The synthesizer

a comprehensive guide to understanding, programming, playing, and recording the ultimate electronic music instrument

Foreword by Michelle Moog-Koussa -- Preface ; About the Companion Website ; 1. Trendsetting All-Stars ; 2. Acoustics & Synthesis Basics: Real-World Acoustics ; Types of Synthesis ; Audio Sources: Oscillators, Noise, & More ; VCAs, Envelopes, & LFOs ; Envelope Followers & Pitch-to-Voltage Converters ; Filters ; EQs & Filter Banks ; Analog Sequencers ; Arpeggiators ; Reverb ; Analog Delay ; Digital Delay ; Loopers ; Other Effects ; 3. Choosing Your Synthesizer(s): What's Your Budget? ; Musical Tastes & Goals ; Hardware vs. Software ; Portability & Power ; Programmability: Pros & Cons ; Expandability ; As Others Have Done ; Perspective ; Modular Synthesizers in the 21st Century: An Overview ; Modular Synth Shopping ; More on Eurorack Modular ; More on FracRak Modular ; More on Serge Modular ; Connectivity ; Convincing Analog & MIDI Synths to Coexist ; MIDI-to-CV Conversion ; CV-to-MIDI Conversion ; Controllers: Synths & Controllers with Keyboards ; Alternative Controllers ; Wind Controllers ; Touch Controllers ; Hand-Held Controllers ; Struck Controllers ; Controllers for Microtonal Tunings ; 4. Composition, Programming, & Performance Techniques: Composition ; Scoring to Picture: Composing for Living Art ; Following Through on a Thought ; Sage Advice from a Master ; Scoring with Intent, Even When Intimidated ; Patching, a.k.a. Programming: Encouraging Synthesists' Creativity ; When & How to Experiment with Sounds ; The Good & Bad of Non-Programmability ; Programming for Progress ; Fun with Modular Synths ; Layering Synth Sounds ; Programming for Expression ; Performance: Tools of the Trade ; Dependence on the Tried & True, but Moving Forward ; Modular Apparitions ; Defying the Dependence on Visuals ; 5. Recording the Synthesizer: As It Was & How It's Become for the Switched-On Innovator ; Serial vs. Random-Access Media ; Strategies for Recording Film & TV Scores ; Harnessing the Power of Modular Synths with Ableton Live ; Automated Mixing ; Outboard Processing: Preparing Audio for Recording ; Recording Direct & Expanding for Surround-Sound ; Appendix: Selected Bibliography, Museums & Films, Manufacturers, Blogs, Dealers & Stores ; Index