Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming: The Ultimate Reference for Sound Design Book/CD-ROM (Power Tools Series) (Paperback)

by Aikin Jim (Author) "What does a synthesizer sound like?..." (more)
Key Phrases: synced oscillator, sample playback synths, rolloff slope, Edit Modes, Native Instruments Reaktor, Trigger Modes (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
From hit records to home studios, synthesizers are used in almost every genre of music. This book fills the know-how gap left by skimpy or garbled owner's manuals. It maps out the components of contemporary synths in clear, concise detail, and discusses how they can be harnessed to achieve specific musical effects. Each chapter presents hands-on projects that help musicians hone their skills. The companion CDROM contains audio examples that teach programming techniques.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879307730
• ISBN-13: 978-0879307738
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #145,510 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the "Ultimate" but pretty darned good., February 1, 2005

By	P. Gunderson (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming is a handy reference resource for musicians who want to learn about the ins-and-outs of sound synthesis. While most of the information in the book can be obtained online and in music magazines, it's very convenient to have it all in one well organized, well written book.

Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming explains the processes behind all the major (and not-so-major) forms of synthesis, including subtractive, additive, granular, and wavetable. You get chapters on oscillators, filters, LFOs, envelopes, modulators, etc. The included audio CD gives handy examples of the phenomena being described (such as oscillator beating, aliasing, filter sweeps, etc.).

Although every chapter has one or two exercises at the end, it should be stated that this book is not a patch recipe book or primer in synthesis technique (despite the subtitle "The Ultimate Reference for Sound Design"--surely a subtitle contributed by the publisher's marketing department). The concepts and technology are explained in detail, but there is very little here by way of "tips and tricks."

Hopefully, Mr. Aikin will publish a sequel to this title that gives some hands-on instruction on how to produce specific types of sounds. There are literally hundreds of practical sound design questions that such a sequel could answer: How can I create a patch emulating the dynamics of a wind instrument? How can I make string patches sound more alive? How can I make really biting lead sounds? How are different drum and percussion sounds synthesized? I think a book that answered these and similar questions would sell very well indeed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great little book, May 21, 2006

By	rationalist "rational one" (Shreveport, LA USA) - See all my reviews

this is a great book. i am a composer of trance music. i have relied on tons of hardware/software/sample discs and presets. the task of being my own sound designer seemed far-fetched. a few other amazon books didn't make it seem any less opaque.

but this little book goes through the practical basics of oscillators, subtractive, additive, granular and fm synthesis, then lfos, envelopes and modulation matrices pretty much in that order. it has two or three homework problems (patch design problems) at the end of each chapter. Take your chosen weapon and work through the problems, and you'll be on your way to the basics of synthesis. comes with a nice example cd too. great deal. cool, basic little book.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very good book, December 12, 2004

By	synth man (in my studio) - See all my reviews

I was really impressed by this book. It gives a very good background on synths/audio/nature of sound etc etc. It covers many issues. It will help newbies grasp the synth "language" very easy and quick

I have used synths for more than 10 years and i learned new stuff from this book. It is a "must" for beginners !!!

I wish that Mr Aiken will write a "ADVANCED" book on this...but as in really advanced in synthesizer programming

I can recommend this book to anyone interested in Synthesizers from beginners to advanced users.