Tutorials
Synth 101 - oscillators & filters
w/ Fab Dupont
Synth 101 - oscillators & filters
15 min • 2016
English, Spanish, Italian
Learn how to create your own synth patches from scratch. Get a solid foundation on the basic building blocks of sound design using simple monophonic synthesizers.
Using 2 legendary synths Fab teaches you how to:
- Recognize the tone and feel of different oscillator shapes
- Get past the confusing terminology that changes from instrument to instrument
- Use filters to quickly mold and shape the harmonics of the raw waveforms
- Hear the differences between different models of synths, cementing the classic "but they all sound different honey" excuse
- Korg - MS-20
- Moog - Prodigy
4.9
12 reviews
PSW • Saturday, November 25, 2017
My question is the same as @gc. How did the sine wave become part of the conversation when the MS20 does not have the option? Definitely interested in finding out.
gc • Friday, January 6, 2017
Great breakdown of core synth concepts using tasty equipment! The side-by-side comparison at the end was golden. I'd watch a whole video of just that.
Confused about one thing: at around 6:50, you explain why filtering sine waves is uninteresting (b/c they have no harmonics) which is a good point--but the MS-10 doesn't have a sine oscillator, right? And (to my untrained ear) that sounds like the triangle wave (which has odd harmonics--albeit softer ones than a square wave, so it's much closer to a sine wave). Then you say "triangle" at 7:30, but that sounds like it might be the sawtooth?
viccieleaks • Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Fascinating how synths have evolved from this
dcptracks@gmail.com • Saturday, December 3, 2016
Can you apply this to virtual synth vst?
Some Guy • Saturday, August 27, 2016
Awesome lesson. I learned. My only suggestion would be that maybe some oscilloscope-ish graphics could have further enhanced the already-excellent explanations for people who like to "see" things that way.
Dazaaaaa • Thursday, May 26, 2016
I've tried to watch this video multiple times over the past few weeks and it keeps stopping and freezing. I can't get past the first 5 seconds. I've tried on different computers, wifi networks, different devices and the problem persists. Thought you should know.
mvbauer • Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Great vid, it wouldn't stop glitching on me though. No pun intended.
sixtyanman • Thursday, May 19, 2016
I would love to watch it but it is the only one I can't get to play. It will start then stop in less then two minutes ?
mhagen1 • Thursday, May 12, 2016
Wiseguy's comment: The first two oscillator waves are triangle (not sine), sawtooth (not triangle) :-)
Fabulous Fab • Wednesday, May 11, 2016
More is coming. Lots more.
zorbathebuddha • Wednesday, May 11, 2016
fab video fab. very simply explained . would love to see more in this synthesis series
owenlt • Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Looking at the controls, and having double-checked a few sources online, surely the waveforms on this synth are 'triangle' (not 'sine' as the first one is described), 'saw' (not 'triangle' as the second one is described) and 'pulse/square'?