I've always been into teaching and have written a lot of things for learning maths, so given the fun I've had (re)learning synthesis, coding with web audio and building synthesiser tools with Teensy, and also the number of people who want to use the Teensy to do similar things, I thought it might be good to put together something covering what I consider the foundations.
The first draft is here: http://thewessens.net/synthbook/
It's a website including over 30 webapps to allow visual/interactive learning of the important principles, 10 Teensy + Audio Shield projects, and a bit of history. I also discuss & demonstrate patch creation using a simple open source synth kit, Mentor, a 16-voice polyphonic Teensy-based synth, designed for learning subtractive synthesis.
I'd be very happy to hear of any errors or confusions that you might notice, or for any constructive suggestions. I've got several ideas for additions - mostly relating the content to specific synths, but I'm happy for now with the coverage and depth.
The contents are as follows:
Here is a list of the webaudio apps:
And here is a list of the Teensy Projects
Finally, here are some snapshots to give an idea of how things are presented:
The first draft is here: http://thewessens.net/synthbook/
It's a website including over 30 webapps to allow visual/interactive learning of the important principles, 10 Teensy + Audio Shield projects, and a bit of history. I also discuss & demonstrate patch creation using a simple open source synth kit, Mentor, a 16-voice polyphonic Teensy-based synth, designed for learning subtractive synthesis.
I'd be very happy to hear of any errors or confusions that you might notice, or for any constructive suggestions. I've got several ideas for additions - mostly relating the content to specific synths, but I'm happy for now with the coverage and depth.
The contents are as follows:
Preface
1 Sound Waves and Oscillators
1 Sound Waves and Oscillators
1.1 Properties of Sound Waves, 1.2 Wave Types, 1.3 Harmonics, 1.4 Pulse Waves, 1.5 Playing Notes and MIDI, 1.6 Summary
2 Combining Oscillators
2.1 Mixing Wave Types, 2.2 Phase, 2.3 Detuning, 2.4 Noise, 2.5 Summary
3 Audio and the Teensy
3.1 The Teensy Pinout, 3.2 Setup on a breadboard, 3.3 Project 1: One oscillator - control pitch and amplitude,
3.4 Project 2: One oscillator - control pitch and wavetype, 3.5 Project 3: Three oscillators - control pitch and wavetype mix,
3.6 Project 4: Two oscillators - control pitch and detune, 3.7 Project 5: MIDI input, 3.8 Summary
3.4 Project 2: One oscillator - control pitch and wavetype, 3.5 Project 3: Three oscillators - control pitch and wavetype mix,
3.6 Project 4: Two oscillators - control pitch and detune, 3.7 Project 5: MIDI input, 3.8 Summary
4 Filtering
4.1 Low Pass Filtering, 4.2 Resonance, 4.3 High Pass Filtering, 4.4 Project 6: Teensy Filtering, 4.5 Key Tracking. 4.6 Summary
5 Envelopes
5.1 Attack and Decay, 5.2 Sustain and Release, 5.3 Project 7: Teensy ADSR Envelope, 5.4 Linking the Envelope and the Filter,
5.5 Inverting the Filter Envelope, 5.6 Summary
5.5 Inverting the Filter Envelope, 5.6 Summary
6 Modulation
6.1 The LFO, 6.2 Pitch Modulation, 6.3 Filter Modulation, 6.4 Project 8: LFO Modulation, 6.5 LFO Wave Shapes,
6.6 Pulse Width Modulation, 6.7 Sample and Hold, 6.8 Project 9: LFO Shapes, 6.9 Summary
6.6 Pulse Width Modulation, 6.7 Sample and Hold, 6.8 Project 9: LFO Shapes, 6.9 Summary
7 The Amplifier
7.1 LFO Amplitude Modulation, 7.2 Ring Modulation, 7.3 Summary
8 Effects
8.1 Portamento, 8.2 Reverb, 8.3 Delay, 8.4 Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, 8.5 Distortion, 8.6 Project 10: Delay Effect, 8.7 Summary
9 Introducing Mentor
9.1 Specifications, 9.2 Firmware. 9.3 The Control Encoder, 9.4 The Control Matrix, 9.5 Oscillator Settings, 9.6 Filter Settings,
9.7 Envelope Settings, 9.8 LFO Settings, 9.9 Amplifier Settings, 9.10 Effects Settings
9.7 Envelope Settings, 9.8 LFO Settings, 9.9 Amplifier Settings, 9.10 Effects Settings
10 Mentor Patch Presets
10.1 INIT, 10.2 Strings, 10.3 Brass, 10.4 Solo Brass, 10.5 Wobble, 10.6 Smooth Bass, 10.7 Dirty Bass, 10.8 Alien, 10.9 Pulse,
10.10 Pad, 10.11 Piano, 10.12 Squash
10.10 Pad, 10.11 Piano, 10.12 Squash
11 Other Kinds of Synthesis
11.1 Additive Synthesis, 11.2 Wavetables, 11.3 FM Synthesis, 11.4 The Mathematics of FM, 11.5 Exploring FM,
11.6 FM Algorithms, 11.7 Samplers
11.6 FM Algorithms, 11.7 Samplers
12 A Brief History
12.1 Synthesiser Prehistory, 12.2 Evolution of Synthesisers, 12.3 Timeline
Appendix — All the Apps
Index
Index
Here is a list of the webaudio apps:
1 Sound Waves and Oscillators
Wave Types, Adding Sines, Wave Type Harmonics, Pulse Waves, Four Tone Organ
2 Combining Oscillators
Mixing Wave Types, Detuning, Noise
4 Filtering
Low Pass Filter, Resonant Low Pass Filter, High Pass Filter, Key Tracking
5 Envelopes
AD Amplitude Envelope, ADSR Amplitude Envelope, Filter Envelope, Inverting the Filter Envelope
6 Modulation
LFO Pitch Modulation, LFO Filter Modulation, LFO Shapes, Pulse Width Modulation, Sample and Hold
7 The Amplifier
Amplitude Modulation, Ring Modulation
8 Effects
Portamento, Reverb, Delay-Chorus-Flanger, Phaser, Distortion
11 Other Kinds of Synthesis
Drawbar Organ, Wavetable Synthesis, FM Synthesis
And here is a list of the Teensy Projects
Project 1: One oscillator - control pitch and amplitude
Project 2: One oscillator - control pitch and wavetype
Project 3: Three oscillators - control pitch and wavetype mix
Project 4: Two oscillators - control pitch and detune
Project 5: MIDI input
Project 6: Teensy Filtering
Project 7: Teensy ADSR Envelope
Project 8: LFO Modulation
Project 9: LFO Shapes
Project 10: Delay Effect
Finally, here are some snapshots to give an idea of how things are presented: