A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser)
is an
electronic musical instrument that generates
audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating
waveforms through methods including
subtractive synthesis,
additive synthesis
Additive synthesis is a sound synthesis technique that creates timbre by adding sine waves together.
The timbre of musical instruments can be considered in the light of Fourier theory to consist of multiple harmonic or inharmonic '' partials'' ...
and
frequency modulation synthesis
Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitu ...
. These sounds may be altered by components such as
filters
Filter, filtering or filters may refer to:
Science and technology
Computing
* Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming
* Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream
* Filter (video), a software component that ...
, which cut or boost
frequencies;
envelopes
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card.
Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a sh ...
, which control
articulation, or how notes begin and end; and
low-frequency oscillators, which modulate parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter characteristics affecting
timbre. Synthesizers are typically played with
keyboards or controlled by
sequencers, software or other instruments, and may be synchronized to other equipment via
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
.
Synthesizer-like instruments emerged in the United States in the mid-20th century with instruments such as the
RCA Mark II, which was controlled with
punch cards and used hundreds of
vacuum tube
A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied.
The type known as ...
s. The
Moog synthesizer, developed by
Robert Moog and first sold in 1964, is credited for pioneering concepts such as
voltage-controlled oscillators, envelopes,
noise generators, filters, and sequencers. In 1970, the smaller, cheaper
Minimoog
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first pop ...
standardized synthesizers as self-contained instruments with built-in keyboards, unlike the larger
modular synthesizers before it.
In 1978,
Sequential Circuits released the
Prophet-5
The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first polyphonic synthesizer with f ...
, which used
microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circ ...
s to allow users to store sounds for the first time. 1982 saw the introduction of MIDI, a
standardized means of synchronizing electronic instruments that remains an industry standard. The
Yamaha DX7, launched in 1983, was a major success and popularized
digital synthesis.
Software synthesizers now can be run as
plug-ins or embedded on
microchips.
Synthesizers were initially viewed as
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...
, valued by the 1960s
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...
and
counter-cultural
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
scenes but with little perceived commercial potential. ''
Switched-On Bach'' (1968)'','' a bestselling album of
Bach compositions arranged for synthesizer by
Wendy Carlos, took synthesizers to the mainstream. They were adopted by electronic acts and pop and rock groups in the 1960s and 1970s, and were widely used in 1980s music.
Sampling, introduced with the
Fairlight synthesizer in 1979, has influenced all genres of music and had a major influence on the development of electronic and
hip hop music. Today, the synthesizer is used in nearly every genre of music, and is considered one of the most important instruments in the music industry. According to ''
Fact'' in 2016, "The synthesizer is as important, and as ubiquitous, in modern music today as the human voice."
History
Precursors
As
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describe ...
became more widely available, the early 20th century saw the invention of
electronic musical instruments including the
Telharmonium
The Telharmonium (also known as the Dynamophone) was an early electrical organ, developed by Thaddeus Cahill c. 1896 and patented in 1897.
, filed 1896-02-04.
The electrical signal from the Telharmonium was transmitted over wires; it was hear ...
,
Trautonium,
Ondes Martenot, and
theremin.
In the late 1930s, the
Hammond Organ Company built the
Novachord, a large instrument powered by 72
voltage-controlled amplifiers and 146
vacuum tube
A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied.
The type known as ...
s. In 1948, the Canadian engineer
Hugh Le Caine completed the
electronic sackbut, a precursor to
voltage-controlled synthesizers, with keyboard sensitivity allowing for
vibrato,
glissando, and
attack control.
In 1957,
Harry Olson
Harry Ferdinand Olson (December 28, 1901 – April 1, 1982) was a prominent engineer at RCA Victor and a pioneer in the field of 20th century acoustical engineering.
Biography
Harry F. Olson was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, to Swedish immigrant p ...
and Herbert Belar completed the
RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer
The RCA Mark II Sound Synthesizer (nicknamed ''Victor'') was the first programmable electronic synthesizer and the flagship piece of equipment at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. Designed by Herbert Belar and Harry Olson at RCA, wi ...
at the
RCA laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey. The instrument read
punched paper tape
Five- and eight-hole punched paper tape
Paper tape reader on the Harwell computer with a small piece of five-hole tape connected in a circle – creating a physical program loop
Punched tape or perforated paper tape is a form of data storage ...
that controlled an
analog synthesizer containing 750
vacuum tube
A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied.
The type known as ...
s. It was acquired by the
Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center and used almost exclusively by
Milton Babbitt, a composer at
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
.
1960s: Early years
The authors of ''Analog Days'' define "the early years of the synthesizer" as between 1964 and the mid-1970s, beginning with the debut of the
Moog synthesizer. Designed by the American engineer
Robert Moog, the synthesizer was composed of separate
modules
Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a s ...
which created and shaped sounds, connected by
patch cords
A patch cable, patch cord or patch lead is an electrical or optical cable used to connect ("patch in") one electronic or optical device to another for signal routing. Devices of different types (e.g., a switch connected to a computer, or a s ...
.
Moog developed a means of controlling pitch through
voltage
Voltage, also known as electric pressure, electric tension, or (electric) potential difference, is the difference in electric potential between two points. In a static electric field, it corresponds to the work needed per unit of charge to ...
, the
voltage-controlled oscillator.
This, along with Moog components such as
envelopes
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card.
Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a sh ...
,
noise generators,
filters
Filter, filtering or filters may refer to:
Science and technology
Computing
* Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming
* Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream
* Filter (video), a software component that ...
, and
sequencers, became standard components in synthesizers.
Around the same period, the American engineer
Don Buchla created the
Buchla Modular Electronic Music System.
Instead of a conventional
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Mu ...
, Buchla's system used touchplates which transmitted
control voltages depending on finger position and force.
However, the Moog's keyboard made it more accessible and marketable to musicians, and keyboards became the standard means of controlling synthesizers.
Moog and Buchla initially avoided the word synthesizer for their instruments, as it was associated with the RCA synthesizer; however, by the 1970s, "synthesizer" had become the standard term.
1970s: Portability, polyphony and patch memory
In 1970, Moog launched a cheaper, smaller synthesizer, the
Minimoog
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first pop ...
.
The Minimoog was the first synthesizer sold in music stores,
and was more practical for live performance; it standardized the concept of synthesizers as self-contained instruments with built-in keyboards.
[Franklin Crawford (August 23, 2005)]
"Robert Moog, Ph.D. '64, inventor of the music synthesizer, dies of brain cancer"
Cornell University News Service. Retrieved 4 May 2007.
After retail stores started selling synthesizers in 1971, other synthesizer companies were established, including
ARP in the US and
EMS in the UK.
ARP's products included the
ARP 2600, which folded into a carrying case and had built-in speakers, and the
Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...
, a rival to the Minimoog.
The less expensive EMS synthesizers were used by European
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ...
and
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. I ...
acts including
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop a ...
and
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
.
Designs for synthesizers appeared in the amateur electronics market, such as the "Practical Electronics Sound Synthesiser", published in ''
Practical Electronics'' in 1973.
By the mid-1970s, ARP was the world's largest synthesizer manufacturer,
though it closed in 1981.
Early synthesizers were
monophonic
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...
, meaning they could only play one note at a time. Some of the earliest commercial
polyphonic synthesizers were created by the American engineer
Tom Oberheim,
such as the
OB-X (1979).
In 1978, the American company
Sequential Circuits released the
Prophet-5
The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first polyphonic synthesizer with f ...
, the first fully
programmable polyphonic synthesizer. Whereas previous synthesizers required users to adjust cables and knobs to change sounds, with no guarantee of exactly recreating a sound,
the Prophet-5 used
microprocessor
A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, and control circ ...
s to store sounds in patch memory.
This facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds".
1980s: Digital technology
The synthesizer market grew dramatically in the 1980s. 1982 saw the introduction of
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
, a
standardized means of synchronizing electronic instruments; it remains an industry standard.
An influential
sampling synthesizer, the
Fairlight CMI, was released in 1979,
with the ability to record and play back
samples at different pitches.
Though its high price made it inaccessible to amateurs, it was adopted by high-profile pop musicians including
Kate Bush and
Peter Gabriel. The success of the Fairlight drove competition, improving sampling technology and lowering prices.
Early competing samplers included the
E-mu Emulator in 1981
and the
Akai S-series in 1985.
In 1983, Yamaha released the first commercially successful
digital synthesizer
A digital synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to make musical sounds. This in contrast to older analog synthesizers, which produce music using analog electronics, and samplers, which play back digit ...
, the
Yamaha DX7.
Based on
frequency modulation (FM) synthesis developed by the
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...
engineer
John Chowning,
the DX7 was characterized by its "harsh", "glassy" and "chilly" sounds, compared to the "warm" and "fuzzy" sounds of analog synthesis.
The DX7 was the first synthesizer to sell more than 100,000 unitsand remains one of the bestselling in history.
It was widely used in 1980s pop music.
Digital synthesizers typically contained preset sounds emulating acoustic instruments, with algorithms controlled with menus and buttons.
The
Synclavier, made with FM technology licensed from Yamaha, offered features such as
16-bit sampling and digital recording. With a starting price of $13,000, its use was limited to universities, studios and wealthy artists. The
Roland D-50 (1987) blended Roland's linear arithmetic algorithm with samples, and was the first mass-produced synthesizer with built-in digital
effects such as
delay
Delay (from Latin: dilatio) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Delay 1968'', a 1981 album by German experimental rock band Can
* '' The Delay'', a 2012 Uruguayan film
People
* B. H. DeLay (1891–1923), American aviator and ac ...
,
reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abs ...
and
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in which all verse ...
. In 1988, the Japanese manufacturer
Korg released the
M1, a digital synthesizer
workstation
A workstation is a special computer designed for technical or scientific applications. Intended primarily to be used by a single user, they are commonly connected to a local area network and run multi-user operating systems. The term ''workst ...
featuring sampled
transients
Transience or transient may refer to:
Music
* ''Transient'' (album), a 2004 album by Gaelle
* ''Transience'' (Steven Wilson album), 2015
* Transience (Wreckless Eric album)
Science and engineering
* Transient state, when a process variable or ...
and
loops.
With more than 250,000 units sold, it remains the bestselling synthesizer in history.
The advent of digital synthesizers led to a downturn in interest in analog synthesizers.
1990s–present: Software synthesizers and analog revival
1997 saw the release of
ReBirth by
Propellerhead Software and Reality by
Seer Systems, the first
software synthesizers that could be played in real time via MIDI.
In 1999, an update to the music software
Cubase allowed users to run software instruments (including synthesizers) as
plug-ins, triggering a wave of new software instruments.
Propellerhead's
Reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, lang ...
, released in 2000, introduced an array of recognizable virtual studio equipment.
The market for patchable and modular synthesizers rebounded in the late 1990s. In the 2000s, older analog synthesizers regained popularity, sometimes selling for much more than their original prices.
In the 2010s, new, affordable analog synthesizers were introduced by companies including Moog, Korg,
Arturia and
Dave Smith Instruments. The renewed interest is credited to the appeal of imperfect "organic" sounds and simpler interfaces, and modern
surface-mount technology making analog synthesizers cheaper and faster to manufacture.
Impact
Early synthesizers were viewed as
avant-garde
The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...
, valued by the 1960s
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...
and
counter-cultural
A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
scenes for their ability to make new sounds, but with little perceived commercial potential. ''
Switched-On Bach'' (1968)'','' a bestselling album of
Bach compositions arranged for Moog synthesizer by
Wendy Carlos, demonstrated that synthesizers could be more than "random noise machines",
taking them to the mainstream.
However, debates were held about the appropriateness of synthesizers in
baroque music
Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Classical period after a short transit ...
, and according to the ''Guardian'' they were quickly abandoned in "serious classical circles".
Today, the synthesizer is used in nearly every genre of music. It is considered by the authors of ''Analog Days'' as "the only innovation that can stand alongside the electric guitar as a great new instrument of the age of electricity ... Both led to new forms of music, and both had massive popular appeal." According to ''
Fact'' in 2016, "The synthesizer is as important, and as ubiquitous, in modern music today as the human voice."
It is one of the most important instruments in the music industry.
Rock
The Moog was adopted by 1960s rock acts including the
Doors, the
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...
, the
Rolling Stones, the
Beatles, and
Keith Emerson.
Emerson was the first major rock musician to perform with the Moog and it became a trademark of his performances, helping take his band
Emerson, Lake & Palmer to global stardom. According to ''Analog Days'', the likes of Emerson, with his Moog performances, "did for the keyboard what
Jimi Hendrix did for the guitar".
The portable Minimoog (1970), much smaller than the modular synthesizers before it, made synthesizers more common in live performance.
Early synthesizers could
only play one note at a time, making them suitable for basslines, leads and solos.
With the rise of polyphonic synthesizers in the 70s and 80s, "the keyboard in rock once more started to revert to the background, to be used for fills and atmosphere rather than for soloing". Some acts felt that using synthesizers to create sounds was "cheating";
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
wrote in their album liner notes that they did not use them.
Black music
The Minimoog took a place in mainstream
black music, most notably in the work of
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...
,
and in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, such as the work of
Sun Ra.
In the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the Minimoog was widely used in the emerging
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
genre by artists including
Abba
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The grou ...
and
Giorgio Moroder.
Sampling, introduced with the
Fairlight synthesizer in 1979, has influenced all genres of music
and had a major influence on the development of electronic and
hip hop music.
Electronic music
In the 1970s, electronic music composers such as
Jean Michel Jarre and
Isao Tomita released successful synthesizer-led instrumental albums. This influenced the emergence of
synthpop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
, a subgenre of
new wave, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The work of German
krautrock bands such as
Kraftwerk and
Tangerine Dream, British acts such as
John Foxx,
Gary Numan and
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, African-American acts such as
George Clinton and
Zapp Zapp may refer to:
People
*Jim Zapp (1924-2016), baseball player
*Robert-Richard Zapp, a German U-boat commander during World War II
*Walter Zapp, a Baltic German inventor, designer of miniature cameras
*Zapp Brannigan, a fictional character from t ...
, and Japanese electronic acts such as
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO for short) is a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, vocals). The group is cons ...
and
Kitaro were influential in the development of the genre.
The
Roland TB-303 (1981), in conjunction with the
Roland TR-808 and
TR-909 drum machines, became a foundation of
electronic dance music genres such as
house and
techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
when producers acquired cheap second-hand units later in the decade. The authors of ''Analog Days'' connect the synthesizer's origins in 1960s psychedelia to the
raves and British "
second summer of love" of the 1980s and the club scenes of the 1990s and 2000s.
Pop
Gary Numan's 1979 hits "
Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "
Cars" made heavy use of synthesizers.
OMD's "
Enola Gay" (1980) used distinctive electronic percussion and a synthesized melody.
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of " Tainted Love" and their pl ...
used a synthesized melody on their 1981 hit "
Tainted Love".
Nick Rhodes, keyboardist of
Duran Duran, used synthesizers including the
Roland Jupiter-4 and
Jupiter-8
The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in early 1981.
The Jupiter-8 was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980s. Approximately 3300 units have ...
.
Chart hits include
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depech ...
's "
Just Can't Get Enough" (1981),
the Human League's "
Don't You Want Me"
and works by
Ultravox
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...
.
In the 1980s, digital synthesizers were widely used in pop music.
The
Yamaha DX7, released in 1983, became a pop staple, used on songs by
A-ha
A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ro ...
,
Kenny Loggins,
Kool & the Gang.
Its "E PIANO 1" preset became particularly famous,
especially for
power ballads,
and was used by artists including
Whitney Houston,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
,
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
,
Phil Collins,
Luther Vandross,
Billy Ocean,
and
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
.
Korg M1 presets were widely used in 1990s house music, beginning with
Madonna's 1990 single "
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
".
Film and television
Synthesizers are common in film and television soundtracks. ARP synthesizers, for example, were used to create sound effects for the 1977 science fiction films ''
Close Encounters of the Third Kind'' and ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...
'', including the "voice" of the robot
R2-D2. In the 70s and 80s, synthesizers were used in the scores for thrillers and horror films including ''
A Clockwork Orange
''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to:
* ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess
** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel
*** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...
'' (1971), ''
Apocalypse Now'' (1979), ''
The Fog'' (1980) and ''
Manhunter'' (1986).
Brad Fiedel used a Prophet synthesizer to record
the soundtrack for ''
The Terminator'' (1984), and the filmmaker
John Carpenter used them extensively for his soundtracks.
Synthesizers were used to create themes for television shows including ''
Knight Rider'' (1982)'',
Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 ...
'' (1990) and ''
Stranger Things'' (2016).
Jobs
The rise of the synthesizer led to major changes in music industry jobs, comparable to the earlier arrival of
sound in film, which put live musicians accompanying
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
s out of work. With its ability to imitate instruments such as strings and horns, the synthesizer threatened the jobs of
session musicians. For a period, the Moog was banned from use in commercial work, a restriction negotiated by the
American Federation of Musicians (AFM).
Robert Moog felt that the AFM had not realized that his instrument had to be studied like any other, and instead imagined that "all the sounds that musicians could make somehow existed in the Moog — all you had to do was push a button that said '
Jascha Heifetz' and out would come the most fantastic violin player".
Musician
Walter Sear
Walter Edmond Sear (27 April 1930 – 29 April 2010) was an American recording engineer, musician, instrument importer and designer, inventor, composer and film producer. He was considered a pioneer in the use of the synthesizer and an expert on ...
persuaded the AFM that the synthesizer demanded skill, and the category of "synthesizer player" was accepted into the union; however, players were still subject to "suspicion and hostility" for several years. In 1982, following a tour by
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...
using synthesizers instead of an orchestra, the British
Musicians' Union attempted to ban synthesizers, attracting controversy.
That decade, a few musicians skilled at programming the popular
Yamaha DX7 found employment creating sounds for other acts.
Sound synthesis
Synthesizers generate audio through various forms of
analogue and
digital
Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits.
Technology and computing Hardware
*Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals
** Digital camera, which captures and stores digital ...
synthesis.
* In
subtractive synthesis, complex
waveform
In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time.David Crecraft, David Gorham, ''Electro ...
s are generated by oscillators and then shaped with filters to remove or boost specific frequencies.
Subtractive synthesis is characterized as "rich" and "warm".
*In
additive synthesis
Additive synthesis is a sound synthesis technique that creates timbre by adding sine waves together.
The timbre of musical instruments can be considered in the light of Fourier theory to consist of multiple harmonic or inharmonic '' partials'' ...
, a large number of waveforms, usually
sine wave
A sine wave, sinusoidal wave, or just sinusoid is a mathematical curve defined in terms of the '' sine'' trigonometric function, of which it is the graph. It is a type of continuous wave and also a smooth periodic function. It occurs often in ...
s, are combined into a composite sound.
* In
frequency modulation (FM) synthesis, also known as phase modulation, a carrier wave is modulated with the frequency of a modulator wave; the resulting complex waveform can, in turn, be modulated by another modulator, and this by another, and so on.
FM synthesis is characterized as "harsh", "glassy" and "chilly".
*
Phase distortion synthesis, implemented in
Casio CZ synthesizers
The CZ series is a family of low-cost phase distortion synthesizers produced by Casio in the mid-1980s. Eight models of CZ synthesizers were released: the CZ-101, CZ-230S, CZ-1000, CZ-2000S, CZ-2600S, CZ-3000, CZ-5000, and the CZ-1. Additionally, ...
, is similar to FM synthesis.
*In
wavetable synthesis, synthesizers modulate smoothly between digital representations of different waveforms, changing the shape and
timbre.
* In
sample-based synthesis
Sample-based synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that can be contrasted to either subtractive synthesis or additive synthesis. The principal difference with sample-based synthesis is that the seed waveforms are sampled sounds or instruments ...
, instead of sounds being created by synthesizers,
samples (digital recordings of sounds) are played back and shaped with components such as filters, envelopes and LFOs.
* In
vector synthesis, pioneered by the
Prophet VS
Sequential is an American synthesizer company founded in 1974 as Sequential Circuits by Dave Smith. In 1978, Sequential released the Prophet-5, the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer; it became a market leader and industry standard, used ...
, users crossfade between different sound sources using controllers such as joysticks, envelopes and LFOs.
*In
granular synthesis, an audio sample is split into "grains", usually between one hundredth and one tenth of a second in length, which are recombined and played back.
*In
physical modelling synthesis
Physical modelling synthesis refers to sound synthesis methods in which the waveform of the sound to be generated is computed using a mathematical model, a set of equations and algorithms to simulate a physical source of sound, usually a musi ...
, a mathematical model of a physical sound source is created.
Components
Oscillators
Oscillators
Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...
produce waveforms (such as
sawtooth,
sine, or
pulse wave
A pulse wave or pulse train is a type of non-sinusoidal waveform that includes square waves (duty cycle of 50%) and similarly periodic but asymmetrical waves (duty cycles other than 50%). It is a term used in synthesizer programming, and is ...
s) with different
timbres.
Voltage-controlled amplifiers
Voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs) control the volume or
gain
Gain or GAIN may refer to:
Science and technology
* Gain (electronics), an electronics and signal processing term
* Antenna gain
* Gain (laser), the amplification involved in laser emission
* Gain (projection screens)
* Information gain in de ...
of the audio signal. VCAs can be modulated by other components, such as LFOs and envelopes.
A VCA is a
preamp that boosts (amplifies) the electronic signal before passing it on to an external or built-in power amplifier, as well as a means to control its amplitude (volume) using an
attenuator. The gain of the VCA is affected by a ''control voltage'' (CV), coming from an envelope generator, an LFO, the keyboard or some other source.
[
]
Filters
Voltage-controlled filters (VCFs) "shape" the sound generated by the oscillators in the frequency domain, often under the control of an envelope or LFO. These are essential to subtractive synthesis. Filters are particularly important in
subtractive synthesis, being designed to pass some frequency regions (or "bands") through
unattenuated while significantly attenuating ("subtracting") others. The
low-pass filter is most frequently used, but
band-pass filters,
band-reject filters and
high-pass filters are also sometimes available.
The filter may be controlled with a second ADSR envelope. An "envelope modulation" ("env mod") parameter on many synthesizers with filter envelopes determines how much the envelope affects the filter. If turned all the way down, the filter produces a flat sound with no envelope. When turned up the envelope becomes more noticeable, expanding the minimum and maximum range of the filter. The envelope applied on the filter helps the sound designer generating long notes or short notes by moving the parameters up and down such as decay, sustain and finally release. For instance by using a short decay with no sustain, the sound generated is commonly known as a ''
stab
STAB or stab may refer to:
*Stabbing, penetration or contact with a sharp object
*Stab, Kentucky, US
*Stab (b-boy move), a breakdance technique
*Stab (music), an element in musical composition
*Stab (Luftwaffe designation), during World War II, a ...
''. Sound designers may prefer shaping the sound with filter instead of volume.
Envelopes
Envelopes control how sounds change over time. They may control parameters such as
amplitude
The amplitude of a periodic variable is a measure of its change in a single period (such as time or spatial period). The amplitude of a non-periodic signal is its magnitude compared with a reference value. There are various definitions of am ...
(volume), filters (frequencies), or pitch. The most common envelope is the ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release) envelope:
*Attack is the time taken for initial run-up of level from nil to peak, beginning when the note is triggered.
*Decay is the time taken for the subsequent run down from the attack level to the designated sustain level.
*Sustain is the level during the main sequence of the sound's duration, until the key is released.
*Release is the time taken for the level to decay from the sustain level to zero after the key is released.
Low-frequency oscillators
Low-frequency oscillators (LFOs) produce waveforms used to modulate parameters, such as the pitch of oscillators (producing
vibrato).
Arpeggiators
Arpeggiators, included in many synthesizer models, take input
chords and convert them into
arpeggios. They usually include controls for speed, range and mode (the movement of the arpeggio).
Controllers
Synthesizers are often controlled with electronic or digital
keyboards or
MIDI controller keyboards, which may be built into the synthesizer unit or attached via connections such as
CV/gate,
USB, or
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
.
Keyboards may offer
expression such as velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, allowing for more control over the sound.
Other controllers include
ribbon controllers, which track the movement of the finger across a touch-sensitive surface;
wind controllers, played similarly to
woodwind instrument
Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and r ...
s; motion-sensitive controllers similar to video game
motion controllers;
electronic drum pads, played similarly to the heads of a
drum kit
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
; touchplates, which send signals depending on finger position and force; controllers designed for
microtonal tunings;
touchscreen
A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
devices such as
tablets and
smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whi ...
s;
and fingerpads.
Clones
Synthesizer clones are unlicensed recreations of previous synthesizers, often marketed as affordable versions of famous musical equipment. Clones are available as physical instruments and software. Companies that have sold software clones include
Arturia and
Native Instruments.
Behringer manufactures equipment modelled on instruments including the Minimoog,
Pro-One
Sequential is an American synthesizer company founded in 1974 as Sequential Circuits by Dave Smith. In 1978, Sequential released the Prophet-5, the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer; it became a market leader and industry standard, used ...
, and
TB-303, and
drum machines such as the
TR-808. Other synthesizer clones include the MiniMOD (a series of
Eurorack modules based on the Minimoog), the Intellijel Atlantis (based on the
SH-101), and the x0x Heart (based on the TB-303).
Creating clones of older hardware is legal where the
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
s have expired.
In 1997,
Mackie lost their lawsuit against Behringer
as
copyright law in the United States did not cover their
circuit board designs.
See also
;Lists
*
List of synthesizers
The following is a list of notable synthesizers
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods includ ...
*
List of synthesizer manufacturers
Notable synthesizer manufacturers past and present include:
{{div col, colwidth=33em
A
* Access Music
* Alesis
* ARP
* Arturia
* Akai
B
* Behringer
* Buchla and Associates
C
* Casio
* Clavia
* Crumar
D
* Dave Smith Instrument ...
;Various synthesizers
*
Guitar synthesizer
*
Keyboard bass
*
Keytar
The keytar is a lightweight synthesizer that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement onstage, compared to conventional keyboards ...
*
Modular synthesizer
*
Semi-modular synthesizer
*
String synthesizer
A string synthesizer or string machine is a specialized synthesizer designed specifically to make sounds similar to that of a string orchestra.
Dedicated string synthesizers occupied a specific musical instrument niche between electronic organs ...
*
Wind controller
;Related instruments & technologies
*
Clavioline
The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer. It was invented by French engineer Constant Martin in 1947 in Versailles.
The instrument consists of a keyboard and a separate amplifier and speaker ...
(Musitron)
*
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument, an electronic derivative of keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs ...
*
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
*
Music workstation
*
Sampler
*
Speech synthesis
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal langua ...
**
Vocaloid
;Components & technologies
*
Analytic signal
*
Envelope detector
*
Low-frequency oscillation
Low-frequency oscillation (LFO) is an electronic frequency that is usually below 20 Hz and creates a rhythmic pulse or sweep. This is used to modulate musical equipment such as synthesizers to create audio effects such as vibrato, tremol ...
*
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
;Music genres
*
Computer music
Computer music is the application of computing technology in music composition, to help human composers create new music or to have computers independently create music, such as with algorithmic composition programs. It includes the theory and ...
*
Electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...
;Notable works
* ''
List of compositions for electronic keyboard''
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
Sound Synthesis Theory wikibook
Principles of Sound Synthesisat
Salford University
Synthesizer Tutorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sound Synthesis
Keyboard instruments
Bass (sound)
Hip hop production
New wave music
Rhythm section
Electric and electronic keyboard instruments