Creating Sounds from Scratch: A Practical Guide to Music Synthesis for Producers and Composers Illustrated Edition

This book introduces sound engineering and synthesis, targeting the budding producer or sound engineer. Broadly organised in two halves: chapters 1-3 introduce synthesis (history of electronic music and synthesizers, physics of sound, synthesiser modules and gear); and chapters 4-9 introduce the different kinds of synthesis (Subtractive, FM, Additive, Sample-based, Modelling, and Wavetable).This is my first book on synthesis and overall I find it a very good starting point. The content addresses all the elements in its title, and each chapter could be covered in-depth in a seperate book or course. This book's standout feature may be its use of Flowcharts and "Sound Designs" for patches and howto's respectively. Examples employ several software synthesizers, which is both a plus and a minus. For me it serves as a teaching aid in learning about my first analog modelling synthesizer. I further google around the subject, and use both Amazon and manufacturers websites to familiarise with music equipment relevent to the text which further helps with learning.There are a number of typos and editorial mistakes, and some errors with the online material. There are of course a limited number of pages, some 325 in all, but I find the later chapters 4-9 to be less complete than the earlier ones. For example, in chapter 5 on FM synthesis, the book presents two versions of a pad sound but doesn't explain how the different second matrix was arrived at. Consequently, I am left not knowing how to go about that. To answer this I will have to buy something like Native Instruments FM8 synthesiser and a MIDI keyboard to try it out. Fair enough - it is a Practical Guide - and I may well do this later. But after a first read detail gaps remain in my understanding. Which illustrates why it serves as a good starting point for continuous study.

The media could not be loaded. This book lays the foundation for synthesis in our modern era. It talks about subtractive synthesis all the way up to wavetable synthesis and sampling. It is organized in an easy to read and understand manner. Could not recommend this book enough!

For a textbook, this language and tone is fairly informal and inclusive. There were also many instances in which the authors clearly explained concepts that other books assume everyone knows, but it is good to have the actual “whys and hows” in your pocket. The price is right and can certainly elevate anyone’s synth or recording game.

Very well explained and complete for a not always very easy subject

I had taken a music production program where we learned some of the foundations of sound design, but I wanted to learn more and go deeper. This book breaks down the concepts of sound design in an easy-to-understand manner for the non-engineers among us. Fabulous book! I feel I'm learning as thoroughly as I would in a university program with this book in hand.

This book is very complex. I’m not entirely to the musician level to understand most of the terms in this book.

As a retired engineer who is venturing into the realm of sound engineering I find this to be an excellent source. It starts with the background information, which provides the building blocks for advances in electrical and electronic technologies in audio signal processing, spectral analysis and subjects I have yet to learn.I am sure there are many books to choose from. It so happens I picked this one for starters and find it to be well written with enough details to explain the vernacular and science behind the subject.

Not particularly detailed into how the various synthesis types actually work. This book is, however, very conducive to creating synth patches. Look at Russ’ “Sound Synthesis and Sampling” for more in-depth info, but this text is a great starting point.