Author: Derrick Hakim

Here are a few tips and guidelines in case you ever find yourself buying used synthesizers (or general music gear): 1. Beware of the tell tale dodgy synth seller signs. If he/she says “I’m selling this for a friend so I don’t know much about it” – stay away. If the ‘buy it now’ price is suspiciously low – stay away. Likewise, remember all the standard seller checks – such as feedback and payment options (in the case of eBay), and check the seller out by searching for his username on the net, and asking around for his reputation. 2. Get to know the seller before hand. Ask him questions such as how long he’s had it, what does he think of it, where did it come from. Ask him to post photo’s if he hasn’t already (actual photos that is – standard promo pictures are not useful), ask him to post sound samples, even ask him to post a video of...

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...

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...

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...