Synthesizer

Synthesizer
glacial23 · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Name	Synthesizer
Classification	Electronic musical instrument
Invented	20th century
Inventors	Hugh Le Caine; Robert Moog; Don Buchla; Alan R. Pearlman
Developed	1950s–1970s; 1970s–1980s
Related	Theremin; Mellotron; Sampler; Drum machine

Synthesizer A synthesizer is an electronic instrument that generates and manipulates sound using electronic circuits or software, influential across Rock music, Pop music, Electronic dance music, Film score, and Ambient music. Early research by Hugh Le Caine and institutional projects at Bell Labs and BBC Radiophonic Workshop converged with commercial designs from Robert Moog and Don Buchla to produce instruments adopted by artists such as Wendy Carlos, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, and David Bowie. Synthesizers span hardware and software implementations used in studios like Abbey Road Studios and in live venues including Woodstock and Glastonbury Festival.

History

Early electronic sound generation appears in the work of Thaddeus Cahill and the Telharmonium and in performance devices like the Theremin used by Clara Rockmore and in film soundtracks by Miklos Rozsa. Research institutions including Bell Labs, BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center developed prototypes and tape‑based techniques used by Pierre Schaeffer and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Commercial synthesisers emerged with modular designs by Robert Moog and non‑keyboard instruments by Don Buchla in the 1960s, while companies such as EMI produced the Mellotron used by The Beatles and King Crimson. The 1970s and 1980s saw the rise of portable analog keyboards from ARP Instruments, Sequential Circuits, and Korg, the digital revolution with Yamaha's DX7 and Roland's programmable instruments, and the integration of standards like MIDI advocated by companies including Sequential Circuits and Roland Corporation. The 1990s onward delivered software synths from firms like Native Instruments and open platforms supported by IRCAM research and artists in scenes such as Detroit techno and Berlin techno.

Technology and Design

Synthesizer design combines electronic, digital, and acoustical engineering traditions seen at firms like Moog Music, ARP Instruments, Oberheim Electronics, and laboratories like MIT Media Lab. Oscillator topologies trace lineage from vacuum tube experiments in the 1940s to transistor circuits in 1960s modular racks and to digital algorithms developed at Bell Labs and IRCAM. Filters and amplifiers follow designs refined by Robert Moog and Don Buchla, while control voltage architectures influenced standards adopted by Eurorack manufacturers and boutique builders such as Make Noise and Doepfer. The introduction of microprocessors and digital signal processing integrated technologies from Intel Corporation and Texas Instruments, enabling polyphony and complex modulation engines used in instruments by Yamaha and Roland. Software implementations leverage frameworks from Steinberg and Ableton and audio APIs from Steinberg VST and Apple Core Audio.

Types and Synthesis Methods

Common instrument families include analog subtractive synths popularized by Minimoog, FM synths exemplified by Yamaha DX7, wavetable units like PPG and Waldorf, granular systems influenced by research at Ircam and EMS, and sample‑based workstations used by Akai Professional and Kurzweil Music Systems. Subtractive synthesis relies on oscillators, filters, and envelopes as in designs by Moog Music; frequency modulation (FM) synthesis stems from research by John Chowning at Stanford University and commercialization by Yamaha; physical modeling was advanced by AES papers and companies such as Korg and Roland; additive and spectral techniques draw on work by Jean-Claude Risset and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Hybrid instruments combine analog circuits with digital control in models from Sequential Circuits and Novation.

Control and Interfaces

Keyboard interfaces trace genealogy from Hammond organ actions to the expressive controllers of Don Buchla and the velocity/aftertouch systems standardized by MIDI developers including Dave Smith. Alternative controllers include ribbon controllers used by Eberhard Zwicker‑inspired designs, touchplates employed by Ondes Martenot performers, joystick interfaces present in Roland products, and modular patching in Eurorack cases from Doepfer. Sequencing and performance use hardware sequencers like those from Korg and Sequential Circuits, software hosts such as Ableton Live and Cubase, and synchronization via standards pioneered by MIDI Manufacturers Association and timing protocols from IRCAM. Expressive extensions incorporate MIDI Polyphonic Expression and technologies from Roli and Expressive E.

Musical Applications and Genres

Synthesizers transformed studio practices at locations like Abbey Road Studios and influenced producers such as Trevor Horn and Giorgio Moroder in Disco and Synth-pop. They underpin entire genres including Synth-pop, New Wave, Industrial music, Electronica, Techno, House music, and Ambient music, and feature prominently in soundtracks composed by Vangelis, Hans Zimmer, John Carpenter, and Clint Mansell. Artists ranging from Depeche Mode, New Order, Tangerine Dream, Aphex Twin, and Skrillex to film composers at Hollywood studios have used synthesisers for leads, pads, basses, percussion, and sound design. Live performance practices grew through festivals like Coachella and venues such as Madison Square Garden where integrated rigs include modules from Make Noise, keyboards from Nord, and effects from Eventide.

Notable Manufacturers and Models

Key historic and contemporary manufacturers include Moog Music (Minimoog Model D), Yamaha (DX7), Roland Corporation (Jupiter‑8, TR‑808 as drum‑machine complement), Korg (MS‑20, M1), Sequential (Prophet‑5), Oberheim Electronics (OB‑X), ARP Instruments (2600), Waldorf Music (Wave), Novation (Peak), Elektron (Analog Four), Access Music (Virus), Akai Professional (MPC samplers as hybrid tools), Kurzweil Music Systems (K250), and boutique makers such as Dave Smith Instruments and Doepfer. Landmark models like the Minimoog and Yamaha DX7 shaped pop and film sound; modular ecosystems include Eurorack producers such as Mutable Instruments and Make Noise; software synths from Native Instruments (Massive), Spectrasonics (Omnisphere), and u-he (Diva) complement hardware in studios operated by engineers at Sunset Sound and Electric Lady Studios.

Category:Electronic musical instruments