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Figured we can use this thread to post links and info on articles written by professionals in reference to Synth tips and tricks.
Here is my summary of an article featured in Electronic Musician entitled, “ Synth Secrets of the Pros”, written by Gino Robair. The purpose of his article was to bring some of the techniques used by industry professionals to students and composers who otherwise would not have access to these individuals and their knowledge. Some of these people include one of my favorite ambient composers Robert Rich. This article also has a focus on Synth/electronic music although there are some tricks and topics that are relevant to other genres. A total of 12 people were interviewed and asked to provide some of their personal tricks that they use when composing or recording and even performing live. There is a wealth of knowledge in this article and I would strongly recommend that composers and students, who need an extra push in the right direction, should read it.
I took a lot away from this article, mainly the tips on ambient styled music and film/orchestral work within the electronic realm. But I was also reassured through the article that there is an endless amount knowledge out there and we may only scrape the surface of what we can actually do with our own compositions and software. One of the techniques talked about is one that I am actually very familiar with but figured I would share it since it is important.
Ambient music uses a lot of drone based synth work. That being said, Brian Kehew talks about the importance of “Motion”. Many of us end up creating drones and synth music that just sounds stagnant and boring. But if we take that one instrument and start tweaking different parameters, envelopes, automation and other things like filters; we can create very interesting sounds and pads. Alessandro Cortini also states that one way to practice and get better at composing and using your software would be to compose whole songs using only one synth for all instruments. I think these are great ideas and have actually been implementing these practices for a while now. But I figured someone else might not know some of these things.
Robert Rich also spoke about using delays on solo/melody instruments instead of reverbs, which could cloud up the mix. I am really excited to try what he shared next. He said, “Often, I use two different delays with different tap lengths-one panned to the left and one panned to the right.” By doing this you will essentially intertwine the two delays in such a way that it creates a reverb-like trail. This was a great read and I learned a good deal that I can immediately implement in my workflow.
***After writing this summary I realized that there is no link online to the article other than within research databases. (Mainly the one I use through school “EBSCOhost”) If you are truly interested in reading the article I have provided an APA citation so that you may do some digging at your local library or university research database, for a copy of the print article/PDF.***
Reference:
ROBAIR, G. (2013). Synth Secrets of the Pros. Electronic Musician, 29(1), 72-76.
Here is my summary of an article featured in Electronic Musician entitled, “ Synth Secrets of the Pros”, written by Gino Robair. The purpose of his article was to bring some of the techniques used by industry professionals to students and composers who otherwise would not have access to these individuals and their knowledge. Some of these people include one of my favorite ambient composers Robert Rich. This article also has a focus on Synth/electronic music although there are some tricks and topics that are relevant to other genres. A total of 12 people were interviewed and asked to provide some of their personal tricks that they use when composing or recording and even performing live. There is a wealth of knowledge in this article and I would strongly recommend that composers and students, who need an extra push in the right direction, should read it.
I took a lot away from this article, mainly the tips on ambient styled music and film/orchestral work within the electronic realm. But I was also reassured through the article that there is an endless amount knowledge out there and we may only scrape the surface of what we can actually do with our own compositions and software. One of the techniques talked about is one that I am actually very familiar with but figured I would share it since it is important.
Ambient music uses a lot of drone based synth work. That being said, Brian Kehew talks about the importance of “Motion”. Many of us end up creating drones and synth music that just sounds stagnant and boring. But if we take that one instrument and start tweaking different parameters, envelopes, automation and other things like filters; we can create very interesting sounds and pads. Alessandro Cortini also states that one way to practice and get better at composing and using your software would be to compose whole songs using only one synth for all instruments. I think these are great ideas and have actually been implementing these practices for a while now. But I figured someone else might not know some of these things.
Robert Rich also spoke about using delays on solo/melody instruments instead of reverbs, which could cloud up the mix. I am really excited to try what he shared next. He said, “Often, I use two different delays with different tap lengths-one panned to the left and one panned to the right.” By doing this you will essentially intertwine the two delays in such a way that it creates a reverb-like trail. This was a great read and I learned a good deal that I can immediately implement in my workflow.
***After writing this summary I realized that there is no link online to the article other than within research databases. (Mainly the one I use through school “EBSCOhost”) If you are truly interested in reading the article I have provided an APA citation so that you may do some digging at your local library or university research database, for a copy of the print article/PDF.***
Reference:
ROBAIR, G. (2013). Synth Secrets of the Pros. Electronic Musician, 29(1), 72-76.
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