KVR Audio

snooty30 · Post by **snooty30** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:38 pm

Can anybody point me in the right direction? Most of the music I make is based around presets. Usually when I've waded through them all for 1 synth I download another. I'm getting a little fed up with this and want to program my own sounds. I have a rough knowledge of synthesis "theory" but never got into the nuts and bolts of sound design (apart from doing filter tweaks!) and could do with some suggestions (and nobody say "start twiddling knobs"!!!). Has anybody else been in this situation and is now an expert programmer? Any suggested sites for synthesis theory? What synths are good for programming? I'm going to be mainly using freebies (definately not pirated software before anybody gets the wrong idea). Any help would be appreciated. Cheers Simon

Kriminal · Post by **Kriminal** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:39 pm

Try using an intelligent randomise feature and then tweak a few parameters to get you going. Ig your host doesnt have one, try tobybears MiniHost, i think that has something like that.

o'malley · Post by **o'malley** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:41 pm

Look at the very top post in this forum.

soulkraka · Post by **soulkraka** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:42 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_synthesis

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:44 pm

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=76293

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:46 pm

Get a copy of Simon Cann's "How to make a noise" -- an ebook that's free to download, and for a very reasonable price you can get a better version and all the patches described in the book.

http://www.noisesculpture.com/

Worth far more than the $10 Simon charges for the deluxe version.

snooty30 · Post by **snooty30** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:51 pm

Have you guys actually learnt from these or are you just suggesting them because you know they are there?

vurt · Post by **vurt** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:53 pm

ive learnt from simons book which is the same as the one meffy posted yes

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:53 pm

Oh, yeah -- don't be disappointed if it takes a while to make patches that sound as impressive and swoopy as factory presets for the fancy synths. It's not quick or easy. Start simple, work your way up. There's a lot you can do with the basic stuff! As the lessons sink in and turn into a FEEL for synthesis, you'll find that the knobs and buttons that used to be mysterious, maybe even intimidating, are like old friends -- you'll understand how they work separately and together, and be able to guess "how they made that sound."

Don't hurry things, take it at your own pace. :-) And above all else, enjoy the journey.

@vurt: I've been doing analog synthesis since the late 1960s, but Cann's book taught me about stuff I hadn't ever dealt with -- waveshaping for one. A good buy for synthesists at every level of experience short of "genius."

@snooty: I paid the $10, mostly to support Simon and thank him for his generosity in giving it away. It's the book people NEEDED.

If you want to learn synthesis the way I did, start by building a Moog 901 VCO from scratch using the plans Bob Moog published in a hobby electronics magazine... then get disgusted because it's not good enough (it was mostly my construction skills that weren't good enough!). Then get Alexia Kolias and Loran Carrier to teach you to program Moog Modulars, ARPs, minimoogs, and Putneys. =^_^= The ebook's quicker, cheaper, and lacking a time machine, much easier.

lucasherrero · Post by **lucasherrero** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:09 pm

why don't try tweekin all the parameters? if it doesn't result try again.

geoffrey · Post by **geoffrey** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:11 pm

Sound on Sound magazine has a free series, on their website that is a pretty good look at synthesis. Having said that, thanks for the tip about the Simon Cann book. I just went and bought it. Printing it out even as we speak. KVR is so damn great!
Peace out,
Geoff

[ xerocreep ] · Post by **[ xerocreep ]** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:11 pm

I really learned a lot from Sound on Sound's "Synth secrets" column. You can find archives of it here:

http://www.soundonsound.com/index.php?s ... th+secrets

It really helps you address the different types of synthesis and how to make specific sounds. It is based on mmodular synthesis, but the basics are really all very similar (osc, amp, filter, etc) just that they are mostly fixed in place in your standard soft synth.

edit - wow, SOS must have been floating through the ether there...

Kraku · Post by **Kraku** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:14 pm

How about using only one quite simple synth to create all your sounds for your songs? Create a "blank" preset for the synth, which is just a bare sawtooth wave without any modulation/effects/filtering. Then when you need a new sound for your song, load that preset and start from scratch. That way you'll learn quickly. If you start tweaking ready made presets to get the sounds you want, it'll take you a very long time to become good at programming synths.

Usually people use presets when the synths they use are too complicated, so I say once more: get a simple synth, not one with too many knobs and fancy things.

sweet_trip · Post by **sweet_trip** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:18 pm

You definitely have to blindly throw yourself at making your own presets. There is really no other way of doing it. sound synthesis knowledge is good too. Just stop using presets 'cold-turkey' and spend time making your own. and do not be put off the amount of time you spend tweaking stuff instead of making music or you'll go back to presets again. You need to be disciplined.
I know i sound like an anti-preset dictator, but i totally know what is like to make music with presets, and what it took me to get out of that.

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:41 pm

I say forget the books, forget the tips, forget the rules, forget logic I like sweet_trip's way of putting it "blindly throw yourself at making presets"...face it, if someone shows you how it's one thing, you know how....when yo discover how it's another thing...you understand how...

btw dont forget what you learn along the way..

that's a joke but serious, a pen and paper to remind you of your steps is never a bad idea...

Get me out of this preset hell!!!