Programming Articles In Keyboard

[Mad_Maestro]

I think its cool that Keyboard has articles showing how to get sounds to popular songs on basic soft synths, analog, or virtual analog synths. However I try to follow the instructions and set the sounds on my basic Roland SH-201 and don't come up with a sound anywhere close to what I'm shooting for. I recently followed the instructions for Lucky Star and came up with a mess. However I will say during the process I created sounds I've never heard come from that synth so that was cool all to itself. A few years back I bought Jim Aikins book programming synthesizers to learn the concepts, but still struggle with sound design. What are other peoples success rate at following the directions and coming up with the sounds.

[Ian Benhamou]

I've always found those articles pretty useless in achieving the desired sound.

 

However, like you said, you do end up with some interesting sounds nonetheless with the instructions given. So not completely useless.

 

I've always felt those articles should layout the programming in more generic terms with approximate values given in real units: lfo speed in HZ, filter frequency in HZ, volumes in dB, etc. instead of percentage or values between 0-127. Would be much more applicable to any platform.

 

That's one thing that I love about Kurzweil's VAST synthesis. All parameters have real units so you get a much more precise control of what you're going after.

[mcgoo]

I think the best thing you can do is use those articles as a starting point & let your ears direct you to specifics. As an example, when I started out (100 years ago it seems) I realized that adjusting Cutoff Frequency would affect brightness long before I understood what it was actually doing. Turn knobs, listen to the effect. Do this enough, & things will start making sense & becoming more intuitive.

[Synthoid]

However I will say during the process I created sounds I've never heard come from that synth so that was cool all to itself.

 

That's what I enjoy about synth programming. You can end up with some great surprises.

 

Keep on tweaking.

[Bobadohshe]

Ian? Ian! What happened!!! Were you knocked out by Francis Peve before you could finish your story?

[Moonglow]

Ian? Ian! What happened!!! Were you knocked out by Francis Peve before you could finish your story?

Nah, he realized that he was repeating himself and just stopped talking.

[DanS]

Ian? Ian! What happened!!! Were you knocked out by Francis Peve before you could finish your story?

Nah, he realized that he was repeating himself and just stopped talking.

 

...or dropped a chicken wing on his PC3x.

[Ian Benhamou]

Fixed!

[mcgoo]

Ian? Ian! What happened!!! Were you knocked out by Francis Peve before you could finish your story?

Nah, he realized that he was repeating himself and just stopped talking.

 

...or dropped a chicken wing on his PC3x.

 

reminds me of the time I dropped a Doritoe between a couple keys & couldn't get it out. next time I played, I could hear crunching as I played those keys.

[ProfD]

reminds me of the time I dropped a Doritoe between a couple keys & couldn't get it out. next time I played, I could hear crunching as I played those keys.

A bag of Doritos in one hand and palm smears with the other.

 

Hope those keys were not stained orange assuming they were Nacho flavored.

[Tusker]

A few years back I bought Jim Aikins book programming synthesizers to learn the concepts, but still struggle with sound design. What are other peoples success rate at following the directions and coming up with the sounds.

 

When I was starting out, the most useful book was Programming Synthesizers: A beginners guide to editing presets, a part of the keyboard magazine library. It taught me the basics of subtractive synthesis for simple, fixed architecture synths. I had to look elsewhere for linear FM and other techniques. Eventually I learned a lot from the Nord Modular synthesizers, the community and from online resources which the members created ...

 

like this ...

 

and this.

 

I have come to realize that I don't have a great sensitivity to pure sound, but I enjoy functional sound. (i.e. how it works in an arrangement or sound-bed) Also, I am a trifle impatient. If the sound works, I use it.

 

Some of us learn from auditory and hand-on approaches, rather than written descriptions. If the books aren't working for you, and you are interested in pursuing this, perhaps you should consider taking a formal course.

 

Hoping this helps,

 

Jerry

[Synthoid]

reminds me of the time I dropped a Doritoe between a couple keys & couldn't get it out. next time I played, I could hear crunching as I played those keys.

 

A bag of Doritos in one hand and palm smears with the other.

 

Hope those keys were not stained orange assuming they were Nacho flavored.

 

That was the BBQ sauce.

 

[Mr. B.]

You all really eat while playing your instruments? Are you that hungry or that bored? Yeah, I've played with plenty of guitarist and bassists who smoke and put their cigs in the strings behind the nut, discusting habit, sorry about the spelling. I have never ever had any type of food close to any instrument I own and they are many. Had a friend come into a garage many moons ago drinking and eating and just happened to trip on something. All the instruments got a good soak and food every where. Boy did he appolagize.

[Tonysounds]

You ever see Tommy Lee play keyboards? Youd be less worried about Doritos, bbq sauce, wings and cigarettes if you ever saw him drive a boat.

[mcgoo]

You all really eat while playing your instruments? Are you that hungry or that bored?

 

not at a gig, but my day gig is at a studio. Sometimes, I'll eat lunch in my room (bad idea), and sometimes I'll listen to what I'm working on while I'm scarfing down my food. Also bad idea. I think I tend to do better when I force myself to get out of the building for lunch, but sometimes it's not practical.

[Cliffk]

You ever see Tommy Lee play keyboards? Youd be less worried about Doritos, bbq sauce, wings and cigarettes if you ever saw him drive a boat.

Priceless! :D

[perturbo]

I think the best thing you can do is use those articles as a starting point & let your ears direct you to specifics.

 

I followed the "Lucky Star" article and managed to nail it. Sure, I had to tweak it a bit to get the timbre just right (Korg Triton MOSS, not the softsynth mentioned in the article). But the other details Mitchell Sigman included were key, such as setting the 127 ms delay and most importantly, the note pattern. Those little details were immensely helpful.

[Stephen Fortner]

Hi all,

 

This is exactly the kind of feedback we need to improve our tech tutorials, which we are always striving to do. I can vouch for the fact that "Steal This Sound" author Mitchell Sigman extensively tests those patches on the soft synth of the month.

 

That said, I think perhaps we could do a better job than just saying "This will work on other virtual analog synths too" as we often do.

 

We will amend things to use absolute units of measurement such as Hz. In science, repeatable results is the mark of credibility, after all.

[mcgoo]

We will amend things to use absolute units of measurement such as Hz. In science, repeatable results is the mark of credibility, after all.

 

While your offer is commendable & your statement is correct, the end user needs to remember that it is not just a science- it is an art. They have to be artistic with their instrument and be able to adapt to its nuances & quirks. That is why I find these articles to be launchpoints, but shouldn't be taken verbatim without the end user being able to deviate from the suggested settings.

[Theo Verelst]

Often it seems more like new-age organized 'people' don't want to openly admit their goals, and us good people need to somehow deal with all the poo they create at best. I'd like some people to sign a non-jesuit statement first, so at least when they end up in some leading role I don't constantly need to deal with some horrible mopho who'd call itself "superior general" or something instead of with some normal individuals with their own opinion. And some peope shouldn't have the nerve to deny all those secret plots instead of nice, lovong and caring, intelligent and cool musicians, regardless fo wether the subject is art or nuclear amrs.

 

I'm sure I agree with the notion that the design of modern (often digital in part at least) musical instruments has often quite a bit to do with science.

 

Theo Verelst

 

[Joe Muscara]

"I recognize all of those words but that statement doesn't make any sense."

[Synthoid]

OK, so it wasn't just me scratching his head?

 

:idk

 

 

[sakari lindhen]

"I recognize all of those words but that statement doesn't make any sense."

 

I'm glad you said that, because I thought it was me!

[Theo Verelst]

What I'm saying is that people deaoling with the subjects at hand aren't honest enough to acknowlegde what they're into.

 

So instead of taking part in a forum or magazine or musical instrument instruction, they are more after other things than can be tolerated within normal reason, and that ticks me of. Suggesting that isn't so may delude a lot of people, but I'm not going to let them get away with it, and thus tell their leader to methaforically kiss my b*t. If I'd be spinning wheels for no reason (i.e. if I'd be wrong) all the fuzz is kind of hard to explain, at least.

 

THeo Verelst

www.theover.org

[mcgoo]

So instead of taking part in a forum or magazine or musical instrument instruction, they are more after other things than can be tolerated within normal reason, and that ticks me of.

 

3 questions... to whom are you referring, what "other things" are they after and what has it to do with this thread?

[Theo Verelst]

dont' bother, dude.

[mcgoo]

dont' bother, dude.

 

Anyone else care to interpret since this guy doesn't wanna?

[Theo Verelst]

I did explain myself, nobodty is that dumb that they wouldn't understand the course meaning of what I refer to, not even you.

 

So unless you're man enough to start a real discussion and not a slander campain, maybe you care to explain what "bimedia" stand for. Waiting for the big G to come down or a dualistic approach ?

[sakari lindhen]

Theo, I know you from other boards, so I know you are not a troll and are a serious synth programmer...but believe you me that we really dont know how your statements relate to the subject at hand, which was synth programming articles in a magazine.

 

for some reason, you did lose us and we can't make the connection....

[Theo Verelst]

glad riddance.