Seven Synthesis & Sound Design Techniques Taught Hands-On at the Vintage Synthesizer Museum
Hands-On Synthesis II is a follow-up to our Fundamentals of Synthesis workshop at the Vintage Synthesizer Museum. In this small-group, hands-on workshop, we'll explore seven essential synthesis and sound-design concepts that go beyond the basic VCO → VCF → VCA signal path.
What we'll explore
We'll work through:
Multiple Oscillators — Combining oscillators, tuning them to musical intervals, and using subtle detuning to create richer and more complex sounds.
Oscillator Sync — Understanding how one oscillator can force another to restart its waveform, creating distinctive changes in harmonic character.
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) — Exploring how changing the shape of a waveform changes its harmonic content and timbre. We'll use an oscilloscope so you can see the waveform change as you hear it.
Noise — Using noise both as an audio source and as a modulation source, and exploring how filtering and modulation can transform it into useful musical material.
Filter Envelopes — Using an envelope to control filter cutoff and shape the timbre of a sound over time, rather than simply controlling its volume.
Cross Modulation — Using one oscillator as a modulation source for another, and exploring the transition from pitch modulation to complex audio-rate modulation.
Ring Modulation — Combining two signals in a fundamentally different way to create new frequencies and dramatically different harmonic structures.
See It. Hear It. Play It.
Each concept will be introduced with a combination of live demonstration, hand drawn diagrams, and, where useful, oscilloscope demonstrations so you can see what's happening to the actual waveform while you hear the result.
After each concept is explained, participants will work in pairs at selected synthesizer stations throughout the Vintage Synthesizer Museum. You'll experiment with the technique on multiple vintage instruments and rotate between them, allowing you to hear how the same underlying synthesis principle can behave very differently from one synthesizer to another.
You'll get hands-on time with instruments from the VSM collection, including legendary synthesizers such as the Minimoog, Roland Jupiter-8, and Yamaha CS-80, along with a selection of other vintage instruments chosen specifically for the concepts we're exploring.
This isn't a demonstration where you simply watch someone else operate the instruments. You'll also be operating them yourself.
A Natural Next Step After Fundamentals
Hands-On Synthesis II assumes a basic understanding of synthesizer architecture and signal flow.
Completion of the Vintage Synthesizer Museum's Fundamentals of Synthesis workshop or equivalent hands-on experience with analog subtractive synthesis is recommended. Feel free to contact us directly to see if this workshop is the right fit for you.
You should already be comfortable with concepts such as:
VCO, VCF, and VCA
Envelopes and LFOs
CV and Gate
Basic synthesizer signal flow
Basic subtractive synthesis
We'll build on that foundation rather than starting over.
Small Group, Hands-On Instruction
The workshop is currently limited to 6 participants, allowing everyone substantial time with the instruments and the opportunity to ask questions throughout the session.
You'll be working with the Vintage Synthesizer Museum's collection of vintage and classic synthesizers, not software emulations or demonstrations on a screen.
The goal isn't simply to learn what these techniques are called. It's to understand what is actually happening to the signals inside a synthesizer, hear the result, see it when possible, and learn to recognize and use the technique on different instruments.
Come ready to listen, experiment, turn knobs, and make some strange sounds.
Tickets can be purchased by directly contacting VSM, or can be purchased online through Eventbrite: