Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming: The Ultimate Reference for Sound Design (Power Tools Series) | 
|  | | | Title: | Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming: The Ultimate Reference for Sound Design (Power Tools Series) | | Author: | Jim Aikin | | Publisher: | Backbeat Books | | Type: | Book / Paperback | | Publication Date: | 01 January, 2004 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0879307730 / 9780879307738 | | List Price: | $24.95 | | You Save: | $8.48 | | Amazon Price: | $16.47 | |
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Product Description
The A-to-Z coverage of synthesizer features in Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming will turn any synth owner into a power user! This book fills an enormous gap in the market, and is destined to become the standard text on the topic. Written by Jim Aikin, author of Keyboard magazine's long-running "Technology Basics" column and scores of authoritative product reviews of synthesizers over the past two decades, this book includes sound design projects, dozens of audio examples on CD-ROM, and complete chapters on oscillators, envelope generators, and other nuts-and-bolts components. Rather than focus on one specific instrument, this book covers both the common elements found in all synthesizers and esoteric features found only in obscure or high-end gear. It maps out the components of contemporary synths in clear, concise detail, and discusses how they can be harnessed to achieve specific musical effects. Each chapter presents hands-on projects that help musicians hone their skills.
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Customer Reviews:
• A Fair Introduction For Musicians 18 March, 2007
As an electronics engineer, responsible for education at university level, I was a bit disappointed after reading the book. From theoretical/technical point of view, the book starts at a very basic level. For instance phase cancellation and definition of decibels. I did not find anything that was really explained in depth. As far as I can understand, the book is not intended for technicians or engineers dealing with design and analysis of electronic music systems.
On the other hand, musicians with no technical background that will mainly buy and use a synthesizer can probably find some useful information about common technical terms and buzzwords. However, from my point of view, I am not convinced this book really is The Ultimate Reference for Sound Design.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A2VE0GYKEEW1EM
• Great Book Covering Essentials For Programming Synths 04 February, 2008
This book taught me a lot about the elements of synthesis, covering details that I didn't know before. I had used synths (real and virtual), and I kind of knew what I was doing, but I won't ever have a problem understanding a synth again. This book tried to cover everything, but the scope of the book is to give you the tools necessary to hit the ground running on a real or virtual synth.
With a guest author, this book could go into a lot more depth with the theory side of synth programming.
The money you pay for this book is well worth it. You definitely feel like you've gotten your money's worth, and it will make a good reference if you forget something.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AK06KFKC2EY1U
• Essential! 30 May, 2008
If you compose/produce electronic music or any genre that includes synthesized sounds, this book is extremely valuable.
No doubt you've picked sounds from sample cd's and tried to fit them into your tracks but the colour just doesn't seem to match up with what you were aiming for, so you add a couple of effects, and then a few more, and tweak the effects to within an inch of their life (and within an inch of your sanity), and find it just ends up sounding flat, or boring - especially when it's repeated throughout your track...
... No need for that. Build the sound from the ground up. This book has proven to me that you will have a more robust sound that responds to effects much better than a sample or patch that has been pre-built to impress through the whole audio spectrum - with no real overall goal in mind. You can make any impressive sound exactly as you heard it in your head in the first place through the tuition this book provides through listening effectively to the result of each exercise and its application.
The book is filled with mini-projects which - once you have completed - open the door to possibilities that you wouldn't have dreamed of without 10 years tweaking every knob on your synth as if it were your full time job.
Easy to read, with plenty of semantics for those who are fussy about getting their facts straight first time and want to do a truly professional job of their electronic music creation.
I highly recommend you purchase this book if you don't have a degree in sound engineering - and it's not like you're going to part with much money doing so.
My only criticsm is that the CD that accompanies the book is really not essential because the book is approximately one billion times more valuable than the samples that are on the CD. It's more rewarding to hear the sounds come out of your synth - but as I said before, it's not going to send you broke buying this book.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3G9FE70OG67NI
• Excellent Overview And Reference Of Synthesizer Programming 03 July, 2008
This book provides an excellent overview of synthesizer programming and is good as a technical reference as well. It is written by veteran synth expert Jim Aikin and provides and excellent overview of the main concepts and also dives into each of the components in the signal chain, providing relevant, useful information to better educate you to make your own choices based on your desired results. This is however not a "recipe book" of sound designs with specific patch routings for achieving specific results. If that is what you are looking for then look elsewhere. This will get you in front of your synth and leave you understanding the system's architecture and purpose and function of it's individual components (modules) so you can get started making your own sounds.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A3JKZ8IP7X8GBF
• Excellent Book For Beginners 12 October, 2008
I'm primarily a soft synth/Virtual instruments user. I was overwhlemed by the controls that the synths and effect processors have on them. I wanted to get basic knowledge on how to use them. This book served the purpose. Now all those controls make a LOT of sense to me. The language used in the book is insanely simple and to the point. The only drawback i found was that some of the terms are used before they are defined. Since i had some "half-baked" knowledge of the terms used in synth programming, i cud manage. When I finished the whole book, everything made sense. The book is underpriced for the timeless knowledge that it contains.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1ZWRJ0ER1ECQA
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