Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

I would really give this a 3 1/2 stars, but that's not an option.

This book is great for getting an overview of how general synth functions work. If you're interested in getting a general overview without actually applying it, then get this book. Better yet, get this book as a compliment to your manual or some other book. Sure it has projects in the back of each chapter, but they're more like 'suggested experimentations' IMO. Given that there seems to be little written on the subject, it might still be worthwhile. I also got Welch's Cookbook and enjoyed the hands on approach with that book, though I must admit that Power Tools covers a wider set of synth possiblities...that is, it covers an area like LFO's and then discusses every different type of LFO one might encounter given the fact that the synths on the market vary so much for one synth to the next.

After reading this book I wondered how much of the information really 'stuck' with me, as I didn't actually apply it as I went through the material. Given the abstract nature of this topic I think that this would have been helpful. Like I stated before, Welch's Cookbook did give me that in the first several chapters (the later chapters are basically synth recipes); for example, you learn how to look at a sound through an FFT analyzer and see the partials in the sound (you don't get this type of hands on with Power Tools).

There was definitely a part of me that questioned whether the $25 outlay was worth it. I decided that it was to have a sort of generalized reference on my bookshelf. But I definitely agree with the other reviewer that fealt that there needed to be more examples. Obviously, the author knows a great deal about synths. But I couldn't help feeling that he had written this by spewing his knowledge and not considering how important applying the concepts would be. If he was so inclined, he could create a freeware (or use someone else's) softsynth, and create projects that concretely apply at least some of the theoretical knowledge in future editions. This just might make it a great book. JMTC.

This book is almost as bad as the manual that came with my synthesizer. It is extremely poorly organized, and the author's writing style is verbose and unnecessarily technical. For example, the author's explanation of Keyboard Tracking in the Filters chapter is written backwards, with the most basic information presented last.

Throughout the book, the author references a concept or term explained in a future chapter, but then continues as if that concept is understood. It's maddening!

This book does not lay a foundation, is not laid out in a logical fashion, and is full references to what synths of the past could and could not do. In all, I've found it to be very difficult and boring to read.

I'm sure the author is very knowledgeable about his topic, but all of this information could be MUCH better presented, in a much more logical fashion.

Actually, this is more of a run-down on the basics of sound and synthesizers and nothing more, proclaiming itself to be "the ultimate reference for sound design". For a more complete reference for ACTUAL sound design techniques to design SPECIFIC sounds, see either "Synthesizer Programming" or "Synthesizer Technique" in the Hal Leonard Keyboard series, or Snoman's "Dance Music Manual". I rated it two stars because the knowledge in this book, while well compiled and presented, is easily accessible for free on the internet (try Sound on Sound's secrets of synthesis articles). Also, you can learn these same things in Hal Leonard's Keyboard series directly from the legends of the field (i.e. Bob Moog) while also learning some tips in sound design. (see my review of Synthesizer Programming for more info).

To see why this is the case you just look at who the author is. Jim Aikin was, among other things, a writer in Keyboard magazine about music technology - not a sound designer or musician. Therefore, you can fully expect that in this book Mr. Aikin will write exactly what he knows about, music technology. Since he does not actually use this technology to create music, it would be erroneous to assume that this book what be about how to use synthesis to create cool sounds and music (sound design). To learn these topics, you must consult and author who is actually a musician, such as Snoman, or a real sound designer, as are those who wrote the articles in the Hal Leonard Keyboard compilations. Understandably though, most sound designers will not divulge their trade secrets to us so such information will be sparse!

To conclude, you shouldn't buy this book if you have a clear understanding of synthesizers but want to learn some techniques in applying that knowledge. You should, however, buy this book if you know absolutely nothing about synthesizers (how they produce sound), sound waves, or sound effects (chorus, reverb etc).

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.

How many people program synthesisers ? Think about it. Select few pro's and hobbyists. So to publish a book to cater to these select crowd is a gutsy move, and its paid off big time. Because, if you dont know the basics of sound theory and design then you can never make meaningful patches out of your keyboard. Jim Aikin, takes you from the analog days to the present digital sound processing, quite precisely and narratively. After a couple chapters on introduction, he gets to the point immediately,and from there afterwards, its a learning curve. There are exercises after each chapter, that will stimulate your understanding of digital sound synthesis and appreciate the beast lurking underneath your keyboard. No matter, what make or brand your board is, the principles are pretty much the same. This book might end up being a classic in the near future, since much of today's sound synthesis is geared towards software based synths.
Grab a copy and you wont be dissapointed. Most of the book deals with analog synthesis. Considering there are so many forms of sound synthesis these days, analog has remained one of the most popular after FM. FM Theory by Chowning is the holy grail of FM synthesis and even that book is very rare to find. If you love synths, if you love programming them, then get this book.

If you are new to synthesizers, and would like to learn the nuts and bolts on how they work, I do NOT recommend this book.

Seriously, it boggles my mind how any editor could have allowed this book to hit the printing press without a complete and total overhaul. Aikin seems to know his stuff when it comes to synths, and the idea to include audio samples was a good one (and a reason I bought the book). What neither Aikin (nor his editors) know how to do is to organize and present this information in a meaningful, understandable how-to book. The book is divided into chapters that look in detail at the various components that make up a synth. A big problem rears its head with the very first component he discusses: he refers extensively to components that are introduced in later chapters. How can any novice reading about oscillators in Chapter 4 understand all the discussion of how LFOs effect them when that component isn't introduced until Chapter 6? Throughout this book, Aikin insists on discussing, IN DETAIL, synth components that he hasn't introduced or even discussed, nor has he said what they do or what they are. He's taking his own knowledge for granted, a novice error when it comes to teaching others.

On top of this, even when he gets around to defining terms he does it in an awkward and almost backassward way. Just for one example, when he introduces Oscillator Sync, he goes off on a slew of unrelated tangents as to what synths had them, whether it was "true," and what NOT to confuse it with for almost two long paragraphs before he finally gets around to actually defining what the term means. None of the verbiage that comes before the definition makes much sense to the beginner, because, hey, they have no idea what Aikin is talking about yet.

I suppose that this book might be a good reference if you already know at least the basics, but anyone who is coming to the table with no prior knowledge of synthesizers isn't going to find any help here. Aikin probably knows synthesizers, but he knows absolutely NOTHING about teaching.

I've only read the first 1/3 so far. It will probably be a while before I get around to finishing it, so I figured I would submit a review.
So far: very good. A well written description of how synthesizers work. I think you really only need two books to completely understand your synthesizer and how to make the most of it, and that would be this one + Fred Welsh's "Synthesizer Cookbook."

i am actually a newbie in synthesis and programming, but buying this book has given me lots of confidence. i feel more comfortable now using my new acquired synthesizer. i am familier with oscillators, filters, envilopes & LFOs, effects, modulations etc.