What the hell is a synthesizer ?

[Anderton]

12 hours ago, Lady Gaia said:

The earliest synths that I'm aware of were promoted as attempting to simulate familiar acoustic instruments, but things got far more interesting when not adhering strictly to that goal.  Indeed, the earliest synths must have been fairly poor at approximating other instruments, succeeding more in evoking their character than a strict simulation.

Regarding the relationship to traditional instruments, I always felt is waw the same kind of relationship as a painting is to a photograph. I think that samplers were the final step in freeing synths from trying to emulate traditional instruments, because samplers had the photography thing down pat.

 

I think synthesizers were the first instruments where the player could modify the sound of the instrument itself? With traditional instruments, the notes you played could only go so far timbrally before running into a wall. 

[KuruPrionz]

47 minutes ago, Anderton said:

Regarding the relationship to traditional instruments, I always felt is waw the same kind of relationship as a painting is to a photograph. I think that samplers were the final step in freeing synths from trying to emulate traditional instruments, because samplers had the photography thing down pat.

 

I think synthesizers were the first instruments where the player could modify the sound of the instrument itself? With traditional instruments, the notes you played could only go so far timbrally before running into a wall. 

Historically, yes - synths were first. 

There were synthesizers before there was Jimi Hendrix. Not sure a Stratocaster is a "traditional instrument" and Jimi certainly modified the sound of the instrument itself. We can never go back! This is to say nothing of using an Ebow and a volume pedal simultaneously, especially with the switch set to harmonics. 

Each stands tall on it's own mountain. 😇

[Lady Gaia]

3 hours ago, Anderton said:

I think synthesizers were the first instruments where the player could modify the sound of the instrument itself?

They certainly gave more latitude than anything that came before, but the desire to alter the sound of an instrument surely has much longer historical precedent?  Leaving aside pure technique, I would consider a mute for a trumpet or the choice of mallets, brushes, or sticks on drums to be examples of trying to coax different sound out of an instrument.

 

Synthesizers just play into this desire to find a new sound in a really big way, and definitely offer a much wider range of possibilities.  Conventional subtractive synths offer a massive palette of possibilities with just a few core elements that clearly still speak to people - though I do favor expanding my options with sampled sound as well.

 

The thing that seems to have been lost along the way is that several of the early experiments with synthesis offered more expressive playing surfaces so that synthesis wasn't just based on root note trigger + time.  Velocity and global modulation with either channel aftertouch or mod wheel seem to be the only ones that are widely adopted, even though people revere classic CS-80 performances, which took advantage of additional tools like poly aftertouch that are incredibly rare in modern instruments.  I am unreasonably excited about the Expressive E Osmose for bringing back multiple dimensions of continuous control over each note in an affordable synth.

[Anderton]

1 hour ago, Lady Gaia said:

The thing that seems to have been lost along the way is that several of the early experiments with synthesis offered more expressive playing surfaces so that synthesis wasn't just based on root note trigger + time.

 

Check out the LinnStrument if you get a chance, it has five dimensions of control including poly aftertouch. It's pretty brilliant    It perhaps makes more sense if you play guitar compared to keyboards because the pitch arrangement is a matrix instead of a linear collection of keys. In a way, it's like the electronic equivalent of a Chapman Stick.

[Lady Gaia]

3 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

Check out the LinnStrument if you get a chance, it has five dimensions of control including poly aftertouch. It's pretty brilliant    It perhaps makes more sense if you play guitar compared to keyboards because the pitch arrangement is a matrix instead of a linear collection of keys. In a way, it's like the electronic equivalent of a Chapman Stick.

I would love to try one, but I'll admit to some skepticism based on the exceedingly limited "give" of the surface.  Mechanical motion of strings or keys contributes to the feel of an instrument in important ways for me - but there's no question that the LinnStrument and and Continuum Fingerboard are capable of amazing things in the right hands.

[Anderton]

20 hours ago, Lady Gaia said:

I would love to try one, but I'll admit to some skepticism based on the exceedingly limited "give" of the surface. 

 

The feel is much better than what you might think by looking at it. The pressure is, at least for me, very well-calibrated and side-to-side and other motions feel natural.

[GovernorSilver]

Joue Play Pro Option (need Pro Option for MPE) is another MPE controller option to consider.   Currently $50 off

 

https://jouemusic.us/products/joue-play-pro-option?variant=41803992924337

 

I ordered one for trying out the Prophet 5's MPE capabilities.   

 

As for the Prophet 5 Desktop itself, I was born after synths had already become embedded in popular music - pop, rock, fusion, etc.  So I'm inspired by synth tones for their own sake, more than trying to fool someone into think they're hearing a real horn section, a real string quartet or whatever. 

 

Also, I'm not interested in replicating the Prophet 5 sounds of my heroes to exacting detail.  It helps that Sequential chose to install factory presets that do not simply replicate the presets of vintage Prophet 5s.   Instead they installed presets that cater to nostalgic and modern tastes alike.  There are  sounds in there that a Prophet 5 preset programmer in the 70s or early 80s would not have thought of, because house music, techno, acid house, etc. had not emerged yet.

[David Emm]

Synthesizers are a blessing to my neighbors, because they keep me from shooting at UFOs from my rooftop. 👽

 

I don't decorate much for Halloween, but people walk by the house to hear the Moog-ly monster noises.