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Yoozer · 5th July 2009

I haven't found specific techno/trance/other tutorials yet, but there's a very useful tutorial here Synth Secrets: Links to All Parts which will teach you a lot about synthesis in general.

The trick is to analyze the sounds and then apply what you've learned from the tutorial.

I start with listening to volume and then try to recreate the amplifier envelope. The filter is usually obvious (dull = lowpass, bright = band or highpass); the envelope might be a bit harder since the amplifier envelope is obviously the leading one.

The actual source sound is the hardest. I generally figure out whether something's a saw wave or square wave because I've listened to countless combinations of oscillator waveforms, mix proportions and tunings through any filter types. It's just brute-force memorization and practice - but that's for recreating sounds. Still, it's good practice.

If it's nothing like that, I reconsider the method of synthesis used. Most modern trance has virtual analogs, so that's not hard. Older Detroit techno may have 4-op FM synths, and sometimes it's just not doable to try to recreate those sounds with another synthesizer, so I pick the easiest way and use the right tool for the job.

5th July 2009	#14
Yoozer happy cycling Joined: May 2009 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 7,096 1 Review written	I haven't found specific techno/trance/other tutorials yet, but there's a very useful tutorial here Synth Secrets: Links to All Parts which will teach you a lot about synthesis in general. The trick is to analyze the sounds and then apply what you've learned from the tutorial. I start with listening to volume and then try to recreate the amplifier envelope. The filter is usually obvious (dull = lowpass, bright = band or highpass); the envelope might be a bit harder since the amplifier envelope is obviously the leading one. The actual source sound is the hardest. I generally figure out whether something's a saw wave or square wave because I've listened to countless combinations of oscillator waveforms, mix proportions and tunings through any filter types. It's just brute-force memorization and practice - but that's for recreating sounds. Still, it's good practice. If it's nothing like that, I reconsider the method of synthesis used. Most modern trance has virtual analogs, so that's not hard. Older Detroit techno may have 4-op FM synths, and sometimes it's just not doable to try to recreate those sounds with another synthesizer, so I pick the easiest way and use the right tool for the job.