Everything you wanted to know (and more) about the most widespread synthesis method in music technology.

Wonderful post! Thanks Jono.

+1

Thanks guys, hope it proves useful!

If only you would have written this 3 years ago..... you would have saved me, well, 3 years.

Good work

Really nice article

Damn double post

excellent read

Nice read pal!

Always useful to hear it explained again, it sinks in slightly more each time.

If anyone is interested in the maths and physics of subtractive synthesis and other back to basics stuff there is a series in Sound on Sound by Gordon Reid that seems about as comprehensive as can be. I got pretty lost by part 12 though.
www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm
Perhaps this is already a widely known series, sorry if it seems obvious.

[sorry, double post]

Great article and thanks Chal for the link too!

very nice!! Thank you

ace thank u

nerd time.

great post! thank you for sharing your knowledge.

great article, thanks for sharing

Great post, always nice to be refreshed on this subject...

excellent read. producer should really create their own sounds instead of simply using presets.

Presets can set you in the right direction though but make them yours. Don't just throw a delay or reverb on it to make it yours though, tweek it. Knowing what everything does on a synth is very important so you can achieve your desired sound. My roomate is learning how to produce and I made him sit down and read this. You have to know the basics in order to progress properly.

thanks jono!

and thanks Chal for that link, really wanted to get into that

There is tons of music done with presets or just sample packs, a lot of american dubstep is made from that. Every single track sounds the same, which is why sculpting sounds is important. If you are using the same sample packs and refills as everyone else, you will sound like that.

. If you are using the same sample packs and refills as everyone else, you will sound like that.

.. i think some1 should give U a Nobel-prize for that sentence.

Wicked jono. Have read many articles on the subject and thismis the clearest by far. Good work fella

Sample packs and presets are the cheats way to produce music. Yamaha's DX line started all this preset bs. Not the synths fault mind you but the laziness of the users.

Sounds interesting , thanks for sharing...

good post and thanks to chal for the link!

"it sinks in slightly more each time."

+1

Thanks for the article and thanks for the soundonsound link!

Excellent article! Thanks!

Great article. This is almost like week one EMP at our place!

Great stuff!!