The combination of oscillators and the ability to shape them with filters is the idea behind subtractive synthesis, found most commonly in older, analog synths, and Reason’s famous Subtractor.įrom the filter section, a sound reaches an amplifier or voltage-controlled amplifier, (VCA), which determines its volume. Opening and closing a filter is the most basic shaping of a waveform you can do, allowing brilliant, high-frequency content to pass through, then filtering it out for a more mellow sound. They are mostly used to remove specific unwanted frequencies, but have creative potential too.
They are mostly used to emulate formant frequencies of the voice. Bandpass filters select a group of frequencies allowed to pass through, rejecting the rest.Their main use is to remove unwanted low frequency content and to emphasize highs. High-pass filters set a cutoff point which allows all frequencies above it to pass through.They are used to restrain a sound’s frequency content and are the most popular filter type. Low-pass filters set a cutoff point which allows all frequencies below it to pass through.There are four common settings: low-pass, high-pass, bandpass, and notch. Notice the change in waveshape as the audio plays.įrom an oscillator, a sound travels to a filter (or VCF) section, where its harmonic qualities are shaped. There are four main shapes: sine, sawtooth, square, and triangle.
Waveshape: what a waveform actually sounds like.Amplitude: how loud the sound is leaving the oscillator, measured in decibels (dB).Frequency: the speed at which a waveform completes one cycle of its pattern, measured in Hertz (Hz) and perceived as either low or high pitch.They output repeating waveforms that can be modified using three main controls: Oscillators (or VCOs) are the basic components of a synth sound. Together, these parameters settings are called a patch. At some point, these signals are amplified, and sent through a speaker as vibrations in the air that we can hear.Īll synths have a few basic parameters that allow users to produce and shape sound. Our ears capture these vibrations and convert them into messages our brain understands as sound.Ī synth mimics this process, but instead of a vibrating guitar string or vocal chord, the vibration comes from an electrical signal that can be sped up, slowed down, and modified in ways that natural acoustic sounds cannot. When something vibrates, the air around it does too. What is a synthesizer?īefore getting into the nitty gritty of synths it’s important to understand how we hear sound.
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In this article, we’ll cover the basics of how synths make sound, and provide you with some synthesis tips along the way.Įverything to be discussed is applicable to both hardware and software synthesizers, with a focus on the latter.
In the digital era, where access to synths is a matter of clicks, our preoccupation with them is as strong as ever.īut how many of us know how a synth really works? The ability to use synths to produce the sounds you want-and not your VST-is one of the most important skills as a producer. The wide range of sonic possibilities offered by synths have made them a crucial part of both modern mainstream and underground music. But it wasn’t until 1970 that Bob Moog-pronounced like “vogue”-built and sold the first widely available synth, the Minimoog.Īnd we’ve been obsessed with them ever since.
Amazingly, significant synthesizer developments began as early as 1896: there was the Telharmonium, the Theremin, the Ondes Martenot, and the Electronic Sackbut, among others.
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