Learning about synthesizers doesn’t have to be a struggle...
Those of us who have worked with them for years can breeze past the basics without stopping. For beginners, though, that’s a recipe for confusion. I can’t teach you everything in these basics-oriented columns, but I can give you a foundation to build on.
I first encountered synths in 1976, when I began working as Keyboard magazine’s assistant editor. At first, I had no idea what all those knobs and sliders did, but I had fun poking around. A few months later, I started editing Bob Moog’s monthly column. When I had questions, I could pick up the phone and ask the man himself. You couldn’t get a better education than that.
Jim Aikin 1987
Since then, the basics haven’t changed much—oscillators, filters, and envelope generators—but a bunch of new branches have sprouted. My column can help you learn your way around unfamiliar territory and give you a firm grasp of the basics and beyond.
Modulation changes everything when you route control signals from sources to destinations. Original lesson from December 2019 Turning knobs by hand while a synthesizer is
Automate your modular system with step sequencers. Playing music with our hands, feet, and breath is a wonderful thing. Sometimes, though, you want to set
How to shape your sounds with envelope generators. Every synthesizer, even the most primitive, has at least one envelope generator. Most have two or more.