Members jskpongoui Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Hi guys, I'm looking to get a few (2) nice books on synthesizers to read I have my sh201 and I'm still working on replicating patches and stuff like that to give you an idea of where I'm at.. I checked the stickies, but I'm not exactly sure at this point what will help me the most... Any advice on helpful reads? (in book form, I plan on sticking em in my backpack to read on the bus... etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members aztechno Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Check out the Dance Music Manual...misleading title, but quite good: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manual-Second-techniques/dp/0240521072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252121298&sr=8-1#reader Look Inside: http://www.amazon.com/reader/0240521072?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib_dp_pt#reader Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen Klaus Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 If you want a "recipe book" for achieving specific types of sounds using a 2-oscillator synth, Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook is pretty much the standard. The author self-publishes the book, and if you're squeamish about ebay, he also lists himself on Amazon Marketplace. On the other hand, if you want something that delves more deeply into the science behind synthesizer programming, then I highly recommend Martin Russ' Sound Synthesis and Sampling. It's a pretty dry read, the author could stand to improve his writing chops, and the third edition desperately needs to go back to an editor for a revision (typos ahoy!), but the information contained within is solid gold. And if you ever decide to move on into other types of synthesis (S&S, FM, granular, resynthesis, etc.), the book is expansive enough to move right along with you. It's quite comprehensive. Another book I highly recommend is Mark Jenkins' Analog Synthesizers: Understanding, Performing, Buying. It's more a history of analog subtractive synthesizers than anything else, but there are some great interviews in there. The included CD is a handy reference to hear what different synths and patch combinations sound like -- the author explains what he does for each sound on the disc. His section explaining the basic components of a modular synth is much more accessible than that in the Russ book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jskpongoui Posted September 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Do you think the martin russ sound synthesis and sampling book would be digestable for someone who is younger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hogberto Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 this book is at my bedside just now. bit aged, but it's paperback and has lots in it: synthesizer basicshttp://www.amazon.com/Synthesizer-Basics-Hal-Leonard-Corp/dp/0881887145/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252159663&sr=8-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 I don't own the books that the other guys have suggested above, but it does look like if you want something to use with your SH201 to try making different types of sounds then Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook would be good to have. It looks like you can basically use it like a follow-along laboratory guide and try building your own patches using your synth that have the approximate settings in the guide and then tweak the sounds to explore with your own ears what you get. I am going to order that particular book for myself. Dance Music Manual looks like it would be a good book to just have with you to read, as do the latter two suggested by Citizen Klaus. Based on the Amazon reviews, the last book "Analog Synthesizers..." sounds like it is as much or more a historical reference than a programming book. To somebody like me who is interested in history and technology in general this sounds like it would also be an interesting read, but I am not sure if that is your specific goal. I bought Programming Synthesizers from Wizoo books and found it to be very pedestrian for a guy like me (PhD EE, postdoc in applied math, and 17 years industrial research experience) but I think that I am not exactly a typical person in the books target audience. The book attempts to help you figure out how to describe a sound in terms of analogies with other senses (hard/soft, warm/cold, bright/dark, etc) and how to program them. It ships with a CD that has a stand-alone software synthesizer that will work with any modern windows type of PC that has sound playing capability (consumer sound card or integrated audio). If you are interested in sampling, then Simon Caan and Klaus Rauch's Sample This is a gentle introduction to the whole process of making and playing your own samples. Again it is not extremely technical but was a fun potty-time read for me. I would not recommend Caan's other books unless you own most of the Cakewalk synthesizers (and one of his books specifically targets Cakewalk Synthesizers exclusively). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 I've added this thread to the "Learning Keys" UberGodlike Superthread. You may find some other tidbits there. That thread is listed in the Important Threads Directory - Read This First sticky thread. A good point to start your explorations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen Klaus Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Do you think the martin russ sound synthesis and sampling book would be digestable for someone who is younger I don't think it's really a question of young versus old. It's more a matter of newbie versus veteran. Sound Synthesis and Sampling is a great book, but it might be better as your second synth book, and not your first. Russ assumes a certain level of knowledge about physics and electrical engineering, and his explanations of synth modules and processes are structured accordingly. There's some math there, but it's mostly algebra; the sort of stuff you might learn in a high school class, depending on the boldness of your textbook. Russ is not very good, however, at describing how things sound. It's very difficult for a writer to believably convey non-visual sensory processes through writing, and Russ doesn't appear to have that level of skill. He's great at explaining highly technical processes while shielding you from the underlying calculus, but that's admittedly a skill more relevant to intermediate-level synthesists. If you don't have much experience with synthesizers, I'd suggest starting with Mark Jenkins' Analogue Synthesizers. He's got a great writing style, and describes synth effects in terms of how they sound, not in terms of the underlying math. Plus, Jenkins gives you a great audio CD so you can follow along. If you don't know what a sample and hold circuit sounds like when patched to the pitch input on a VCO, it's on the CD. If you don't know what a VCO is, that's just fine; Jenkins explains it in easy-to-understand terms. I've never used an SH-201, but I've seen the controls, and I think you could follow along with Jenkins quite nicely. Personally, I started with the Jenkins book and then moved on to Russ. I really do think that's the better way to go, because even though Russ explains these sort of introductory concepts (like what a VCO is), his writing isn't nearly as accessible as Jenkins'. Basically, the authors write for different markets. Analogue Synthesizers is meant for general audiences, while Sound Synthesis and Sampling is basically a college-level textbook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jskpongoui Posted September 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Alright thanks guys, do you think welsh's book is able to be read away from a synthesizer? This will be a book I will be reading in my freetime at school... so I can't have my synth next to me ;( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Alright thanks guys, do you think welsh's book is able to be read away from a synthesizer?This will be a book I will be reading in my freetime at school... so I can't have my synth next to me ;( If you go to the Ebay listing that Citizen Klaus linked above then you can find a link to a PDF sample of the book. It looks as if much of the book consists of tables for where to set various synthesizer controls to get a particular type of sound (e.g. banjo-like or french horn-like) in terms of units of the max value of the LFO. There is also supposed to be info on how to calibrate against his settings. So to me it sounds more like a real cookbook with recipes in it for various sounds and a method for calibrating your synths knobs to his. As I said before, it looks like a good "lab" style book for having next to your synth but not something to take and just read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen Klaus Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Alright thanks guys, do you think welsh's book is able to be read away from a synthesizer?This will be a book I will be reading in my freetime at school... so I can't have my synth next to me ;( You could read Welsh's away from your synth, but I doubt you'd remember much of it. As Gribs noted, Welsh's is a book that's meant to be propped up on a music stand behind your keyboard. It's not exactly light reading. I think you'd do well to start out with Mark Jenkins' Analog Synthesizers. It doesn't have the recipes of Fred Welsh's book or the in-depth technical analysis of Martin Russ', but it's a great start, and Jenkins lays things out in a manner that makes it easy to remember what you just read, even if you can only read the book for a few short minutes at a time. No one book is going to be able to tell you everything, anyway. I think we all maintain a library of some sort. The key is finding out which book should be your first book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jskpongoui Posted September 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 You could read Welsh's away from your synth, but I doubt you'd remember much of it. As Gribs noted, Welsh's is a book that's meant to be propped up on a music stand behind your keyboard. It's not exactly light reading. I think you'd do well to start out with Mark Jenkins' Analog Synthesizers. It doesn't have the recipes of Fred Welsh's book or the in-depth technical analysis of Martin Russ', but it's a great start, and Jenkins lays things out in a manner that makes it easy to remember what you just read, even if you can only read the book for a few short minutes at a time. No one book is going to be able to tell you everything, anyway. I think we all maintain a library of some sort. The key is finding out which book should be your first book. alright thanks I think I'm gonna try synthesizer basics, if that doesnt work ill return it and try that one. tahnks for everyones help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Outside manuals and sheet music, my music-related book collection is very small. I have a few history-related hard cover guitar books that are really nice, especially for the photography of vintage and one-of-a-kind instruments. As time goes on I will accumulate more synth-related books. I should read some more composer biographies, too. Most of the time when I read a biography I borrow the book from the public library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen Klaus Posted September 5, 2009 Members Share Posted September 5, 2009 Outside manuals and sheet music, my music-related book collection is very small. I have a few history-related hard cover guitar books that are really nice, especially for the photography of vintage and one-of-a-kind instruments. As time goes on I will accumulate more synth-related books. I should read some more composer biographies, too. Most of the time when I read a biography I borrow the book from the public library. Perhaps I'm an aberration, then. I'm a professional academic, so I'm rather accustomed to buying and reading lots of books, on any subject that interests me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stabby Posted September 6, 2009 Members Share Posted September 6, 2009 I need to know how to make a few sounds but it's not worth buying a book for. Basicly I want to know how to make Hammond, epiano and clav sounds with subtractive synthesis. Sure, I have these sounds sample based, but I'd like to try it out anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted September 6, 2009 Members Share Posted September 6, 2009 http://www.soundonsound.comsearch for "synth secrets" this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen Klaus Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 (Crossposted from this thread.) If you don't want to buy a book, then make sure you at least read through Gordon Reid's Synth Secrets (the series starts at the bottom of the list). It's as close to a standard recommendation as you're likely to get. In fact, you could go quite far on Synth Secrets alone -- Reid is a great author, and really knows his stuff. If you want to move on to books, then check out my recommendations in another thread. Mark Jenkins' Analog Synthesizers would be a great follow-up to Synth Secrets; Jenkins spends more time on the history of analog synthesis. He profiles a number of well-known synthesists and explores how their (often improvised) techniques helped to create the standard palette of synth sounds we enjoy today. Compared to Synth Secrets, Martin Russ' Sound Synthesis and Sampling treads similar territory, but goes into greater technical detail. The book is pretty dry, and Russ isn't nearly as accessible as Reid or Jenkins (in particular, Russ desperately needs an editor to do basic proofreading), but he'll take you deep into the theory behind synthesis, so you understand the basic electrical and mathematical premises at work. That's as far as I can take you; I still haven't finished the Russ book, myself (not to mention, my big fancy S&S keyboard hasn't even arrived here, yet). I've compiled a tentative reading list for after I've cleared Russ, and you're welcome to take a gander. I can't vouch for the quality of the books, though, nor for the order in which they ought to be read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bruto Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 It's funny, there are thousands of guitar books but very few synthesizer books. I think if we should write one. It would be big, 14x18, 500 pages, history, loads of photos, a CD full of sound samples, maybe even a DVD - and cost $50 (or $200 if sold as a college text.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 I think that guitar is a more visible, accessible, and stable (in terms of form factor) instrument relative to synthesizer and has a big pop cultural following in the USA. Electronic synthesis has a much shorter history and synthesizer designs are still changing along with electronics and computer technology. Piano and other keyboard instruments with various mechanical mechanisms have been around for a long time but for some reason seem to me to not have the same pop cultural following as guitars. I own three guitar books. One book is on Martin, one on Gibson, and one on Fender guitars. Each book contains a wealth of information and photography of instruments. Much of the Martin book covers special custom models that are essentially works of art. I am sure that books like these could be written about Moog, Arp, Buchla, Oberheim, Roland, Korg, Yamaha, Kurzweil, SCI and DSI, and others. For them to sell there needs to be a demographic of prospective buyers who are interested in that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Citizen Klaus Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 It's funny, there are thousands of guitar books but very few synthesizer books. I think if we should write one.It would be big, 14x18, 500 pages, history, loads of photos, a CD full of sound samples, maybe even a DVD - and cost $50 (or $200 if sold as a college text.) There's already a book like that. It covers more than just synths -- it's actually a history of keyboard instruments in general -- but it does have lots of photos plus a DVD. Starts with spinets, virginals, and harpsichords, and finishes with the Korg OASYS: Totally Interactive Keyboard Bible. Gordon Reid (from Sound on Sound) writes the sections on electronic keyboards and synthesizers. The package also includes a spiral-bound book of exercises with an accompanying CD. I've got it, and it's a fantastic value -- two books, a DVD, and a CD for $23 USD. The spiral-bound book is a great starter introduction to technique, especially if you're interested in jazz/rock organ rather than classical piano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bruto Posted September 7, 2009 Members Share Posted September 7, 2009 There's already a book like that. Cool. I read SOS all the time, so I'll check it out. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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