2 parts to good synthesis

I love synthesis!

It’s so much fun once you understand the basics, and can unlock so much potential in your sound.

While it’s impossible to properly teach synthesis in text, here are some tips that I think will help you if you’re trying to get better:

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The Two Main Parts of Synthesis

It’s very helpful to realize that there are two main components of synthesis, no matter what synth you are using:

Tone and Shape.

1. Tone: Tone is the way your sound sounds.

Most synths have a place that GENERATES the tone - like the Wavetable - and then other things that MODULATE the tone - like Filters, Bend, Distortion, FM, Sync and lots of other fun tools.

Think of tone like the ACTUAL SOUND.

2. Shape: Shape is the way your sound moves.

The 2 essential tools that manipulate shape are envelopes and LFOs (Low-Frequency Oscillators).

Think of an Envelope like a “one-time-event-on-key-press” that you can put on any knob. It will apply it’s “shape” to the knob every time you press a key.

Excellent for things like making Plucks.

Think of LFOs like a “do-this-shape-for-as-long-as-I-hold-the-key.”

Excellent for making wobble synths or more complex motions. They just keep going as long as you hold down the note.

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Sound design is the dance between these two elements.

Tone is how the sound sounds - Shape is how the sound moves.

Mastering both tone and shape allows you to create sounds that are familiar, unique, dynamic, and expressive.

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Recommended VSTs for Synthesis

When learning synthesis, I recommend picking ONE main synth and mastering it.

Here are my top picks:

1. Serum by Xfer Records:

This is my most used synth, and the one I use in my course. I highly recommend it to anyone serious about learning synthesis because it has one of the best user interfaces, is versatile across all kinds of styles, and has excellent sound quality.

2. Vital by Vital Audio:

This is basically the free version of Serum. It’s quite good. I still prefer Serum, but if you’re on a budget or just getting started, I’d highly recommend it.

3. Sylenth1 by LennarDigital:

This is a harder synth to learn as your first one because it’s older and its user interface is harder to learn. However, it’s still a staple specifically in Dance and EDM because of its characteristic sound, which makes it worth mentioning.

4. Diva by u-he:

I haven’t used this synth much personally, but it’s popular for its more classic, analog tones. It’s a solid choice if you’re looking for that kind of sound.

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Tips for Practicing Synthesis

1. Start from “Init”:

Write a chord progression or bassline in a synth, "Init" the patch (turn everything off), and then start tweaking it one element at a time while your sound is playing to see the difference each move makes.

Be patient. Just listen.

2. Focus on One Part at a Time - Tone or Shape.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed if you keep tweaking both the tone and shape while practicing your synthesis. That’s why I suggest starting with either the tone or shape, and just messing with it until you’ve got something interesting. THEN switch to the other part, and mess with that.

Focus on one at a time.

3. Use Syntorial:

Search it on Google - this is a great tool to help you learn the very basics. Highly recommended.

4. Take a Structured Course:

It wasn’t until I bought a course on synthesis that sound design finally clicked. Today, I consider synthesis one of the essential fundamental skills I’d teach every producer. I have lots of lessons on it in my course.

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Remember… tone + shape.

Use this as a lens for listening to any sound…