{"id":44529,"date":"2017-06-09T09:53:18","date_gmt":"2017-06-09T07:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/?p=44529"},"modified":"2017-06-09T18:47:23","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T16:47:23","slug":"beginners-guide-synthesizers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thomann.de\/blog\/en\/inspire\/beginners-guide-synthesizers\/","title":{"rendered":"Synthesizer for beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/strong>synthesizer<\/strong><\/a> is one of the youngest musical instruments: the first models, which were produced in considerable numbers came onto the market in the 1960s. Despite its relatively short history, its influence was and still is enormous. Entire musical genres would not have even emerged if it wasn\u2019t for the synthesizer and it was also fundamentally responsible for changing the way in which music was composed as well as produced.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n<\/strong>Analog vs. digital<\/h3>\n

The first synthesizers<\/a><\/strong> were completely analog and worked with voltage controlled oscillators<\/strong>, filters<\/strong> and amplifiers<\/strong>. In modular systems<\/strong> such as the modular Moog Synthesizer<\/strong><\/a> made popular by Keith Emerson<\/strong> from Emerson Lake & Palmer, one would have to connect the individual components of the synthesizer with cables<\/strong> in order to “program” the sound, while in the 1960s<\/strong> and 1970s <\/strong>compact devices such as the famous Minimoog <\/strong>were already available. Early analog synthesizers had crucial disadvantages in that aspect, such as poor pitch stability and a lack of memory for sounds. Moreover, it was hardly possible to authentically imitate instruments with the exception of some very expensive models in the late 1970s and 1980s. Most synthesizers were at that time monophonic<\/strong> and could only play one note at a time, which gave them little chance when the first digital devices<\/strong> came onto the market in the early 1980s<\/strong>, whereby many legendary synthesizer pioneers<\/strong> had to file for bankruptcy. However, as we know now, this was not the end for the analog synthesizer. An unprecedented retro wave <\/strong>emerged, which meant an increase in analog synthesizers<\/strong> (even modular systems are back in fashion!) resurfacing famous manufacturers from the early days. But more on that later.<\/p>\n

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In the beginning<\/strong> of the 1980s<\/strong>, the first affordable digital synthesizers<\/strong> emerged, signing off analog <\/strong>technology for the first time. The Yamaha DX7<\/strong>, one of the best-selling synthesizers<\/strong> of all time, was the first to offer everything that the musicians<\/strong> longed for: storage<\/strong>, polyphony<\/strong> and “authentic” sounds<\/strong>. The DX7 worked with FM synthesis<\/strong>, which is based on the modulation of multiple sine waves and with its characteristic sound, shaped the 1980s like no other instrument.<\/p>\n

In the second half of the 1980s<\/strong>, another type of digital synthesizer<\/strong> came out with the sampling<\/strong>\u00a0technology, where sounds were based on real recordings of acoustic instruments such as piano<\/strong><\/a>, string instruments<\/strong><\/a> and guitar<\/strong><\/a>. And thus “realism”<\/strong> reached a new climax in reproducing acoustic instruments. To date, sample-based<\/strong> synthesizers are available<\/strong> in many variations. If you are looking for an instrument that represents as many instruments as authentic as possible, you will find it in this category.<\/p>\n

A third type of digital synthesizer began to become popular in the late 1990s<\/strong>, when sufficient computing power was available. In physical modeling<\/strong>, the sound mechanisms in resonating instruments such as drums, strings, clapping sounds, wind sounds or bow strokes are simulated digitally. The virtual analog sound generation<\/strong> is based on a similar principle, where analog and electrical circuits or subassemblies are mimicked. So the sound is not generated by a previously recorded sound, but is calculated in real time.<\/p>\n

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Workstations<\/a> and digital “bread-and-butter-synths”<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s recall the first of the two groups of synthesizers mentioned. If you are looking for an instrument that can imitate as many other instruments as authentically as possible, you should look in this category. These synthesizers produce their sounds mostly from a fixed (expandable in the higher end) stock of samples<\/strong> and are therefore well suited to replicate other instruments. Most devices in this category are multitimbral<\/strong>, which means that they can produce multiple sounds simultaneously. This allows you to split<\/strong> the keyboard into several sounds and\/or multiple sounds. Many synthesizers in this group are available in different keyboard<\/strong> variants<\/strong>: mostly the 61, 73\/76 and 88 keys. Effects are also usually present in large numbers.<\/p>\n

A “<\/strong>workstation<\/strong><\/a>“<\/strong> has next to an extensive synthesizer<\/strong> and effects<\/strong>, more or less a complete sequencer<\/strong> on board, with which you can create multi-track MIDI<\/strong> recordings. In the era of computer-based DAW software<\/a>,<\/strong> however, these onboard sequencers are becoming increasingly irrelevant.<\/p>\n

Some high end workstations<\/strong><\/a>, such as the Korg KRONOS<\/strong><\/a> and the Yamaha MONTAGE<\/strong><\/a>, also have other methods for generating sounds, such as a virtual analog sound engine, drawbar emulation, or FM.<\/p>\n\n\t\t