1. Roland Juno-106 (1984): Finally, a synth that was marketed towards poor people, the Juno-106 put hybrid DCO-based synth technology into many musicians’ hands for the first time. Although limited with a single oscillator and filter, its distinctive chorus effect and 80s pop sounds helped define it as a winning machine.

1. Roland D-50 (1987): Roland’s new LA synthesis architecture never took off, but it found a comfortable home in the still-popular D-50, which used an early 8-bit form of PCM sampling to achieve unique sounds never heard before. Along with plenty of polyphony, this 1987 hit found its way onto many records in the late 1980s and 90s, and is still used to this day.

1. Korg M1 (1988): Apparently the most well-sold synth of all time, the M1 became a popular semi-workstation synth, combining an affordable price, sleek looks and excellent realistic sounds (remember the piano sound?). The A1 synthesis method allowed for excellent traditional subtractive synthesizer sounds though too, and combined with 16 voice polyphony and tons of built in effects and even a sequencer, it is no surprise this synth did so well.

1. Roland JV (1992): Roland’s workstation series of semi-synths started with the JV-80 and JV-90, then developing into the JV-1080 and JV-2080 – producing staggeringly accurate and believable samples of real instruments, saving many musicians thousands on using real instruments. Along with more polyphony and expansion options than you can shake a stick at, the JV series evolved into the XV series, which continues to sell well today.

1. Access Virus (1995): The first of a new generation of digital-based ‘virtual analogue’ synthesizers, designed to bring high-polyphony analog sounds to all those who wanted the sounds of the 1970s and 80s back but couldn’t afford to buy and maintain the old machines of yesteryear. Tons of patch storage, effects and even a vocoder helped the Virus to pioneer the 21^st century virtual analogue brigade.

Here’s a guide of what I feel are the ten most influential and important synthesizers in music history (in chronological order). While I do not necessarily endorse these particular synths, they undoubtedly left a lasting impact in the synthesizer industry.

1. Moog MiniMoog (1970): The one that started them all. Although not exactly a super-affordable synth, the MiniMoog put throbbing bass, screaming melodies, and fancy SFX in a keyboard players hands. Sitting in a nice wooden case with a foldable lid (a design that never seemed to catch on), it frequently went out of tune, and didn’t have patch storage, or a dedicated LFO – but who cares; we were all over the moon back then weren’t we?

1. ARP Odyssey (1972): The controversial rival to the MiniMoog, controversial of course because it stole the original 4-pole Moog filter design, the ARP engineers soon completed work on their own 2-pole filter, and, combined with a duophonic ability the Odyssey gave players an alternative synth which stayed in tune for the duration of a concert.

1. Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 (1978): Dave Smith and his friends at Sequential Circuits first found success with this beast – the Prophet 5. Originally called the Prophet 10 when they were making them out of their garage, they were prone to overheating, and therefore decided the sensible thing to do was to chop the voices in half. This was really something special though, as the microprocessor controlled keyboard allowed patch storage as well as excellent programmability, and who could resist that beautiful Koa wood? The Prophet eventually went to be a winner, going through 3 major revisions before production ceased in 1984.

1. Roland Jupiter-8 (1981): One of the first synths to not only have digital patch storage but also splitting and layering across the keyboard, as well as an arpeggiator. The sound was key though, as Roland made a staggeringly pleasant on the ears analog signal path, with a knob-laden interface for easy programming. The oscillators and filters just scream buy me, although the price tag wasn’t quite the same.

1. Yamaha DX-7 (1983): Polyphony, a good keybed, a cheap price, and unique realistic sounds for the first time was too much for every 80s pop star producer to resist, as Yamaha’s DX-7 synthesizer showed what could be achieved with their newly utilised Frequency Modulation synthesis. Admittedly, very few ever figured out how to program it, and FM synthesis hasn’t ever reached those heady heights since, but it spawned the rest of the DX series and made way for other new synthesis types to be publicly accepted.

Here are nine tips and tricks to make sure your gig goes as smoothly as possible when on-stage with your gear!

1.  Make sure to use proper furniture equipment. This includes heavy duty keyboard stands (try to use a double braced X-style stand for 2 or more tiers of keyboards), and suitable flight cases and rack-mount cases. Expensive as it may be, it will make equipment easier to access, and will prevent it from being damaged by accidents.

2.  Use quality power equipment. If you’re going to a venue you’re not familiar with, do you really want to blindly trust their plug sockets and power sources? If you don’t already have one at home, get yourself a power conditioner to sit in your rack. It can save your equipment if you use one live, and even at home it can prevent damage from power surges. Likewise, if you run on all-batteries, always bring spares.

3.  Only bring synths you really need. Yes, I’m sure it’s fun and cool to have a ton of synths on stage with you, but what if one gets lost or damaged? Make a plan of what synths you need to bring to cover which sounds, and minimize the equipment you take with you. The less you take, the less can be damaged or lost! Also, don’t forget to take unneeded expansion/memory cards out of the synths too.

4.  Don’t bring old analogue gear. An expansion on the previous point – don’t bring old analogue keyboards because they can die at any moment, they go out of tune, and many don’t have patch storage. Unless you absolutely have to bring them with you, you should really look for a more reliable, modern alternative. It also goes without saying that modular synthesizers are not practical live either.

5.  Backup your patches before hand. Should stuff get lost, it’s always useful to have your patches saved somewhere other than the actual synthesizer. In fact, do this even if your not playing live in case your synthesizer dies or becomes damaged at home.

6.  Try recreating patches on other synths in advance, in case one goes down. This is something the best prepared players do, and not only can it save your ass in a sticky situation onstage, but its great programming practice!

7.  Bring spare cables. This applies to practically all musicians who play electronic instruments, but especially to keyboard/synthesizer players as we rely on cables to carry our sound into the ears of the audience. If you’re on a tight budget you don’t have to bring duplicates of all cables, but at least bring a few spare 6.35mm audio cables for the outputs of synthesizers.

8.  Consider your in-ear monitoring. There’s nothing worse than not being able to hear yourself (or the rest of your band) when playing live, so go prepared. Will the onstage monitors really be good enough for you? If not, consider using headphones to hear yourself clearly, or even convert your whole band to using something such as the affordable Shure EC range of in-ear monitoring buds.

9.  Bring your own sub-mixer for your keyboards. If you’re using more than one or two synthesizers, it is an excellent idea to have your own mixer for them. Not only is it an easy way of mixing all your keyboard outputs together, but it prevents cables going all over the place, and allows you to control the levels of your synthesizers.

6. Lateral thinking

Lateral thinking makes big, complex sounds. Layering sounds works well for creating long, slow sounds, and can add extra punch to shorter sounds. In particular, for creating modulating, sweeping pad sounds try layering multiple patches with each one growing (attack) and disappearing (sustain) after each other.

7. Use multiple filters

Many modern synthesizers feature two independent filters (maybe even multimode), which can be used in a parallel or sequence arrangement. Experiment with both, especially by using unusual filter modes such as band pass and notch filters, and also with sending different oscillators to different filters. Don’t forget that external filter units can be an interesting effect on the end of a signal chain, particularly if they are of an analogue nature – making them useful to warm up digital sounds.

8. SFX Patches

Consider your options for SFX patches. The use of non-tonal oscillator waveforms are a key feature of ‘effects patches’, such as FM waveforms or noise sources. Self oscillation by filter resonance is also useful for creating sound effects, as is the proper use of envelopes and effects.

9. Try emulating the techniques of other synthesizers

Although this is a broad statement, think of the basic concepts of ideas such as wavetables – and then create that idea by setting an LFO to modulate the waveform of an oscillator. Another example would be to set all your oscillators to sine waves, and set them all octaves apart from each – a basic form of additive synthesis which is essential for organ sound emulation.

10. Do unique things with LFOs

LFOs aren’t supposed to be audible right? Wrong. Want to create an FM-style sound but don’t have the correct oscillator waveforms, then try setting an LFO to modulate the stereo-panning using a square wave, and set the rate as fast as you can – instant clangy overdrive! Don’t forget to make use of the ‘sample and hold’ function too, as it is overlooked far too often.

11. Check Your Presets

Ok, there’s just one extra tip…If you’re still out of ideas why not step through your onboard presets for inspiration. Remember that these patches were made by people who spent a considerable amount of time learning the architecture of the synth and want to demonstrate its special features. When you find a patch that you really like, dissect it and look at how the sound is made, then use that same technique on your own patches.

1. Vary your oscillator waveforms!

Instead of using 2 saw waves or 2 square waves detuned against each other, why not mix a saw wave and a square wave together, or even get creative using noise colours and the oft-ignored sine and triangle waves – mixing waveforms is the starting point to creative synthesizer patches.

2. Understand the ‘Decay’ and ‘Sustain’ elements of envelopes

Remember that the decay is how long the sound lasts at full volume, and the sustain is the volume at which the sound plays after the decay stage - but before the release. These two stages are essential to accurate acoustic sound emulation, and add life and dynamics to any patch.

3. Use envelopes for modulations besides the usual amplification and filter sections

If you’ve got a spare envelope (or on some synths, at least part of one) why not use it to good effect by modulating the oscillator pitch (sounds very D-50 like), PWM functions (good for percussive effects!), oscillator sync effects or ring modulation, or even the level of SFX used. The complexity of modulations performed by a dedicated envelope is far more than that of a bog-standard LFO, and can really add something extra to the start of a sound.

4. Use LFOs

Create performance effects using LFOs. Use the modulation wheel and keyboard velocity/after touch features to alter the sound while playing it. You can create a vibrato effect by setting an LFO to gently alter the oscillator pitch, a wah-wah effect by doing the same thing to the filter frequency, and a tremolo effect by altering the volume (or pan) setting.

5. Use different oscillator pitch tunings

Ever heard what it sounds like when you set one oscillator 5 semitones above the other? Instant funky harmonics! Try doing it with 7ths and 9ths and even 11ths – it creates a jazzy chord feeling. For even more complex oscillator tunings, try using the chord memory function if your synthesizer has one.

Monophonic/Polyphonic: Early synthesizers were only capable of producing one note at a time, but through evolution of technology they became more and more powerful (and cheaper to produce), to the point that modern synthesizers can play a near-infinite amount of notes simultaneously (like a piano). However, most synthesizers still have the option of playing in a monophonic or polyphonic mode. Quite simply, a monophonic (think ‘mono’) synthesizer can only play one note at a time, and a polyphonic one can play two or more. The monophonic setting can be useful for some lead and bass sounds, as it prevents two keys from being held down accidentally and overlapping each other.

Portamento/Glide: Gives the ability to slide between notes. The effect of portamento is best used on monophonic sounds to create a bending between notes, but can also be used polyphonically when played in the style of block chords. The time (and occasionally scale) of the glide effect can be changed, allowing different severities of ‘bending’, from a simple glide, to a very slow sweep between adjacent notes (useful for SFX).

(Simple) FM: Although ‘frequency modulation’ is an entire form of synthesis itself, the basic concepts of its sound creation methods can also be used in subtractive synthesis. FM effects are produced in a similar fashion to a sped-up LFO, whereby the rate is set so fast that the oscillator produces an audible pitch. The resulting oscillator is then used to modulate the pitch of another oscillator, giving a generally non-harmonic sound, which is very sharp and biting. Due to the lack of pitch stability in analogue components, FM effects can not be reliably used on analogue synthesizer keyboards.

Oscillator Sync: The standard effect of oscillator sync (technically called ‘hard sync’ in this case), is the use of 2 oscillators – one which is the master, and the other the slave. The master oscillator runs as standard with its waveform, but the slave oscillator will be running faster or slower than the master. When the master oscillator is triggered, the slave oscillator will also start again through its waveform regardless of whether it has finished its cycle or not. Because the oscillators will be at different parts of the waveform cycle, strange harmonic effects are created when the two oscillators are triggered together.

Ring Modulation: One of the more well-known musical features from the past, ring modulation in music synthesis is the simple process of taking two oscillator inputs and multiplying them against each other depending on their frequencies. Because of the non-harmonic result, this is a good technique for creating dissonant, percussive sounds.

Arpeggiators and sequencers have been part of synthesizers since the 1970s, when basic patterns could be played without having to manually press the keys down, allowing complex melodies to be played with 100% accuracy at any speed. Nowadays, sequencers and arpeggiators have become infinitely more complex, mostly due to the fact that they are programmable from a software interface, where a whole song can easily be programmed with a MIDI keyboard and a mouse. The arpeggiator or sequencer built into your trusty synthesizer is not to be ignored however, and the following information will hopefully give you some idea of the power such functions posses.

Arpeggiators are designed to create small melodic patterns from the notes the player gives the synthesizer. For example, the user may hold down the C, E, and G keys on the synthesizer, and with the arpeggiator active it would repeatedly play the selected keys in various different ways depending on how it was programmed. Arpeggiators can play patterns by ascending or descending through the notes like a scale, or by randomly choosing selected notes to play. Modern arpeggiators can do even more, such as perform sub-arpeggiations within the main arpeggio, or use a mask to mute certain notes within the pattern.

Sequencers (sometimes referred to as ‘step sequencers’) are the bigger brother of arpeggiators, allowing full melodic sequences to be programmed. These can be triggered with just a single key press, or in some cases with only a special trigger button. Sequencers for synthesizers come in two hardware forms. The first, being built into the synthesizer itself is not as powerful as its dedicated hardware alternative. The sequencer in a synthesizer will usually only be capable of holding 16 or 32 steps, as well as tempo and shuffle settings. Hardware sequencers are a dedicated hardware unit which can hold many more steps per pattern, as well as chaining patterns together to form a complete song. They are frequently also able to perform modulations to not just the pitch, but also the articulation of the sound – or indeed any aspect of the synthesizer’s architecture. They are an extremely powerful tool when used to their full capabilities, as well as fun to play with. It is not uncommon to see entire songs played with multiple sequencers connected to synthesizers, performing complex actions such as sending MIDI or CV/Gate triggers signals to all devices.

Distortion: A popular effect when used on electric guitars, distortion is the process of boosting the synthesizers signal over the limit, to the point where it clips and can remove parts of the audio range. It is also possible to distort signals so that additional harmonics in the frequency range are created. Distortion, or ‘overdrive’, are not common effects used on synthesizers due to the unpleasant clipping of the signal, although used creatively it can produce interesting effects.

Phaser: In phasing, the signal is fed through an all-pass filter which creates peaks and notches (highs and lows within the frequency spectrum). When done statically, this creates modifications in the signal from the synthesizer, but to create a moving effect an LFO is used to sweep the comb filter, creating the standard phaser sound. Phasers can be used in various different stages, such as 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, or even more, with the more stages being used the more effective the signal.

Flanger: A variant of the artificial chorus and phaser technique, flanging was originally produced by slowing down identical reels of tape, which would produce a sweeping effect of the signals becoming out of sync with each other – but only by a very small amount. Likewise, in artificial flanging a delay technique is used to multiply the signal and constantly change the delay between the signals within milliseconds. This delay effect creates a jet plane-style sound which unlike phasing creates a comb filter effect with the harmonic bumps and dips of the signal being in series with each other. Like the chorus and phaser effects, flanging is modifiable by changing the rate of the sweeping delay, as well as the feedback and depth of the signal. When the feedback of the flanging signal is turned up too high however, it resonates to an unpleasant degree.

Delay: One of the most commonly used effects in sound synthesis; delay (or ‘echo’) is the relatively simple process of copying the original signal from the synthesizer and playing it several times between different time intervals. More exotic techniques can be used, such as reversing the delay playback, and creating feedback loops which run an infinite period of time.

Reverb: Originally created manually by plates and springs, reverb is one of the oldest effects in music in general, and is frequently used in sound synthesis. The effect is similar to creating sound in a large room, where the sound will reverberate due to the size of the room. The effect is created digitally by using many delays, and using accurate simulations of room sizes and their effects, which creates the fake effect of the sound hitting the listener’s ears first and loudest, followed by the reverberation effect afterwards.

Effects, while not technically a stage of any form of subtractive music synthesis, are commonly found on the end of most signal paths from synthesizers. Effects can come in an internal form (built into your synthesizer), and in an outboard form (where it is a separate effects box, such as a rack mount unit or pedal). While internal effects are useful parts of synthesizers as they save on space and power, they are usually not as high quality as a dedicated external effects unit, but will suffice for most users. Bear in mind when purchasing a vintage synthesizer, that many older models (from the 1970s and 80s) will most likely not have any form of built in effects.

Unison: In similar fashion to effects not technically being part of sound synthesis, unison is not really an effect, but more of a fixed option within your synthesizer. The effect of unison is simply to multiply the signal which is being produced by the synthesizer, and in most cases to detune each signal against the other (just like detuning oscillators). This creates a much bigger sound, and is especially useful for making up a lack of oscillators. Common numbers of signal multiplication in a unison effect can be 2, 4, 8 or even higher. Some synthesizers have become even more creative in their use of a unison effect, such as the Clavia Nord Lead 3 which pans 2 signals to the left of the stereo field, 2 to the right, and keeps 1 in the centre, while detuning all against each other, creating a massive stereo-wide effect.

Chorus: A similar result to the unison effect, but with a much more complex sound modification process, the chorus effect is a popular technique to embellish and enlarge a synthesizer’s sound. Some would argue that the technique of the chorus effect is identical to that of unison or detuning oscillators, and this is true in part, as it can be physically demonstrated in acoustic instruments such as the piano or guitar, where multiple strings are played at the same pitch, but are ever-so-slightly out of tune to create a subtle warming effect to the sound.

The standard interpretation of chorusing within the synthesizer signal chain however is of an artificial effect where the signal is copied and mixed with several copies of it itself which have their pitch (at a very small level) constantly swept by an LFO. The effect can also be used in stereo by panning the delay effect within the stereo field, providing that the delay-based pitch sweeps are offset from each other. Because an LFO is used to control the effect, the rate can be adjusted, as well as the feedback and depth of the effect. This ‘artificial’ chorus effect is also one of the methods used in the flanging effect.

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Envelopes are the key to the articulation of your sound. Without them your patch will immediately start off at full blast, and stay there, and then disappear all of a sudden when you let go of the key. Envelopes, although difficult to understand at first allow you to change that, so you can create expressive and dynamic sounds with your synthesizer.

The standard envelope is in 4 main stages, described below:

• Attack – the sound rising up to its maximum level. If it’s set to nothing, the sound plays at full blast straight away, whereas if you set it quite high then the sound gradually fades (good for string sounds).
• Decay – this is how long the sound stays at the level the attack brings it up to. If it’s set as high as it will go, it will stay at the maximum level forever (rendering the sustain stage useless).
• Sustain – this is the level that the sound stays at after the decay stage has passed. Some synthesizers also have a dedicated ‘sustain time’ setting, which decays the sustain stage after an adjustable amount of time too.
• Release – a bit like reverb at the end of your sound – it is how long the sustain level takes to die down to silence. Set the release to nothing and you won’t get that effect – it will be instant.

The key to programming envelopes on your synthesizer is to practice and visual the envelope. Think of it like a graph with 4 stages, and you are plotting points higher or lower on the domain as the sound changes through the stages of the envelope. The sound rises through the attack, it dies down through he decay, it stays at the selected level in the sustain, and when you let go it disappears through the release.

Filter envelopes are just that – they articulate the filter using an envelope. To do this, there is usually a knob dedicated to the filter frequency (cut-off point) just for the filter envelope. Turn the normal filter cut-off down, and turn the filter envelope cut-off higher, and then program the filter envelope like a normal envelope. Takes a while to figure out, but its worth it – for example, turn the sustain on the filter envelope off, forget about the release and attack (set them to zero), and make the decay short – then turn up the release and wow! The thing to remember here is that its not the volume (amplitude) that your changing, it’s the cut-off frequency with the envelope, so you can create great effects with clever programming – such as emulating brass sounds by increasing the attack on the filter envelope.