Synthesizers
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Electronic instruments usually with a keyboard
·
Rotary controls (knobs) and sliders control the
sound produced
·
Types of synthesis = subtractive, additive, FM,
physical modelling, granular, wavetable
·
Subtractive synthesis = starting with a full
waveform and filtering
·
Moog – Robert Moog – created the first
commercially available synthesizer
·
Mini-Moog / Moog Prodigy /
·
Creates a synthetic sound unlike any other
musical instrument
·
Alien sounds, Sci-Fi, futuristic – Film, the
Forbidden Planet
·
Used in TV adverts for it’s unique sound
·
Used by progressive rock bands (YES, Rick
Wakeman)
·
Oscillator – creates square, triangle, sawtooth,
pulse or noise waveforms
·
Filter - filter sweep using the Cut-off control
= ‘wah wah’ sound
·
ADSR envelope – used to shape the amplitude
(volume) of the sound
·
Attack Decay Sustain Release
·
LFO – Low Frequency Oscillator
·
Modulation created by the LFO
·
Tremolo = Amplitude Modulation (AM) – wobbling
the volume
·
Vibrato = Frequency Modulation (FM) – wobbling
the pitch
·
‘The Prodigy’ 90s dance music band named after
Moog syntheiszer
·
Modern ‘synth’ plug-ins use ‘physical modelling’
Multi-track Recording
·
Invented by Les Paul. He fitted an extra record
head to a tape machine
·
The ability to record different audio tracks,
side by side, on the same tape
·
Recording techniques - Overdubbing, track
laying, double tracking
·
Analogue tape – liked for it’s warm sound.
·
‘Reel to Reel’ tape machines - Studer,
Revox (Ampex made the tape)
·
Studio reel to reel machines had 3 heads -
Erase, Record and Play
·
Each head was split into a number of separate
tracks ‘multi-track’
·
Speed was 7.5, 15 or 30 inches per second (most
common was 15 ips)
·
Width of tape was ¼ inch, ½ inch, 1 inch or 2
inch
·
Faster speeds and wider tape gave higher audio
quality
·
Number of tracks = 4, 8, 16, 32, 48 track
machines
·
Tape machines could be ‘synced’ together to get
more tracks
·
Tape machines were noisy so studios had a
separate ‘tape room’
·
Tape costs were high, typically £90 for a 20
minute multi-track tape
·
DAW – Digital Audio Workstation. A computer able
to record many tracks
·
Pro-Tools, Logic. Cubase, Sonar
·
Analogue tape machines were ‘synced’ to the
computer
·
Beatles used the studio like a musical
instrument in the 60s and Prog Rock bands loved using large numbers of tracks
in the 70s
·
Studios need large mixing consoles with multiple
‘group outputs’ to send to the inputs of the tape recorder or computer
·
An ‘audio interface’ is needed to convert the
analogue audio into digital audio to be recorded into the computer. The same
interface is used to convert the digital signal back to analogue so it can be
heard
Drum Machines
·
Electronic device that contains drum sounds
·
Kick, snare, clap, closed hi-hat, open hi-hat,
toms, cow bell
·
Drum machines have an internal sequencer
·
Short, one bar, sequences are stored as
‘patterns’
·
Typically 16 steps were included in a 1 bar
pattern (in 4/4) (¾ time could also be selected)
·
Variations can be created by playing back
different patterns
·
‘Step Input’ or Real-time Input’ could be used
to program a pattern
·
Beats were automatically ‘quantized’
·
Beats were machine-like and rigid
·
Beats could be fast and very complex compared to
a real drummer
·
Influenced modern drummers as they tried to copy
the beats
·
Some machines featured tuneable sounds and
sampled sounds
·
The sounds were not ‘realistic’ but influenced
the sound of dance music
·
80s Pop Music – The Human League, Gary Numan
·
Dance Music, House, Techno
·
Famous drum machines = Roland TR-808 (1980) and
Roland TR-909 (1984) Linn Drum LM-1 (1980)
·
‘808 Sate’ 90s dance/pop band named after their
favourite TR-808
·
Computer sequencers can be used to play the
sounds in a drum machine
·
MIDI is used to control a drum machine using an
external sequencer
·
As drum machines developed they became more
complex including song modes for complex pattern arrangements, tuning of each
drum, separate outputs and built in effects.
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