I went to synth school...

[nursers]

... and had a ball!

 

There's a local guy who has set up a synth repair workshop and he's started offering workshops on synth basics. So off I went to make sure I truly understand the difference between and oscillator and a filter

 

There were four of us there and you will be pleased to know that the person sitting next to the guy with the Moog was playing a Nord Lead

 

[BbAltered]

That's really cool. The synth tech deserves kudos for the idea of offering synthesizer basics/instructions.

 

I also went to synth school. It was 1977; I was a freshman in college. The school scheduled a 30-day "January term" where students took one specialized course only. I signed up for the music studio course, which turned out to be a course in using a synthesizer. So we got detailed instructions on oscillators, and how to change the frequency of the oscillator, and how a LF oscillator can be used to automatically raise and lower the frequency of the oscillator, etc. We got an indepth tour of synthesizer function. A few years later, I bought an Arp Odyssey.

 

Of course, in 1977, the instruction was limited to subtractive synthesis. Additive synthesis, FM synthesis, and sampling were all yet decades away. But I can tell you those early instructions gave me a real solid foundation in audio synthesis for all the changes that were to come.

[nursers]

That's really cool. The synth tech deserves kudos for the idea of offering synthesizer basics/instructions.

 

I also went to synth school. It was 1977; I was a freshman in college. The school scheduled a 30-day "January term" where students took one specialized course only. I signed up for the music studio course, which turned out to be a course in using a synthesizer. So we got detailed instructions on oscillators, and how to change the frequency of the oscillator, and how a LF oscillator can be used to automatically raise and lower the frequency of the oscillator, etc. We got an indepth tour of synthesizer function. A few years later, I bought an Arp Odyssey.

 

Of course, in 1977, the instruction was limited to subtractive synthesis. Additive synthesis, FM synthesis, and sampling were all yet decades away. But I can tell you those early instructions gave me a real solid foundation in audio synthesis for all the changes that were to come.

 

That is a brilliant story thanks for sharing! It's that exact foundation I'm hoping to get out of this course

[Docbop]

Back when I worked at the music school (1975-1984) we had a synthesizer classes for our arranging and composing students and a workshop open to anyone. Wish I had taken it but I was into guitar then that's all I could focus on. The school bought a new Arp 2600 for teaching on and I thought how crazy expensive that thing was. Plus I had to set it up for class was ticked students kept stealing patch chords.

 

Sounds like you had a good time I really like small workshop classes like that great way to learn.

[nursers]

Back when I worked at the music school (1975-1984) we had a synthesizer classes for our arranging and composing students and a workshop open to anyone. Wish I had taken it but I was into guitar then that's all I could focus on. The school bought a new Arp 2600 for teaching on and I thought how crazy expensive that thing was. Plus I had to set it up for class was ticked students kept stealing patch chords.

 

Sounds like you had a good time I really like small workshop classes like that great way to learn.

 

Indeed I wasn't sure how good it'd be but it was a blast

[Doerfler]

Co-ed synth school. You Aussies are very progressive.

[nursers]

Co-ed synth school. You Aussies are very progressive.

 

[Old No7]

Very cool...

 

I took a course in Electronic Music back in the early 80's at UMass Amherst (wish I still had the vintage textbook) using a Moog Modular. Anyway, I was constantly criticized by the others as I was from the business school and they were all music majors, but this was when I was playing in a band with a Crumar string machine, 2 Hammonds & Leslies and a Mini Moog. When it came time to present our final projects at the end of the semester (recorded on a multi-track tape machine, if I recall), I was the only one who had an original "song" with synth voices and effects, plus the drums. All the others were "effects" pieces, like a storm coming in with wind, rain, heavy rain, then thunder & lightning (that one was actually pretty cool), there was one of someone walking with synthesized footsteps based on whatever surface they were walking on (bored me to tears), and someone opening a wide variety of pop cans or bottles (yawn...), then doors closing and other esoteric everyday sounds (all just more crappola to me).

 

Those so-called MUSIC students were so pissed when I got an A+ from the instructor -- but I was the only one who had any "music". Boy, that was fun!

 

Old No7

[nursers]

That is gold