This presentation was given to the Steinberg Cubase Meetup in Phoenix, AZ, on September 10, 2013. Most images are creative commons Wikipedia.

1. The
Wonderful
World
of Synths
Part 1: A Brief History

2. The Early Years
 1938 – Hammond – Novachord
 First commercially available synthesizer
 Designed by the Hammond Organ Company in 1938 and
put into full production from 1938 to 1942.
 72 note polyphonic synthesizer with 100% vacuum tubes!

3. The Early Years
 1938 – Hammond – Novachord
 First commercially available synthesizer
 Designed by the Hammond Organ Company in 1938 and
put into full production from 1938 to 1942.
 72 note polyphonic synthesizer with 100% vacuum tubes!
 1964 – Moog – Robert Moog
 Moog, Moog Modular, Minimoog, Voyager
 BA in Physics & Electrical Engineering, PhD Engineering
Physics

4. The Early Years
 1938 – Hammond – Novachord
 First commercially available synthesizer
 Designed by the Hammond Organ Company in 1938 and
put into full production from 1938 to 1942.
 72 note polyphonic synthesizer with 100% vacuum tubes!
 1964 – Moog – Robert Moog
 Moog, Moog Modular, Minimoog, Voyager
 BA in Physics & Electrical Engineering, PhD Engineering
Physics
 1969 – Arp – Alan Robert Pearlman
 ARP 2600, Oddysey
 Throughout the 70s, ARP was Moog's main
competitor

5.  1973 – Roland – SH
The Early Years

6.  1973 – Roland – SH
 1975 – Oberheim – OB
The Early Years

7.  1973 – Roland – SH
 1975 – Oberheim – OB
 1976 – Korg – Poly
The Early Years

8.  1973 – Roland – SH
 1975 – Oberheim – OB
 1976 – Korg – Poly
 1977 – Yamaha – DX
The Early Years

9.  1973 – Roland – SH
 1975 – Oberheim – OB
 1976 – Korg – Poly
 1977 – Yamaha – DX
 In the 1980s,
advances in digital
technology made it possible
to synthesize analog waves
digitally, and a new class of
instruments was born: Digital
Synthesizers
The Early Years

10.  70s – Analog Synthesis using
circuits – $$$$ & Very Heavy!
 80s – Digital Synthesis using
chips – $$$ & Heavy
 90s – Virtual Synthesis using
software – $$ & Lighter
 2010+ – Return to true analog.
 Moog is still arguably the best
After 40 years in the business!
The Present

11.  70s – Analog Synthesis using
circuits – $$$$ & Very Heavy!
 80s – Digital Synthesis using
chips – $$$ & Heavy
 90s – Virtual Synthesis using
software – $$ & Lighter
 2010+ – Return to true analog.
 Dave Smith Instruments are
just as awesome!
The Present

12.  2010+ – Return to true analog... e.g.
 Korg MS 20 – Micro modular rebirth of
the original, 86% smaller!
The Present

13.  2013 – Some modulars
that debuted at NAMM
The Present

14.  2013 – Of course, VST
instruments provide a
wide range of sound
generating capability
without all the messy
wires.
 Virtual Modeling is very
close to the real thing
 And very convenient,
cheap and easy!
The Present

15. Audio Synthesis
Part 2: The Basics of Electronic Sound Design

16. How are sounds synthesized?
 Sound synthesis, at its most basic form,
requires a single oscillator.
 An oscillator "oscillates" between a low
amplitude and a high amplitude.

17. How are sounds synthesized?
 Oscillator – aka VCO = Voltage Controller Oscillator
 An electronic component, circuit or chip that produces a
sound wave.
 Common wave shapes:
 Sine
 Square
 Triangle
 Saw (sawtooth)
 Noise (not pictured)

18. How are sounds synthesized?
 The purest wave
computers can
create is a
square wave.
 Square waves go
on & off.
 The oscillator
oscillates
between 1 and 0.
 The time an oscillator is "on" is called the pulse width.

19. How are sounds synthesized?
 Acoustic music more
closely resembles a
sine wave.
 Sin waves are soft
and pleasing, similar
to a flute

20. How are sounds synthesized?
 Sine waves are some of the most studied and most
beautiful sounding because they’re found in nature.
 2-dimensional diagrams have a tough time revealing
the true natural
beauty of sin waves.

21. How are sounds synthesized?
 Digital circuits attempt to mimic pure sin, triangle &
sawtooth waves by breaking down the wave into very
small samples – the more the better!

22. But I can’t hear anything!
 If you want to hear the sound
created by an oscillator, it
needs to be amplified.
 For example, an electric
guitar string oscillates in a
sine-wave-like pattern (after
the initial strum).
 The audience can't hear it
until it's plugged into an
amplifier.

23. But I can’t hear it!
 If you want to hear the sound
created by an oscillator, it
needs to be amplified.
 For example, an electric
guitar string oscillates in a
sine-wave-like pattern.
 The audience can't hear it
until it's plugged into an
amplifier. Or something
that makes it louder.

24. The bare minimum
 An oscillator 
(plugged into)
(routed to)

25. The Core Waveforms

26. But, this is really boring.
 Modern synthesizers use a lot of tricks to make these
basic sounds more interesting.
 Sound shaping is often referred to as modulation.
 Amplitude modulation – loudness changes
 Frequency modulation – pitch changes
 Sound design usually requires more voices.
 Layering – triggering more oscillators simultaneously
 Effects – reverb, delay, chorus, flange, distortion
 Noise – adding noise, especially for breathy or percussive
instruments. Noise is really just a "random wave."

27. More synth = richer sound
 Everything you hear in electronic music uses these
same basic concepts in myriad ways.
 One, two, three, or more oscillators, Several envelopes,
Multiple LFOs
 Many of these components can be modulation sources
and destinations, stacked, layered, re-routed
 VST Synths include Prologue, Retrologue, Spector,
Mystic, FM8, Massive, Korg Legacy, Synapse Dune, U-
he Zebra & Diva, and many more.

28. Physical Modeling
 Hybrid synths can use an audio sample as the basis for
waveforms in place of, or in combination with
oscillators.
 Aka "Wavetable Synthesis" or "Graintable Synthesis"
 This table of additional waves provides more sound
generating timbres.
 Padshop is a VST synth that uses samples instead of
waveforms, but actually isn't a sampler! Confusing!

29. A note about samplers
 Instead of synthesizing waveforms, Samplers play
back actual audio recordings
 Most also allow sample playback shaping options with
ADSR, LFOs, FX, etc.
 SampleTank & Halion SE, Halion Symphonic Orchestra
are all sample playback VSTs with rather limited sound-
generation & tone-shaping capabilities.
 It's helpful to know if your keyboard or VST is an analog
synthesizer, a digital synthesizer, a
virtual/physical/analog/modeling synthesizer, or a sampler. You
won't find oscillators in most samplers, but modulation, effects and
amp/mix apply.

30. Sound Design Guide
 Interesting sounds change over time.
 We can change the pitch (frequency) over time
 That's what happens when you play different notes
 Or, when you modulate the frequency of a wave

31. Sound Design Guide
 More interesting sounds change more over time.
 We can change the volume (amplitude) over time
 In a modern synth, changes in volume over time are
achieved in three main ways:
 Envelopes - ADSR
 Amplitude mapping - typically via Velocity
 Why velocity? It's logical: a piano sounds louder as you strike the
keys with more velocity, right?
 Other common sources of modulation: after touch aka poly-
pressure, mod wheel, CV pedal, breath controller
 Other oscillators – such as an LFO

32. Sound Design Guide
 Changing the sound of an oscillator using another
oscillator, such as an LFO
 LFO stands for Low Frequency Oscillator
 A new
waveform is
created when
combining two
sin waves with
different pulse
widths.

33. Sound Design Guide
 Changing the sound of an oscillator using another
oscillator, such as an LFO
 LFO stands for Low Frequency Oscillator
 A new
waveform is
created when
combining two
sin waves with
different
frequencies.

34. Sound Design Guide
 Routing an LFO...
 to the volume of a track – makes it get louder and softer
 to the pan of a track – makes a tremolo across the stereo field
 to the pitch of a track – makes the tone rise and fall
 to the effect of a track – makes the dry/wet mix rise and fall
 ...in the shape
of the LFO

35. Sound Design Guide
 LFO Syncing
 Depending on the software or hardware you're using
(check the manual) an LFO can be synced:
 To your project tempo...
 In tempo sync mode, the options are things like
 1/32, 1/16T, 16, 1/8T, 1/8, 1/4T, 1/4, 1/2, 1
 Good for arpeggiator or rhythmic effects
 To a particular frequency
 Such as C0 or F#1
 To a particular timing...
 say 250ms or 360ms, similar to a delay setting
 Good for vocals

36. Sound Design Guide
 Changing the volume of an oscillator using an ADSR
Envelope
 ADSR =
Attack
Decay
Sustain
Release

37. Sound Design Guide
 Attack – How quickly does the sound reach full
volume?
 Decay – How quickly after the initial attack peaks does
the sound achieve its "idle" volume?
 Sustain – What happens as you hold the note down?
 Release – How long
is the sound heard
when you let go?

38. Sound Visualization
 You can visualize your sounds right inside Cubase.
 An insert effect on the stereo out
 Or a single instrument, create an
insert effect on the audio output
for the track
 Then select the
MultiScope plugin

39. VST Synthesizers
 Retrologue – Steinberg's flagship VST synth
 FM8 – Native Instruments
 Massive – Native Instruments
 minimonsta – Minimoog in a VST
 Oddity – ARP Odyssey reimagined
 Zebra2 – By U-he
 Review: 39 Best VST Synths in the World

40. Hardware & Gear
 Vintage Synth Explorer www.vintagesynth.com
 Plan your modular www.modulargrid.net
 Moog Buchla Doepfer MOTM

41. The
Wonderful
World
of Synths
Thank you.
Now, go forth, and create sound.