Introducing Jan's Patchwork Corner – an in-depth workshop series on synthesis by Jan M @ Treeswift Audio

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Hey everyone! Some of you might know me from my Zebra libraries or from the u-he subforum. I just wanted to let you know that I've been working on getting a new series of video workshops on synth programming and synth-based sound design off the ground, and as of this week, you can check out the pilot episode of Jan's Patchwork Corner on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFyUSTChAp4

A bit of background – I'd been thinking about doing something like this for longer than I'd had the idea of designing sounds for other composers, so when I started my soundware label Treeswift Audio last year, it was clear from the get-go that I'd eventually have to give the synth workshop idea a whirl, too. In each episode, I'm going to take one of my patches and break it down into its essential components, explain how all the parts work and come together to achieve the sound that I was looking for, share the thought process behind the design decisions, and try to leave as many morsels of general synth technique and theory in my trail as I can muster. :) For the first couple episodes at least, I'll be using Zebra; but I'm making a point of keeping explanations as synth-agnostic as possible wherever it makes sense, so it shouldn't be too hard to translate most of the techniques to the synth of your choice.

The inspiration was quite plainly to try and make the kind of tutorial that I'd have liked having around back when I got serious about programming synths. In this, it attempts to be pretty much the opposite of the "step-by-step-walkthrough of which knobs to set where to get synth staple sound XY" kind of walkthrough that YouTube is ripe with; I'd much rather use the patches as a springboard for a much more in-depth look at basic, intermediate, and advanced approaches to creating sounds that are truly your own. That's the idea, anyway – you let me know whether I'm making it work. :D But an obvious consequence is that the videos are fairly long, especially compared to other YouTube tutorials; think "full podcast episode" rather than "bite-sized coffee break tidbit".

So, yeah. If you're at all interested in getting your feet wet on creating your own sounds or broadening your background knowledge, do give this one a spin! Curious to hear what you think. Also, obviously grateful for any shares. :) The second episode is in the works with good chances of a release before the year is over, with more in the pipeline; you can always find all episodes on the "watch" section of the Treeswift Audio website, and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel if you don't want to miss a thing.

Enjoy!

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Oh man, whatched the whole 1 hour video to learn how the 2nd and 3rd layers are done and then...... :D

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@Chris-S Whoops! Didn't mean to be a tease. :p

I'm happy to announce that the second episode is out now! In this one, I wrap up the first layer, then take a deep dive into effects and how to use them to put a shine on our sound, and finally build the second layer. Expect lots of background info on how different common and not-so-common signal processing tricks work. Check it out:
https://youtu.be/Wj45RCdDmt0

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Hey there! Just wanted to drop by and let y'all know that the third episode of Jan's Patchwork Corner is now up on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q8QuYE ... Z08gQqboQo
This chapter completes the "Bioluminescence" epic multi-parter ( :D ) and has me wrapping up the sound with a new layer of sparkling aleatoric fairy dust.

Although we're only three episodes in, the series now boasts close to 4 hours of free, in-depth tutorial material. My goal is to keep things as synth-agnostic as possible, and hopefully strike a good balance between "secret weapon tricks" and "fundamentals you might have missed".

So if you're in the mood for a deep dive into both practical synthesis techniques and background theory, grab a drink and join me for some virtual patching. And of course, I'm always grateful for shares!

Here's the link to the always-updated list of all episodes on my soundware label's website: https://www.treeswiftaudio.com/watch

Enjoy!
jan

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I like that you're explaining synth parameters by referring to how orchestral instruments work. Great job!

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