The Synthesizer : A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding, Programming, Playing, and Recording the Ultimate Electronic Music Instrument

Electronic music instruments weren't called synthesizers until the 1950s, but their lineage began in 1919 with Russian inventor Lev Sergeyevich Termen's development of the Etherphone, now known as the Theremin. From that point, synthesizers have undergone a remarkable evolution from prohibitively large mid-century models confined to university laboratories to the development of musical synthesis software that runs on tablet computers and portable media devices. Throughout its history, the synthesizer has always been at the forefront of technology for the arts. In The Synthesizer: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding, Programming, Playing, and Recording the Ultimate Electronic Music Instrument , veteran music technology journalist, educator, and performer Mark Vail tells the complete story of the synthesizer: the origins of the many forms the instrument takes; crucial advancements in sound generation, musical control, and composition made with instruments that may have become best sellers or gone entirely unnoticed; and the basics and intricacies of acoustics and synthesized sound. Vail also describes how to successfully select, program, and play a synthesizer; what alternative controllers exist for creating electronic music; and how to stay focused and productive when faced with a room full of instruments. This one-stop reference guide on all things synthesizer also offers tips on encouraging creativity, layering sounds, performance, composing and recording for film and television, and much more. Trendsetting all-stars. Control ; Sound ; Performance ; Interface ; Composition ; Beyond 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 Choosing your synthesizer(s). Options ; Modular synthesizers in the twenty-first century ; Connectivity ; Controllers ; Noise toys Composition, programming, and performance techniques. Composition ; Patching, aka programming ; Performance 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 audion for recording ; Recording direct and expanding for surround-sound Appendix A. Selected bibliography, films, and museums Appendix B. Manufacturers, forums, blogs, dealers, and stores. Vail tells the complete story of the synthesizer: the origins of the many forms the instrument takes; the crucial advancements in sound generation, musical control, and composition; and the basics and intricacies of acoustics and synthesized sound. He gives the reader information on selecting, programming and playing a synthesizer, and offers tips on creativity, composing, and much more 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.