| The most commonly used electronic instruments are | | | | physics, and math. Using synthesizers to create music |
| synthesizers, so-called because they artificially | | | | is a field where all of these seemingly disparate |
| generate sound using techniques such as additive, | | | | branches of knowledge come together to produce |
| subtractive, FM and physical modeling synthesis to | | | | what is quite possibly the most elegant fusion of art |
| create sounds. Synthesizers are used for the | | | | and science currently known to humanity. |
| composition of electronic music and in live | | | | Important features of Electronic sound synthesizer |
| performance. | | | | Some of the most important features which are |
| A brief history | | | | responsible for creating heavenly music from an |
| The first electronic sound synthesizer, an instrument of | | | | electronic sound synthesizer are Oscillators, Filters, |
| awesome dimensions, was developed by the | | | | Envelope, Amplifier and Equalizer. |
| American acoustical engineers Harry Olson and | | | | Oscillators - An oscillator is simply a circuit that |
| Herbert Belar in 1955 at the Radio Corporation of | | | | generates a repeating electrical wave, like a sine |
| America laboratories at Princeton, N.J. The information | | | | wave, square wave, or saw tooth wave. The oscillator |
| was fed to the synthesizer encoded on a punched | | | | is sometimes called a VCO. An oscillator on a |
| paper tape. It was designed for research into the | | | | synthesizer usually allows varying the pitch, volume, |
| properties. Dr. Robert Moog introduced the first | | | | and shape of the wave to make the tone sound |
| practical commercial modern music synthesizer with | | | | different. |
| his Moog synthesizer. This instrument used a series of | | | | Filters - A filter is a processing element that does |
| tone generators with keys that would adjust the pitch | | | | something with a sound, usually eliminating part of a |
| of the tone generators. The first digital synthesizers | | | | sound. The filter on a synthesizer is sometimes called |
| were academic experiments in sound synthesis using | | | | a VCF. It might eliminate sounds of a certain pitch or |
| digital computers. | | | | volume while allowing other sounds to pass through. |
| A brief discussion on electronic sound synthesizer | | | | Envelope - The envelope generator is most commonly |
| The word synthesis means to produce by combining | | | | used to control the amplitude or volume of the sound, |
| separate elements. Thus, synthesized sound is sound | | | | by routing it to the control input of the VCA. It is even |
| that a musician builds from component elements. A | | | | used to control the timbre of the sound, by routing it to |
| synthesized sound may resemble a traditional acoustic | | | | the control input of the VCF. |
| musical timbre, or it may be completely novel and | | | | Amplifier - The amplifier can raise, or lower the height |
| original. This characteristic is common to all synthesized | | | | of the waveform, thereby raising or lowering the |
| music. Electronically-generated music has not only | | | | volume of the sound. To control the volume of a |
| generated its own totally separate field of music, but | | | | sound in the synthesizer, the signal is passed through |
| several sub-genres. An electronic music synthesizer is | | | | an amplifier circuit. |
| capable of creating sounds that are quite unlike any | | | | Equalizer - An equalizer is a tool which allows you to |
| other instrument known to mankind. Creating and using | | | | selectively amplify or attenuate certain frequency |
| electronic synthesizers and related sound equipment | | | | ranges of sound. |
| involves considerable aspects of electrical engineering, | | | | |