studio time at $15/hour, sometimes less. My experience of the music business overall:1. Waaaaay too many guys2. Tons of competition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 16, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 Unless you're talking boutique companies (and considering their size, Moog is probably still considered boutique), most hardware synths are manufactured in Asia. Not sure if Korg runs a dedicated manufacturing plant (Roland and Yamaha certainly do), but the design and manufacturing teams are almost always in completely different locations. Actually, manufacturing is generally the least interesting part of synth creation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted October 16, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 16, 2012 Unless you're talking boutique companies (and considering their size, Moog is probably still considered boutique), most hardware synths are manufactured in Asia. Not sure if Korg runs a dedicated manufacturing plant (Roland and Yamaha certainly do), but the design and manufacturing teams are almost always in completely different locations. Actually, manufacturing is generally the least interesting part of synth creation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundwave106 Posted October 17, 2012 Members Share Posted October 17, 2012 Actually, manufacturing is generally the least interesting part of synth creation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Audacity Works Posted October 17, 2012 Members Share Posted October 17, 2012 And there are plenty of jobs one might consider under the "design" banner. Some have been mentioned before, but there's product line manager, technical product manager (closest to the "product designer" role?) project manager, technical writer, UI designer, UX designer, industrial designer, electrical engineer, firmware engineer, systems engineer, manufacturing engineer, software engineer, driver engineer, GUI designer, graphic designer, test lead, and a bunch more that I've forgotten. Collectively, all these people may ultimately be responsible for the "design" of a product. Of course, in smaller companies, many of these roles may be filled by a single person. Personally, I find UI and UX design the most fascinating (almost to a fault), but I know engineers who are extremely passionate about staring at C code all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J3RK Posted November 8, 2012 Members Share Posted November 8, 2012 And there are plenty of jobs one might consider under the "design" banner. Some have been mentioned before, but there's product line manager, technical product manager (closest to the "product designer" role?) pro ject manager, technical writer, UI designer, UX designer, industrial designer, electrical engineer, firmware engineer, systems engineer, manufacturing engineer, software engineer, driver engineer, GUI designer, graphic designer, test lead, and a bunch more that I've forgotten. Collectively, all these people may ultimately be responsible for the "design" of a product. Of course, in smaller companies, many of these roles may be filled by a single person. Personally, I find UI and UX design the most fascinating (almost to a fault), but I know engineers who are extremely passionate about staring at C code all day. Sometimes... one wears all the hats... Well, I'm really more of a DIY guy-gone-custom-boutique-sorta-thing, but... I would suggest, that you go somewhere like http://www.electro-music.com or http://www.muffwiggler.com and hit the DIY forums. You'll interact with people who design, build, and play synths on a daily basis. Then expand from there. Haven't logged in here for a couple of years, but this thread caught my eye. (in that time I've learned to read schematics, lay out PCBs, design functions, where to get PCBs manufactured, how to purchase parts, and build a final product) It just takes a friendly place with knowledgeable people to help a bit, some books, and google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minimoog Posted November 10, 2012 Author Members Share Posted November 10, 2012 holly smokes !! thanx dude really really really really apreciate it . BTW I will start Installing solar panels will that help?? lol well maybe a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JeffLearman Posted November 10, 2012 Members Share Posted November 10, 2012 Regarding sound design and audio algorithms, there's a good subforum at http://kvraudio.com, though I haven't been there in quite a while and don't know if it's still good. The emphasis there is for plugins, since the overhead for that is low; no need to fuss with hardware. People who've contributed there vary from hobbyists to folks like Guido S, who brought us the sound engine for the Mojo and VB3, among other things. Nothing from the major manufacturers that I recall, but it's a big site and I only scratched the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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