Synthesizer Anatomy

Anatomy of a Graphical Synthesizer

Hello all this is Lamont from Orlando FL.  I will be showing four different synthesizers and where there main components are located.  Most synthesizer have a LFO, Envelope, Amplifier, Oscillator and Filter.  Most modern music uses a synthesizer and they create very new innovative sounds. 

Synthesizer - an electrophonic instrument, usually operated by means of a keyboard and pedals, in which sounds are produced by voltage-controlled oscillators, filters, and amplifiers, with an envelope generator module that controls attack, decay, sustain, and release[1]

LFO - A low frequency oscillator, is an oscillator designed to produce signals whose frequency is at the bottom of, or below, the audio range.[2]

Envelope - is a customizable parameter that alters a certain aspect of a sound over time. Synthesizers use envelope generators to determine the way a sound behaves over the course of its playing time[3]

Voltage controlled amplifier - the VCA determines the instantaneous volume level of a played note, and it quiets the output at the end of the note.[4]

Oscillator - An electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a repetitive electronic signal, often a sine wave or a square wave.[5]

Filter - is an electronic circuit, which works by selectively increasing or decreasing specific frequency regions, effectively smoothing out the “edges” of the original waveform.[6]

KEY:

LFO

ENVELOPE

AMPLIFIER

OSCILLATOR

FILTER

Rob Papen SubBoomBass virtual synthesizer

acid rack 2.0 - VST Warehouse

Poizone - Image-Line

The Tetra Pro editor application

Reflection -

Synthesizers are amazing tools to create new dynamic sounds that you cannot get with instruments alone.  Even noise can go through a synthesizer and be made into musical sounds.  I hope the four examples helped to show how similar most synthesizer can be.  Thank you for checking out my blog.  

  

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[1] synthesizer. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/synthesizer

[2] "Wikia." Electronic Music Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

[3] Islwyn, Seamus. "What Is an Audio Envelope?." eHow. Demand Media, 16 June 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .

[4] "Wikia." Electronic Music Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

[5] "what is an oscillator?." Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .

[6] "What is a Synthesizer?." What is a Synthesizer?. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.