Guide To Synthesis
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Guide To Synthesis
Beatportal's ongoing Guide To Synthesis is dedicated to exploring the often complex and confusing subjects of synthesisers and sound production. Written by studio guru Francis Preve, it's an essential stop for anyone interested in making electronic music.
Latest from Guide To Synthesis
Prophet VS Tech Trivia
6 January, 2009 | 1.00PM
Dave Smith is best known for creating the Prophet 5 synth, Pro-FX (the first programmable multi-effects unit), and well, the invention of MIDI itself.
But his contributions to synthesis extend far beyond those three achievements.
For example, in the mid-’80s, Dave followed up the original all-analog Prophets with an instrument called the Prophet VS.
The VS was extremely advanced for its time, combining four digital oscillators – each capable of a wide range of harmonic spectra – with analog filters and a unique new way to control the sound in real-time: a joystick.
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Production Master Class: Automation
1 December, 2008 | 1.00PM
After a brief US holiday break, our master classes are back in session.
In this lesson, a bevy of EDM’s top producers reveal their insights into the process of automating tracks.
By automating effects and synth parameters, producers keep things interesting by constantly changing sounds and textures as a track progresses to its peak.
Some artists discuss their approach using broad theoretical brushstrokes, while others go much deeper into the specifics of the various tools in their arsenal.
Either way, these insights are sure to help producers of all skill levels add intensity and drama to their mixes.
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Tutorial: How to use modulation effects
19 November, 2008 | 2.00PM
With compression, gates, delay and reverb covered, we’ll now delve into the mysteries of modulation effects.
Flanging, chorusing, phasers, tremolo, and auto-panning are the most common types of modulation effects in modern synths and digital audio workstation software.
Since each of these effects has its own flavor, this tutorial will cover the specifics of what to use and when to use it.
For example, flangers are great for adding animation to percussion and sweeps, but can be problematic when used on bass.
Let’s find out why.
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Beatportal reviews Dave Smith’s Mopho
12 November, 2008 | 2.00PM
Few synths – other than the Prophet 08 and the Moog Voyager – have created as much advance buzz as Dave Smith Instruments’ new Mopho.
Based on the sound engine of the Prophet, the Mopho is a monophonic (one note at a time, not chords) synth that features a fully analog signal path and more features than other synths costing three times the price.
And it’s only $439 MSRP.
We’re among the first to get our hands on one, and after a few weeks of tinkering, here are our findings.
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Production Master Class: Hi-hats and top-loops
4 November, 2008 | 1.00PM
In our previous roundtables on intros/outros and kick and bass, we laid the foundations for building a groove like the pros.
This week, we’re going in the opposite direction – hi-hats and top loops – and taking a closer look at the trebly stuff.
Shakers, hi-hats, tambourines and related high-frequency percussion parts add the jiggle and shimmy to a track.
Some producers focus on swing or shuffle, some zero in on the sounds themselves, others talk about ditching quantization entirely.
The bottom line is that all of them have a slew of successes to back up their advice.
Let the advising begin…
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Tutorial: How to use a noise gate
29 October, 2008 | 9.00AM
All too often producers overlook – or sometimes disregard – the value of the lowly noise gate and its cousin, the expander.
Originally designed to help eliminate hiss, rumble and other unwanted recording artifacts, the noise gate has quite a few creative uses once you understand what’s going on under its hood.
In this tutorial, we’ll take a closer look at the underlying principles that govern this type of effect.
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Production Master Class: Kick and bass
22 October, 2008 | 10.00AM
In the last Master Class, we had our roundtable of producers relay their take on creating intros and outros for tracks.
This week, we tackle the complex interplay between kick and bass.
Some of the answers may startle you, as every producer has a passionate perspective on this topic, which isn’t surprising, as kick and bass are probably the most important aspects of any mix.
So let’s go kick some (b)ass.
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Tutorial: How to use reverb
14 October, 2008 | 10.00AM
Now that we’ve tackled the essentials of compression and delay, we’ll dig a bit deeper into another indispensable producer’s tool: reverberation.
Reverberation – or “reverb”, for short – is an effect that emulates the actual acoustic properties of a given space, either real or imagined.
I’d even venture a guess that many - if not all - of your favorite tracks would sound quite different if the reverb was removed from their mixes.
So with that in mind, we’re going to take a closer look at the specifics.
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Production Master Class: Intros and Outros
8 October, 2008 | 10.00AM
Welcome to the Beatportal Master Class series on production techniques.
Starting this month, we’ll be polling Beatport artists and producers on their approaches to various production techniques and reporting their answers in roundtable format.
As artists, we all have our own preferences and philosophies that comprise our sound, and those philosophies are what makes each artist unique - and to some DJs and audiences, even inspirational.
In the interest of increasing that inspiration, we’ll be getting insights and tips from producers with tried-and-true techniques that have earned them their place at the peak of many DJ sets.
This month, we’ll be talking about approaches to track intros and outros.
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Like Tutorials? Check out our Guide To Synthesis.
3 October, 2008 | 10.00AM
Has it really been a year since we started our series on electronic music production?
In that time, we’ve covered the ins and outs of analog (a.k.a. subtractive) synthesis, as well as provided an introduction to sampling and numerous product reviews - in addition to production interviews with both new and established artists on Beatport.
So this year we’re taking things a step further, with more lessons on production tools, news, reviews, interviews, profiles – and a few really unique surprises for budding producers.
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Tutorial: How to use a delay
1 October, 2008 | 2.00PM
Right up there with compression and EQ, delay-based effects are arguably the most ubiquitous tools in a producer’s arsenal.
Most musicians associate the word “delay” with repeating echo effects, but echo is just one of the many applications for delay.
In this tutorial, we’ll reminisce a bit about the history of these tools, then take a closer look at the underlying technology and its applications for producers.
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Tutorial: How to use compression
24 September, 2008 | 7.00AM
In our first installment on audio processing tools, we’ll tackle one of the most basic – yet seemingly arcane – tools in a producer’s arsenal.
The compressor.
Correctly applied compression is one of the most useful techniques for bringing a track to life, adding impact and character to everything from bass and drums to an entire mix.
The underlying principles are actually pretty easy to understand, once you familiarize yourself with the various parameters and terminology.
So let’s do that.
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Top 10 iPhone tricks for DJs
11 June, 2008 | 4.00AM
Now that the cat is out of the bag on the iPhone 3G, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that the new $199 price tag will propel it into the mainstream – perhaps even ubiquity.
It’s going to take a while to assess the full impact of GPS and 3G network speeds, since the truly life-changing apps haven’t even been created.
So for now, let’s take a look at the present possibilities of the platform as they apply to the DJ community at large.
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Stealing Thor’s Thunder – Part 3
29 May, 2008 | 10.00AM
In the previous two installments, we covered the ins and outs of Thor’s oscillators and filters.
On their own, these two components of Thor would be more than enough to create sophisticated sonic soundscapes.
This time out, we’ll review the possibilities lurking within Thor’s extensive array of modulation options.
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Stealing Thor’s Thunder – Part 2: Filters
22 May, 2008 | 11.00AM
In the previous tutorial on Propellerheads’ Thor, we explored the possibilities of its six different types of oscillators.
While these are a rich source of synthesis tools for tone generation, they are just the beginning.
Thor also includes four different filter types, each with their own unique properties.
This week, we’ll delve into Thor’s filtering capabilities.
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