18 replies to this topic

[Cheyne]

A full 495 page book on Sound Synthesis And Sampling.

An excellent book for those interested that goes into great detail covering:

What is synthesis?
  Beginnings  Telecoms research
  Tape techniques
  Experimental versus popular musical uses of synthesis
  Electro-acoustic music
  From academic research to commercial production...
  Synthesised classics
  Synthesis in context
  Electronics and acoustics: fundamental principles
  Digital and sampling
  MIDI (Musical instrument digital interface)
  After MIDI

TECHNIQUES
  Analogue synthesis
  Analogue and digital
  Subtractive synthesis
  Additive synthesis
  Other methods of analogue synthesis
  Topology
  Early versus modern implementations
  Example instruments
  Hybrid synthesis
  Wavecycle
  Wavetable
  DCOs (Digital controlled oscillators)
  S&S (Sample and synthesis)
  Early versus modern implementations
  Example instruments

Sampling
  Tape-based
  Analogue sampling 
  Digital
  Convergence of sampling with S&S synthesis
  Example equipment

Digit al synthesis
  FM 224
  Waveshaping
  Modelling
  Granular synthesis
  FOF and other techniques
  Analysis-synthesis
  Hybrid techniques
  Example instruments

APPLICATIONS
  Using synthesis
  Arranging
  Stacking
  Layering
  Hocketing
  Multi-timbrality and polyphony
  GM
  On-board effects
  Editing

Controllers
  Controller and expander
  MIDI control
  Keyboards
  Keyboard control
  Wheels and other hand-operated controls Foot controls
  Ribbon controllers Contents
  Wind controllers
  Guitar controllers
  Advantages and disadvantages
  Front panel controls

Performance
  Synthesis live
  The role of electronics
  Drum machines
  Sequencers
  Workstations
  Accompaniment
  Groove boxes
  Dance, clubs and DJs
  Studios on computers
  Performance unravelled

ANALYSIS
  The future of synthesis
  Closing the circle
  Control
  Commercial imperatives

[AnthonyEhsani]

nice where do we get it from? lol

[Jay Parker]

But tell us the price son!

[rhythmboy]

Crikey! 5 pages short of a ream of Reflex 

Nice one, what a monster!

[Spectrum]

A great read (well, what I've read of it so far)! Gets quite deep at times, while still being mostly accessible to the n00bs. My only gripe is he goes on and on about FM without even saying what it stands for until well into the book! That minor point aside, there's plenty of good stuff in this.

Now, being written/updated in 2003/2004, I love his timeline prediction for the future (page410):

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timeline
Date   -   Name   -   Event   -   Notes

2007   -   Invation   -   PolyClassic will be launched.   -   All the classic instruments of the last 100 years Modelling-based polyphonic synthesizer intended for live performance use

2009   -   Black Disc   -   The Black Disc, or BD, will be launched   -   A 5-cm disc with 20 times the storage capacity of a DVD

2010   -   Vocalit 4 released   -   The industry-standard synthetic vocal performance software will get a major rework   -   A Vocalit performance will be in the top 10 of the charts at the time of the release

2012   -   Generic Synthetic Guitar Systems   -   The GSGS BTAG synthetic guitar will be launched to critical acclaim   -   The BTAG stands for 'better than a guitar', and will get rave reviews

2014   -   Advanced Playing Technology   -   Band4U (B4U) 37 will be released   -   B4U has already had 4 number 1 hits in the last year

2015   -   Pippin Music Systems   -   Mars Cube will be released   -   15-cube sound generation workstation with virtual keyboard, modelled orchestra library and IET-772 storage interface

2017   -   The Supergroup Group   -   Recreate 42 modelled performers from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s   -   Triggers a 50 years ago retro boom.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't expect he'll be too far off the mark. Not looking forward to an 80s electro renaissance for the 3rd time, however.

[Jay Parker]

The sounds of the 80's are cool, its just the fashion and the bandwagon status of it that i dont like.

[rhythmboy]

Quote

The sounds of the 80's are cool, its just the fashion and the bandwagon status of it that i dont like.

Hmmm, I'm having flashbacks to the big band I played in around 1986-87 and the uniform - black oversized preppy wool cardigans with white lightning bolts knitted into them. Add my Ballarat bogan mullet hairdo to the mix and the look is pure gold.

Then there were the canary yellow windcheaters we had to wear for a Sydney tour in 87. Imagine 30 teenagers in day-glo yellow wandering around en masse around King's Cross on a Friday night - so embarrasing!

[Jay Parker]

you would fit right in today... ;D

[Spectrum]

Quote

you would fit right in today... ;D

That's what I was thinking too! Just another Friday night at the 'Cross. ;D

[EdWood5150]

Great book, nice work! :clap:

[Will666]

Nice work heaps of info

Keep rocking

Will

[wisefox]

i've been meaning to buy a synthesis book, this just made me bite the bullet - cheers!

btw - you can actually read the whole thing on google books, if you don't mind staring at your screen for hours...

[rhythmboy]

Wisefox if you didn't see this:

http://www.soundpunk...hp?topic=1236.0

There's another free book on synthesis here by Miller Puckette, inventor of Max MSP

[wisefox]

Nice! cheers RB!

[insilico]

nice post, reading it now with one hand on the keyboard, the other on my synth

found this though:

"'Super-sawtooth' waveshapes replace the linear slope with exponential slopes, ... these can
contain greater levels of the upper harmonics than the basic sawtooth."

aaaaaaah?


i thought that a super sawtooth is in fact multiple sawtooths which have been detuned. in the case of my JP-8080, which has the ORIGINAL supersaw, it's emulating 7 saw detuned against each other. 

ok time to tweaky again....

[Spectrum]

^^^ Yeah, interesting concept... exponential slope equalling more upper harmonics... just trying to picture which way the slope would look sagging downwards, or bowed upwards???

And the way you describe 'super saw' is exactly how I understood it (having also had a JP-8080 for several years).

But thinking about this some more, what do you suppose "multiple sawtooths which have been detuned / 7 saw detuned against each other" would look like on a 'scope?

Perhaps it appears just like a regular saw tooth wave, but with its linear slope replaced by an exponential slope? Simple way of achieving a similar sound (multiple detuned oscillators), but from a single oscillator?

Hmmm...

[rhythmboy]

^^ I suspect the concept of 'super' is being used a couple of ways maybe?

Rolands super-sawtooth is, well, SUPER!  7 tooths at once sounds mega, ultra, yowza, etc :cans:

The other (to me at least) describes an accentuation of the slope from linear to exponential/logarithmic. In this case super = steeper, harder, etc Like super-cardioid mics have steeper response curves...

Just semantics rather than right or wrong?

[insilico]

yeah true. the jp supersaw definitely doesn't look like it's just got an exponential slope on the saw, it looks like lots of saws beating together. if you imagine two detuned saws, one stays stable/still and the other saw "cycles" through it, like its moving from left to right or visa versa.

check out this wav and you can look/hear for yourself - www.drop.io/supersaw 

this is off my jp, going from min to max detune, on 100% mix.

interestingly the jp has a function to shape a sawtooth, which you can see/hear in this waveform - http://drop.io/sawshape

again of the jp going from min to max "shape". this is how its described in the manual:



the third waveform here looks exactly like the "super-sawtooth" as described in the synthesis book.

anyway, all this means is i need to geek less and write more music.

[Megatroid]

^^^ My ms2000 has a similar feature, but unfortunately its not very well documented.

The manual is of course very detailed. "Control 1: Modify waveform".

While we're talking synthesis and i've got this manual open. Can anyone explain cross-modulation of a sine wave? I assume its similar to PWM, but with sine instead of square wave?