MOTM

In a message dated 3/2/99 9:26:24 AM, "Paul Schreiber" <synth1@...>
wrote:

>I would try to get the ARP2600 Owner's Manual or the Roland "Art of the
>Synthesizer" set.

As always, Paul is right. I've seen these recommended in numerous places, and
can give a first hand recommendation of the 2600 manual. I seem to remember
the Roland set as being expensive several years ago, so I imagine it would be
even more expensive now.

I try to pick up any EM books I can find at used book stores and library
sales. Other books that I think are worth examining for patches and general
technical information are:

Allen Strange's book "Electronic Music." This is generally good, though it
does have some strangeness at points.

Jon Appleton and Ronald Perera's book "The Development and Practice of
Electronic Music." This is a very good book on EM and has a good chapter on
"Sound, Electronics, and Hearing," and one called "The Voltage Controlled
Synthesizer" (which is only 50 pages, but packed full of data).

"The Serge Modular Manual." You knew I was going to recommend this one. It has
references to certain peculiarities of the Serge (as it is an owner's manual),
but also has some great ideas in the more advanced patch section.

I also think the book "Synthesis" by Herbert Deutsch is pretty good, but like
most EM texts, it deals as much with history and tape music, as with patches.

>Side note: I am in the process of writing a MOTM "workbook" with patches and
>an audio demo CD rom.

This is another great idea, and I can't wait to see this!

Actually I think the best two things one can do to learn interesting patches
are:
1) get some modules, and start patching them (obviously).
2) Share patches with others (this is really helpful. I learned a whole lot in
my old EM classes, even from watching people less advanced than I was, doing
things I never would have tried).

I think other MOTM users should post some patches to this list (he said yet
again).
Maybe there should be a modular patch list.

Synth Peon
John B.
"Writing about music, is like dancing about architecture." Steve Allen

Hi All !

Strange, been buying books about synths and EM for many years now,
and have not come across these works at all . Found a lot on EM and
computermusic though (much MIT press) .

If one does'nt mind printing one's own, i suggest surfing to :

http://www.tellus.vallentuna.se/gymninfo/personal/anders/andersus.html

and download the Digisound user manual (with the full docs if how it
works stuff is needed), the Formant docs, and the Wireless world
synthesiszer docs . This should cover some of the basics .

Looking at the one chapter online (and the other stuff on his site
:) ), the synthesizer tutorial by Andre Stordeur looks pretty good,
too .
Details on :

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/the_analog_cottage/

And in a book list i always plug Musical Applications of
Microprocessors by Hal Chamberlin . This deals with both analogue
and digital ways to produce and twist waveforms, with a lot more
thrown in . Very well written, can provide a wide background, also
from the nuts and bolts perspective . Out of print, but can be
ordered from the author . See Paia site for more details :

http://www.paia.com/authors.htm

Hope this helps somewhat .


Keep 'em oscillating :)


Hugo
=

In a message dated 3/4/99 1:02:39 AM, "Hugo Haesaert"
<hugo.haesaert@...> wrote:

>Strange, been buying books about synths and EM for many years now,
>and have not come across these works at all . Found a lot on EM and
>computermusic though (much MIT press) .

All the books I mentioned were printed in the 70's and were primarily dealing
with analog EM. I'd like to hear some more about analog books on MIT Press, I
have two books on computer music (I've only read a few things in either of
them) called "The Music Machine", and " Foundations of Computer Music" which
are both excellent.

And another analog EM book I forgot to mention is "Principles and Practice of
Electronic Music" by Gilbert Trythall. A basic text which contains a nice
little electronics primer.

>
>And in a book list i always plug Musical Applications of
>Microprocessors by Hal Chamberlin . Out of print, but can be
>ordered from the author
>http://www.paia.com/authors.htm

I still don't have it but want to get a copy from him. This is the only
"music" book Serge recommended to me when I asked (he did recommend a few
books on FORTH however; DUP SWAP POP, sorry, I can't help it when I think
about FORTH).

John B

At 09:47 PM 3/3/99 EST, you wrote:

>From: JWBarlow@...

>Maybe there should be a modular patch list.

a great ide but hard to do,since explaining a patch with words is a hard and
not acurate way to transfer info.
we need format of comunicating drewon block diagrem's.

thanx
Gur Milstein.

Hi John n All !


"Many years" does, in this case, encompass part of the '70s . Just
that Belgium is not very near (a bus ride away, or so) the US or
London, besides if one does not really know what one is looking for
... ;-) Boy, would i have liked to have something like what the
internet is now, back then .

The MIT books you mention i have got, they cover a lot of ground .
Then there is Current Directions in Computer Music Research, Mathews
and Pierce, MIT press ISBN 0-262-13241-9 hard cover . Not forgetting
the computer music tutorial by Roads (recent aquisition, have hardly
touched it yet) Then there are some Computer Music Journal (MIT)
issues i own, picked up at various locations . I did not mention
analogue EM MIT books, so can't help you there :) Seriously, the MIT
books have bearing on how one produces sound . Much of it is just
good theory, some also applicable to the analogue domain as well .

Also, i think there are still a lot of possibilities open in
combining both analogue and digital : wavetable oscillators,
nonlinear transfer functions, convolution osc, delay based anything,
etc ... Up to a few years ago these would have been outside the diy
realm, these days microcontrollers fast enough or containing a DSP
core are available with affordable development software and
computers to run these . A pity that (afaik) all computer or dsp
based systems deny (:)) the existence of something like voltage
control, as not a single one has DC coupled inputs nor the
possibility to add them .

This has brought us far from the original post and question .

Has it helped anyone ? :)

Take care .

Keep 'em oscillating :)


Hugo
=