Why are you interested in Synthesizers? What initially drew you to them?
For me, it is a way I can be involved in both music and science at a deep level. Science and Music are two things I really love.
I have a Bachelors degree in Classical Guitar performance, and I enjoy playing guitar a great deal. But I feel that the more I ask "why?" with acoustic guitar the more I drift away from musical results.
With a synthesizer in front of me I ask why, and it feeds my brain and desire to create sound at the same time. I can ponder on a topic such as what to do with a long attack, and it leads me into thinking about the way a string instrument produces sound, and then I can think of more "why?" questions related to the filter or LFO that lead me to create some interesting sounds. Many of those sounds have no use, but I have one heck of a time creating them.
What about you? Why do you love synthesizers?
Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
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florin2013
- Posts: 101
- Joined: 06:18, 20 January 2013
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
I first found the guitar...
... an old classic guitar, from my father.
Fall in love with a girl, half trying to impress her, half trying to expose my feelings, I have ripped my skin off my fingers on that old guitar.
Then...
... PSS-790 Yamaha.
A minisize synth arranger, that had 2 things that made me become a composer:
A 4 channel midi vector, that could mix 4 tones.
A 8 track midi recorder, that made me make my own songs.
So?
I fall in love with MIDI, sequencer, tone synthesis, control change, program change, even System Exclusive.
The thing I love on Synths?
You can never be bored !
You can tweek them endlesly, record and make songs as you want, from drums to bass, you don't need a full band to compose whatever your heart sang.
If you have enough patience to learn them, Synths can become an extension of YOU.
This is how I feel now, about my Fantom-X7.
I close my eyes, hit record, play piano, or strings, or saw synth, or anything I need to hear, and...
... I let my soul fly on the keys.
Just as simple as that.
... an old classic guitar, from my father.
Fall in love with a girl, half trying to impress her, half trying to expose my feelings, I have ripped my skin off my fingers on that old guitar.
Then...
... PSS-790 Yamaha.
A minisize synth arranger, that had 2 things that made me become a composer:
A 4 channel midi vector, that could mix 4 tones.
A 8 track midi recorder, that made me make my own songs.
So?
I fall in love with MIDI, sequencer, tone synthesis, control change, program change, even System Exclusive.
The thing I love on Synths?
You can never be bored !
You can tweek them endlesly, record and make songs as you want, from drums to bass, you don't need a full band to compose whatever your heart sang.
If you have enough patience to learn them, Synths can become an extension of YOU.
This is how I feel now, about my Fantom-X7.
I close my eyes, hit record, play piano, or strings, or saw synth, or anything I need to hear, and...
... I let my soul fly on the keys.
Just as simple as that.
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thunderkyss
- Posts: 837
- Joined: 07:38, 21 May 2003
- Location: Port Arthur,TX
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
I'm another guitar player.
I wanted to record me playing the guitar parts of some of my favorite songs. So instead of just buying a drum machine, I bought an XV-5050, then a Fantom-S, then a Fantom-X.
Still can't play the dang thing.
I wanted to record me playing the guitar parts of some of my favorite songs. So instead of just buying a drum machine, I bought an XV-5050, then a Fantom-S, then a Fantom-X.
Still can't play the dang thing.
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
My answer is pretty simple: infinity.
One of my hobbies is astronomy and another is geeking out on numberphile.com and just getting mind f**ked by the wonders if things like infinities within infinities, Graham's Number, the fact that if the universe was a googolplex meters across I would eventually meet myself because the possible number of quantum staes, that is, the possible number of arrangements of particles to make up anything, includine me, is a mere 10^97 which is MUCH smaller than a googolplex (notated as 10^googol).
Think about even the simplest synths and the mind bogglingly huge number of sounds one can create and the huge numbers that have yet to BE created!
With synths we can create soundscapes that probably, before creation, probably never existed in the known universe!
Makes me wonder why people are still fond of the ubiquitous "Jump" patch. :p
One of my hobbies is astronomy and another is geeking out on numberphile.com and just getting mind f**ked by the wonders if things like infinities within infinities, Graham's Number, the fact that if the universe was a googolplex meters across I would eventually meet myself because the possible number of quantum staes, that is, the possible number of arrangements of particles to make up anything, includine me, is a mere 10^97 which is MUCH smaller than a googolplex (notated as 10^googol).
Think about even the simplest synths and the mind bogglingly huge number of sounds one can create and the huge numbers that have yet to BE created!
With synths we can create soundscapes that probably, before creation, probably never existed in the known universe!
Makes me wonder why people are still fond of the ubiquitous "Jump" patch. :p
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SoundworldA.D.
- Posts: 744
- Joined: 22:09, 30 April 2009
- Location: Dallas, TX
- Contact:
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
Stone the bleedin' crows! Yet another guitar player turned electronic music bug chimes in. Great posts by all.
I had never played piano or keyboards in my life (and still can't play piano!) but bought my first small Casio electronic keyboard in 1992 after hearing David Arkenstone's "Valley in the Clouds" and off I went. Suffice to say, I quickly outgrew that Casio and bought a Roland Sound Canvas followed by a D-70 and an MC-50.
I really didn't get into that much sound design until I got my first JD-990 (I lusted after a JD-800 when they came out but just didn't have enough coin to throw down on one). I think what we who delve into the elements of sound design are after is for those unique moments when all the planets align and we get that "ooooh, yeah!" feeling from a sound or patch we have created.
After I created the first 10 Soundworld "Sparkler" patches for the V-Synth, I went on a roll and quickly popped out 90 more. I was having so much fun I could have continued on for days and weeks, but alas, I have a real job and a family and time has to be split. Besides, no music was being created over those several weeks!
For me though, the main reason I am interested in synth's is that they have enabled me to realize the musical dreams that were beforehand only in my head.
==There are multitudes who APPRECIATE music.:':.Blessed indeed are those select few who truly FEEL it==
I had never played piano or keyboards in my life (and still can't play piano!) but bought my first small Casio electronic keyboard in 1992 after hearing David Arkenstone's "Valley in the Clouds" and off I went. Suffice to say, I quickly outgrew that Casio and bought a Roland Sound Canvas followed by a D-70 and an MC-50.
I really didn't get into that much sound design until I got my first JD-990 (I lusted after a JD-800 when they came out but just didn't have enough coin to throw down on one). I think what we who delve into the elements of sound design are after is for those unique moments when all the planets align and we get that "ooooh, yeah!" feeling from a sound or patch we have created.
After I created the first 10 Soundworld "Sparkler" patches for the V-Synth, I went on a roll and quickly popped out 90 more. I was having so much fun I could have continued on for days and weeks, but alas, I have a real job and a family and time has to be split. Besides, no music was being created over those several weeks!
For me though, the main reason I am interested in synth's is that they have enabled me to realize the musical dreams that were beforehand only in my head.
==There are multitudes who APPRECIATE music.:':.Blessed indeed are those select few who truly FEEL it==
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
What an interesting topic with the great replies that let us share and get to know each other a bit better! :) I kept smiling, reading the answers and realizing that I am not the only guitar player that wants to explore the synthesis side of things and went further to play keyboards and broaden the horizons. With progressive rock being my beloved genre of music, I always told myself that one instrument is not enough! :) Before I begin with my own story, let me share some of my thoughts regarding the messages posted above.
@Macska You are making a great point about the music and the science. Synthesizer is a scientific creation with a soul and it lets you connect the vibes from your inner being with the science and form it all. There is so much freedom with synthesizer and it lets you open up without limits, without frets and rules, no bows and strings - there is always light at the end of the line. I understand the freedom that you talk about! Thank you so much for your post!
@Florin It's great to have another guitar player in here! Synthesizer is really becoming an extension of you because it is so versatile and it can be anything. I also always loved the way how it allows you to make a complete song without a band and lets you record it and change it however you wish. It lets your heart fly to distant lands and it is one of the instruments that you can play without limitations and be your own artist...
@thunderkyss Thank you for your message! Do I feel at home with the guitar players? ;) Honestly, it makes me feel so much better and less awkward as I am thinking of myself as the guitar guy trying to play the keys. But hey! I do try to play them in the 80s style of the hair bands that suddenly put the guitar down and sit next to a piano or synthesizer and give birth to the heart breaking ballads! You get the feeling, eh? :)
I am sure that you can play anything you put your heart and hand to! The sky is the limit!
@Vlad Now this is another scientific contribution that we have! Yes, synthesizer pretty much opens up the doors to the worlds of unknown and turns us into shamans that dance to their own beat. It is the power that we receive with the synthesis and we are really blessed to have a chance to use it! It is important to be always on the watch and always remember that knowledge and power come after responsibility. To me each musical creation is responsibility and, of course, the science of things. Thank you for your post, made me smile! Dank je! ;)
@Soundworld AD Thank you so much for your message and for the beautiful words! There are multitudes who APPRECIATE music... Blessed indeed are those select few who truly FEEL it. Great words and all is already said! I want to thank you again for sharing your amazing music which already says and explains WHY you are interested in synthesizers. Just to be able to tell more than all the words, speak your heart, mind and soul in sounds...
And here is my story:
Just don't laugh, but I am another guitar player who is interested in synthesizers. Why? It all began when I was a child and I wanted to become a spaceman (got my Masters in Network Security and Wireless Networks and Bachelor's Degree in International Culture instead). So I always thought that IF I want to be a spaceman, there should be some music to accompany me in an open space. An old reel tape recorder, thanks to my older sister, had lots of electronic music in the likes of Space, Jean Michelle Jarre, Scotch and others from similar genre. I was listening and wondering to myself: "This is not guitar from what I can tell... This is not piano like what we have at Kindergarten... What can this be?". I was trying to catch every show on TV and I was looking closely to see what these "big cool men" were playing. I could remember the word Roland. I would ask everyone what is Roland and some people were telling me that it is a name and others would tell me that it is a synthesizer. I was way too young to understand what a synthesizer is, but never abandoned the dream to find out! The rest, as the say, is history...
Then my older sister helped me to pick up guitar as an instrument. I always wanted to learn to play guitar as I would spend hours with Dad's old 7 string guitar. Then there was accordion and I would also try to play it. I was learning how to play piano with the help of Casio's synthesizer later. I was heavily influenced by likes of hair metal and metal bands from 80's that would play emotional rock and slow ballads. I never liked it rude and fast though I loved the fiery guitar solos and amazing leads. I always loved the way how Geoff Downes would have tons of keyboards on stage and with Asia being one of my favourite bands, I would just sit and think of how does he manage it. Watching the DVD and the concerts I would smile by seeing Roland's gear on stage and remind of my childhood times. I was telling myself that one day I would finally bring Roland into my life and let the flow of creation rise like the sun. It did happen few days ago! :)
So why am I interested in synthesizers? I did not become a spaceman yet, but I do know how to create the music to accompany me. Roland V-Synth XT sound module is ready to be sent into space... ;)
Denis (Iceman777)
@Macska You are making a great point about the music and the science. Synthesizer is a scientific creation with a soul and it lets you connect the vibes from your inner being with the science and form it all. There is so much freedom with synthesizer and it lets you open up without limits, without frets and rules, no bows and strings - there is always light at the end of the line. I understand the freedom that you talk about! Thank you so much for your post!
@Florin It's great to have another guitar player in here! Synthesizer is really becoming an extension of you because it is so versatile and it can be anything. I also always loved the way how it allows you to make a complete song without a band and lets you record it and change it however you wish. It lets your heart fly to distant lands and it is one of the instruments that you can play without limitations and be your own artist...
@thunderkyss Thank you for your message! Do I feel at home with the guitar players? ;) Honestly, it makes me feel so much better and less awkward as I am thinking of myself as the guitar guy trying to play the keys. But hey! I do try to play them in the 80s style of the hair bands that suddenly put the guitar down and sit next to a piano or synthesizer and give birth to the heart breaking ballads! You get the feeling, eh? :)
I am sure that you can play anything you put your heart and hand to! The sky is the limit!
@Vlad Now this is another scientific contribution that we have! Yes, synthesizer pretty much opens up the doors to the worlds of unknown and turns us into shamans that dance to their own beat. It is the power that we receive with the synthesis and we are really blessed to have a chance to use it! It is important to be always on the watch and always remember that knowledge and power come after responsibility. To me each musical creation is responsibility and, of course, the science of things. Thank you for your post, made me smile! Dank je! ;)
@Soundworld AD Thank you so much for your message and for the beautiful words! There are multitudes who APPRECIATE music... Blessed indeed are those select few who truly FEEL it. Great words and all is already said! I want to thank you again for sharing your amazing music which already says and explains WHY you are interested in synthesizers. Just to be able to tell more than all the words, speak your heart, mind and soul in sounds...
And here is my story:
Just don't laugh, but I am another guitar player who is interested in synthesizers. Why? It all began when I was a child and I wanted to become a spaceman (got my Masters in Network Security and Wireless Networks and Bachelor's Degree in International Culture instead). So I always thought that IF I want to be a spaceman, there should be some music to accompany me in an open space. An old reel tape recorder, thanks to my older sister, had lots of electronic music in the likes of Space, Jean Michelle Jarre, Scotch and others from similar genre. I was listening and wondering to myself: "This is not guitar from what I can tell... This is not piano like what we have at Kindergarten... What can this be?". I was trying to catch every show on TV and I was looking closely to see what these "big cool men" were playing. I could remember the word Roland. I would ask everyone what is Roland and some people were telling me that it is a name and others would tell me that it is a synthesizer. I was way too young to understand what a synthesizer is, but never abandoned the dream to find out! The rest, as the say, is history...
Then my older sister helped me to pick up guitar as an instrument. I always wanted to learn to play guitar as I would spend hours with Dad's old 7 string guitar. Then there was accordion and I would also try to play it. I was learning how to play piano with the help of Casio's synthesizer later. I was heavily influenced by likes of hair metal and metal bands from 80's that would play emotional rock and slow ballads. I never liked it rude and fast though I loved the fiery guitar solos and amazing leads. I always loved the way how Geoff Downes would have tons of keyboards on stage and with Asia being one of my favourite bands, I would just sit and think of how does he manage it. Watching the DVD and the concerts I would smile by seeing Roland's gear on stage and remind of my childhood times. I was telling myself that one day I would finally bring Roland into my life and let the flow of creation rise like the sun. It did happen few days ago! :)
So why am I interested in synthesizers? I did not become a spaceman yet, but I do know how to create the music to accompany me. Roland V-Synth XT sound module is ready to be sent into space... ;)
Denis (Iceman777)
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SoundworldA.D.
- Posts: 744
- Joined: 22:09, 30 April 2009
- Location: Dallas, TX
- Contact:
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
Thanks for the most kind words Denis. Those who can find inner peace in their soundworlds truly know the healing power of sound and can appreciate so much more in life because of it.
I think Vlad hit the old proverbial nail on the head with this one...
But alas, Christmas fast approaches and the Soundworld has had to take a back seat for a while. Since I got home I have been spending the time practicing up on my Adamas 12-string with Greg Lake's "Father Christmas." The Dropped-D tuning and that opening pick and ring finger chime sound just give it that added beauty. That magical time of year when we all can become children again with the joys and wonders (and sounds!) of the season.
"They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the Virgin Birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winter's light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And eyes full of tinsel and fire"
I think Vlad hit the old proverbial nail on the head with this one...
Ha! That's the way I feel every time I hit down on the patch "Cyberia" on the XT. Something special about that slowly evolving VA wave. Still amazes me that it gets all that movement with only one OSC!With synths we can create soundscapes that probably, before creation, probably never existed in the known universe!
But alas, Christmas fast approaches and the Soundworld has had to take a back seat for a while. Since I got home I have been spending the time practicing up on my Adamas 12-string with Greg Lake's "Father Christmas." The Dropped-D tuning and that opening pick and ring finger chime sound just give it that added beauty. That magical time of year when we all can become children again with the joys and wonders (and sounds!) of the season.
"They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the Virgin Birth
I remember one Christmas morning
A winter's light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And eyes full of tinsel and fire"
- TDY2.jpg (659.53 KiB) Viewed 2572 times
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
My official answer is that I was an electrical engineer involved in the design of radios for which the digital synthesizer was always one of the most difficult parts of the design. It required the most skill to come up with the purest possible tone. So when I discovered the existence of audio synthesizers, for which the trick is to mangle pure tones into something more complex and interesting, how could I not try it? To actually be free to add in noise, harmonics and distortion, it was like all the rules had been removed. Try anything. Be a kid again.
The real answer, one day I walked into a high end musical instrument store and in a dimly lit room packed with equipment saw a keyboard turned on and just sitting there. Knowing it cost more than I could ever imagine spending, I looked around, saw no one so I walked up, played a chord and a sound came out that brought tears to my eyes. It haunts me to this day. I have no idea what that keyboard was, but I will probably go to my death bed trying to recreate that sound.
The real answer, one day I walked into a high end musical instrument store and in a dimly lit room packed with equipment saw a keyboard turned on and just sitting there. Knowing it cost more than I could ever imagine spending, I looked around, saw no one so I walked up, played a chord and a sound came out that brought tears to my eyes. It haunts me to this day. I have no idea what that keyboard was, but I will probably go to my death bed trying to recreate that sound.
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SoundworldA.D.
- Posts: 744
- Joined: 22:09, 30 April 2009
- Location: Dallas, TX
- Contact:
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
The real answer, one day I walked into a high end musical instrument store and in a dimly lit room packed with equipment saw a keyboard turned on and just sitting there. Knowing it cost more than I could ever imagine spending, I looked around, saw no one so I walked up, played a chord and a sound came out that brought tears to my eyes. It haunts me to this day. I have no idea what that keyboard was, but I will probably go to my death bed trying to recreate that sound.
Good one's Rodan. The old proverbial "search for the lost chord" then is it? I had read a liner note the other day for a Moody Blues album that said in part that they were still searching for that one and that it was a good thing that they still hadn't found it yet!To actually be free to add in noise, harmonics and distortion, it was like all the rules had been removed. Try anything. Be a kid again.
You have encapsulated exactly what I meant by "few actually FEEL it." I'm sure we all have those special moments from our beginning days with synthesis when we were bit by the sound bug!
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
Great topic - found it a bit late though but here goes.
I started off my interest in music at quite a young age, singing in the school choir and also playing
the recorder and a couple of brass instruments.
We had a very nice Bechstein upright piano at home and I quickly transferred to that aged about 10.
So I was learning to play things with a mixture of reading and by ear but I would say 90% of the time it
was by ear, "you hum it and I'll play it son" as the PG chimps used to say.
Aged between 11 and 12 I heard bands such as ELP / Yes / King Crimson etc and WANTED to make those
sounds, piano was great but I needed String synth/ Moog/ Mellotron .... no money aged 12 !!
Anyhow I progressed by learning lots of songs and getting my chops together by trying to copy the
likes of Mr Wakeman and Mr Emerson purely on the piano .... VERY good thing to do, I used a tape
recorder and listened at half speed to anything that I couldn't quite make out !!
I became a little obsessed and probably played between 4 and 6 hrs every day, either at home or
at school in the lunchbreak and after school ended, we had a very nice Bechstein grand in school.
So money was needed, I had a saturday job on a market selling shoes and also worked summers at my
father's place of work, I was shifting drums of chemicals around and getting things ready for shipment
etc.
First two purchases were : A Vox Insta Piano and a Yamaha CS10 synth - I guess that I was between
16 and 17 when that happened, but oh, first ever keyboard was an "Elgam Snoopy" piano !! ( blue )
It was OK but I think I taped over the "Snoopy" LOGO !!
As soon as I got the CS10 I was a lost cause, music was going to be my life, I played a gig at school
and got a girlfriend right after ..... game over :-)
MM.
I started off my interest in music at quite a young age, singing in the school choir and also playing
the recorder and a couple of brass instruments.
We had a very nice Bechstein upright piano at home and I quickly transferred to that aged about 10.
So I was learning to play things with a mixture of reading and by ear but I would say 90% of the time it
was by ear, "you hum it and I'll play it son" as the PG chimps used to say.
Aged between 11 and 12 I heard bands such as ELP / Yes / King Crimson etc and WANTED to make those
sounds, piano was great but I needed String synth/ Moog/ Mellotron .... no money aged 12 !!
Anyhow I progressed by learning lots of songs and getting my chops together by trying to copy the
likes of Mr Wakeman and Mr Emerson purely on the piano .... VERY good thing to do, I used a tape
recorder and listened at half speed to anything that I couldn't quite make out !!
I became a little obsessed and probably played between 4 and 6 hrs every day, either at home or
at school in the lunchbreak and after school ended, we had a very nice Bechstein grand in school.
So money was needed, I had a saturday job on a market selling shoes and also worked summers at my
father's place of work, I was shifting drums of chemicals around and getting things ready for shipment
etc.
First two purchases were : A Vox Insta Piano and a Yamaha CS10 synth - I guess that I was between
16 and 17 when that happened, but oh, first ever keyboard was an "Elgam Snoopy" piano !! ( blue )
It was OK but I think I taped over the "Snoopy" LOGO !!
As soon as I got the CS10 I was a lost cause, music was going to be my life, I played a gig at school
and got a girlfriend right after ..... game over :-)
MM.
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dennis elbow
- Posts: 70
- Joined: 17:57, 1 February 2014
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
it reminds me an awful lot of the voice in us,as a singer from an early age i love the vocal chords in man/woman growing people up and in people in general,i was tuned in to singing and voices in songs,not the music in the background so much, up until i heard the sound of the syntheizer,then i wasn't much interested in the singers in those songs so much, just that sound, i found that music has kept my mind young,in the sound of the synthesizer it seems to have kept that connection of being young,if that makes sense, it feels like i am having a conversation with electronic instruments unlike other instruments that i have played,like a childs mind playful creative exited inquisitive.i easily get distracted but on the synthesizer im in real deep for ages,and it takes alot of effort to drag me away from it.
a connection of some kind is what i think is going on,in a wishful sought of way maybe.
my favourite invention of all time included midi.
a connection of some kind is what i think is going on,in a wishful sought of way maybe.
my favourite invention of all time included midi.
Re: Why are you interested in Synthesizers?
Yupe I always felt the synthesizer was more a kin to a scientific device because we deal with the science of sound when we are developing our soundscape.You are making a great point about the music and the science.
But synths have come along way since the 1st analogue so much so that we have gone beyond the original concept of what a synthesizer is..
Lets take the classic... Moog..
THAT in the truest sense is a synthesizer and a most scientific device ever created.
in the 21st century we have past the need to start the process that far back and now
digital allows use to apply analogue modeling to sample based waveforms which offers a bigger variety in sound than your basic square saw sine based synths. Without getting into too much of a debate,
analogue as appose to digital has its own unique quality that has endured the decades.
Overall this is why i like synthesizers, rather than the standard sound module with static sounds.
its the ability to take sound beyond its present form
to create something new and original to make it your own.