The Synthesizer

Electronic music instruments known as synthesizers have been around since the 1950s, but the past few decades have seen their capabilities expand exponentially and their forms shape-shift from room-filling grandeur to sophisticated applications that run on pocket-sized phones and MP3 players. This book reveals the history, basics, forms, and uses of this astonishing instrument.

Building on his life-long interest in music, Mark Vail discovered synthesizers in 1973 and bought his first in 1976. After earning an MFA in electronic music in 1983, he served on the editorial staff at Keyboard magazine from 1988 to 2001. The author of Vintage Synthesizers and The Hammond Organ: Beauty in the B, Mark is internationally acknowledged as a foremost authority on synthesizers.

Foreword by Michelle Moog-Koussa
Preface
About the Companion Website
1. Trendsetting All-Stars
2. Acoustics and Synthesis Basics
Real-World Acoustics
Types of Synthesis
Audio Sources: Oscillators, Noise, and More
VCAs, Envelopes, and LFOs
Envelope Followers and Pitch-to-Voltage Converters
Filters
EQs and Filter Banks
Analog Sequencers
Arpeggiators
Reverb
Analog Delay
Digital Delay
Loopers
Other Effects
3. Choosing Your Synthesizer(s)
What's Your Budget?
Musical Tastes and Goals
Hardware vs. Software
Portability and Power
Programmability: Pros and Cons
Expandability
As Others Have Done
Perspective
Modular Synthesizers in the 21st Century
An Overview
Modular Synth Shopping
More on Eurorack Modular
More on FracRak Modular
More on Serge Modular
Connectivity
Convincing Analog and MIDI Synths to Coexist
MIDI-to-CV Conversion
CV-to-MIDI Conversion
Controllers
Synths and Controllers with Keyboards
Alternative Controllers
Wind Controllers
Touch Controllers
Hand-Held Controllers
Struck Controllers
Controllers for Microtonal Tunings
4. Composition, Programming, and Performance Techniques
Composition
Scoring to Picture
Composing for Living Art
Following Through on a Thought
Sage Advice from a Master
Scoring with Intent, Even When Intimidated
Patching, a.k.a. Programming
Encouraging Synthesists' Creativity
When and How to Experiment with Sounds
The Good and Bad of Non-Programmability
Programming for Progress
Fun with Modular Synths
Layering Synth Sounds
Programming for Expression
Performance
Tools of the Trade
Dependence on the Tried and True, but Moving Forward
Modular Apparitions
Defying the Dependence on Visuals
5. Recording the Synthesizer
As It Was and How It's Become for the Switched-On Innovator
Serial vs. Random-Access Media
Strategies for Recording Film and TV Scores
Harnessing the Power of Modular Synths with Ableton Live
Automated Mixing
Outboard Processing: Preparing Audio for Recording
Recording Direct and Expanding for Surround-Sound
Appendix: Selected Bibliography, Museums and Films, Manufacturers, Blogs, Dealers and Stores
Index