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VacuumCleanersMag
How do multiple analog synthesizer voices work
Vacuum maintenance specialist · Author has 80 answers and 29.1K answer views · Feb 9
together?
A digital synthesizer operates like a sound magician, transforming numbers into audible waves.
Instead of traditional physical components like strings or reeds, it utilizes oscillators to generate What are some synthesizer notes?
basic waveforms such as sine, sawtooth, or square waves, serving as the fundamental building
blocks of sound. These waveforms are then manipulated by modules like filters, envelopes, and What did the electronic synthesizer allow?
LFOs, which shape the tone, control loudness over time, and add subtle variations for
What can you do with a synthesizer?
movement and depth.
What was the first digital synthesizer?
Further processing through effects like reverb, delay, and distortion enhances the sound,
imparting texture and ambiance. Real-time control over these parameters is provided by How does a voice synthesizer work for a
keyboards, knobs, and pads, empowering musicians to sculpt and express their sonic vision computer?
dynamically.
42 views How do you play a synthesizer?

Upvote I'm considering the purchase of a synthesizer. I

am curious about the difference between an
analog and a digital synthesizer. Which is better
Related questions More answers below
from a musical perspective and why?
How do you get a voice synthesizer?

What is a free online synthesizer learning site?

How do multiple analog synthesizer voices work together?

What are some synthesizer notes?

What did the electronic synthesizer allow?

Scott Brio
Electronic music producer & DJ since 2001, San Francisco · 5y

Related How do synthesizers work?

Synthesizers are collections of individual components that are used to create and shape sound,
starting from their most basic forms.

A layman’s example would be this: you’ve turned your TV on to channel zero and are watching/
listening to static. That sound you’re hearing is white
Continue noise. Just like the color white, which is
Reading
the presence of all colors, white noise is the presence of all frequencies of
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Jake McCoy
Studied Electronic Pianos & Synthesizers at Dick Clark's America Bandstand (Graduated 1976) · Author
has 2.5K answers and 10.3M answer views · 5y

Related Why can't synthesizer manufacturers today make digital synthesizers sound
as good and warm as older analog synthesizers?
I beg to differ with you. And at the risk of sounding like an arrogant jackass I'll state my case
short and sweet.

I've been a professional keyboardist since the '70s and have owned/leased or been gifted with
just about every mainstream keyboard/synth from the past 40+ years, so I have a modicum of
experience with this analog vs digital debate.

There's a saying “In my memories your eyes were much bluer”. Nostalgia can be overly
romanticized.

Analog synths were fat mainly because of the filters. But they were extremely expensive and
temperamental beasts that were predominantly hand made and often a PITA to work with.

When digital modeling synthesizers appeared on the market it was a blessing in almost every
way. Except the filters, which were cold and often lacked the ability to ‘feedback the Q’ which
was a obscene insult to us who grew up playing ‘real’ synthesizers.

But digital keyboard technology quickly advanced, consequently so did the modeling engines
and filters.

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I'll wrap it up by saying, in the blind taste test, I am sure you'd not be able to tell the difference
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between a ‘real’ synthesizer, and a $29 VST running on a $500 laptop.

It would require lab equipment to visualize the micro differences between analog and digital.
10.5K views · View upvotes 1 of 17 answers

Upvote · 49 30

William P Newhall Jr
10y

Related How do digital synthesizers compare to analog?

The big picture has to do with architectural constraints which impact what sort of synthesis
algorithms can be realized and what sort of sounds you can make. An analog synth isn't going
to trick you into thinking you're hearing a real violin, acoustic guitar, or flute. It is, however,
going to sound cool and cut through the mix like nobody's business. A digital synth,
particularly if it employs high quality sampling, can sound to the untrained ear like a real violin,
acoustic guitar, or flute. Someone who wants to manipulate the timbre of the sounds while they
perform are probably going to want an analog synthesizer with lots of knobs and sliders. A
person who wants to quickly get a guitar, bass, organ, and string sound will probably want a
digital synthesizer(or a software synthesizer)

In an analog synthesizer both the control(parameters) and data(sound) paths are analog
voltages and the the synthesizer consists of circuits, knobs, and controllers that allow you to
manipulate those voltages. Most analog synthesizers allow the user to mix together a set of
basic waveforms (sawtooth, square, and sine) each of which can have its frequency set
independently or track the pitch of the pressed key. These oscillators can be modulated by low-
frequency oscillators(LFOs), envelope generators or ramps (controlling the rate of attack, decay,
sustain, and release), or other audio-rate oscillators(Frequency Modulation). In addition to these
basic oscillators most analog synths have white or pink noise generators and a line-level audio
input as well. A Voltage-Controlled Filter(VCF) to alter the harmonic content of the signal
(configured as low-pass, high-pass, or band-pass) whose parameters(cutoff frequency,
resonance) can also be modulated by LFOs, ramps, or envelopes, and the filtered output passes
through a voltage controlled amplifier(VCA) whose volume level can be modulated by envelope
generators or LFOs. Analog synthesizers also employ a large number of "controls" ranging from
the keyboard, to the pitch bend/mod-wheel, to a large number of knobs to directly manipulate
the parameters listed above. The "architecture" of an analog synth can either employ a fixed
signal path(like the Minimoog) or are "modular" and as such can be extended with additional
VCF, VCA, LFO, EG modules and can be dynamically configured by connecting these modules
using patch cables( like the Moog Modular). There are also "digitally controlled analog synths"
which use microprocessors and DACs to generate control voltages and simplify the process of
switching between different preset sounds(aka "patches").

The sound of an analog synth is constrained by the limited harmonic content one can achieve
mixing together and the type of filter employed. Anyone who has ever played with one will tell
you that even with this limited palette there are infinite varieties of sounds one can make with
one, especially if the control interface is good. In popular music you tend to hear them used for
string sounds, basses, and leads from the 1970s(especially progressive rock), they continued to
be popular well into the 1980s in dance music, R&B, and New Wave. In the 1990s they enjoyed
a renaissance in hiphop music, which employs monophonic analog synths for fat bass sounds
and "wormy leads" (think Snoop Dog) .

A digital synthesizer is a computer whose circuits and software can realize one or more
synthesis algorithms and/or digital sampling. The first mass-marketed digital synthesizers made
sound using a combination of Wavetable synthesis (short samples of a single-cycle waveform
looped and passed through a digital filter), Additive Synthesis (in which a set of envelopes
could be independently assigned to a set of harmonics), Frequency Modulation ( in which one
oscillator controls the frequency of another oscillator), and Sampling (where an analog signal is
recorded and played back as a set of digital samples). Additive and FM sound distinctly
different from analog, particular with inharmonic sounds like bells and gongs, and Sampling
can sound like anything(of course). As process improvements drove the cost of digital circuitry
and RAM, and Storage downward digital synthesizers were able to implement a wider variety of
synthesis algorithms and DSP effects and were able to make greater use of sample data. By the
late 1980s most manufacturers were producing "workstations" which included a large set of
samples in ROM, a digital resonant filter, digital effects like reverb, delay, echo, phase shifting,
distortion. In the mid-90s "virtual analog" synthesizers like the Nord Lead and Nord Modular
provided the sound and controls of analog synthesizers with a digital architecture, and now
software synthesizers like Reason, Rebirth, and various AU/VST models of classic instruments
combine elements of sampling, acoustical modeling, and digital synthesis.

The sound of a digital synthesizer is going to be determined by the algorithms employed and
the sampling rate, bit depth, and overall quality of its DACs. There are some types of "Lo-Fi"
music which prefer grainy 8-bit DACs(some artists still use Atari ST computers and MOD files as
a part of their compositions) or early ROMplers like the Kaway K4. A large number of producers
of 80's dance music loved the sound of Fairlight's sampled orchestra hits while 80's pop music

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basically required Yamaha's FM synthesis for electric piano sounds (think Whitney Houston,
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Peter Cetera, etc.) In the late 80's and early 90s synth manufacturers put a real effort into
making high-quality complex sound design for their ROM samples. The Yamaha SY77, Roland
D50 and Korg M1 had sounds which combined complex attacks with percussive rhythmic loops
which are heard in film soundtracks to this day. Roland took it a step further with the JD800
which combined a beautifully designed set of ROM samples with a fantastic control interface
with real-time sliders for controlling digital LFOs, VCAs, and a resonant filter which was very
popular with Rave/Dance/Electronica acts (think The Crystal Method)

In terms of cost, your milage may vary. Craigslist and Ebay seem to have a relatively stable
market for used synths. Values below are a rough estimate as of 2/24/2014:

Older analog synthesizers seem to be increasing in value as they become more scarce.
Minimoog Model D's (monophonic analog good for bass and lead lines) were about $2500-
$3000 two years ago and now they are going for $3000-$6000. Contrast that with modern
analog synths like Moog's Little Phatty ($600-$1000) or the Minimoog Voyager ($2000-$2500).
Classic polyphonic analog synths range in price from the Oberheim Matrix 6($400-$600) to the
Prophet 5($1600-$2500) more expensive models have more voices and more complex controls,
e.g. Oberheim OB-8($2200-$2800, Oberheim Matrix 12 ($3000-$5000 12-voices), Roland Jupiter
8 ( $6000-$9000).

Modern manufacturers of analog synths include Moog(see above), Studio Electronics($600-

$900 monosynths, $3000-$5000 polysynths), and Dave Smith Instruments($300-$500
monosynths, $900-$2000 polysynths, $2000-$3000 12-voice polysynths)

Classic digital synths are much less expensive than their analog equivalents. Digital synths that
don't have samples cost less than those that do, and those that can record samples cost more
than those that only have samples in ROM. Yamaha DX7($150-$400 FM-only),Kawai K5 ($100-
$300 additive only), Kawai K4($150-$350 Lo-Fi ROM Samples), Korg M1($250-$900 ROM
samples) Korg Wavestation($250-$900 ROM samples), Roland D50($300-$500 ROM samples),
Kurzweil K2000($250-$350 with only ROM Samples $300-$900 with sampling), Roland
JD800($650-$1200 ROM Samples + real time controls). Samplers like the E-Mu E5000 go for
$350-$900 depending upon how much memory and storage(these take SCSI or IDE hard disks
and 72-pin SIMMs) and what sample libraries are included. Companies like E-Mu evolved from
offering samplers to offering "Romplers" which came with a preset sound library in ROM (their
"Vintage Keys" I like in particular which can be aquired for $200-$300 for a rack mount version
or $350-$650 with a keyboard) along with a resonant filter.

Virtual Analog Synths like Nord's Lead and Modular go for as little as $800 and as much as
$2000 depending upon the number of voices, keys, and control complexity. They combine
digital stability with very good models of analog modules and excellent software tools for
designing sounds.

Modern Digital Workstations like Yamaha's Motif and Roland's Fantom go for as little as $700
and as much as $3500 depending upon controls, voices, sound sets, and the number of keys
and controllers.

The most expensive synths are those which are rarest today and were ridiculously priced in their
day. The Fairlight CMI ($5000-$15000) and the New England Digital Synclavier ($5000-$15000)
were the very first sampling synthesizers with hard disc recording and cost 10X as much when
they were developed in the 1980s. The Synclavier was designed with platinum recording artists
in mind and had specs to match(100KHz 16-bit stereo sampling, $100K in 1980s dollars) There
are only a few out there in the wild. The Synclavier can be heard on Sting's The Dream of The
Blue Turtles, Michael Jackson's Thriller album. The Yamaha GX-1 is a rare and massive analog
synthesizer which combines a tone-wheel organ with an analog polyphonic synthesizer and a
monophonic lead synthesizer. It is featured on Led Zeppelin's "In Through The Out Door"
album, and on ELP's "Works" album, and Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key Of Life" album.

Someone starting out might just want to get a simple controller like one from M-Audio ($50-
$200) and use a software synth like Reason, or get a digital synth with sampling support and a
good set of ROM sounds covering a variety of musical styles that can be later expanded with a
hard disk or the ability to record samples like a Kurzweil K2000($250-$350). If analog is highly
sought after on a budget, getting a rack-mounted Oberheim Matrix 1000($300-$400) or Matrix
6($350-$600) adds 6 analog voices with plenty of good presets and matrix modulation at the
cost of no keys or knobs and lower-resolution for control parameters(only 7-bits). There is a
definite advantage in obtaining synthesizers with MIDI interfaces (as opposed to ones without
them) as they can be controlled by external controllers or a computer sequencer. As time and
interest progress one can add rack-mounted synthesizers at less cost and space than keyboard
versions.

Some would claim that modern software synthesis has rendered hardware synthesizers
obsolete. I don't think there is much point in making, attacking, or discussing that argument
much further.
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Related questions More answers below

What can you do with a synthesizer?

What was the first digital synthesizer?

How does a voice synthesizer work for a computer?

How do you play a synthesizer?

I'm considering the purchase of a synthesizer. I am curious about the difference between an
analog and a digital synthesizer. Which is better from a musical perspective and why?

Dennys Castellanos
Writer at Quora (product) · Author has 546 answers and 116.3K answer views · 1y

Related What is the best Arturia synthesizer?

It can be difficult to determine the "best" Arturia synthesizer, as it ultimately depends on your
personal preferences and needs. Arturia is a company that specializes in creating digital
synthesizers and other music production software, and they offer a wide range of products that
are suitable for different purposes.

Here are a few popular Arturia synthesizers:

1. Arturia MiniBrute: This is a compact analog synthesizer that is known for its powerful
sound and versatility. It features a 25-key keyboard, multiple oscillators and filters, and
a number of modulation options.

2. Arturia MicroFreak: This is a digital synthesizer that is known for its unique sound and
compact size. It features a variety of wavetable oscillators and a number of modulation
options, as well as a built-in sequencer.

3. Arturia MatrixBrute: This is a large-format analog synthesizer that is known for its
powerful sound and extensive modulation options. It features a 49-key keyboard,
multiple oscillators and filters, and a number of modulation options.

Ultimately, the best Arturia synthesizer for you will depend on your specific needs and
preferences. It might be helpful to try out a few different models in person or read reviews from
other users to get a sense of which synthesizer is the best fit for you.
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Ricki Tarr
http://www.soundcloud.com/rextanka. Amateur electronic music for fun with no serious aspirations. ·
Author has 219 answers and 1.3M answer views · 10y

Related Why can't synthesizer manufacturers today make digital synthesizers sound
as good and warm as older analog synthesizers?
It's only unanimous from people who don't really know much about synthesis. As has been
pointed out some o the sounds you may think are "analog" are not. As for "new" synths
sounding as good this has been a golden year for analog mono synths with the novation bass
station II, Arturia mini brute, Korg ms20 mini and the Korg volcas all of which are analog, all of
which have a unique character and are far cheaper than some of the used gear out there.

A lot of the character of the synths you might be talking about comes from the filters. A filter is
a transfer function, and modeled correctly can be identical in software and in hardware. One of
the neat things about analog is that no two instruments will sound identical. Tb303's for
example may vary a fair bit in sound between different examples.

Also the other thing to bear in mind is that what you hear on a recording is not necessarily the
actual sound of the instrument. For example a lot of tb303 trance has the bassline going
through (at least) distortion, reverb and delay. I use guitar effects a lot in my recordings to get a
grungy sound.

If you want something cheap and retro sounding check out the microe bass boy synth. 29
bucks with a moogish filter. http://www.mikroe.com/add-on-boards/audio-voice/bassboy/ also
available with knobs from the most excellent beatnic in Japan http://beatnic.jp/products/

Also recall that most analog synths were not exactly big sellers, the tb303 has been cloned ten

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times more than it ever sold. A lot of cool stuff comes from finding new uses and new genres
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for instruments beyond what they were intended for.

The virus is king of the modeling synths, but novation, Korg, Roland, Yamaha, waldorf and
others like clavia have all made some great synths too. And finally there is nothing to stop you
getting something with an interesting filter and using that to effect any sound. The $50 Korg
monotron is a great place to start!!
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Eric Oehler
Reasonably Competent Mastering Engineer (2003–present) · Author has 2K answers and 2.5M answer
views · 6y

Related Why can't synthesizer manufacturers today make digital synthesizers sound
as good and warm as older analog synthesizers?
For the most part, they already do.

I’ve had the occasion to sit down with a 1973 minimoog Model D, a Moog Sub37 from 2015,
and Native Instruments Monark (a softsynth) and the results were…enlightening.

There were differences. But probably not as many as you’d expect, and not the sort of
differences one would expect. Of the bunch, the original Mini sounded great, but was
immediately peggable as a mini because it kept going out of tune. Monark, surprisingly,
sounded the most “analog” at least in terms of what the peanut gallery would assume was
analogishness - “fat” low end, a sort of upper-end rolloff. It was, of course, the least analog of
the bunch. The sub37 probably sounded the most “digital” of the bunch, despite having an all-
analog signal path.

And of all of them, the sub37 sat the best in a mix.

I did a similar head-to-head between a 1981 Roland SH-101 and the $70 TAL Bassline-101
softsynth. I double-blinded it with some audio-nerd friends and about half guessed right and
the other half guessed wrong. There were some small audible differences between the two,
obviously, in terms of envelope response and pitch drift, but as it turned out those things were
not enough to immediately single out an analog synth against a digital emulation of one.

So there’s that.

Plus, we need to reevaluate what we assume are “analog” and “digital” sounds. Sure, the
minimoog was all-analog. Later moogs, though, used DCO’s - digitally-controlled oscillators -
as did Sequential Circuits and Oberheim. At the time, a lot of people complained that they
weren’t “true analog.” And yet it’s pretty rare to find someone complaining about their
Prophet-5 not being analog enough. Add to that the fact that a lot of “classic” analog sounds…
actually aren’t. The deep, thuddy eurodance bass that dominated house music from about 1988
to…well, it still shows up…is always thought of as an analog bass, when in fact it’s the
“LatelyBass” patch on the Yamaha TX81Z, which is as digital and gritty a synth as you’re ever
gonna find. And to round it out, often a lot of the “magic” attributed to analog synths isn’t from
the synth itself, but the post-processing and mixing. Not to say there isn’t magic in a lot of
those classic synths, but a good EQ and compressor can certainly giveth and taketh away after
the fact.
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Mark Slee
I love synthesizers. · Author has 221 answers and 2M answer views · 9y

Related How do you implement digital patch memory with an analog synthesizer?
Analog synthesizers with digital patch memory typically have a layer of components between
the front panel controls and the underlying analog circuitry. So, the knobs and switches may
not actually be directly connected to potentiometers. Or if they are, this connection is
switchable and may be overridden by the patch system.

Digital components then read the values of the controls and set output analog voltages to the
underlying analog circuitry.

This enables a patch to be recalled without having to physically move all the controls, and these
synthesizers enable a state where the setting on a physical control is different from the setting
in the analog sound engine. Typically the digital patch system will just monitor the controls for
changes. Different synthesizers use different rules for handling these mismatches, e.g. override
(whereby moving the control immediately changes the value) or pickup (whereby moving the
control doesn't take effect until it moves over the internal setting, "picking" it up).

Now, one drawback to this approach is that it may potentially introduce audible digital "stair-

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stepping," depending on how the digital system samples the values of the controls and passes
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them through to the analog circuitry. This may be counteracted with a hybrid system. Moog, for
instance, has a technology they call Real Analog Control, where the physical knob actually can
directly control a potentiometer, enabling perfectly smooth non-quantized resolution. Yet the
knob may still be overridden by a patch preset, so you get the best of both worlds.

Some synthesizers include indicators on the panel, such as rings of LEDs around knobs, to show
the current value that the synth engine is using, which may or may not match the knob.

Different manufacturers try to position these things in various ways, but sometimes you'll see
these referred to as "digitally controlled analog synthesizers." This is probably the most
accurate technical description of what's going on.

The following diagram illustrates the basic concepts:

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Upvote · 7 2

Brandon Daniel
I know a few things about how to use them and how to make them. A few. · 9y

Related How are synthesizers made?

The development process for synthesizers is likely as varied as for any other product out there.
I'll try to answer your questions from my own experience, with notes about other likely
approaches.

What is the process?

This depends greatly on the scale of the product, the scale of the company developing it, and
individual corporate culture.

Many synthesizer companies conceptualize their products like any other large business:
Marketing/Management conceive of an idea they believe will work in their market, discuss with
engineering to ensure feasibility, and etch out a spec piece by piece, shaped by what
engineering can accomplish in service of the goal.

Smaller, boutique companies are frequently engineering-driven. Engineers will tinker with a
new idea until they have a proof of concept, and then hash out turning that idea into a real
product they can put on the market.

What programming language is typically used for digital?

There are as many answers to this as their are processor architectures, development kits, and
engineering preferences in the world.

Synthesizer companies, being small and targeting what is essentially an embedded system
product, are not typically adopting the fancy new programming fads like your local startup.

In the 90s, most hardware synthesizer "software" was written in assembler for the target
architecture, whether it be a specialized DSP or a microcontroller handling the front panel i/o.
The heavy lifting of audio was done either on DSPs (motorola or TI being common) or on
custom ASICs for the synthesizer architecture.

These days, it is frequently in C/C++, sometimes with in-line assembly or macros to take
advantage of architecture efficiencies that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. The
efficiency of modern compilers and development platforms, combined with the general
increase of available memory and cpu horsepower have made this possible.

For purely software products (running on your general purpose computer or mobile device),
these are more likely to be written in more modern languages, and I'm sure you've run across a
few that were done primarily in objC (anything on an iPad) or java (the Moog Google Doodle).

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What sort of components for an analogue?

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For a synthesizer that uses analogue circuitry to generate or modify sound, your building blocks
are exactly what you might expect: resistors, capacitors, transistors, opamps, OTAs, pots,
switches, etc.

For digital synthesizers, the controls are typically potentiometers wired as voltage attenuators,
scanned digitally (often through a multiplexer) and fed into the digital design there. The back-
end is often nothing more than output from the DAC, run into perhaps a tone-shaping circuit
and output volume control (again, a voltage dividing potentiometer). Some designs may put an
analogue filter in between the DAC and the output, most do not (modern DACs have
reconstruction filters built in, so I am referencing musical filters, here).

Is the physics of sound ever considered in the creation of these machines?

Absolutely. Some modern synthesizers ship with physical models of string instruments, wind
instruments, etc. These are doing their best to model the physics of these instruments in the
digital world. I won't go into design and implementation specifics here, but the information is
out there if you wish to look for it.

But even way back in the 60s and 70s, there's evidence that the physics of certain sounds were
being taken into account. Anecdotally, if you look at how an old Roland TR-77 synthesizes the
drum sounds it provides, you can see influence of the physical. A real drum is a resonant body
with a material skin stretched across, struck to excite the skin into temporary oscillation which is
then amplified by the resonance of the body. The TR-77 (and many analogue drum machines
like it), send a voltage spike (the strike of the skin) into a bandpass filter on the edge of
oscillation, causing it to temporarily oscillate at its cutoff frequency and fade back to silence,
similar to a real drum. The real giveaway here, though, is that many of these early drum designs
use a negative-going voltage spike. It makes very little difference to the sound of a circuit like
this to fire off this spike as +v or -v in relation to gnd, and later designs often used a +v spike.
But if you are considering this design as an analogue physical model of a drum, of COURSE
you'd want to excite your drum skin in a downward motion...
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Mike Brown
30+ years playing bass, synthesizers and electronics in punk and new wave bands · Author has 81
answers and 213.1K answer views · 8y

Related What's a synthesizer?

Originally Answered: What's a synthesizer ?
A synthesizer is an electronic device for creating and modifying sounds. Types of synthesizers
vary from the traditional analog units, to digitally controlled, pure digital and more recently
software emulation. I am providing a much longer answer below that expands on what makes
up an analog synthesizer and how it works.

To explain a synthesizer, you have to first talk a bit about sound and how traditional
instruments work.

Sound is made up of vibrations that cause rapid fluctuations in air pressure. When these
vibrations (rarefaction and compression of air) fluctuate between a frequency of 20 Hz and 20
kHz, our eardrums pick up these rapid fluctuations and we perceive them as sound. When you
strum a guitar or strike a piano key, a string rapidly vibrates producing a sound. The faster it
vibrates, the higher the pitch. The harder we strike or strum the string, the louder the sound. If
we anchor that string to another structure made of a material that can pick up these vibrations
(such as a guitar body or piano soundboard or "Harp"), it will amplify the sound by vibrating
along with the string and introduce it's own tonal qualities from the wood, metal or membrane
(like a drum head).

Around the turn of the last century, with the advent of electronics and radio, advances were
made in amplifying and transmitting sound through transducers. A transducer is a device for
converting mechanical energy into electronic signals and back again (microphones and
speakers). A guitar pick-up is a transducer just as a record player needle and a microphone.

A synthesizer replaces the first transducer (ex: guitar pick-up) with an electronic sound source
that "synthesizes" the vibrations that would have been produced by a guitar string or other
source. This new sound source was called an "oscillator" which is the fundamental first building
block of an electronic sound synthesizer. The oscillator "oscillates" rapidly generating electronic
pulses. Increasing the voltage raises the pitch so this kind of oscillator became known as a
Voltage Controlled Oscillator of VCO for short. It is the sound source but you cannot hear it yet.

To hear our voltage controlled oscillator, we need to amplify the current to a level that will work
with our output transducer (The speaker cabinet) that does the work of converting the electrical
energy back to mechanical energy (sound). So the second building block of a synthesizer
becomes the "Amplifier". Voltage is use to control the volume or amplitude of the amplifier so

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this device became known as a Voltage Controlled Amplifier of VCA.

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With a VCO and a VCA, you have a basic synthesizer and could do a lot of cool stuff with it but
it would not lend itself well to a wide range of sounds or easily create music. So the next most
important component becomes the "Controller" or "In Put Device". Most of the time, the
controller is a standard keyboard borrowing from piano and organ design but a controller can
be drum triggers, breath controllers (ex. flute or saxophone style device), microphone (ex.
vocoder) or some kind of interface to software or hardware sequencer (midi, cv or usb). Now
you can rapidly play your synthesized tones like any other musical instrument.

These synthesized tones are limited so the next group of components that were added to
synthesizers are known as "Modifiers". Modifiers allow the synthesist or musician to affect the
sound in ways that are analogous to natural sounds. Here's a short list of modifiers used on
"analog" synthesizers.

Wave Forms: Modifies or shapes the voltage fluctuations of the VCO in regards to amplitude
and duration of the oscillation. Common wave forms are Square Wave (nasal flute and wood
marimba qualities), Sine or S Wave (smoother string quality), Saw Tooth (brassy quality) and
Triangle Wave (somewhere between string and brass).

Filters: The filter is a kind of tone control that adjusts bass and treble qualities of a sound. Filter
controls are typically frequency, resonance and sometimes additionally called timbre, cut-off,
brilliance, presence, range depending on the manufacturer.

Envelopes: The envelope is like a fancy volume control that shapes the sound over the duration
of play. Envelopes modify either the amplitude (volume) or filter qualities. An envelope is
typically made up of Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release controls. Attack is the first part of the
sound ( a drum or piano has no attack but a flute or string sound has a slower or longer attack).
Decay is the decrease of the volume or filter after the peak of the attack. Sustain is the eventual
landing point where the sound will maintain after Attack and Decay, and will continue until
Release (after the key is let up). Release is the duration of the sound that can follow after
releasing a key on the controller.

Modulation: A tremolo or vibrato that can be added to the pitch, filter or amplitude of the
sound. Modulation is controlled by a separate "Low Frequency Oscillator" or LFO that oscillates
at a frequency too slow to produce sound. Instead it is used to rapidly raise and lower the pitch,
brightness (filter) or volume (amplifier) of the sound to add more character.

When all these modifiers were added, musicians now needed a way to use them effectively
while playing or "performing" so Performance Controllers were added to synthesizers. These
most often are pitch benders, modulators and octave controls in the form of wheels, toggles,
sliders or switches that are located next to the keyboard or other controller interface so they
are easily accessed while playing.

That is the definition and fundamental description of a basic analog synthesizer used for
producing sounds and playing music and will help to distinguish the difference between an
electric piano or organ and what is considered a synthesizer. There are many, many other
variations and flavors of synthesis that go into FM Synthesis, Digitally Controlled Oscillators,
Digital Synthesizers, Samplers, etc... but that is a whole other story.

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Silas Ferreira
Have an interest in how instruments work · 4y

Related What is the best modern budget synthesizer available?

If you want a classic mono synth sound on a budget, Behringer’s Model D is hard to beat. Just
add a midi controller and there you have it, that legendary sound, for a fraction of the price of
the real thing. Also it can work with eurorack and other modular synths, should you want to
add more to your collection in the future.

The Model D has a few limitations. It’s a module (no keys) and has no preset memory (which
can also be a good thing, but that’s another discussion). For around the same price you can get
a Novation Bass Station 2. It has a powerful analog synth engine, covering most bases,
including Moog, acid bass and other classic sounds, with ease. Also has a bunch of other handy
features such as an arpeggiator, sequencer, aftertouch, works great as a small midi/usb
controller, has a crazy aphex twin mode (too long to describe here, google it.

But maybe an analog mono synth is a bit limited for your needs. Then I’d look into the Waldorf
Blofeld. It has a bunch of synth engines, plus the ability to load and manipulate samples, with
up to 25 voices of polyphony and 16-part multitimbrality. The desktop version is one of the
best deals on the used market right now, in my opinion. The keyboard version is quite a bit
more than the desktop but it has aftertouch, 4 octaves and comes with the sample license from

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factory. Unlike the others on this list, it’s fully digital.

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If the Blofeld sounds too complex, you should look into the Behringer Deepmind 6. It’s around
the same price as the Blofeld Keyboard but it’s a more basic, 6 voice, analog poly synth. It’s
designed more or less as a modern take on the classic Roland Juno 60. It’s much less flexible
than the Blofeld but it’s analog.

Lastly, take a look at the Arturia Microfreak. It’s its own thing, very quirky but versatile. One of
the best modern digital synths for a great price.
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Upvote · 3

Pablo Correa
I design synthesizers for a living · 4y

Related How do you make a synthesizer?

This is a very broad question. You should consider a lot of things before starting.

1. Synthesizers can be made in software or hardware. If you plan to make it with

software, you should decide on which platform will be built. Linux, Windows, Mac, or a
cross-platform design? Then comes the type. Is it going to be a standalone app, a
plugin or a both? If it is a plugin, then which format you will use? VST, VST3, AAX,
Audiounits or all of them? If the software is your way to go, I will recommend starting
with a framework like JUCE. There is a lot of information about how to get started with
JUCE and countless open-source synth projects.

2. If you are planning to make it with hardware, then you have to deal with electronics.
Then you have to ask yourself. Is this a hobby DIY Synth, a prototype, or a commercial
synth? If it is a hobby DIY synth, then platforms like Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Teensy or
Axoloti, are good starting points , with plenty of information and open-source synth
projects. If you are making a prototype, which may lead to a commercial product, then
a platform like STM32 is more robust and reliable. The cases mentioned above are for
digital design. If you want to include analog filters or you want to make a fully analog
synth, I suggest you check the book “Make: Analog Synthesizers” by Ray Wilson.

3. Then comes type of synthesis. Is it going to use analog waveforms, virtual analog,
wavetable, granular, FM or sample-playback? I suggest to start with the basic
waveforms and then move to the most advanced types. In any case, you will have to
learn how to build the main blocks of the synth. A minimalistic example will be: Build
an oscillator, an LFO, a Filter, envelope generators for the amplifier and the filter, a
basic FX section and a mixer. Add a voice manager if you want the synth to be
polyphonic. A good introduction can be found in Making Audio Plugins Part 1:
Introduction Although is only for software synths, it describes the main blocks of a
subtractive synthesizer.

4. At some point, you will need to deal with DSP, so here is a list of resources:

• dspguide.com

• kvraudio forum - dsp programming section

• music-dsp13 mailing list

• dsprelated.com - All You Can Eat DSP (check out the Free Books section)

• Julius Orion Smith III Home Page

• Mathematics of the Discrete Fourier Transform

• Introduction to Digital Filters

• Physical Audio Signal Processing

• Spectral Audio Signal Processing

• A good overview of oscillators: Digital Sound Generation

• DAFX conference proceedings and book

• Digital Audio Signal Processing book

• Digital Signal Processing Using the ARM Cortex book

Happy hunting.
1.3K views · View upvotes 1 of 1 answer

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Anonymous
7y

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Related How long does it take to master synthesizer from scratch?

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Originally Answered: how long does it take to master synthesizer from scratch?
This is one of those questions where we go, “instead of asking it, it’s best off getting right into
it.” This is because, everyone’s experience with sound-design is different and some people can
master certain elements much quicker etc. However, to be honest, a synthesiser is best used to
learn, how do I synthesise this sound? Rather than learning one particular synth. This way, once
you know the concepts, you can use any synth and exploit their unique features to make your
sound truly original. Once more, no-one really has a definitive answer when it comes to time.
The best thing to do is study the elements of synthesis. What is ADSR? What is LFO? What do
they do, and how, do I use them to do what I want. Well, that’s all! ^_^
2.7K views · View upvotes 1 of 1 answer

Upvote · 2 2

Joris Visser
Electronic Music/Techno producer since 1993, Musician. · Author has 99 answers and 270.2K answer
views · Updated 1y

Related What are the best keyboard synthesizers for beginners?

If I have to name one:

The Behringer DeepMind 6

Why?

For a entry level price it has almost everything you need/want in a synthesizer (oscillators,
filters, envelope, amp and lfo) and also gives you a lot of nice extra’s (fx section, arpeggiator,
chord mode, lots of presets). Unlike most other synths in this price class, it is polyphonic (you
can play multiple notes at the same time). Very complete, and one of the ‘good’ and ‘original’
products of the notorious Behringer brand.

• Analog and Polyphonic

• Compact but 3 Octaves of Keyboard.

• Sounds Great, Great Sounds

• Affordable, Available

• Straightforward controls (dedicated faders) for basic synth functions (OSC, VCF, ENV,
etc)

• But also great overview of in-depth functions (through the screen)

• Great built-in FX (Klark Teknik, Midas, TC Electronic)

• Arpeggiator / Control Sequencer

• Good enough build quality

• Very complete, endless possibilities

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(the DeepMind 6 is a smaller brother to the larger and bit more expensive DeepMind 12, which
has double the polyphony and more keys)
3K views · View upvotes · View 2 shares · Answer requested by Max Thibeaux 1 of 21 answers

Upvote · 7 2

Mike Brown
Founder at Cyber-NY (1996–present) · Author has 81 answers and 213.1K answer views · 6y

Related I'm considering the purchase of a synthesizer. I am curious about the

difference between an analog and a digital synthesizer. Which is better from a
musical perspective and why?
This is a matter of preference so I recommend trying out several digital and analog machines at
a music store to explore what works best for you.

Analog synthesizers are truly unique instruments that typically have a control surface (knobs
and sliders) where you build and manipulate the sound. This appeals to a certain kind of
keyboardist that considers constructing and manipulating the sound as part of the
performance. Analogs by nature will almost certainly be more limited in capacity and
characteristics than a digital keyboard but these limitations and characteristics are what makes
a good analog synthesizer and is what the musician plays against. It is why a Minimoog will
never be an Arp Odyssey or an Oberheim OB8, or a Korg VC-10, a Roland SH-1, Wasp, Yamaha
CS-15, etc, etc… each analog machine is unique and limited by it’s hardware (Oscillators,
Controllers, Filters, Modifiers).

Digital keyboards are less limited by design because they use microprocessors to handle more
functions simultaneously than an analog can accomplish. The wave forms may be samples and
can be much more complex allowing multitimbral, polyphonic sound design with layers of
complexity you can’t get from tweaking knobs. The digitally produced wave forms can come
from a variety of sources (sampled or constructed) but are not from oscillators. Digital
keyboards are excellent for putting a library of preset sounds at your access, so if you are not
interested in building the sounds, or want to produce classic instruments, digital is a good way
to go.

Then there are digitally controlled analogs (hybrids). Many of the synths today fall into this
category. This provides the conveniences and precision of digital with performance controls
and some characteristics of analog.

BEWARE - - - - Opinions being expressed below.

Which ever way you go, if you want to be a synthesist, pick an instrument with character. If it
has no characteristics of it’s own, it is for a keyboardist, but not necessarily a synthesist or
electronic musician. Nothing wrong with that. If the goal is an electronic keyboard that sounds
like a Hammond B3 and then a Rhodes piano, and then a trumpet, it’s not a synthesizer in
spirit. It is a digital mimic. I may get slammed for saying this, but some of the Nord keyboards
fall into this category. They are midrange to high in cost and are in the arsenal of most studio
musicians and late night television bands. It is a pro keyboard players tool… but, hmm. Lacking
in excitement. Just my two cents…

Or you can do like most of us reading posts on synthesizers. Accumulate all kinds over the
years. I’m a pack rat and have analogs, digital, digitally controlled analogs, and hybrids of all
types.
1K views · View upvotes 1 of 8 answers

Upvote · 4

Sam Cater
Freelance Web Writer · 13y

Related How does Stephen Hawking's voice synthesizer work?

Here is a Wikipedia extract I think will answer your question:

In Hawking's many media appearances, he appears to speak fluently through his synthesizer,
but in reality, it is a tedious drawn-out process. Hawking's setup uses a predictive text entry
system, which requires only the first few characters in order to auto-complete the word, but as
he is only able to use his cheek for data entry, constructing complete sentences takes time. His
speeches are prepared in advance, but having a live conversation with him provides insight as
to the complexity and work involved. During a Technology, Entertainment, & Design

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Conferencetalk, it took him seven minutes to answer a question.[35]

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Upvote · 25 1

Ajay Kumar Prasad

B.E. (IT) from Konkan Gyanpeeth College of Engineering · Author has 286 answers and 915.7K answer
views · 4y

Related How do I use the split voice feature in a synthesizer?

The split voice feature allows the user to play two different instruments on different set of
octaves/keys. For instance, Strings + Grand Piano. Leftmost portion or set of keys are made to
sound like Strings and the rest of the portion (right side of the split point) sounds like Grand
Piano.

Now the actual process to toggle the Split Voice feature might differ from keyboard to
keyboard.

For instance, I have Yamaha PSR I455

This thing ;)

Deciding the Split Point

In the function button placed near the number keys, it has several options like transpose, pitch
bend value, reverb, wide etc. I select the Split Point option which allows me to set a certain key
as a divider for the two different instruments. The currently selected split point is displayed on
the screen. By using plus/minus buttons, I can change it.

Selecting the instrument for Split Voice

In my keyboard, the M.Voice denotes the main/melody voice that is the current active
instrument. I select Grand Piano as the M.voice .

Then I press the Split Voice button located near the screen which allows me to select another
instrument for Split Voice. Here I select Strings or sometimes Slow strings .

Setting the correct octave for split voice

Again I press the function button and use plus/minus buttons to find the option S.Octave . By
default, it has the value 0 meaning the middle octave. I can change this to -1 using plus/minus
buttons which enables me to use the Slow strings as a Base…

Peace
239 views 1 of 1 answer

Upvote

Patrick Woo Ker Yang

Freelance music composer for the media - http://soundcloud.com/patrickwoo · Author has 78 answers
and 483.5K answer views · 2y

Related Can a digital piano be a synthesizer?

The answer in a sentence: It depends on the capability of your digital piano.

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Strictly speaking, most digital pianos are synthesizers by default. The sounds of your digital
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piano are produced through some form of synthesis in reaction to how fast you strike the keys,
how long you hold it if the note events happen in combination with foot pedals, faders or knob
turns. Some of these tone generation/synthesis methods include FM, wavetable, pcm, sampling,
physical modelling, and sometimes a combination of the above mentioned.

From your question, you seem to be asking if you can use “turn your digital piano into a
synthesizer”.

This can happen if your keyboard is able to send note events through a communications port
like a MIDI port, or a USB port. If that is possible, your keyboard can become a controller to
trigger an external synthesizer.

MIDI controller - Wikipedia

Device that produces MIDI data A Roland keytar , keyboard MIDI controller designed…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_controller

A musical keyboard controller (also called a MIDI keyboard controller) is physically constructed
like a musical keyboard that does not generate sounds. Instead, they send note data when you
play on it. This data can then be used to trigger a hardware synthesizer or a virtual instrument
(software synthesizer) that runs from a computer. These then produce audio signals of the
resulting sounds and output those to speakers, get recorded digitally, however you want to
route them.

An “external synthesizer” can mean hardware shaped like regular keyboards, or hardware units
that can be mounted on racks. To receive the note signals from your controller when you play
them, these synthesizers must be able to receive notes from external sources, either via a MIDI
input port or a USB port, for example.

original image here .

In summary, you digital keyboard is probably a synthesizer, if it already contains sound patches
for strings/guitar/basses/voices/etc. These are very likely synthesized in the tone generator
section of your digital instrument.

If you want to, and if your instrument can send note events via MIDI or USB ports, you can
expand your instrument to trigger an external synthesizer or virtual instrument software on a
computer.

Some additional links on how digital pianos generate their sounds:

Digital Piano Sound: The DIfferent Technologies

Digital piano sound comes from complex electronic processes within your digital…

https://www.merriammusic.com/pianos/digital-pianos/digital-piano-sound/

How Do Digital Pianos Get Their Sound?

How Do Digital Pianos Get Their Sound? | Riverton Piano Blog

https://blog.rivertonpiano.com/2021/03/01/how-do-digital-pianos-get-their-soun…

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Also some links about Midi controllers and how they work:
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Beginners Guide to MIDI Controller Keyboards and Pads

MIDI controllers have made the process of creating music much easier and opened u…

https://homestudiohub.com/midi-controllers-guide/

A Beginners Guide: How Do MIDI Controllers Work? - RouteNote

Create Blog
Let's go back to 1982 when MIDI first showed up, and let's find out just how aftertou…

https://mixxed.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-how-do-midi-controllers-work/

863 views 1 of 3 answers

Upvote

Roger Modjeski
Chief Engineer (1980–present) · Author has 314 answers and 610.8K answer views · 5y

Related How does an analog synthesizer work?

In the 1960s s a very clever Robert Moog decided the way to go was to make oscillators and
filters that responded equally over the entire range at a control voltage of 1 volt per octave.
This make the keybord very simple but the other parts very difficult.

When you realize that every octave doubles the voltage how else whould you do it. Linear
oscillators convert voltage to frequency linearly. Moog’s oscillators had to convert voltage to
frequency exponentially. So one volt made an octave anywhere on the keyboad. The filters had
to do the same thing and so did the amplifiers.

In the lovely pictuture below from Ian Hendry you can see those modules patched together as
the performer desired. Oscillators connect to amplifiers and to filters all controlled by the one
volt per octave keyboard. Those modules were difficult to make, not perfectly accurate in
frequency though pretty good. Those inaccuracies contribute to the unique sound of analog
synthesizers.

Digital synths operate in an entirely different way with samples, perfect pitch, perhaps too
much perfection.
151 views · View upvotes · Answer requested by Arman Karimi 1 of 3 answers

Upvote · 1

Ruffino Gassolini
Experiencing the human condition. · Updated 1y

Related What was the first digital synthesizer?

I believe the first commercially available digital synth was the the RMI Harmonic Synthesizer in
1974. This was an additive synth.

In 1976, Wolfgang Palm launched the PPG Wavecomputer 340. This was the first commercial
wavetable synth.

IN 1977, New England Digital Launched the first iteration of their Synclavier. This is perhaps the
most monumental digital synth ever made; a big system could consist of several full height
racks to house the synthesis engine, a computer terminal and a keyboard. It was quite capable
and good sounding. It did FM and additive synthesis as well as sampling, and is still highly
regarded.

In the year 1979 the Fairlight CMI was also launched. This was essentially a sampler, but it could
synthesize samples that it could then play back. It was a somewhat cheaper and simpler
alternative to the Synclavier, and it became quite popular even though it cost as much as a
luxury car at the time.

In 1979 Casio launched the rather simplistic and cheap Casio VL-1, combined calculator and
synthesizer - it wasn’t particularly good at either. This was probably the first digital synthesizer
that the general public got to know, but it wasn’t really a serious instrument.

In 1980 Crumar released their General Development System. This was a very advanced and
expensive system. The GDS could perform additive and FM synthesis. The technology was used
in the more affordable DKI Synergy in 1982.

During the 1970s Yamaha was hard at work developing digital FM synthesis. This resulted first
in the very expensive GS-1 1981. Then the affordable DX line came in 1983. Of these, the DX-7
is the most known and iconic digital synthesizer.

Prior to these, starting sometime in the 1960s, there were many custom and DIY digital synths.

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And before that again, academics used early computers to synthesize sounds.
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This is by no means a complete account, but at least some of the first commercial ones are
covered here.
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Upvote · 5

Brian C McCalla
Engineer, Professor, Trance Music Producer, Advocate, Friend, Mentor, Lover, Man · Author has 1.5K
answers and 5M answer views · Updated 5y ·

Related What is the best synthesizer for beginners?

As with all things, it depends on your budget and your experience in other areas. I personally
think that everybody should be working with an analog synth first simply because of the one-
to-one (often) correlation between controls and parameters (so you can immediately hear the
impact that the parameter has on the timbre) and the fact that subtractive synthesis is the
paradigm by which all synths that followed split from.

Along those lines, if you're an engineer or experimental scientist, I'd say buy a decent used
Roland, Korg, or even Moog analog synth. If it needs a little work, you'll be likely to be able to
work on it and get it up and running and many of these can be found on Craigslist for the $100
to $200 range.

If you're not so technically skilled but still have a few bucks to go, I think really the ideal choice
is an Arturia Microbrute. These can be had open box new for about $200 and are absolutely
addictive, totally educational, and sound as professional as their big brothers. Even if you're not
a beginner, I highly recommend these.

Further down the price line and used for about $100 is the Korg Volca Bass (NOT the Volca
Keys). The Volca Bass is a cleaner (and, I would argue, warmer) analog polysynth than is the
Keys. It's simpler than the Microbrute and not as educational, but it's still great - sounding and
packs a lot of analog for the money.

If you still want to go hardware but are even more budget conscious, a Korg Monotron can be
had for about $35, and is true analog with a warm filter and even an audio input. Don't expect
MIDI or even anything but a membrane keyboard at this price, but folks have actually recorded
with these and you can literally carry one in your pocket.

Access
Finally, if you're this
broke butanswer
have aand support
pc and the author
an internet as a Quora+
connection...and subscriber
ideally a MIDI controller
keyboard (old style, non-usb ones can be had for as low as $5 on Craigslist...then
Access all answers reserved by Brian C McCalla for Quora+ subscribers get a $4 usb
to MIDI adapter on Amazon and you're set), just download Synth1 and a vsti wrapper (the free
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DAW, Cakewalk, from Bandlab will work fine) and you'll have a warm sounding, professional
Browse ad‑free
virtual studio technology and support
instrument creators
(vsti) emulation of a Nord Lead 2 analog modelling
synthesizer. You'll still learn all about analog synths, subtractive synthesis, probably more FM
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Start free vst
trialplugins, MIDI, and DAW software...oh, and
don't worry, the learning curve is a little steep, but with some patience, you'll find yourself
sounding as good as (if not better than) allLearn of themore
hardware synths described above.

...If that's too daunting...

8.1K views · View upvotes · Answer requested by Max Thibeaux 1 of 21 answers

Upvote · 11 1

Scott P. Shafer
Senior Design Engineer at Moog (company) (2002–present) · Author has 76 answers and 76.2K answer
views · 4y

Related How does a Moog synthesizer work?

Like other analog synthesizers, Moog synths are subtractive. That is, they begin with a
waveform that is relatively easy to produce electronically (square, sawtooth, e.g.), and then feed
that signal through a set of filters that remove various parts of the frequency content from it.

You may wonder “what ‘frequency content’ can be removed from a simple square wave?” This is
where we must pay homage to our friend Monsieur Fourier. Joseph Fourier (1768–1830), a
French mathematician and physicist, discovered the notion that every waveform could be
described (“synthesized,” in a way) by summing simple sine waves of different frequencies. Thus
a square wave can be handled by electronics as if it were a summation of some waves of
different frequencies (and amplitudes). Filters can zero in on frequency ranges and cut out
frequency content as desired; perhaps you’ve heard of “high pass,” “low pass,” and “band pass”
filters. Applying these filters to a square wave or sawtooth wave can alter its sound to whatever
the user wants. Other effects (adding white noise, adjusting the “envelope,” or the attack and
decay of each note, and combining multiple oscillators) can create an even wider range of
sounds. But the basic technology is the subtractive filter, acting on a high-frequency-content
waveform.

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If the initial input waveform were a simple sine wave, the synthesizer would be very limited
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because the Fourier sum would consist of only one term, and thus there would be only one
relevant frequency to be filtered.

Note: it’s theoretically possible, of course, to construct a true Fourier-style additive synthesizer:
one that creates a series of sine-wave signals of different frequencies and sums them into a
single tone. But this is an expensive proposition. It requires multiple tuned oscillators (the
oscillators are typically the expensive part), so almost nobody has ever tried it.
331 views · View upvotes · Answer requested by Brandon T. Tompson 1 of 5 answers

Upvote · 2

Kaelan Dreyer
I play quite a few of instruments.mainly banjo,mandolin,saxophone,and harmonica. · Author has 520
answers and 835.9K answer views · Updated 6y

Related What is your favorite synthesizer and why?

The TB-303 is probably my favorite synthesizer

An important instrument in the development of House music in Chicago, and is the essential
instrument in Acid music.

The sound I really love because it simply sounds so cool! I've always liked a nice bass synth line,
meanwhile it's acid sound is so awesome!

A thing I absolutely love about the TB-303 is its backstory! It was actually originally made by
Roland to be sold as Bass accommodation for guitar players practicing alone! However it was
very difficult to program and failed to reach its target audience, so Roland discontinued it, and
it was sold for bargain prices which would make it a favorite among early Chicago House
musicians (being from the Chicago area I kind of got to appreciate them).

In 1987 Chicago House duo Phuture released the song “Acid Tracks” that would introduce the
TB-303's signature Acid sound.

Afterwards the TB-303 all of a sudden became a highly sought out instrument for a sound that

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Can you explain how a digital synthesizer works? - Quora https://www.quora.com/Can-you-explain-how-a-digital-synthesizer-works

was completely different from its original intent!

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I've never played one, they are pretty expensive now ($2k). Luckily there are clones and now
reissues by Roland for people who've always wanted one.
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Buzz Malinowski
Studied at University of Michigan · Author has 63 answers and 141K answer views · 5y

Related Which type of synthesizer is better for a beginner, an analog or a digital

synth?
The best type of synthesizer for a beginner is one with many knobs. The more knobs the better.
From experience analog synths usually have the most knobs.

if you buy a synth without knobs to turn you will quickly become bored. Also, your friends will
be bored as they want to come over and touch and turn knobs on all your gear.

Once you decide on a DAW such as Ableton, FL or ProTools you will get an assortment of digital
synths anyhow and you'll be pissed you can't get that fat analog sound from the VSTs even
though you read they are just as good. With time and practice you might learn to emulate
analog … but it is far easier to use the real deal.

Some recommendations are Moog Sub37, Dave Smith, Moog mother … or anything cheap off
Craigslist.

The Sub 37 will give you two notes to play on the synth (mono is common on many analog
synths). However, you can use as a controller in full polyphonic mode and use all knobs in your
DAW. To record in analog you route midi to the synth and then bring audio back on a
dedicated input channel.

Cheers and have fun!

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Rui Antunes Sign In

Studied at Escola Superior De Música De Lisboa · 9y

Related How do you implement digital patch memory with an analog synthesizer?
Basically you have to sample the control voltage generated (call it the value) on the
potentiometers, and once you do that you can store that in a memory. To do so you use an
Analog to Digital Converter (DAC).

You can then read those values from memory and using a Digital to Analog Converter, you
generate a voltage that controls the analog parameter of the synth.

Because an ADC and a DAC are expensive components, usually you have an analog multiplexer
in front of each one of those, so you can convert from multiple sources to multiple destinations.
A multiplexer is like a switch that connects, for instance, every potentiometer for a brief
moment to the ADC, enough time for the ADC to read the value end store it in memory, the it
connects another potentiometer, it gets read, and so on, very fast.

You do the opposite with the DAC. You connect it to a multiplexer that sends an analogue value
to a synth control, but in this case you have to hold that value on the parameter until you hit it
again, and for that you use a circuit called sample and hold. You go to the next synth parameter
and so on until you go through all of them.

This can be a bit confusing but really its quite simple, the complexity only occurs because you
have many many parameters and potentiometers on a synth. Thing can get messy pretty fast.

You should read some Roland Service Manuals from they synths.
Here is the Manual for the Jupiter 8:
http://manuals.fdiskc.com/flat/Roland%20Jupiter-8%20Service%20Maunal.pdf

But all Roland service manuals are great. Im Restoring a Jupiter 8 at the moment.
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Upvote · 3 1

Scott Brio
Music Producer, Mastering Engineer · 1y ·

Related What are the advantages of modular synthesizers over digital ones?
First of all, modular synthesizers can and do incorporate digital aspects. It’s generally just the
oscillators and filters that are analog, whereas the sequencers and samplers in a modular setup
are digital.

Also, keyboard synthesizers can also be analog or digital, as well as function similar to modular
setups. The Dave Smith Poly Evolver for instance is a keyboard synthesizer that is hybrid- half
analog, half digital oscillators. It has dual analog filters and is a stereo, polyphonic synthesizer.
It has a modulation matrix inside of it that lets you easily route anything to anything, much like
modular synthesizers, resulting in some pretty wild results.

The real question I think you’re asking is, what advantages would HARDWARE synthesizers have
over PLUG-IN synthesizers. Here’s where the real magic is, however there’s upsides and
downsides to everything.

Hardware synthesizers (including modular) allow for a more organic way of exploring synthesis.
Sitting at a computer with a mouse and MIDI controller clicking buttons very much limits your
explorative process,
Access whereas
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Ganesh Subramaniam
Studied at Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · Author has 688 answers and 4.7M answer views · 8y

Related How does Stephen Hawking's speech device work?

Stephen Hawking’s speech system has been released by Intel as open-source code. The
company is hoping that developers will tinker with it and expand its application to a wider
range of disabilities.

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The Assistive Context-Aware Toolkit (ACAT) gives differently abled users the opportunity to use
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computers with very little movement, and was developed to help Hawking, who has
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) communicate by translating his facial movements into text.

The technology is made up of three parts: the input from an infrared sensor or webcam that
detects facial movements, the interface that selects letters to form words, and the
autocomplete-like software that predicts what the user is typing. The software’s virtual
keyboard can also be used to select and utilize different programs, and browse the internet.
The software is only available for PCs.

The software and the user guide — which includes advanced navigation techniques — can be
found on Github. 01org/acat

Here's how Hawking himself describes the system -

Since 1997, my computer-based communication system has been sponsored and provided by
Intel® Corporation. A tablet computer mounted on the arm of my wheelchair is powered by my
wheelchair batteries, although the tablets internal battery will keep the computer running if
necessary.

My main interface to the computer is through a program called EZ Keys, written by Words Plus
Inc. This provides a software keyboard on the screen. A cursor automatically scans across this
keyboard by row or by column. I can select a character by moving my cheek to stop the cursor.
My cheek movement is detected by an infrared switch that is mounted on my spectacles. This
switch is my only interface with the computer. EZ Keys includes a word prediction algorithm, so
I usually only have to type the first couple of characters before I can select the whole word.
When I have built up a sentence, I can send it to my speech synthesizer. I use a separate
hardware synthesizer, made by Speech+. It is the best I have heard, although it gives me an
accent that has been described variously as Scandinavian, American or Scottish.

Through EZ Keys I can also control the mouse in Windows. This allows me to operate my whole
computer. I can check my email using the Eudora email client, surf the internet using Firefox, or
write lectures using Notepad. My latest computer from Intel, based on an Intel® Core™ i7
Processor and Intel® Solid-State Drive 520 Series, also contains a webcam which I use with
Skype to keep in touch with my friends. I can express a lot through my facial expressions to
those who know me well.

I can also give lectures. I write the lecture beforehand and save it on disk. I can then send it to
the speech synthesizer a sentence at a time using the Equalizer software written by Words Plus.
It works quite well and I can try out the lecture and polish it before I give it.

Current configuration (there may be updates)

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Tablet (2 copies)

Intel® Core™ i7-2620M CPU @ 2.7GHz

Intel® 150Gb Solid-State Drive 520 Series

Windows 7

Speech Synthesizers (3 copies):

Manufacturer - Speech Plus (Incorporated 1988, Mountain View, CA)

Model - CallText 5010

Stephen Hawking - Home

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Dereck Blackburn
Professional Audio, Mixing, and Recording Engineer · 12y

Related What is the best way to learn how to create a custom digital Synthesizer?
Just to add on to James answer - the secret is knowing the differences between additive and
subtractive synthesis, how to use oscillators together to achieve different types of waveforms,
how to use LFOs to creatively warp sounds. My advice to you is to get the free VST synth
"SYNTH1" here: http://www.kvraudio.com/product/214 and start learning how to create sounds
there first, then applying your knowledge to the FL synths. Take about 4 hours to really immerse
yourself in the book James reccomended and play with the different knobs in the synth. Start
simple and build from there. Within a few days of really trying to learn how synthesis works
you'll be able to apply that knowledge to pretty much any synth out there. (Absynth by NI and
Moog Modular by Arturia are my 2 favorite VST synths. Both are fairly extreme in their
configuration possibilities. It took me about 3 weeks to really learn them.)
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Upvote · 3

Michael Bauers
Worked at Viavi Solutions (2015–2017) · Author has 10.5K answers and 7.9M answer views · 3y

Related How do you program an analog synthesizer?

Start by understanding the typical signal flow.

A keyboard or sequencer is connected to the Oscillators. Osc. connected to a mixer. Mixer

connected to a filter. Filter connected to the amplifier. The amplifier is controlled via an
envelope generator ( for attack/decay/sustain release.)

LFO may be connected to the oscillators and/or amplifier for vibrato or tremello.

That’s your main flow. With modular synthesizers, you have to manually connect the modules.
Many analog synths are somewhat hardwired. Sometimes there’s a mix of hardwired
connections, and pluggable routings.

There’s two kinds of signals, control signals (CV,) and audio signals. Control signals are for
things like note information, modulation, triggers, etc. Audio signals carry the information you
will eventually hear out of a speaker.

Slightly more advanced stuff is to connect oscillators together for options such as ring
modulation or frequency modulation. LFO is simply modulation slow enough to be directly
heard such as tremelo (sp?) or vibrato. But if you use “audio” frequencies to modulate other
audio frequencies you have some from of FM ( frequency modulation.)

Many modern analog synths allow for storing the patches, which is essentially a snap shot of
how all the controls are set. Dave Smith, with his Prophet 5 synthesizer, created the polyphonic
analog programmable synthesizer using a microprocessor, and clever circuitry ( at least I think
it’s clever.)

As for how to make specific sounds, books have been written on this. You start with a specific
oscillator waveform, like a square wave, adjust your ADSR envelope to match some real or
imagined instrument, and adjust your modulation ( e.g. LFO,) to do what you want.

A modern digital-analog hybrid like my Prophet 12 allows for a fantastic set of options for
altering the sound. You just have to dig in, and start playing around, and learning what can be
done. Sometimes you try crazy stuff with great results. Sometimes you can just google “How do
I get that famous Van Halen Jump sound”.
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Ian Hendry
Studied at Electronics · Author has 3.1K answers and 2.6M answer views · 5y

Related How does an analog synthesizer work?

You would start of with a square wave oscillator, the frequency of which is adjusted by a
precision network of resistors and a constant current source, this gives you your 1 volt per
octave. This basic fundamental frequency is then filtered using bandpass filters to give you the
fundamental and harmonics in certain proportions to represent typical instruments or other
wordly sound effects like 'plop', ‘zizz’ or ‘tingtang’ which doesn't occur naturally, this is then fed
into an ADSR variable gain stage (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) to represent the attack of the
string, decay, sustain and release of the note typical of the piano, this can be altered into
different shapes, there is also something called an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator), which can
modulate the note, giving a vibrato effect.

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There are also other effects like noise (White, Pink or Brown) and filters to make the sound like
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wind or a train going through a tunnel, and waa waa effects, which is a shifting bandpass filter,
which everybody has heard, all these effects have patch cords so they can be placed in and out
of circuit at will, with plenty of knobs to twiddle (picture of Brian Eno goes here) All this, and I
don't have one!

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Michael Bauers
Worked at Viavi Solutions (2015–2017) · Author has 10.5K answers and 7.9M answer views · 4y

Related What can you do with a synthesizer?

Theres 3 general sorts of paths. Sample, emulate, or create a non natural sound.

For the first, synthesizers with sampling have many options. They may have built in sequencing,
ways to control modulation, effects, or substantial timbre modification capabilities.

For the second, at one time it was popular to try to make common instrument sounds. These
days, I am not sure. But maybe you want synth brass, or synth drums for that 70s or 80s sound.

Finally you can create sounds maybe no one else or few people have ever created.

Theres no wrong path.

Besides just thinking of synths as a way to make sounds, synths can allow you to build a whole
song in memory like my yamaha motif. Though most people use software for that. And note
synthesizers can be software programs used with a program like cubase or whatever is popular
now. With sufficient computer power you can probably do a full orchestra symphony.

Personally, I like the hands on nature of my synth hardware.

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Michael Bauers
Senior Principal Software Engineer (2020–present) · Author has 10.5K answers and 7.9M answer views
· Mar 8

Easy mode.

Sofware generates waveforms, sends them through various shaping algorithms, spits out a final
digitized audio stream, which is turned into analog via a DAC (Digital To Analog Converter.)

The high level explanation is simple IMO.

The waveform could be as simple as a sine wave, which could be generated by calling a
function from your favorite language’s standard library. There’s more to it, if you want anti-
aliased audio, but that’s another topic.

Sending it through a digital filter, is not so simple. That falls into the category of DSP
algorithms. I will post a link to some C code, for a simple low pass filter.

Modulating it with LFO, sounds simple, even if it’s FM modulation. I could simply write a
function for time, that makes time proceed at a variable rate. No idea if that’s how Yamaha
does it, I am just saying a simple implementation is pretty simple.

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Sending it through a digital equivalent of a VCA, also simple.

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When I say simple, I mean simple to implement simple methods to do such things. I am sure
some software synths use simple methods. But I presume better methods require fancier
algorithms.

Performance can also be relevant. When Yamaha built the Yamaha Motif XF 6, which I mention
’cause I own one, they allowed for 128 note polyphony or something like that. And they didn’t
put an Intel desktop CPU on the circuit board. They would have used a cheaper, lower cost,
lower power processor. No idea what! But getting 128 note of polyphony probably required
attention to performance in their firmware.
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