# Synthesizer Programming Resources



## synthpunk

Please post any synthesizer programming references here that may help others.


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## synthpunk

Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook
http://synthesizer-cookbook.com

Roland The Synthesizer OOP (see Ebay for hard copies).

PDF
http://m.analogindustries.com/b1764/


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## wst3

Simon Cann's series of books
https://noisesculpture.com/


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## MisteR

Len Sasso has downloads of his out-of-print guides on his website http://www.swiftkick.com/ ,
including a guide and tutorials for Metasynth.


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## Nathanael Iversen

http://www.syntorial.com/

This is an excellent intro to subtractive synthesis with exercises and levels.


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## sazema

Rob Papen has good starting point video, more info at https://www.robpapen.com/dvd-sound-design.html


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## sazema

Foundation of Synthesis is also good resource for beginners 



Link: https://www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/bob-moog-the-foundation-of-synthesis-102-the-oscillator/


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## sazema

After that ADSR sound is always a good starting point


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## Synthmorph

However this one is titled as "10 Tricks for Access Virus", you can still apply most of these little techniques at the majority of the subtractive (software or hw) instruments.​
​


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## babylonwaves

Programming Analog Synth by Howard Scarr. It was originally written with the Access Virus in mind but there is tons of great, general info in there and it's a fun read as well.

http://www.virus.info/api/download/dlid/222/alternate/0/Tutorial%20on%20how%20to%20program%20the%20Virus%20in%20English (Synthesizer Programming English)

Free download (this link should just trigger the download which comes as a zipped up PDF)


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## galactic orange

babylonwaves said:


> Programming Analog Synth by Howard Scarr. It was originally written with the Access Virus in mind but there is tons of great, general info in there and it's a fun read as well.
> 
> http://www.virus.info/api/download/dlid/222/alternate/0/Tutorial%20on%20how%20to%20program%20the%20Virus%20in%20English (Synthesizer Programming English)
> 
> Free download (this link should just trigger the download which comes as a zipped up PDF)


As soon as I saw the post above I was going to suggest this, but you beat me to it.
+1 for this guide.

Hey Babylon, didn't you make some demos for the Virus back in the day? Good stuff!


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## Parsifal666

sazema said:


> After that ADSR sound is always a good starting point




I learned SO much from ADSR. Went I got serious about learning programming, I took ALL their courses on Zebra/HZ (since that's my favorite). The amount I learned about envelopes, filters...it was a precious resource, and I can't recommend those courses more.

If you truly want to master the synthesizer, you could do one yee haw of a lot worse (witness: 90% of youtube, and I'm being gracious aren't I). ADSR is awesome. Y

ou get a free trial, but if you have to pay for a month, you are still getting a super bargain.

All it takes is you applying yourself, really, and if that's the case, you're going to learn quick anyway imo.


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## Parsifal666

synthpunk said:


> Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook
> http://synthesizer-cookbook.com
> 
> Roland The Synthesizer OOP (see Ebay for hard copies).
> 
> PDF
> http://m.analogindustries.com/b1764/



You know, I like those, but I'm still waiting for a _*really* good_ synthesizer book.


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## Lode_Runner

Old videos, but I found them very useful


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## JJP

Back in the early 2000s, Sound on Sound Magazine did a spectacular series call "Synth Secrets". It started with the most basic elements of synthesis and by the end a few years later was doing quite complicated patches with various types of modulations and emulations of all different types of sounds.






Synth Secrets - From Sound On Sound


Gordon Reid's classic 'synthesis explained' in-depth series ran in Sound On Sound every month, non-stop, over 5 years and is still used by Colleges and University courses as 'essential reading' when teaching the foundations of synthesis and sound design. We've collected all 63 episodes here, for...




www.soundonsound.com


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## Lode_Runner

Synth Sounds of Stranger Things


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## Giscard Rasquin

I second Syntorial. Halfway through the course now and learned a lot already. It goes quite deep and the way it is setup, going between theoretical and practical hands on synth programming, works great for me.


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## digitallysane

I find the large and comprehensive tutorial section of the Yamaha Synths website to be an amazing (and overlooked) resource.
The best FM tutorials that I found are there (but there's lots more than FM).
The TOC: https://www.yamahasynth.com/synth-programming

An amazing intro to FM series by Howard Massey (the one who wrote "The Complete DX7" back then):








FM Synthesis Collection: FM 101 Article Series


FM Syntheses: What's the history behind it, how does it work - and how to make it work for you. These are all part of our FM 101 Series.




www.yamahasynth.com





Various series, for various levels, on advanced FM: https://www.yamahasynth.com/learn/synth-programming/fm-synthesis-collection

Intro to subtractive: https://www.yamahasynth.com/learn/synth-programming/subtractive-synthesis-101-part-one-the-basics


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## Pier

The Bazille Cookbook is another synthesis gem.






Soundsets for Bazille | u-he


Bazille - Monster modular synthesizer. Proudly digital and extraordinarily flexible



u-he.com





The PDF is freely available here although you need to have Bazille and the presets for it to make more sense.



babylonwaves said:


> Programming Analog Synth by Howard Scarr. It was originally written with the Access Virus in mind but there is tons of great, general info in there and it's a fun read as well.
> 
> http://www.virus.info/api/download/dlid/222/alternate/0/Tutorial%20on%20how%20to%20program%20the%20Virus%20in%20English (Synthesizer Programming English)
> 
> Free download (this link should just trigger the download which comes as a zipped up PDF)


The link doesn't seem to work anymore, but I've attached the PDF which AFAIK has always been free in electronic format.


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## fan455

Hi guys, here're some formulas to generate 'smoothened' shapes of triangle wave, square wave or sawtooth wave. The smooth parameter actually controls the reduction of higher harmonics (without filtering).

Reference link:








Make a differentiable smooth sawtooth waveform


So, I am trying to understand the effect of sawtooth waveform on a mechanical system model. For example, a system of a plate and a box on it. And then we try to oscillate the plate. In order to d...




mathematica.stackexchange.com





I attach my code here (written for python).


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