Thank you for offering this. I find your work and idea's inspiring as someone who comes from a different background. I look forward to what I can learn and process in my own way. Cheers!
I'm preset agnostic, but I always thought the point of the "press one key" presets that did everything were for being more of a feature showcase, or instruction manual on how to use certain parts of the synth, they're often highlighting a specific capability and shouting about what you can do with it. Presets can be turorials for some people.
Thank you for trying to elevate music made with synthesizers. It’s incredibly rare they end up in the hands of a trained composer who understands higher level melody and harmony but does not just treat them as slightly different sounding harpsichords and instead gives them the timbral interest worthy of their use.
I’m SO glad we’re out of the era where everyone thought synths were just trying to sound like acoustic instruments. Synths are best at sounding like themselves and that’s a beautiful thing! That means neither one replaces the other and the whole music world is richer because of it! I love that you bring the world of classical/traditional composition together with experimental synthesis and don’t get too precious or dogmatic about either one. I like how you address the challenge of balancing the two as well. It’s something we don’t talk about enough imo. Also, how are you liking the Muse?!?! A friend of mine just got his and I can’t WAIT to go play with it and become totally befuddled😂
Was there ever really an actual "ERA" when when everyone thought synths were or should sound like acoustic instruments?? The list of experimental electronic music/synth composers is massive. From music concrete to the Dr Who theme in 1963. ... There are many many examples of people using synths to create unique sounds rather than attempting to emulate natural instruments. .... SIlverapples Oscillations in 1968, The Monkees Daily Nightly 1967, The Who, John Carpenter themes, Brian Eno (in and out of Roxy Music) . Heck, the entire 80's electronic music subculture was nothing but "non traditional sounds" from synths..... They may sound like "old hat" now. But at the time, they were truly exciting. Like Einstürzende Neubauten, Coil and Throbbing Gristle sound design. It's always been there. The main stream (yawn) just takes a while to catch up.
Presets like those one note sound tracks are great for taking apart and learning how someone put it together. I use this as a way to break myself into the synth and keep my design approach fresh. I always assumed they were there for that reason and to also show off what can be done with the instrument.
Wow I love how you dropped in Waltz in Gm as an example! I had not heard that before so checked it out on your Spotify. Very very beautiful. And a bit of a challenge to play I imagine :) Really appreciated your approach to composition and synths / sounds. Really excellent
I think the "one-note soundtrack" patches exist for 2 reasons: 1) to demo the capabilities of a synth for marketing; 2) to let the sound designers flex their skillz
I think its also good as a drone, especially if it has a good amount of low end and movement. Edit: I agree with the video that manipulating it with other tools and plugins is more interesting than just using it as-is.
As a long time original music creator (30 years mostly on electric guitar, bass and synths) I appreciate your content. I was taught music theory to an indeterminate/advanced degree. However, I have never studied at a school, and in many ways am 'self taught', or self discovered. I have consciously struggled with composition, and how to think about it, and apply it, to organize my creative efforts. As a new subscriber, (I was brought in by your killer Pro3 pads video, I'm a new owner of that synth) I'm hopeful because of my finding your channel. Your education and method of teaching is right on par with what I need to learn, and how I learn. So, thank you for all the quality content.
I can totally see using presets (with very minimal tweaking) if what you're trying to achieve is to introduce a single timbre instrument like a piano or a harpsichord into your track's environment. For example having ambient tines and pads accompanying or complimenting a saxophone solo. And I think this is what presets were originally meant for - imitating an analog wood, bone, leather and metal instruments. But in terms of algorithmic synths, - I rarely found a preset which I liked so much that I didn't think it needed any tweaking. This is even truer for FM for some reason, where every single time I start tweaking a preset, I suddenly realize 2 hours has gone by and I only finished working on 4 out of 6 operators I intended to work on originally. The more complex something is, - the more picky I tend to get. And lately, listening to some of my much older stuff when I wasn't so picky with sound design, - I really started wondering if becoming more picky actually improved the overall quality of my tracks or simply made me less productive. It's almost as if I had more ideas when I was younger (and also came up with better names for my tracks). I think it's entirely possible to "over-engineer" a sound even when starting a patch completely from scratch.
I feel the same as you here. I'm more picky now, I focus too much on the nitty-gritty, I lose sight of the big picture, I turn off the synth, shutdown the DAW, and go do something else instead in anguish.
I noticed the Muse in the background, and would love to hear some of what you do with it. For some time, I didn't understand the great divide among synth enthusiasts between the sound of true analog synths and digital emulations. Then I heard the warm, buttery sound of the Muse, and thought "Ah - that's it!" I also heard the lush, warm sound of the Nonlinear Labs C-15, which I later learned is entirely digital, and now I'm confused again. 🤔
They (synths) are also built to play tho. And I think simple presets (think “moog bass” or whatever) are great just the way they are if that’s the kind of element your song needs…complicated presets on the other hand are something I feel might be a great option for someone who is in the beginning stages of music production. For example, I started out DJing and eventually wanted to make my own music and remixes…im not a piano or guitar player so controllers like the Ableton push were key to my journey…and led me to be more proficient on the keys (although more like a jamming or solo instrument than complicated chord progressions) than I ever thought I would be. Then there’s learning the daw software, drum patterns, song structure, funky bass lines, mixing, mastering, sampling, and etc. etc. etc… The point I’m trying to make is that sound design is hard to master…and so is home hobby music production. I’m still not as great as I’d like to be at sound design. Like im not confident I could start from scratch and reproduce a complicated synth patch (that I have in my head) even now (although, like samples, I no longer use presets without at least tweaking them a bit). But I was producing well mixed full songs well before I ever had the ability to deep dive into a synth…and I think presets for the novice is fine and useful…bc it helps provide motivation to keep learning when u can finish a song, even if it’s filled with other ppls sounds and samples…tweaking a synth all day to learn that first…b4 u even know how to produce a track…seems more tedious and less enjoyable. Although coming from a DJing start…I love tweaking knobs and faders…do it didn’t take me long to start experimenting with Serum and then buying hardware synths…nothing like your collection though! Man…pipe organing must pay quite nicely…🧐😁
When Mr Jones/Jameson describes his use of harmonic development at 6:46 and beyond - wow! what a sublime exposition. A nugget nestled within thirteen minutes of pure TH-cam poetry, learning, inspiration and interest. Well played, sir!
Something I've always struggled with when trying to balance sound design with general composition is how the more complex the timbre of the synth, the less freedom I seem to have to compose with it outside of very simple harmonies. It becomes a wall of noise so fast otherwise.
Listen 2 gregorian chant. They took every single singer in front of them very serious, then combined voices, timbres, options of one or the other singer, then only went to notes and finally to that what was their understanding of harmony - all with the one goal to provide a complete and perfect auditive representation of the emotion and thought they had in mind. The musicians of 2day do not even understand the emotions they have themselves, because a very lot is living less in their inner world. They often have only faint, unclear emotions attached to their music - as much as they are talking about feeling. Not so in gregorian chant. If performed well, there are no doubts about emotion, rather we start to align with and bring into action thoughts and thinking. This is an incredibly private experience, very much internal only. And yet, it cannot be, right? If these guys wrote that stuff some 500 years or more in the past, and we can read, listen and perform - some of their principles of writing music are still valid, making these pretty universal?!! The good thing about a synth is the many octaves it commands. The pretty thing about a church is that many of these buildings (in Europe) add incredibly to any sound they like. Even a synth like a Polybrute 12 will be going 2 very different places in the Cologne Cathedral than in Notre Dame de Paris, adding qualities to character that will destroy any formerly found balance. I guess this is the biggest challenge - 2 get our music into a context that allows our music to be what it wants to be. Again, this is about the music only, not about an audience! Audience only adds further complexity.
Just chiming in to say, I’m really getting a lot out of your channel. I’ve spent most of my life playing stringed instruments. I’ve just recently started putting together a synth setup over the last year. Very much fighting against the learning curve and just figuring out how to write music with this things. It feels like I’m spending most of my time reading manuals and tweaking knobs. Anyway, I’m finding your videos super helpful and you’ve given me some good stuff to think about. So, thanks!
I’ve never left a comment on a TH-cam video but I can’t help sharing how inspiring your videos are - they have helped me immensely and I’m officially a subscriber for life. Keep up the great work & content!
Just stumbled across your channel, and I love it! I was into electronic music / synthesizers, several decades ago. Been focused on acoustic piano (classical, hymns) for the past 35 years, but now I'm preparing to get back into the synthesizer world. I could really connect with a lot of what you said about harmony. Harmony is key, in my opinion. Looking forward to following you here.
Really glad youtube suggested me this video! Instant subscribe. It's something I've struggled with myself and I really love the way you present this. I'm looking forward to digging through your other videos!
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5:06 - "well your piano is a preset" - yes, it is when you count that you can choose between different acoustic instruments - piano, violin, guitar, etc. You have different instruments to choose from. All this, just to say that you need also to understand that there's another usage for the synthesizers that the one you're doing. Some of us just love particular sounds/patches that we like, and we treat the synth more like "a collection of weird sounding instruments you can choose from". Sound design does not need to be coupled with the usage of synths. Of course we're missing a lot by not tweaking that much or not creating our own patches, but I don't think it should be downplayed.
that's not what his point is, taking a keys patch and writing music with it while not modifying it is a lot different than taking a long complicated/evolving patch and just hitting a key and calling your track, that's what he is saying, Isn't it convenient that your timestamp starts after that distinction? Literally said RIGHT BEFORE YOUR TIMESTAMP "if a preset inspires you to do something around it, that somebody else made, thats awesome" Also a Piano is not a preset, and even if it was in relation to other instruments, you can't get away with just pressing a single key or string/etc, and expect people to find it interesting or creative in any meaningful way, you have to be proficient at the piano or any non synthetic instrument, to play something that moves people, A piano was build to be played, a synth is built to make/synthesize sounds. Is your voice a preset? and compositionally if you are deciding what instruments are in a piece, its still relying on proficient musicians to play that instrument properly, and no acoustic instrument is evolving sonically without input from the player. The Organ that is mention, the settings on that do not reduce the need for a proficient musician to play it properly, it is simply changing the sonics of the Organ. A synth patch can potentially shift that need for proficiency from the player to the sound designer, while the "Player" (emphasis on the quotes) just presses a key and takes all the credit, while doing nothing creative of their own.
I really love running synths through a guitar amp and cabinet allowing some of the dry though. Amp pedals work really well. I do this with Ableton stock plugins and I like double tracking them like guitars sometimes. Great video.
This is one of my favourite channel. I'm not someone with loads of musical background but as someone dipping my toe into music and coming from a guitar background these conservations really help and inspire me. Synths feel so massive compared to guitar, sometimes I get paralysis just knowing the sheer amount of possibilities that exist.
I’m much like you, guitarist, few keyboard skills, but that hasn’t stopped me from pursuing the amazing synth sound possibilities. There’s no wrong way, just play you find in there! 😺👍
This was BRILLIANT. I was originally attracted to your channel because you were a classically trained composer on a journey towards using electronic instruments - but not prepared to just 'push a button and let a soundscape evolve'. Me too! And somewhat naively, I tried to simply 'compose' for synth in the same way I might compose for orchestra, and it just didn't work. It felt to me that the very nature of the synth sounds I was using didn't lend themselves to more exotic harmonies. The sounds themselves were too rich and interesting and seemed to be better employed on single notes or basic 2-note chords like perfect 5ths. One thing that you said though, was incredibly insightful - you don't need a pad to sound all the harmony simultaneously. Exotic harmonies are much more palatable if used with short notes in a sequence. Alternatively I guess I would try to use synth sounds that weren't so interesting - but then I may as well use a basic piano
In addition to amp envelope, synths also can "clean up" via voice limitations, IOW voice stealing. Some synths have very few available voices (total number of simultaneous notes available) but many that have a large voice count will allow you to limit that number per timbre. Sometimes you can change note stealing priority. This can be especially useful when you find one of those 1 finger soundtrack presets, and decide to play it with many fingers, as if it was a normal instrument sound, and also you're a leadfoot on the sustain pedal.
7:12 love that reference to Ravel’s piano trio! As a classical pianist and a self-taught composer, I am having the best time with synths at the moment, but it does feel like they are starting to kill my harmonic imagination as you mentioned here. So, I read some movements from Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jésus and began to design sounds for its different parts, hoping to learn something. Thank you so much for an incredible video like this one. 🙏
You are the most interisting not just synth youtuber but music youtuber. Your expertise in harmony mixed with your incredible skills to make sounds is very very rich, you are really talking about what music is. On top of that your music is beautiful, you have to work on your network or whatever because you could be the next Nils Frahm or Alexandre Desplat, someone like those 2 monsters. You have that in you.
I am not nearly as classically trained as you are (I played viola in highschool and am now going on 30 years old), and am relatively new to sound design. But I hope to create sounds and compositions that are as rich as yours some day!
I'm so nuch looking forward to where this is (you are) going! Being just at the beginning of my ohwn music making, I realize that you are askeing exactly the questions that seem to be most relevant for me. It's exactly about the integration of the realms you're describing. Thank you for the inspiration and your incredible sense of humor! 🙏
I'm so glad that you bring up the 1-key riff-playing patches in this video. I wish I had ideas on how to use some of those complex patches, but I'm at a loss so far. (I've been a trumpeter since I was a wee lad) I have the Absynthe VST from Native Instruments, and it has a patch (I'm hoping someone has this patch and knows what I'm talking about) called "6-ft-tall Koala." Really fascinating sound, it has a drone, along with tiny bits of sampled speech tuned to octaves around the drone, and the speech has a little bit of a percussive aspect. I just wonder how in the world a person composes using that.
Several points you make ring true for the approach I take with music creation. Foremost is the love of synthesizer sounds, ones that have never been heard before which create an additional layer of interest in the music. When I was young, in the mid to late 1970s, I always gravitated toward the songs played on the radio that featured synthesizers, they fascinated me. In the late 1980s I bought my first synth, having no musical training or knowledge. It was fun to tinker with, but it was far more difficult to make music than I expected. Over time it got easier, I got a little better. The primary ingredients in my music now still include the love of synthesizer sounds, along with sequences (I'm quite math oriented), and melodies. I find a lot of electronic music to be quite boring and repetitive, and lacking in melodic interest. Thank you for your video, I have subscribed and will explore more of your content. - Sayer
i reslly like to watch your videos... kind of a perfect balance between information and sound. Congrats to your neat Moog lineup and the perfect lighting in the background. Cant imagine how hard it must be to create such a nice video setting and the craft needed for it.
Thanks! I find your observations interesting and helpful, and echo some of my own, though i'm relatively new to experimenting with sound designs and playing with synths.
Well done. Working on beats Dawless sometimes can be work. For relaxing pad therapy, it’s the Prophet X paired with Juno 60, hit notes turn knobs, slide sliders, good times.
Great stuff! Improvising over looping sequences is one of my favorite things. Always enjoy your entertaining and educational videos. Will definitely check out your Harmony Guide. Thank you for sharing. Cheers. :)
I love synths and I don’t like boring music (whether it be 4 chord pop or one note ambient music) You, sir, are the only real person breaking down this topic at this level. Super inspiring for me as I try to figure out how to use these magical noise machines
I can barely begin to elaborate on how much my journey reflects yours. Nevertheless, in recent months my music has finally hatched out of its shell and the joys of creating awesome synthesizer music again is finally mine. I am working on a concept album. I have 6 wonderful tracks that need another 2 - 3 siblings. Channels and content like this are truly inspiring, because I always need that nudge and extra boost.
8:51 the organ does have some interesting stops such as the UNDA MARIS that seems to generate an undulating quality (like an LFO) with its slightly detuned pitches
Love these discussions on deep dive music topics. I have run into this again and again - these synthesizers are capable of 1000s of sounds, arpeggiators, sequencers, endless customization, 1000s of presets. (Most available in DAW plugins now) But HOW do you make something musically coherent out of 99% of the sounds? I think that's why many of us simply divert to the standard piano setting when composing, lol. As a musician/artist/songwriter, I am always trying to integrate a new sound or combination of synth tones. It seems in the 80's synths hit a creative pinnacle - that has been a real source of inspiration, for me!
Really pleased to hear you promote the pipe organ as an early additive synthesiser - some even have an LFO: it’s called a trémulant (but I’m sure you know that, maybe it’s not so common in North American instruments).
I enjoyed your observation of the difference between and different possibilities with chords in a more percussive instrument (piano) and synths/organs. That's worth exploring.
Really enjoyed your thoughts here, and related to some of them. I am not a trained musician, I am a self-taught rock guitarist, with a fairly typical classic rock/hippie rock background. But I discovered Ozric Tentacles about 20 years ago, and my fascination with how they use synths as a foundation for their rock/reggae/fusion/world music/psychedelic instrumentals lit my imagination. I have two Korg synths now, with basic chord triad keyboard skills…but I love using them for sound exploration…for sequences, arpeggiator stuff, pads, and just sounds that I try to craft into some sort of listenable structure, and as something different to play guitar with! My original esthetic was No Presets!…but I’ve come to appreciate that greater synth minds than mine have loaded my synths with totally tweakable awesomeness(!) that I’d likely never find on my own. I guess my main point here is to encourage the exploration of pure sound, and to break free of the Tangerine Dream templet. Find the beauty in the weird!
Thank you so much for the video, as a starter electronic musician with classical background who loves harmony, drawing attention to linear vs vertical movement was quite mind-breaking: now I understand why, besides poor composing skills, I struggle to write anything for "richer" synthesizer sounds - it's just the lack of vertical space and unabiity to control it! And the Passacaille is beautiful! Wonder why Ravel is credited in the description of the track's video on TH-cam?
Fully agree ans aligned with what you explain in this video. Coming from classical piano background, I asked myself the samedi questions, and as you explained, experimenting a lot, I went by self to the same conclusions.
I bought UVI Falcon somewhat recently. I became overwhelmed learning synthesis and started exploring presets (I'm a bit of a digital hoarder and also bought a few expansions). A challenge I'm thinking about is how do different evolving textural patches work with each other. Especially when you can add automation/modulation of myriad parameters into the mix. Do you have a preferred platform for people to listen to your released work?
I’m new to sound design specific to synthesizers and it is completely overwhelming. I use presets as a starting point, and work from there. The best videos, I’ve found, are those that walk you through the sound design process. I’d pay good money to have someone teach me directly.
Look up Sarah Belle Reid - Learn Sound and Synthesis. Or her Electroacoustic Immersion program. A little pricey, but DEEP knowledge and practical stuff there. Also, Andrew Huang is friends with her (I mention this in case that lends any credibility in your eyes).
I'm very much in agreement with you, particularly regarding integrating more interesting and evolving harmonic movement in the context of modern electronic composition. Those are some of the reasons I'm so drawn to the likes of Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre. I'm a classically trained musician myself and have been composing, performing and recording electronic music since 1984. Your presentation here is inspiring and refreshing. Thank you. ✨️🎵🎹🎶✨️
I’m personally working on a project where I split my keyboard (using the Layers AUv3 plugin) into complimentary sounds, all the way from C1 to B8, then use no other sounds for a few months. It’s so easy to get swept up in sound design that I don’t actually create any music. My sounds can overlap, fade from one to another, etc.. I’m actually pretty new to all of this. For most of my life I just enjoyed strumming chords on a guitar or playing simple chords on a piano and singing. I think I want to be able to treat at least one version of my gear as a standalone instrument that doesn’t need any more decisions from me. Something I can just play, and I don’t get to care if the sound could be improved in some way. By the way, I’m very open to suggestions about what kinds of sounds to layer together in this project. Should I stick to electronic sounds, acoustic sounds, blend them, or some other option I’m not thinking of?
Subsequent37, Muse…. you turn into Moogaholic, mate! 😂 (my fave Subsequent 37 is also waiting for his Muse) Without great classical background like yours, I find myself composing melodies and harmonies on synthesizer right away. Later I realized, indeed in childhood grandma got me an accordion. Out of all modern instruments indeed synthesizer is the one I feel most comfortable to ….. hear things. Even now writing this I realized bass in the left hand and melody in the right hand is how I approach my music. Interesting. Great talk as always!
gracias por compartir tu recorrido en la composición desde el mundo más tradicional hasta explorar la riqueza que ofrece la síntesis. Quisiera preguntarte qué modelo de piano utilizas en el ejemplo del minuto 9:23. Gracias!
Great Video, thanks. I think even ambient music ,evolving pads etc has a root so still cercomes to harmony of some sort but i see your point that you like to be more Harmonically involved with whats going on. When did you get the Muse .it looks/ sounds amazing. Just managed to get a vsynth gt recently and man so good for sound creation . Coupled with Sub 37 and Jupiter x. I,M IN Heaven. Cheers me deers From cornwall.
I agree that presets are a valid way to work, specially if you don’t have the time to compose AND design sounds. Btw, I’m really enjoying your Harmony course. Great content.
The illustration on 3 different voicings, beginning with piano, really hit home. Having been a solo artist for so long, it's easy to forget the power of playing with other musicians when it comes to making choices about voicings and writing for synthesisers. Personally I have always hated the the name (but it is what has stuck) because it implies mimicry whereas my interest lies in exploring sounds that cannot be represented by other sound sources. Since computers took over sound design aspects of music programming, firstly with the memory bank for patches, which alone transformed the performance possibilities for electronic instruments, I have preferred to refer to all electronic instruments as computer music instruments. Like you, I have a great interest in virtual as well as hardware, analogue, digital and emulation. I am not a keyboard player but I will employ one if it is appropriate for what I "Hear" and a critical part of what I connect with, whether in visual art or sound, is the imagination.
very nice topic. i often wonder about that as well. i’ve always assumed that when your composition is about evolving timbres, then it’s all about long notes, and not about the harmony or rhythm. and when the composition is more virtuoso-like or tonal, then the synth patch usually is a non-moving sound or something like orchestral sound substitutions. i always thought it had to be one or the other. maybe coz if you had moving melodies and harmonies, the attention would be on the notes instead of the timbre. and on the other hand if you wanted to flaunt the evolving patch you’ve created, it would not shine on a piece with fast moving melodies. maybe it’s a matter of where you think the attention should be. but yeah, there’s got to be a sweet spot that could showcase both worlds. looking forward to more of this topic! cheers!
I hate people that sell courses but even your videos introduced me to new concepts even as someone who studied theory on a side. Still not sure cuz I'm broke but I love these video it's actually such a cool way to look at music
I didn't think of your approach, since the way I currently use the synths is to try to chiptune in my own way, as a beginner musician. However I always wondered how to make it more grandioso, because I felt that this instrument deserves to be put in a higher podium than just being an instrument that turns into lead for some moments in prog or with a "staler" harmonic writing (while inspiring a lot of nostalgic vibes for me at least). I'll try to follow this approach in the way I can, to improve my writing with the sounds I create with my favorite toy ^^
Have you listened to Su Tissue Salon de Musique or Morton Feldman Triadic Memories? that Waltz in G and some of your piano are totally iconic and thematic and would make a film soundtrack unforgettable
Any chance of approaching EDM as a topic? There's a world out there of synthesized music, and a lot of people who understand how to manipulate timbre and texture using synths. A lot of the music in the EDM sphere kind of falls into that thing you mention, there's a lot happening timbrally and texturally and rhythmically but not a lot harmony or melody-wise, but because of it there's a lot for us to learn on the more acoustic side of things, too. I appreciate seeing the perspective of someone who's from the acoustic/classical side of things, since I spend a lot more time on the EDM side of TH-cam. We get the harmony, we get the melody, but the timbre and texture elude us. I try to balance both in my music, and certainly, it isn't easy. I think paying attention to trends and styles and production in EDM can help us classically-trained musicians and composers explore timbre and texture for ourselves while applying our interest in harmony to make music that's got a bit of everything, but I can certainly understand why EDM can tend to be light on the harmony, adding harmony to intricate textures increases the workload seemingly exponentially.
There's a lot of sound design in recording an acoustic piano. Choice and placement in the room, lid open/half-open/closed, pedals (sutain, sostenuto), choice and placement of mics, compression, FX, placement of sympathetic objects in the room. There's also "extended" piano where you do a variety of crazy stuff like partially muting the harp with your fingers, or put objects on the harp, plucking the strings. No two pianos are alike, and no two sampled pianos are alike.
I would love to hear collaborations between folks who mostly enjoy sound design and folks who mostly enjoy exploring one patch (even if it’s a preset) and playing it. Are there any communities that already do this?
I think it would be wild to have a number of artists all write songs from one patch. What happens to our music when we embrace a sound, but can’t expect the sound to carry the song?
I felt compelled to share a little chuckle I got from Ro!and. Just as my previous comment was sent. I received an email for their NEW Earth piano, that I am so lucky to be the "first" to play for 30 days. Lol😜
I though you were going to talk about something else (take this as a suggestion)... sometimes you have a piece of music that you composed SPECIFICALLY to a given patch / program in a specific synth. years later, you want to reproduce it in another instrument, or maybe in a piano or orchestra, or, whatever.. the question is.. how you capture, with traditional writing system, the intrinsic parameters of a that program ? how to write "programs' with music notation ? are we doomed to lose the specific textures of a synth program we created in time ? and just "approximate" by memory ?these are open questions that apparently nobody is tackling
Excellent video. I completely agree with your thoughts on harmonic rhythm.. I'll return with further positive comments and perhaps some questions for you.
IMHO, synths started out by creating new and unique sounds, and only romper based synths started to sound closer to acoustic instruments (and that was only after a few synth design decades). 😉 The whole “presets” argument can be looked at different perspectives. Someone had to come up with the design of every single acoustic instrument, until they sound like they do. From that perspective, all of them have their own “preset” sound, and we would need to physically change them in order to change their own sound (applying effects on them is an whole different subject). This is why I wouldn’t personally put sound presets in the same category as those “one key soundtracks” presets. But it’s still interesting to see cases like the “Billie Jean” intro in the MJ track. Would anyone believe that there was any chance of that sample ever becoming remotely famous if it hadn’t been used on that track? 😉 That’s certainly not the reason why the song became as famous as it did, so that sample gained a lot by being used on that track, and not the other way around. This applies to most synth sound and presets, since the sound (or preset) alone doesn’t get far by itself. 😉 At best, some presets became very well known “instruments” _because_ they were tastefully used on successful tracks. There’s certainly a place for sound design, but it doesn’t have to be done by the musician who actually writes or performs the part in a musical way.🙂 Klaus Schulze definitely had a different perspective from Vangelis as to what synths should do to music, and I personally care a lot more about the music made by Vangelis. Vangelis mostly tried to make synths sounding like orchestras made of synthesized sounds, while other composers and bands (Kraftwerk as an example) were clearly aiming to sound as electronic as possible. There no right or wrong way of looking at synths, only different tastes and goals. 🙂
Excellent video. Where might I find "Passacaille"? That excerpt instantly sent chills over me! I looked under your name for it on Bandcamp but no luck.
It still sounds pretty traditionally when playing a single preset. Consider arrangements with lots of different instrumentation like a collage of different sounds which interact rhythmically and modulate each other in creative ways. Like cEvin key’s bands Skinny Puppy and Download.
The harmony concepts that have helped me the most over the years (for free): bit.ly/FreeHarmonyGuide
Thank you for offering this. I find your work and idea's inspiring as someone who comes from a different background. I look forward to what I can learn and process in my own way. Cheers!
Would love to read your guide when/if it successfully navigates the vagaries of email. (I checked spam, but not there either.)
I'm preset agnostic, but I always thought the point of the "press one key" presets that did everything were for being more of a feature showcase, or instruction manual on how to use certain parts of the synth, they're often highlighting a specific capability and shouting about what you can do with it. Presets can be turorials for some people.
Hello, requiring an email address is not "for free".
You are free to disagree but you have to sign up to my newsletter first.
You forgot 4. We can approach synthesizers like guitarists and argue what type of wood paneling gives Moog the best tone.
LOL!!!
*deletes video to re-shoot*
Of course Mahogany on Model D ‘22! Yellowish oldish is too vintage, Appalachian Cherry Sweetwater edition sound is too aggressive. Obviously 😂
Also #5. We can approach synthesizers by figuring out what's best the best way to photograph your 17 synthesizers for Instagram and Reddit.
😂
AMEN, BROTHER!!! YES.....let's hear some harmonic movement in those Ambient tracks!! I'm working on that myself. 😀🎹🎵
Thank you for trying to elevate music made with synthesizers. It’s incredibly rare they end up in the hands of a trained composer who understands higher level melody and harmony but does not just treat them as slightly different sounding harpsichords and instead gives them the timbral interest worthy of their use.
Waltz in G Minor is such a beautiful piece
Thank you!
Yes! ❤
I’m SO glad we’re out of the era where everyone thought synths were just trying to sound like acoustic instruments. Synths are best at sounding like themselves and that’s a beautiful thing! That means neither one replaces the other and the whole music world is richer because of it! I love that you bring the world of classical/traditional composition together with experimental synthesis and don’t get too precious or dogmatic about either one. I like how you address the challenge of balancing the two as well. It’s something we don’t talk about enough imo.
Also, how are you liking the Muse?!?! A friend of mine just got his and I can’t WAIT to go play with it and become totally befuddled😂
Was there ever really an actual "ERA" when when everyone thought synths were or should sound like acoustic instruments?? The list of experimental electronic music/synth composers is massive. From music concrete to the Dr Who theme in 1963. ... There are many many examples of people using synths to create unique sounds rather than attempting to emulate natural instruments. .... SIlverapples Oscillations in 1968, The Monkees Daily Nightly 1967, The Who, John Carpenter themes, Brian Eno (in and out of Roxy Music) . Heck, the entire 80's electronic music subculture was nothing but "non traditional sounds" from synths..... They may sound like "old hat" now. But at the time, they were truly exciting. Like Einstürzende Neubauten, Coil and Throbbing Gristle sound design. It's always been there. The main stream (yawn) just takes a while to catch up.
Presets like those one note sound tracks are great for taking apart and learning how someone put it together. I use this as a way to break myself into the synth and keep my design approach fresh. I always assumed they were there for that reason and to also show off what can be done with the instrument.
So nice to hear that I'm not alone in lamenting the dormancy of the genuinely melodic film soundtrack.
Wow I love how you dropped in Waltz in Gm as an example! I had not heard that before so checked it out on your Spotify. Very very beautiful. And a bit of a challenge to play I imagine :) Really appreciated your approach to composition and synths / sounds. Really excellent
Thanks so much!
2:39 One of my favorite sounds I've ever heard. Still remember it from the original video. Mesmerizing every time!
I think the "one-note soundtrack" patches exist for 2 reasons: 1) to demo the capabilities of a synth for marketing; 2) to let the sound designers flex their skillz
I think its also good as a drone, especially if it has a good amount of low end and movement.
Edit: I agree with the video that manipulating it with other tools and plugins is more interesting than just using it as-is.
They exist because they allow a lot of mediocre musicians to call themselves "composers", which satisfies their desire for status and validation.
@@sonicgemsthis kind of gate keeping is really uncalled for. Let people have fun. Not everyone can be Beethoven or whatever
@@randomizednamme I'm amongst those who were probably meant to be offended by sonicgems' comment but that doesn't alter the legitimacy of it.
absolutely love the track at the end, hope to hear it in full!
As a long time original music creator (30 years mostly on electric guitar, bass and synths) I appreciate your content. I was taught music theory to an indeterminate/advanced degree. However, I have never studied at a school, and in many ways am 'self taught', or self discovered. I have consciously struggled with composition, and how to think about it, and apply it, to organize my creative efforts. As a new subscriber, (I was brought in by your killer Pro3 pads video, I'm a new owner of that synth) I'm hopeful because of my finding your channel. Your education and method of teaching is right on par with what I need to learn, and how I learn. So, thank you for all the quality content.
I can totally see using presets (with very minimal tweaking) if what you're trying to achieve is to introduce a single timbre instrument like a piano or a harpsichord into your track's environment. For example having ambient tines and pads accompanying or complimenting a saxophone solo. And I think this is what presets were originally meant for - imitating an analog wood, bone, leather and metal instruments. But in terms of algorithmic synths, - I rarely found a preset which I liked so much that I didn't think it needed any tweaking. This is even truer for FM for some reason, where every single time I start tweaking a preset, I suddenly realize 2 hours has gone by and I only finished working on 4 out of 6 operators I intended to work on originally. The more complex something is, - the more picky I tend to get. And lately, listening to some of my much older stuff when I wasn't so picky with sound design, - I really started wondering if becoming more picky actually improved the overall quality of my tracks or simply made me less productive. It's almost as if I had more ideas when I was younger (and also came up with better names for my tracks). I think it's entirely possible to "over-engineer" a sound even when starting a patch completely from scratch.
I feel the same as you here. I'm more picky now, I focus too much on the nitty-gritty, I lose sight of the big picture, I turn off the synth, shutdown the DAW, and go do something else instead in anguish.
I know you don't do the gear thing anymore but im sure im not alone in saying we would love a Moog Muse video from you.
I was thinking the same 😂
Do it!
I second that emotion!
No we wouldn't. Applaud him for restraint.
I noticed the Muse in the background, and would love to hear some of what you do with it. For some time, I didn't understand the great divide among synth enthusiasts between the sound of true analog synths and digital emulations. Then I heard the warm, buttery sound of the Muse, and thought "Ah - that's it!" I also heard the lush, warm sound of the Nonlinear Labs C-15, which I later learned is entirely digital, and now I'm confused again. 🤔
They (synths) are also built to play tho. And I think simple presets (think “moog bass” or whatever) are great just the way they are if that’s the kind of element your song needs…complicated presets on the other hand are something I feel might be a great option for someone who is in the beginning stages of music production. For example, I started out DJing and eventually wanted to make my own music and remixes…im not a piano or guitar player so controllers like the Ableton push were key to my journey…and led me to be more proficient on the keys (although more like a jamming or solo instrument than complicated chord progressions) than I ever thought I would be. Then there’s learning the daw software, drum patterns, song structure, funky bass lines, mixing, mastering, sampling, and etc. etc. etc… The point I’m trying to make is that sound design is hard to master…and so is home hobby music production. I’m still not as great as I’d like to be at sound design. Like im not confident I could start from scratch and reproduce a complicated synth patch (that I have in my head) even now (although, like samples, I no longer use presets without at least tweaking them a bit). But I was producing well mixed full songs well before I ever had the ability to deep dive into a synth…and I think presets for the novice is fine and useful…bc it helps provide motivation to keep learning when u can finish a song, even if it’s filled with other ppls sounds and samples…tweaking a synth all day to learn that first…b4 u even know how to produce a track…seems more tedious and less enjoyable. Although coming from a DJing start…I love tweaking knobs and faders…do it didn’t take me long to start experimenting with Serum and then buying hardware synths…nothing like your collection though! Man…pipe organing must pay quite nicely…🧐😁
Very well said. Amateur everything here--viola, synthesist, DAW-based music maker and (soon) modular synth sound design enthusiast. Music is hard haha
When Mr Jones/Jameson describes his use of harmonic development at 6:46 and beyond - wow! what a sublime exposition. A nugget nestled within thirteen minutes of pure TH-cam poetry, learning, inspiration and interest.
Well played, sir!
Something I've always struggled with when trying to balance sound design with general composition is how the more complex the timbre of the synth, the less freedom I seem to have to compose with it outside of very simple harmonies. It becomes a wall of noise so fast otherwise.
Listen 2 gregorian chant. They took every single singer in front of them very serious, then combined voices, timbres, options of one or the other singer, then only went to notes and finally to that what was their understanding of harmony - all with the one goal to provide a complete and perfect auditive representation of the emotion and thought they had in mind. The musicians of 2day do not even understand the emotions they have themselves, because a very lot is living less in their inner world. They often have only faint, unclear emotions attached to their music - as much as they are talking about feeling. Not so in gregorian chant. If performed well, there are no doubts about emotion, rather we start to align with and bring into action thoughts and thinking. This is an incredibly private experience, very much internal only. And yet, it cannot be, right? If these guys wrote that stuff some 500 years or more in the past, and we can read, listen and perform - some of their principles of writing music are still valid, making these pretty universal?!! The good thing about a synth is the many octaves it commands. The pretty thing about a church is that many of these buildings (in Europe) add incredibly to any sound they like. Even a synth like a Polybrute 12 will be going 2 very different places in the Cologne Cathedral than in Notre Dame de Paris, adding qualities to character that will destroy any formerly found balance. I guess this is the biggest challenge - 2 get our music into a context that allows our music to be what it wants to be. Again, this is about the music only, not about an audience! Audience only adds further complexity.
I agree @KyleClements - I find it too easy to make patches excessively complex which sound great in isolation but just create mud in the mix.
A lot of that can be fixed with simplifying a patch with filtering and EQ
Just chiming in to say, I’m really getting a lot out of your channel. I’ve spent most of my life playing stringed instruments. I’ve just recently started putting together a synth setup over the last year. Very much fighting against the learning curve and just figuring out how to write music with this things. It feels like I’m spending most of my time reading manuals and tweaking knobs. Anyway, I’m finding your videos super helpful and you’ve given me some good stuff to think about. So, thanks!
I’ve never left a comment on a TH-cam video but I can’t help sharing how inspiring your videos are - they have helped me immensely and I’m officially a subscriber for life. Keep up the great work & content!
Just stumbled across your channel, and I love it! I was into electronic music / synthesizers, several decades ago. Been focused on acoustic piano (classical, hymns) for the past 35 years, but now I'm preparing to get back into the synthesizer world. I could really connect with a lot of what you said about harmony. Harmony is key, in my opinion. Looking forward to following you here.
Ohh somebody's got the Muse.. congrats!
😊
Really glad youtube suggested me this video! Instant subscribe. It's something I've struggled with myself and I really love the way you present this. I'm looking forward to digging through your other videos!
5:06 - "well your piano is a preset" - yes, it is when you count that you can choose between different acoustic instruments - piano, violin, guitar, etc. You have different instruments to choose from.
All this, just to say that you need also to understand that there's another usage for the synthesizers that the one you're doing. Some of us just love particular sounds/patches that we like, and we treat the synth more like "a collection of weird sounding instruments you can choose from". Sound design does not need to be coupled with the usage of synths. Of course we're missing a lot by not tweaking that much or not creating our own patches, but I don't think it should be downplayed.
that's not what his point is,
taking a keys patch and writing music with it while not modifying it is a lot different than taking a long complicated/evolving patch and just hitting a key and calling your track, that's what he is saying, Isn't it convenient that your timestamp starts after that distinction? Literally said RIGHT BEFORE YOUR TIMESTAMP "if a preset inspires you to do something around it, that somebody else made, thats awesome"
Also a Piano is not a preset, and even if it was in relation to other instruments, you can't get away with just pressing a single key or string/etc, and expect people to find it interesting or creative in any meaningful way,
you have to be proficient at the piano or any non synthetic instrument, to play something that moves people,
A piano was build to be played,
a synth is built to make/synthesize sounds.
Is your voice a preset?
and compositionally if you are deciding what instruments are in a piece, its still relying on proficient musicians to play that instrument properly, and no acoustic instrument is evolving sonically without input from the player.
The Organ that is mention, the settings on that do not reduce the need for a proficient musician to play it properly, it is simply changing the sonics of the Organ.
A synth patch can potentially shift that need for proficiency from the player to the sound designer, while the "Player" (emphasis on the quotes) just presses a key and takes all the credit, while doing nothing creative of their own.
I really love running synths through a guitar amp and cabinet allowing some of the dry though. Amp pedals work really well. I do this with Ableton stock plugins and I like double tracking them like guitars sometimes. Great video.
This is one of my favourite channel. I'm not someone with loads of musical background but as someone dipping my toe into music and coming from a guitar background these conservations really help and inspire me. Synths feel so massive compared to guitar, sometimes I get paralysis just knowing the sheer amount of possibilities that exist.
I’m much like you, guitarist, few keyboard skills, but that hasn’t stopped me from pursuing the amazing synth sound possibilities. There’s no wrong way, just play you find in there! 😺👍
This was BRILLIANT. I was originally attracted to your channel because you were a classically trained composer on a journey towards using electronic instruments - but not prepared to just 'push a button and let a soundscape evolve'. Me too! And somewhat naively, I tried to simply 'compose' for synth in the same way I might compose for orchestra, and it just didn't work. It felt to me that the very nature of the synth sounds I was using didn't lend themselves to more exotic harmonies. The sounds themselves were too rich and interesting and seemed to be better employed on single notes or basic 2-note chords like perfect 5ths. One thing that you said though, was incredibly insightful - you don't need a pad to sound all the harmony simultaneously. Exotic harmonies are much more palatable if used with short notes in a sequence. Alternatively I guess I would try to use synth sounds that weren't so interesting - but then I may as well use a basic piano
I like your idea towards the end there about applying the harmonic movement to ambient - looking forward to seeing where this goes!
Very well said. Your points are basically my criticism of a lot of current electronic music. I love richer harmonic content.
In addition to amp envelope, synths also can "clean up" via voice limitations, IOW voice stealing. Some synths have very few available voices (total number of simultaneous notes available) but many that have a large voice count will allow you to limit that number per timbre. Sometimes you can change note stealing priority. This can be especially useful when you find one of those 1 finger soundtrack presets, and decide to play it with many fingers, as if it was a normal instrument sound, and also you're a leadfoot on the sustain pedal.
7:12 love that reference to Ravel’s piano trio!
As a classical pianist and a self-taught composer, I am having the best time with synths at the moment, but it does feel like they are starting to kill my harmonic imagination as you mentioned here. So, I read some movements from Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jésus and began to design sounds for its different parts, hoping to learn something.
Thank you so much for an incredible video like this one. 🙏
You are the most interisting not just synth youtuber but music youtuber. Your expertise in harmony mixed with your incredible skills to make sounds is very very rich, you are really talking about what music is. On top of that your music is beautiful, you have to work on your network or whatever because you could be the next Nils Frahm or Alexandre Desplat, someone like those 2 monsters. You have that in you.
Appreciate the kind words!
I am not nearly as classically trained as you are (I played viola in highschool and am now going on 30 years old), and am relatively new to sound design. But I hope to create sounds and compositions that are as rich as yours some day!
Ohh, I really love your style of presentation! We create plugins and present them, but yours is so clean and comprehensible! Congrats!
I'm so nuch looking forward to where this is (you are) going!
Being just at the beginning of my ohwn music making, I realize that you are askeing exactly the questions that seem to be most relevant for me. It's exactly about the integration of the realms you're describing. Thank you for the inspiration and your incredible sense of humor! 🙏
Really enjoyed the last track in the background during your conclusion!
I'm so glad that you bring up the 1-key riff-playing patches in this video. I wish I had ideas on how to use some of those complex patches, but I'm at a loss so far. (I've been a trumpeter since I was a wee lad)
I have the Absynthe VST from Native Instruments, and it has a patch (I'm hoping someone has this patch and knows what I'm talking about) called "6-ft-tall Koala." Really fascinating sound, it has a drone, along with tiny bits of sampled speech tuned to octaves around the drone, and the speech has a little bit of a percussive aspect. I just wonder how in the world a person composes using that.
Several points you make ring true for the approach I take with music creation. Foremost is the love of synthesizer sounds, ones that have never been heard before which create an additional layer of interest in the music. When I was young, in the mid to late 1970s, I always gravitated toward the songs played on the radio that featured synthesizers, they fascinated me. In the late 1980s I bought my first synth, having no musical training or knowledge. It was fun to tinker with, but it was far more difficult to make music than I expected. Over time it got easier, I got a little better. The primary ingredients in my music now still include the love of synthesizer sounds, along with sequences (I'm quite math oriented), and melodies. I find a lot of electronic music to be quite boring and repetitive, and lacking in melodic interest. Thank you for your video, I have subscribed and will explore more of your content. - Sayer
i reslly like to watch your videos... kind of a perfect balance between information and sound. Congrats to your neat Moog lineup and the perfect lighting in the background. Cant imagine how hard it must be to create such a nice video setting and the craft needed for it.
Thanks so much!
2:39 this is one of the three most incredible sounds I've heard🤯😍 it's got such a vocal "trapped in a computer and crying" sound that's magical!
Yup. As someone who started out as a classical pianist for several decades, transitioning into synth world has been quite the experience!
Your channel is great! You bring such a unique perspective to electronic music!
Thank you!
Thanks! I find your observations interesting and helpful, and echo some of my own, though i'm relatively new to experimenting with sound designs and playing with synths.
Well done. Working on beats Dawless sometimes can be work. For relaxing pad therapy, it’s the Prophet X paired with Juno 60, hit notes turn knobs, slide sliders, good times.
A very entertaining and thoughtful essay...and the musical excerpts sound great. Well done sir. :)
Great stuff! Improvising over looping sequences is one of my favorite things. Always enjoy your entertaining and educational videos. Will definitely check out your Harmony Guide. Thank you for sharing. Cheers. :)
Ones I came to a conclusion that no patch is ugly, it comes to life if you find the way how to play it…
Passacaille is such an amazing piece. Listen to it a lot ❤
Thank you!
It's so beautiful and heartfelt. I'd love to have such command over composition. But alas, the study and work it takes to get there! Happy to listen.
Yes!Make your own sound patches for your own music.
I always follow this rule from my heart!!
I love synths and I don’t like boring music (whether it be 4 chord pop or one note ambient music)
You, sir, are the only real person breaking down this topic at this level. Super inspiring for me as I try to figure out how to use these magical noise machines
I can barely begin to elaborate on how much my journey reflects yours. Nevertheless, in recent months my music has finally hatched out of its shell and the joys of creating awesome synthesizer music again is finally mine. I am working on a concept album. I have 6 wonderful tracks that need another 2 - 3 siblings. Channels and content like this are truly inspiring, because I always need that nudge and extra boost.
8:51 the organ does have some interesting stops such as the UNDA MARIS that seems to generate an undulating quality (like an LFO) with its slightly detuned pitches
Love these discussions on deep dive music topics. I have run into this again and again - these synthesizers are capable of 1000s of sounds, arpeggiators, sequencers, endless customization, 1000s of presets. (Most available in DAW plugins now) But HOW do you make something musically coherent out of 99% of the sounds? I think that's why many of us simply divert to the standard piano setting when composing, lol. As a musician/artist/songwriter, I am always trying to integrate a new sound or combination of synth tones. It seems in the 80's synths hit a creative pinnacle - that has been a real source of inspiration, for me!
Really pleased to hear you promote the pipe organ as an early additive synthesiser - some even have an LFO: it’s called a trémulant (but I’m sure you know that, maybe it’s not so common in North American instruments).
Difficult to adjust the rate of those lfos without a ladder and a wrench haha
@@JamesonNathanJones: a so called SAFLFO (set-and-forget LFO)
my fav "talk"vid from you. Interesting concepts I feel at ease with
I enjoyed your observation of the difference between and different possibilities with chords in a more percussive instrument (piano) and synths/organs. That's worth exploring.
Thanks for making me think! What were you lacking that the Muse fills?
Not sure I was lacking anything specifically, but I feel like it consolidates all the things I want from a big analog poly.
Really enjoyed your thoughts here, and related to some of them. I am not a trained musician, I am a self-taught rock guitarist, with a fairly typical classic rock/hippie rock background. But I discovered Ozric Tentacles about 20 years ago, and my fascination with how they use synths as a foundation for their rock/reggae/fusion/world music/psychedelic instrumentals lit my imagination. I have two Korg synths now, with basic chord triad keyboard skills…but I love using them for sound exploration…for sequences, arpeggiator stuff, pads, and just sounds that I try to craft into some sort of listenable structure, and as something different to play guitar with! My original esthetic was No Presets!…but I’ve come to appreciate that greater synth minds than mine have loaded my synths with totally tweakable awesomeness(!) that I’d likely never find on my own. I guess my main point here is to encourage the exploration of pure sound, and to break free of the Tangerine Dream templet. Find the beauty in the weird!
Thank you so much for the video, as a starter electronic musician with classical background who loves harmony, drawing attention to linear vs vertical movement was quite mind-breaking: now I understand why, besides poor composing skills, I struggle to write anything for "richer" synthesizer sounds - it's just the lack of vertical space and unabiity to control it!
And the Passacaille is beautiful! Wonder why Ravel is credited in the description of the track's video on TH-cam?
Fully agree ans aligned with what you explain in this video. Coming from classical piano background, I asked myself the samedi questions, and as you explained, experimenting a lot, I went by self to the same conclusions.
I bought UVI Falcon somewhat recently. I became overwhelmed learning synthesis and started exploring presets (I'm a bit of a digital hoarder and also bought a few expansions). A challenge I'm thinking about is how do different evolving textural patches work with each other. Especially when you can add automation/modulation of myriad parameters into the mix.
Do you have a preferred platform for people to listen to your released work?
I’m new to sound design specific to synthesizers and it is completely overwhelming. I use presets as a starting point, and work from there. The best videos, I’ve found, are those that walk you through the sound design process. I’d pay good money to have someone teach me directly.
Look up Sarah Belle Reid - Learn Sound and Synthesis. Or her Electroacoustic Immersion program. A little pricey, but DEEP knowledge and practical stuff there. Also, Andrew Huang is friends with her (I mention this in case that lends any credibility in your eyes).
7:33 This waltz is very beautiful! 👏
I'm very much in agreement with you, particularly regarding integrating more interesting and evolving harmonic movement in the context of modern electronic composition.
Those are some of the reasons I'm so drawn to the likes of Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre.
I'm a classically trained musician myself and have been composing, performing and recording electronic music since 1984.
Your presentation here is inspiring and refreshing. Thank you. ✨️🎵🎹🎶✨️
I’m personally working on a project where I split my keyboard (using the Layers AUv3 plugin) into complimentary sounds, all the way from C1 to B8, then use no other sounds for a few months. It’s so easy to get swept up in sound design that I don’t actually create any music. My sounds can overlap, fade from one to another, etc.. I’m actually pretty new to all of this. For most of my life I just enjoyed strumming chords on a guitar or playing simple chords on a piano and singing. I think I want to be able to treat at least one version of my gear as a standalone instrument that doesn’t need any more decisions from me. Something I can just play, and I don’t get to care if the sound could be improved in some way.
By the way, I’m very open to suggestions about what kinds of sounds to layer together in this project. Should I stick to electronic sounds, acoustic sounds, blend them, or some other option I’m not thinking of?
Subsequent37, Muse…. you turn into Moogaholic, mate! 😂 (my fave Subsequent 37 is also waiting for his Muse)
Without great classical background like yours, I find myself composing melodies and harmonies on synthesizer right away. Later I realized, indeed in childhood grandma got me an accordion. Out of all modern instruments indeed synthesizer is the one I feel most comfortable to ….. hear things.
Even now writing this I realized bass in the left hand and melody in the right hand is how I approach my music. Interesting.
Great talk as always!
gracias por compartir tu recorrido en la composición desde el mundo más tradicional hasta explorar la riqueza que ofrece la síntesis. Quisiera preguntarte qué modelo de piano utilizas en el ejemplo del minuto 9:23. Gracias!
Great Video, thanks. I think even ambient music ,evolving pads etc has a root so still cercomes to harmony of some sort but i see your point that you like to be more Harmonically involved with whats going on. When did you get the Muse .it looks/ sounds amazing. Just managed to get a vsynth gt recently and man so good for sound creation . Coupled with Sub 37 and Jupiter x. I,M IN Heaven. Cheers me deers From cornwall.
that patch @3:13 is so sick
Best sounding playable patch I’ve heard coming out of the Moog Muse!!
I agree that presets are a valid way to work, specially if you don’t have the time to compose AND design sounds.
Btw, I’m really enjoying your Harmony course. Great content.
Thank you!
OMG! Your opening shot showed me that I had my On-Stage 3 Tier Keyboard Stand set up backwards!!! The shame. Thank you!
The illustration on 3 different voicings, beginning with piano, really hit home. Having been a solo artist for so long, it's easy to forget the power of playing with other musicians when it comes to making choices about voicings and writing for synthesisers.
Personally I have always hated the the name (but it is what has stuck) because it implies mimicry whereas my interest lies in exploring sounds that cannot be represented by other sound sources.
Since computers took over sound design aspects of music programming, firstly with the memory bank for patches, which alone transformed the performance possibilities for electronic instruments, I have preferred to refer to all electronic instruments as computer music instruments.
Like you, I have a great interest in virtual as well as hardware, analogue, digital and emulation. I am not a keyboard player but I will employ one if it is appropriate for what I "Hear" and a critical part of what I connect with, whether in visual art or sound, is the imagination.
very nice topic. i often wonder about that as well. i’ve always assumed that when your composition is about evolving timbres, then it’s all about long notes, and not about the harmony or rhythm. and when the composition is more virtuoso-like or tonal, then the synth patch usually is a non-moving sound or something like orchestral sound substitutions. i always thought it had to be one or the other. maybe coz if you had moving melodies and harmonies, the attention would be on the notes instead of the timbre. and on the other hand if you wanted to flaunt the evolving patch you’ve created, it would not shine on a piece with fast moving melodies. maybe it’s a matter of where you think the attention should be. but yeah, there’s got to be a sweet spot that could showcase both worlds.
looking forward to more of this topic! cheers!
Have you considered running Organteq in Bitwig and giving the organ LFOs? (I feel like I might have suggested this once before.)
I really love the outro piece and the waltz! And the thoughts!! Thank you!
can you share thepolychordal progression you used?
I hate people that sell courses but even your videos introduced me to new concepts even as someone who studied theory on a side.
Still not sure cuz I'm broke but I love these video it's actually such a cool way to look at music
Brilliant!
I didn't think of your approach, since the way I currently use the synths is to try to chiptune in my own way, as a beginner musician. However I always wondered how to make it more grandioso, because I felt that this instrument deserves to be put in a higher podium than just being an instrument that turns into lead for some moments in prog or with a "staler" harmonic writing (while inspiring a lot of nostalgic vibes for me at least). I'll try to follow this approach in the way I can, to improve my writing with the sounds I create with my favorite toy ^^
Have you listened to Su Tissue Salon de Musique or Morton Feldman Triadic Memories? that Waltz in G and some of your piano are totally iconic and thematic and would make a film soundtrack unforgettable
Any chance of approaching EDM as a topic? There's a world out there of synthesized music, and a lot of people who understand how to manipulate timbre and texture using synths. A lot of the music in the EDM sphere kind of falls into that thing you mention, there's a lot happening timbrally and texturally and rhythmically but not a lot harmony or melody-wise, but because of it there's a lot for us to learn on the more acoustic side of things, too.
I appreciate seeing the perspective of someone who's from the acoustic/classical side of things, since I spend a lot more time on the EDM side of TH-cam. We get the harmony, we get the melody, but the timbre and texture elude us.
I try to balance both in my music, and certainly, it isn't easy. I think paying attention to trends and styles and production in EDM can help us classically-trained musicians and composers explore timbre and texture for ourselves while applying our interest in harmony to make music that's got a bit of everything, but I can certainly understand why EDM can tend to be light on the harmony, adding harmony to intricate textures increases the workload seemingly exponentially.
There's a lot of sound design in recording an acoustic piano. Choice and placement in the room, lid open/half-open/closed, pedals (sutain, sostenuto), choice and placement of mics, compression, FX, placement of sympathetic objects in the room. There's also "extended" piano where you do a variety of crazy stuff like partially muting the harp with your fingers, or put objects on the harp, plucking the strings. No two pianos are alike, and no two sampled pianos are alike.
Just to let you know that, in the landing page after the subscription for the harmony ebook, the link to the in-depth harmony video is broken!
Totally relate to what you’re saying about combining the two worlds 👌🏻
Thanks so much Hazel!
"I wish the organ had LFOs." Epic quote.
I would love to hear collaborations between folks who mostly enjoy sound design and folks who mostly enjoy exploring one patch (even if it’s a preset) and playing it. Are there any communities that already do this?
I think it would be wild to have a number of artists all write songs from one patch. What happens to our music when we embrace a sound, but can’t expect the sound to carry the song?
I felt compelled to share a little chuckle I got from Ro!and. Just as my previous comment was sent. I received an email for their NEW Earth piano, that I am so lucky to be the "first" to play for 30 days. Lol😜
Wow! That was EXCELLENT! Thank you 🙏
I’d love to know what you think of autechre, especially their more recent improvised sound mangling albums
Please don't ever stop, you are easily one of the best channels on the entire internet
That outro snippet for the video really reminded me of Plaid. Check them out if you aren’t familiar with them. I think they’d be up your alley.
I though you were going to talk about something else (take this as a suggestion)... sometimes you have a piece of music that you composed SPECIFICALLY to a given patch / program in a specific synth. years later, you want to reproduce it in another instrument, or maybe in a piano or orchestra, or, whatever.. the question is.. how you capture, with traditional writing system, the intrinsic parameters of a that program ? how to write "programs' with music notation ? are we doomed to lose the specific textures of a synth program we created in time ? and just "approximate" by memory ?these are open questions that apparently nobody is tackling
“I don’t understand why you would use a preset and not change it to make it your own”
Tell me you make ambient without telling me you make ambient 😂
Love your insight
I wholeheartedly agree with your train of sound designed thoughts! ;-)
Excellent video. I completely agree with your thoughts on harmonic rhythm.. I'll return with further positive comments and perhaps some questions for you.
IMHO, synths started out by creating new and unique sounds, and only romper based synths started to sound closer to acoustic instruments (and that was only after a few synth design decades). 😉
The whole “presets” argument can be looked at different perspectives.
Someone had to come up with the design of every single acoustic instrument, until they sound like they do.
From that perspective, all of them have their own “preset” sound, and we would need to physically change them in order to change their own sound (applying effects on them is an whole different subject).
This is why I wouldn’t personally put sound presets in the same category as those “one key soundtracks” presets.
But it’s still interesting to see cases like the “Billie Jean” intro in the MJ track.
Would anyone believe that there was any chance of that sample ever becoming remotely famous if it hadn’t been used on that track? 😉
That’s certainly not the reason why the song became as famous as it did, so that sample gained a lot by being used on that track, and not the other way around.
This applies to most synth sound and presets, since the sound (or preset) alone doesn’t get far by itself. 😉
At best, some presets became very well known “instruments” _because_ they were tastefully used on successful tracks.
There’s certainly a place for sound design, but it doesn’t have to be done by the musician who actually writes or performs the part in a musical way.🙂
Klaus Schulze definitely had a different perspective from Vangelis as to what synths should do to music, and I personally care a lot more about the music made by Vangelis.
Vangelis mostly tried to make synths sounding like orchestras made of synthesized sounds, while other composers and bands (Kraftwerk as an example) were clearly aiming to sound as electronic as possible.
There no right or wrong way of looking at synths, only different tastes and goals. 🙂
Thanks for the e-book!
Excellent video. Where might I find "Passacaille"? That excerpt instantly sent chills over me! I looked under your name for it on Bandcamp but no luck.
open.spotify.com/track/7xmEvfCMprJT305wdDSndJ?si=ce722f31f3604bce :)
Nice video. You've inspired me to go make some bleeps and bloops.
It still sounds pretty traditionally when playing a single preset. Consider arrangements with lots of different instrumentation like a collage of different sounds which interact rhythmically and modulate each other in creative ways. Like cEvin key’s bands Skinny Puppy and Download.