The Synthesizer Academy

SEM3340 VCO

Scott Rise — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 02:18:24 +0000

You can find the main build article for this project in Nuts & Volts magazine. Project BOM RefDes Description Value Qty Link C1 Ceramic Capacitor 1nF 1 Mouser 594-K102K15X7RF53L2 C2, C6, C7 Ceramic Capacitor 100nF 3 Mouser 594-K104K15X7RF53L2 C3, C4 Ceramic Capacitor 10nF 2 Mouser 594-K103K15X7RF53L2 C5 Polystyrene Capacitor 1nF 1 Mouser 23PS210 D1, D2 […]

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Ring Modulator

Scott Rise — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 07:49:35 +0000

You’ve probably heard the distinct sounds of a ring modulator before. They tend to sound metallic or robotic, and sci-fi shows love to use them (“Exterminate!”). But what exactly do they do, how do they work, and where did the name come from? A ring modulator multiplies two signals together to create two […]

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Voltage-Controlled Amplifier (VCA)

Scott Rise — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:36:08 +0000

A VCA, or Voltage-Controlled Amplifier, lets you use a voltage to control the amount of another signal that is allowed through to the output of the module. The higher the control voltage, the more signal is passed. At some voltage level, the entire signal is let through. Note: Most VCAs could be more accurately called […]

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Voltage-Controlled Filter (VCF)

Scott Rise — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:52:15 +0000

The voltage-controlled filter is a major part of subtractive synthesis. There are many different ways to design a filter, and although they basically do the same thing, they all sound a little bit different. The filter is the part of the synthesizer that is most responsible for shaping the tones you get out of it, […]

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External Audio

Scott Rise — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:41:50 +0000

Synthesizers don’t just make sounds; they modify them too. There’s no rule that says you can’t use one to modify or mix sounds that come from outside the synth. There are hundreds of places to get electronic audio signals: Grab your iPod and plug it into your system. If you’ve got a computer running a […]

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Digital Audio Player

Scott Rise — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 04:41:22 +0000

Waveforms generated by your synth don’t have to be simple or random. They can come from recordings. Samplers operate on this principle. Instead of a simple sine or square wave, they use a digital recording as their sound source. Of course these more complex waves can still be pitched up or down (played faster or […]

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Noise

Scott Rise — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 02:34:31 +0000

Noise modules are fairly simple. They produce a random electrical signal (noise). They sound like “shhhhh…” Not all noise is created equal, however. There are different types of noise that have their powers concentrated in different parts of the audio spectrum. They are named after colors of light that have analogous power distribution in the […]

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Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO)

Scott Rise — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:08:15 +0000

So far we’ve talked about what synthesis is and various methods used to generate waves. In the “Building Blocks” section we’re going to look at all the different parts of a synthesizer and how they work together to create sounds. When I talk about “parts”, I’m not referring to the actual capacitors, resistors and other […]

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Sampling

Scott Rise — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:18:10 +0000

A sampler doesn’t synthesize sounds so much as it plays back sounds that were recorded from somewhere. The recordings are stored digitally in memory, so they can be triggered instantly when you hit a key on your synth. They can also be sped up and slowed down to achieve different pitches. Sampled waves can be […]

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Wavetable Synthesis

Scott Rise — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 08:01:17 +0000

Most of the synthesis methods we’ve talked about so far produce periodic waves, meaning at some point the repeat. Simple waves may go up, then down, then back up again. More complex waves might go up and down a few times, but somewhere there is a repeating pattern. Wavetable synthesis takes advantage of this fact […]

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