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jenssieckmann

jenssieckmann

Landor
Hi all,

in the pandemic I dipped my toe into orchestral music production in the style of Williams, Goldsmith, Horner. I really enjoy it so far but I want to broaden my mind a bit with synths. I already used sampled synths (LABS, Lunaris) in one of my tracks but I want to build a bit of a foundation to a) change synth presets to my liking and b) build completely new sounds. Plugs, pads, atmopsheres, drones and these things. So, basics like oscillators, amplitides, filters etc will be the curriculum.

I know this is a whole new rabbit hole and I don't know if I will dedicate much time and effort. It will depend on my results and interests.

I already have Pigments and Synthmaster 2. But both look rather intimidating to me. I don't know if these are the right ones to start with. I noticed some YT tutorials for Pigments. So maybe that's it. I heard of Syntorial but I'm uncertain if the concepts are easily applicable/transfered to Pigements or Synthmaster.

Is there any easy to learn synth with a bunch of available tutorials to get the basics done?

Thanks a lot,
Jens
Click to read more...
 
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The best way to learn the basics is to start with a "simple" subtractive mono or polysynth. This will give you a solide foundation which you can build upon.

Good free synths to start with:

u-He Tyrell N6 as mentioned above
DiscoDSP OB-Xd
TAL Noisemaker

Welcome to the rabbit hole ;)
 
jenssieckmann said:
Hi all,

in the pandemic I dipped my toe into orchestral music production in the style of Williams, Goldsmith, Horner. I really enjoy it so far but I want to broaden my mind a bit with synths. I already used sampled synths (LABS, Lunaris) in one of my tracks but I want to build a bit of a foundation to a) change synth presets to my liking and b) build completely new sounds. Plugs, pads, atmopsheres, drones and these things. So, basics like oscillators, amplitides, filters etc will be the curriculum.

I know this is a hole new rabbit hole and I don't know if I will dedicate much time and effort. I will depend on my results and interests.

I already have Pigments and Synthmaster 2. But both look rather intimidating to me. I don't know if these are the right ones to start with. I noticed some YT tutorials for Pigments. So maybe that's it. I heard of Syntorial but I'm uncertain if the concepts are easily applicable/transfered to Pigements or Synthmaster.
Click to expand...
Yes it is.
jenssieckmann said:
Is there any easy to learn Synth with a bunch of available tutorials to get the basics done?

Thanks a lot,
Jens
Click to expand...
The best way to learn is to get a simple hardware synth. One that makes you modulate things by hand. Synth isn't my native language by a long shot but I started to get really good when I bought a Minibrute. Then I started to build a modular system and that forced me to read the manuals of the modules and then it forced be to figure what the basic things that are needed for a synth to be a synth.

If you're not into modular or hardware the wealth of emulations today is impressive. The thing about softsynths is that they can throw everything in there with very little cost or space requirements so you get into a lot of menus and submenus etc.... But software emulations of hardware stuff that is authentic makes you realize the choices that companies like Moog thought were important because they were limited by material and space requirments on synths like the MiniMoog or even synths like the Arp.

One day I was working with a CS-80 emulation from Arturia and I was actually struck by the fact that every knob had a musical purpose. Many softsynths don't really take that approach. Synths like Pigments while very very good have a lot of stuff in it that is just novel and cool and may or may not be that musical. Or they try and jam a million styles of synthesis into one plugin. But if you get good hardware emulations you start to figure on the million styles of synthesis one unit at a time if that makes sense.
 
Another fact to consider is the simplicité of learning. To that i think a monosynth like a behringer model D, a bass station, à korg monologue or a polysynth like minilogue xd with "one knob per function" is really appreciated.
For soft synth à really recommend sérum for the simple of use even if the synthesis seems "more complicated".
 
Hey Jens,

i am an absolute noob when it comes to synth, but I had the same situation some time ago.
What I noticed is that most tutorials I found usefull, where for Serum ( since it is a very popular and capable synth)
Most of the things can also be done in Vital, which is quite similar and free with full functionality (additional wavetables cost some bucks, full version is 80€, but even the lower tier gives you more than enough)
I however do also own Pigments and never use it, since I find the interface extremly confusing and often aks myself if I ran into a bug or if I do not understand the interface correctly.

However the most impressive synth for me is Phaseplant. You have a black interface and can build everything you want. It seems a little much in the beginning, but to be honest, I think it is not such a big leap.

[edit]
I got the synth course from Becky Saif. I think she teaches everything very well, for a beginner. She however uses Serum.
 
José Herring said:
Yes it is.

The best way to learn is to get a simple hardware synth. One that makes you modulate things by hand. Synth isn't my native language by a long shot but I started to get really good when I bought a Minibrute. Then I started to build a modular system and that forced me to read the manuals of the modules and then it forced be to figure what the basic things that are needed for a synth to be a synth.

If you're not into modular or hardware the wealth of emulations today is impressive. The thing about softsynths is that they can throw everything in there with very little cost or space requirements so you get into a lot of menus and submenus etc.... But software emulations of hardware stuff that is authentic makes you realize the choices that companies like Moog thought were important because they were limited by material and space requirments on synths like the MiniMoog or even synths like the Arp.

One day I was working with a CS-80 emulation from Arturia and I was actually struck by the fact that every knob had a musical purpose. Many softsynths don't really take that approach. Synths like Pigments while very very good have a lot of stuff in it that is just novel and cool and may or may not be that musical. Or they try and jam a million styles of synthesis into one plugin. But if you get good hardware emulations you start to figure on the million styles of synthesis one unit at a time if that makes sense.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot. Due to shortage of space more hardware is a problem. I want to stick with software synth. Although I can totally understand your approach. I don't want to dig as deep to grasp voltage control stuff. And I think I don't care about authenticism.
 
I like Vital. It's free and has very modern UI. Easy to pick up, learn. Super easy to automate stuff, edit. There is a lot of tutorials on YouTube how to make pads, atmopsheres, drone, cinematic SFX etc in Vital. After Vital all other synths will be way easier to learn and understand.
 
FabIV said:
Hey Jens,

i am an absolute noob when it comes to synth, but I had the same situation some time ago.
What I noticed is that most tutorials I found usefull, where for Serum ( since it is a very popular and capable synth)
Most of the things can also be done in Vital, which is quite similar and free with full functionality (additional wavetables cost some bucks, full version is 80€, but even the lower tier gives you more than enough)
I however do also own Pigments and never use it, since I find the interface extremly confusing and often aks myself if I ran into a bug or if I do not understand the interface correctly.

However the most impressive synth for me is Phaseplant. You have a black interface and can build everything you want. It seems a little much in the beginning, but to be honest, I think it is not such a big leap.

[edit]
I got the synth course from Becky Saif. I think she teaches everything very well, for a beginner. She however uses Serum.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Vital und Phase Plant look quite appealing to me. For Vital (and synth in general) I discovered this YT'er: https://www.youtube.com/@inthemix. I will take a look into Saif's channel.
 
jenssieckmann said:
Thanks a lot. Due to shortage of space more hardware is a problem. I want to stick with software synth. Although I can totally understand your approach. I don't want to dig as deep to grasp voltage control stuff. And I think I don't care about authenticism.
Click to expand...
It's not about being authentic. It's the idea that you learn from something that is more simple and straight forward yet will yield musically satisfying results.

Almost every softsynth you mention is almost too complex for a beginner. I would start with a simple 2 or 3 osc synth that is an emulation of earlier synths. Even a synth emulation of the Juno 106 can be helpful to get the basics. You could be lost for years trying to figure out a lot more complicated softsynth like Pigments without first knowing a few more basic synths especially if they are good emulations of classic synths.
 
José Herring said:
Not by any stretch of any wild imagination beginner synths. Almost the exact opposite of that.

But......I'm starting to wonder why I even bother these days.
Click to expand...
What made these things easier to grasp for me ( more than anything before), is the visual feedback you get. I never had the impression that it overwhelms me, which was the case with all the knob synthesizers.
But if it the right way to get started, I really cannot say, and I would never argue with someone that has a lot of experience. (Simply of my lack of expertise 😉)
However I made the experience, when someone explains the tools properly, you can achieve quite a lot in short time.
 
José Herring said:
Not by any stretch of any wild imagination beginner synths. Almost the exact opposite of that.

But......I'm starting to wonder why I even bother these days.
Click to expand...
You're probably right. It's only that the UI look very clean. So I guess the surface hides the complexity of the whole thing ... which is the purpose of a good UI.
 
José Herring said:
It's not about being authentic. It's the idea that you learn from something that is more simple and straight forward yet will yield musically satisfying results.

Almost every softsynth you mention is almost too complex for a beginner. I would start with a simple 2 or 3 osc synth that is an emulation of earlier synths. Even a synth emulation of the Juno 106 can be helpful to get the basics. You could be lost for years trying to figure out a lot more complicated softsynth like Pigments without first knowing a few more basic synths especially if they are good emulations of classic synths.
Click to expand...
Thanks. What could be a beginner friendly emulation to learn synth basics. You mentioned a CS-80 emulation. Would this be a good start? I have to admit that my mind will certainly go on a rollercoaster ride if it has to consume an interface like that https://www.amazona.de/wp-content/uploads/2030/01/memorymoon-me80.png :emoji_grimacing:
 
jenssieckmann said:
Thank you. I fear my old eyes will have problems with the UI.
Click to expand...
How about these?

MG-1 Plus (free)
cherryaudio.com

Surrealistic MG-1 Plus

The fun and funky Surrealistic MG-1 Plus Synthesizer is a super authentic recreation of the Realistic MG-1 synthesizer sold in Radio Shack stores in the 80's. The Surrealistic MG-1 Plus delivers fat analog tone in spades, along with a unique polyphonic oscillator section, "bell tone" ring...
cherryaudio.com cherryaudio.com

DCO-106 (currently on sale for $20)
cherryaudio.com

DCO-106

Recreating the sound of a classic synthesizer is no easy task. DCO-106 lovingly recreates the unique sonic footprint of one of the most iconic 80’s polysynths in exhaustive detail, while adding modern features for massively expanded creativity. The DCO-106 is both easy to understand and powerful...
cherryaudio.com cherryaudio.com

Octave Cat
cherryaudio.com

Octave Cat

Cherry Audio’s Octave Cat synthesizer emulates the duophonic CAT synthesizer unleashed by Octave Electronics in 1976. Developed in partnership with The CAT’s original designer, Octave Cat retains all the growl of the original hardware’s fat, savage sound and replicates its aggressive resonant...
cherryaudio.com cherryaudio.com

UIs are scalable. Good simple Synths to learn the basics.
 
I’d suggest buying Syntorial. It’s a training program that teaches the basics of synthesis in a modular fashion. It includes a very basic, very easy to use synth called Primer that is a very basic synth with a super simple UI.

It’s reasonably priced, very effective, and should help make the synths you already have seem a bit less overwhelming.

Beyond that, Hive 2 or Synthmaster One may be good next steps. The overall approach to the UI for these two synths are similar, and I find them to be very intuitive.
 
May I ask which DAW you use? Most DAW's come with a few bundled synthesizers. Often a more basic virtual analog synth with subtractive synthesis is included which is the easiest place to begin. To understand how oscillators, filters, and so on works.

I did a quick search on YouTube and I must say this tutorial is quite straight forward and explains the basic building blocks of a synthesizer well.



The tutorial is rudimentary. But at least it's a start.

Also, many DAW's have built in tutorials and guides on how to start with synthesizers. So there might be one included with your DAW.
 
Astronaut FX said:
I’d suggest buying Syntorial. It’s a training program that teaches the basics of synthesis in a modular fashion. It includes a very basic, very easy to use synth called Primer that is a very basic synth with a super simple UI.

It’s reasonably priced, very effective, and should help make the synths you already have seem a bit less overwhelming.

Beyond that, Hive 2 or Synthmaster One may be good next steps. The overall approach to the UI for these two synths are similar, and I find them to be very intuitive.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Yes, I already thought about Syntorial. It's quite old but the basics never outdate I think. I will at least checkout the free parts of the tutorial.
 
Katzenjammer said:
May I ask which DAW you use? Most DAW's come with a few bundled synthesizers. Often a more basic virtual analog synth with subtractive synthesis is included which is the easiest place to begin. To understand how oscillators, filters, and so on works.
Click to expand...
I use Studio One. Man, I always forget about that. "Do not overlook nor underestimate the power of your stock plugins" should be one of the Ten Commandments of the music producer bible.

Studio One comes with Mai Tai. There are a few tutorials about it. Ah, looks like I have to compile a new YT playlist.
Katzenjammer said:
I did a quick search on YouTube and I must say this tutorial is quite straight forward and explains the basic building blocks of a synthesizer well.



The tutorial is rudimentary. But at least it's a start.

Also, many DAW's have built in tutorials and guides on how to start with synthesizers. So there might be one included with your DAW.
Click to expand...

"Sick of synth videos that sound like graduate level textbooks". Haha, nice one. On more for my YT playlist. Thank you.
 
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