I still stand by that! You can even fool yourself thinking you're not spending much since various modules are pretty affordable. But overall it's an addictive money pit (albeit a really fun one). I've chosen not to get euro rack stuff for myself, focusing on Stick-based things. Although you could probably get a pretty nice modular synth setup for the price of a Stick...


Most early / easy synths use subtractive synthesis which is based on fairly simple building blocks. Beginner tutorials will focus on the aspects of sound - pitch, timbre/tone, amplitude. The key is to understand how the various parts of the synth control and shape these aspects.

Acoustic or electro-acoustic instruments are actually fairly complicated to recreate. It's why you generally use samples or physical models to recreate them.

Glenn's tutorial is excellent, Learning Synths is one that starts really basic. There are likely tons of tutorials out there. If you have a specific synth you're using, it's probably best to find a tutorial for it.

Well, I worked through 10 of those tutorials from HRS Courses last night.

I have to say that VCV Rack has really helped my understanding of synths. For many synths, the connections between the various components aren't obvious. In analog audio I'm so used to only being aware of a single signal chain, but in synths you have not only the oscillator-generated signal, but the control voltage signals. Playing with the VCV Rack, using virtual "patch cords", it all becomes instantly clear.

I hope to find other tutorials, or maybe some existing patches that I can either download or implement and reverse-engineer. I get your point about duplicating acoustic or electro-acoustic instruments, but the attributes of those instruments can be understood and implemented in a synth. What I'm looking for is a tutorial that (for instance) discusses brass instruments, and what ADSR settings display a "brass-like" behavior, or how a VCO or VCA (or something else) can be applied to a wave that results in some of the properties of bowed instruments. Note that in that video, Wendy Carlos mentioned one of her patches had a "brass-like" sound. I have no idea what accomplishes that!

It's kinda like learning music. Once you know what the "rules" are you can confidently break them and come up with something original. Being able to listen to a sound and have some way of analyzing it in terms that can then be applied in a synth is the "learning the rules" part.

There's a lot of info in the Sound on Sound Synth Secrets series. Otherwise, maybe look up info on early synths like the ARP2600 or Minimoog, they have patch books available and hopefully some online tutorials to explain them.

‘Patch and Tweak with Moog’ is now available on Amazon.
Looks like a good introduction, just came out.

The tutorials on YouTube by Omri Cohen are also worth a look.
https://youtu.be/RTdVbR_qTWg

Mad Monk.

And if you're so inclined, Arturia makes software versions of most of the classic synthesizers and they are incredibly accurate. Moog Modular, Minimoog, ARP 2600, Prophet 5, and about two dozen others. Quality stuff!


It's a good read. It's a mix of history and tech stuff geared pretty much exclusively to Moog products. Well worth it but I wouldn't recommend it as an intro to synths.

Gosh that's fun to play with! Thanks Claire.

I'm finding it very instructive to plug all kinds of outputs into a scope. Makes things like the difference in the behavior of a "gate" and a "retrigger" obvious.

I started down the Eurorack rabbit hole about 6 years ago... look where I am now... it's addictive and expensive but I absolutely love it. The most fun I've had with music in 50 years!

Impressive! I like what you are doing.

'Mission Control' does music! Love it.