Usually when I tool around, I stick to the presets. That's fine for starters, but I'm starting to get sounds in my head I really want to get out, but can't seem to find them (if that makes sense).

I look at synths like Crystal or Ganymed or Vivaldi or Triangle II (or 3xOsc and the TS-404) and know that these are capable of some amazing things. I just have no idea how to use them.

Are there any good soft synths that I can use to learn how synths work and develop an understanding of what different things do to the sound? (eg LFO, various wave shapes, filters etc). Someone has suggested to me CM101 which I have finally got my hands on (legitmately of course).

Any suggested synths are appreciated.

Hi smp,

Try Linplug's FreeAlpha (free) or their Alpha ($29). Both are really nice synths and are dead easy to program. They've even got a random patch generator that should serve as a starting point.

Good luck!

I believe Crystal has a couple of tutorials with the latest version, you could try reading those.

As you're obviously using Fruityloops, I would recommend that you start with the humble TS-404. It is a relatively simple synth and, unlike 3osc, all the synth parameters are on the same page. The approach I would take is to play with each section and see what it contributes to the timbre. e.g. find a preset you like and change the Osc waveform to see what effect it has. Then use the cross-mod functions to see what they do. When you feel that you have done the Osc section to death, move on to the Filter, and so on. It won't take you long to feel confident about how the changes you make affect the sound and then you will be able to apply what you have learned to more complex synths.

If you are using Fruity, the TS-404 is the place to start. After you learn what all the knobs do, then try your CM-101. They have many knobs in common that do similar things.

Find an old song you like that has a prominent analog synth line (for me it was Alan Parsons 'I Robot'). Then try to duplicate it (or as close as you can get). That will force you to listen for the waveform type, the shape of the envelopes, the speed of the LFO, etc.

Native Instruments' Soundforum synth was specifically made for learning synthesis with.

Its a standalone synth so you dont need a host to use it.

...and when you getting somewhere with synths like CM101, move on to Triangle II

Start with the very simple Tau and possibly the TS404.

Then move on to CM101 and Free Alpha.

After that, I guess you can start playing with that demo version of Wasp that comes with Fruity.

I'm really taking the lowest cost to you alternatives here. But these ones should do rather nicely I think.

Try looking at the old 'Synth Secrets' articles on the sound on sound web site (www.sound-on-sound.com). They range from the basics to VERY complicated. Also mda JX10 or CM 101 are probably the best starting points for basic analoge stuff.

Start with SynthOne from SonicBits. there are only 3 sections to play with and it will give you a good idea what different things do.

get it here: http://www.sonicbits.com/products/sbsynthone/default.asp

Then I'd give the TS404 a shot (if your using Fruity). This is a very nice synth, but it's also pretty easy to use.

The CM-101 is also a great starter synth. This one starts getting a bit more complex and will start to show you how to get ready for more complex things like Triangle II.

Forgot all about SynthOne. Very simple and won't get you very far, but it's synth programming at its most basic that's for sure.

Thanks a lot to everyone for their suggestions.

I've downloaded SynthOne (is sure looks basic...just what I need ), and once I've played around a little I'll move on to TS-404 and Tau. After that...well, I'll deal with that when I get there

I discovered the "Synth Secrets" articles literally just last night when flicking through a link to Studio covers that someone posted in another thread a day or two ago (I think it was on mixing, but that's beside the point...)

Looks like I've got a fair bit to keep me busy for a while to come...

Free Apha is the best overall synth in that whatever you learn from it you'll be able to use in your work and it is typical of the workflow of larger synthesizers.

Depends on what you're hoping to accoplish. As others said the 404 might be your best bet. If I were still teaching I'd use Free Alpha for the classroom's first couple of assignments.

Both FreeAlpha and CM101 are very nice to learn some synth basics, but unfortunately none of them supports sustain pedal messages - which makes them pretty much useless for demonstrating a LOT of comping sounds. At least if you want to play them through your MIDI keyboard that is.
The same is true for Jason's "Free Sonic" - which also could be nice for a medium simple thing to learn.
A true shame btw - I need the sustain pedal like all the time when comping. So all the above mentioned synths will just collect dust over here.

The Soundforum Synth actually was exactly fitting the idea of learning synths from the ground, but it's quite senseless without the articles coming with the appropriate mags ("Keyboards" mag in germany) as for a thing to explore by yourself it might eventually be a bit too much again.

Sascha

I bought my first synth in 1982, I've played well over 300 live shows, I'm close to finishing my 3rd album and I've never used a sustain pedal in my life. Sascha, how about keeping things simple for new users, eh?

BONES wrote:

I bought my first synth in 1982, I've played well over 300 live shows, I'm close to finishing my 3rd album and I've never used a sustain pedal in my life.

Weird - I use it like every minute, especially for comping. But then, I'm a guitar player and need some time to readjust my fingers, that's when a sustain pedal comes in handy.

Quote:

Sascha, how about keeping things simple for new users, eh?

No problem with keeping it simple - but actually a sustain pedal is like a must for a synth (at least for all polyphonic ones). Wouldn't even spend a penny if a synth had no sustain option. Apart from the fact that the sustain function really isn't that complicated...

Sascha

I don't think I've ever used the sustain pedal on a synth. In fact, I didn't realise anyone ever bothered implementing it.

I know I'm not a seasoned synth user like Bones, but it was just never an issue for me.

Have been playing in bands for the last 20 years, I did in fact had a sustain pedal on both my DX7 and my ESQ-1. But I only used those to hold some big stringpad chord and get my both hands free to do other things (like playing solos on my Teisco 110F and have a hand available to do pitchbends and stuff)

I think a sustain pedal is importand for emulations like piano and rhodes but for "normal" synth work it's pretty useless tmo (except in the live situation I described).

I tend to use the sustain pedal quite a bit, but probably largely from force of habit (too many years of piano lessons, I guess ).

Live I use it plenty too (live, I play in a kinda-lame-but-fun classic/surf-rock cover band for the occational extra $$ , so a lot of my keyboard work is just piano or organ); but often (like crim) I'll use to to sustain certain things to keep my hands free for guitar or bass.

I use not one, but TWO sustain pedals when playing. I keep a "latching" style pedal hooked up for infinitely sustaining arpeggiators, wavesequences, evolving LFOs and such, while I have another "normal" sustain pedal for accomplishing whatever duties I feel like assigning it to. For instance, say I'm playing a lead sound, and I want my resonance to increase, while the LFO speed slows down. I can play the resonance knob with my left hand while my right plays the lead line, and use the pedal to control the speed of the LFO.

I'm afraid that I like to have as many options for expression as I can. Give me aftertouch, breath controllers, EVERYTHING. I probably look like a complete idiot stabbing at pedals, turning knobs, and puffing on a breathcontroller all at one time, but hey, it SOUNDS good, and I looked like an idiot anyway!

whyterabbyt wrote:

Native Instruments' Soundforum synth was specifically made for learning synthesis with. Its a standalone synth so you dont need a host to use it.

I think it's a good idea

You can try also Simsynth

http://66.96.213.231/fruityloops/Demo/SIMSYNTH13.ZIP

or other simple instruments

http://tribalzonemusic.fm.interia.pl/programs/synth.htm

Sascha Franck wrote:

Apart from the fact that the sustain function really isn't that complicated...

Oh well,

that was exactly what I thought when I started to add support for
sustain pedal to the envelopes of Ganymed and Vivaldi. However,
on a polyphonic synth with dynamic voice allocation and multiple
envelopes that can be freely routed to audio output, it's been not all
that easy...

Nevertheless, I agree with you, sustain pedal is a *must* for a VSTi,
as well as volume and panpot control, I think.

Lighthouse

I had a synth for years, but when I really got into VST and softsynths, my fave to learn on was Linplug's Free Alpha.

Besides the usual 2 oscillators, filters and EGs, the Alpha had this really amazing modulator routing section.

To my mind, this lifted it out from the crowd of "average" freeware synths, as mod routings is essential knowledge if you want to learn how to program a synth.

So while I'd have to agree with Bones that the TS-404 presents an obvious starting point for a newbie Fruity user, the Freeware Alpha offers an easy way into understanding how Modulator Routings work.

And without a reasonable knowledge of mod routings, you'll never be much of a synth programmer.

Thinking about it, it wouldn't be hard to learn both.

i'd recommend trying Rainbow : it uses both soustractive and FM synthesis and then will allow you to try both.
what is more, all the buttons and sliders are just in front of you, you can control everthing quite easily.

so it's definitly a very good synth to learn with.

HAH

I have spent most of my 10 years playing live, using the sustain pedal to cover up all my bodged notes!

Keep the pedal going!!!!!!

Sersiouly though, are there any good web-sites for programming synths? I find it all mind-boggling and I can't keep using presets!

I think that anything that uses a mod-routing matrix or simmilar is NOT suitable to learn synth programming and here's why: You can not see at a glance how the sound is build up. To learn to understand how a subtractive synth builds it sound, it is needed that you can load a certain patch and learn from it. How the filter is set, if there are any modulations in action, etc. The best thing to start out with is a simple synth with one or two oscillators, a filter, envelopes for the filter and the volume, and maybe one LFO that can be switched to one of the other modules for mudulation. Having sounds with very complex modulations (like the Linplug stuff is capable of) will make it very hard for a novice to get a grip on what's going on.

Having said that, CM101 for example, is a classical laid out synth that is exactly equiped to start learning sound-construction. When you understand it's workings, you understand the pure basic of subtractive sound construction. After that, move up to the FreeAlpha

I second Kevvvvv...FreeAlpha is good since understanding modulation is crucial for a starter to grasp the whole idea. I even think one should start out with Delta III right away and skip all other, because Delta III is very well organized in its interface than most other softsynths (Alpha included) do IMHO.

Nothing about a particular synth (I think the most basic ones allready have been mentioned in this thread) but a whole bunch of links, most for SOS's backisssues of their synth secrets series, should be worth reading because they cover essential synth programming techniques pretty much in depth:

*Ohh* (/me stops pasting links)

Just found all the links with some descriptions on this site:

http://bwmodular.crosswinds.net/links.htm
(scroll down to the SOS section)

Also, there's a direct download link to some Synth Programming PDF originally released in Keyboard magazine.

Some more useful links:
http://tilt.largo.fl.us/faq/synthfaq.html (a simple Synth FAQ)
http://www.intermusic.com/articlelist.asp?FeatureType=TUT&Channel=KBD  (there's a synth programming series and some more links that look promising)
http://hem.passagen.se/tkolb/art/synth/intro_e.htm (synths explained for dummies like me)
http://tyala.freeyellow.com/ (subtractive and FM synthesis explained)

Cheers,
Sascha