Sound Design in Electronic Music
What the hell is Synthesis?
Have you ever wondered how your favourite producers craft those mind-bending, ear-tickling sounds? Well, wonder no more. You're about to embark on a journey through the magical realm of synthesis. Buckle up, as we unravel the secrets behind the sonic sorcery that is music synthesis.
The Science of Sound Waves
Before we dive into the world of synthesis, let's get nerdy for a second. Sound is made up of frequencies that act sort of like waves in the air and understanding how to manipulate these frequencies is how you can start creating the sounds you have in mind. Here are some of the different “soundwaves” you could come across: sine waves; square waves; sawtooth waves. A sinewave is a “pure” wave containing a single frequency, and the more frequencies you add, and harmonics you add, is where you can get the different soundwaves like Saw, or Square.
Meet the Synthesizer – THE Tool to Help you Create Wonders!
Picture a mad scientist's lab, but replace the bubbling chemical reactions with a sleek electronic device – that's your synthesizer. Synthesizers are the glass tubes where producers concoct their science experiments. A synth will have many different essential components and thousands of variables from one to another, but the essentials will always be there.
Oscillators – What are they and What do they do?
At the heart of every synthesizer lies the oscillator – A sound generator. These oscillators basically take raw DC electricity and convert it into periodic AC signals as sounds like the Sine wave or Square wave which are measured in hertz [Hz]. An oscillator will generate frequencies ranging from 20hz to 20khz. LFO or Low-Frequency Oscillator will help you evolve your sound and make it come alive. You can use them to add depth, dimension, and character.
Filters & ADSR – Shaping Your Sound Like Clay
Just as a sculptor moulds clay into a masterpiece, filters shape your sound. High-pass, low-pass, band-pass – these are your magical tools for carving out the perfect sonic sculpture. In the following blog post, we’ll go more in-depth with ADSR but as an overview, ADSR stands for Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release, and it's a crucial concept in music synthesis. Think of ADSR as a roadmap that guides the evolution of a sound over time. "Attack" determines how quickly a sound reaches its peak intensity after you press a key or trigger it. "Decay" follows the attack and represents the gradual reduction in intensity after the initial peak. "Sustain" is the level the sound maintains as long as you hold the key. Once you release the key, "Release" dictates how long it takes for the sound to fade away completely.
Putting It All Together - Sound Design
Now that you've got the basics down, it's time to get to work and experiment. Combine oscillators, tweak filters, play with envelopes (ADSR), and let your creativity run wild. The more you experiment, the more unique and powerful your sounds become. The more you experiment the better you get at it.
Conclusion: Becoming a Synthesis Master
Congratulations, you've just scratched the surface of the vast world of synthesis. The journey doesn't end here – it's only just beginning. So, grab your VSTs or Analog Synths, and go forth to create sonic wonders. Check out some of my soundbanks where I created some sounds from scratch and watch some of my videos where I build on that!
Happy synthesizing, and as always, Stay Inspired! 🎶✨