Need advice on electronics books

[Sean Costello]

Jean-Michel GEORGE wrote:

> Can anyone recommend a book (or
> even a web-site) that will give me such an experimental approach, whilst
> explaining the electronic theories that apply as you go along.

An excellent book for an overall overview of Synth-DIY stuff is Barry Klein's "Electronic Music
Circuits." This covers the theory behind oscillators, filters, et al. It has plenty of circuits that
are useable today, without relying on custom chips (it also has custom chip circuits, in case you
are able to uncover any of the rarer CEM or SSM chips). You can order the book direct from Barry at 

http://www.xavax.com/bklein/ 

Another excellent book for the theory is Hal Chamberlin's "Musical Applications of Microprocessors."
Not as much analog stuff as Klein's book, but nice explanations of the principles involved. Also, it
is FANTASTIC for digital stuff. Out of print, but copies turn up fairly often.

The best source for both circuits and theory is Electronotes. The "Preferred Circuit Collection" and
the "Musical Engineer's Handbook," in tandem, are chock full of good circuits, as well as an
in-depth explanation of how they work. I can't remember what the current mail address for Bernie
Hutchins is, but this is a great place to go. 

Sean Costello