The Single Best Resource for Learning Audio Synthesis

Most of us use synthesisers at some point in our production workflow, but how well do you understand the principles of synthesis? If you understand these fundamental principles properly, they are applicable to any synth that you end up using. This means that not only will you be able to master the synths that you currently own, but that you will quickly be able to get up to speed on any that you encounter in future.

The good news is that there is a wonderful free series of articles out there that will teach you absolutely everything that you need to know; Gordon Reid's 'Synth Secrets'. He wrote this mammoth, sixty-three-part series for Sound on Sound between May 1999 and July 2004. Although the series began almost twenty years ago, the principles of subtractive synthesis have not changed a bit since then.

The early articles deal with the very basics of sound and synthesis, meaning that the course is accessible to all. Gradually we are introduced to subjects such as envelopes, VCAs and frequency modulation. Eventually Reid starts putting these various elements together, and instructs us how to build synth patches that replicate the sounds of specific instruments; strings, brass, percussion etc. Finally we are introduced to FX and more complex processing. 

If you are fascinated by synthesis, but feel that you would like to know more, then in our opinion there is no better place to start than with Synth Secrets.