How can I learn to build a synthesizer? Would I have to go to college for engineering or is their books to teach me...

How can I learn to build a synthesizer? Would I have to go to college for engineering or is their books to teach me? I'm not talking about those under $100 DIY kits, I want to make my own company selling these. I want to make a competitor to the Teenage Engineering OP-1.
youtu.be/BRjQz3zQ1-0
It is stand alone, has it's own built in DAW (will have to learn that too) and has a built in recorder. You would only hook it to a PC to export your projects. It's definitely one of a kind and has other great perks like an extremely long battery life, small and light. I won't be able to replicate all its perks but would like to make something that is more affordable. This is a long term goal of mine.

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Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=yuXq3gBQ0dI
mutable-instruments.net/
youtube.com/watch?v=WRA3a7c4Qt4
cycling74.com/products/max
youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjs0IOvknaQ
twitter.com/NSFWRedditGif

Too bad will suffer from shitty digital sound. Most heads lookong for hardware want analogue sounds.

Do you play them? Do you own some? Do you hang out with a bunch of gearheads? Knowing how to make them is one thing, knowing what people want is a totally different story, and if you don't play or perform with them, you won't know what to build. And if you don't know how to play, or even what constitutes a good polysynth then you have next to no chance of building anything beyond a RasPi tier piece of shit

> t. gearhead

"Or is their books"
Wtf learn English

Sure do. Yes. Yes.

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i just bought a po-33

Those were a pretty smart move from TE. Loads of fun on the go.

Lol should've revised, I'm super tired user.

Op, you need to start building circuits. Soldering ect. Make one of those under $100 DIY kits but buy the parts yourself instead of the kit.

If you want to make something like the op-1 you will need way more knowledge than the average synth tinkerer- software knowledge ect

false, pro's and cons to everything. the OP-1 is awesome and digital. probably has a nice DAC for the outputs. analog v digital is a huge dumbass argument though

do you mean you want to do this all yourself?
>a revolutionary new device that is a robust, portable synth workstation
>that also has a novel, built-in DAW
>that also somehow has reference-grade audio amplifiers and monitors suitable for assembling entire productions before "exporting" them to a pc"
will it come with a portable treated room too?

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I'll surely need investors and if I'm lucky find individuals that aren't greedy and will aid in making it. As far as a prototype, gladly take baby steps. I'm aware this will take years.

Thanks

oh shit nigga i've been looking for this synth forever. my life is complete now

For those familiar with synths, is there a reason the OP-1 is as expensive as it is? Limited production or just overcharging for aesthetics? Or is it actually about what it should cost?

I don't own one but they're absolutely worth that money. It's very expensive, but worth the money. Nothing else on the market like it. You can make full fledged album quality songs using only that thing and headphones.

-great screen
-great ui
-heaps of synth engines
-2 samplers, one specifically for drums
-4 track recording with cut and paste
-heaps of sequencer modes
-a fucking fm radio that you can use to sample
-built in mic
and the obvious stuff like it works as a midi controller ect

One of the coolest things that I learned about it was that it can run off batteries and lasts fucking ages, like weeks of usage I'm pretty sure. And honestly? I just want the synth sounds. I'm always grabbing packs of OP-1 sounds to use in ableton

this guy might be a little annoying for you but this explains why it's worth the grand: youtube.com/watch?v=yuXq3gBQ0dI

Thanks.

no worries my dudes, follow your dreams and buy OP-1s

Was just curious, no plans to buy one. the po-33 is probably the first music creation anything I've owned.

ok, maybe just follow your dreams then

>Books
For starters:
The Art of Electronics. Honestly this will be plenty. Synthesis are pretty simple. So everything needed will be covered

After that some design stuff you could dig out stuff from
Frequency Synthesizers: Theory and Design
By the time you build a few prototypes you'll be on your way to learning the rest. Such as midi interface, screen interface, memory loops, etc etc.
As far as building a competitor. Good luck. Manufacture, custom casings, advertising, shills, shipping and everything will rack up the price like crazy. But who am i to rain on your parade.

i sold my op-1 a few days ago coincidentally. i dont make music much but the device was fun and easy to learn how to use.

Nothing wrong with a bit of ambition. But OP, you also need a dash of realism. You are putting yourself up against:
-massive established well funded multinational businesses with decades of private research and intellectual property, ability to hire good engineers, brand awareness etc
-smaller boutique outfits, often run on razor thin margins by genius autists that are willing to work like dogs to able to pursue their dream
-open source hardware and software efforts with contributions from teams of skilled and knowledgeable people

On the other hand, it's never been easier to do this. Those open source efforts can be your reference material. Have you seen these guys for example?

mutable-instruments.net/

Also libraries like csound could be a good starting point. Honestly though a degree in sound engineering or electronic engineering would probably be a better start.

really ready for the EDM Producer meme to end. ohhh nooo you're typing im not like them because i paypigged for some ciat-lombarde stuff but just lmao. why aren't you asking on muffwiggler instead of here?

that's the dumbest idea i've ever heard in my fucking life, how is learning to record artists in a studio going to help you design electronics and write software, what the fuck

Who rattled your cage?

Alternatively, audio engineer can refer to a scientist or professional engineer who holds an engineering degree and who designs, develops and builds audio or musical technology working under terms such as acoustical engineering, electronic/electrical engineering or (musical) signal processing.[3]

>analog v digital is a huge dumbass argument though
at risk of starting a huge dumbass argument, but I have an Alesis Micron, which is analogue emulation, and i've heard it shit itself randomly in certain edge cases where I suspect that floating point errors turn your nice matrixed oscillators and filter tweaks into digital noise. Pain in the arse when you think you have the perfect take, and then "krzzkllz" for an instant.

This is a big project that will take years. I suggest you shelf the daw in the synth idea and learn to build basic synths (putting them together n shit). Look into AphexTwin he builds loadsa custom synths

You could have a look at BasicSynth (the book and/or the site) to see how to write oscillators, filters etc if it's going to be software based, I have some Arduino Nano clones knocking about that I may do something like that with at some point when I have more free time. Probably a piece of piss to put together a 16-bit resistor ladder DAC using a shift register via I2C.

Analog synths are god tier fuck digital synths

The OP-1 is the MacBook Air of the synthesizer world. They're for retarded Macfag-types with more money than sense.

Spot on user

Bump

I see how it can come off as a toy but it's more on your creativity and skill. You're truly underestimating it. Theirs a channel on YouTube where a guy has remade idioteque and stranger things theme from scratch.

How do you plan to compete with it? Do you have an idea for a market niche where your product could make it?
"The same thing except cheaper" as concept could work but is probably the hardest to achieve without good business connections and prior knowledge.


What is the thinkpad T60 of the synthesizer(the all in one products like the OP1) world then? Just asking, I'm not too familiar with all the different products.

>idioteque and stranger things

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Lol triggered

Cheaper, something better than a 4 track recorder that let's you undo. It's a start

If I were OP I'd start with recreating simpler versions like the PO-33 and then increase the complexity until I am where I want to be.
youtube.com/watch?v=WRA3a7c4Qt4
(It's hard to find example videos without annoying fuckwits over-explaining everything)

You don't want a fucking OP-1.

Go find a starter synth..
I recommend the Korg MS2K as a good nob encrusted starter synth.

Seriously that thing screams even for being a VA.

Shit if you are dead spent on spending 800$ for only 200 more you can get a King Korg.

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Wrong video lol

Just pirate Max or download Puredata and read articles on the many types of synthesis.

Yeah, those videos were neat, but what's the difference between buying this and a daw? That guy who made those videos said the OP-1 is a solid purchase despite its sampler and sequence limitations then recommends against it.

Not OP but interested in Max.
What can you tell me about it in regards to using it to make instruments and effects?

I'm not totally new to it but I only have very little experience with it (just made some small M4L devices to add features to Ableton).

> analog v digital is a huge dumbass argument though
Virtual analog can be pretty good nowadays, but writing it to be alias free can be a real bitch.
Honestly you'll simply need to read. A decent amount of maths is required if you want to design your processes to be musically pleasing.

No point in buying synths these days really, unless you are loaded with cash. DAWs perform as well or even better.

This.

Unless the synth (or hardware in general) does something that doesn't have a comparable software counterpart.

Check out the Lines Monome forum.

Quick set up and it's portable

OP here, just type in "max synth"?

>Honestly you'll simply need to read.
What do I need to specifically read user?

"cycling74 max" or "max msp" should work fine.

cycling74.com/products/max

>Lines Monome forum
Thank you.
Is this mainly for using Max with the Monome hardware or it's for Max in general?

Also I don't know where to start with a bunch of forum posts.
Is there some reading resource that I could read instead of sifting through random forum questions?

Yamaha Motif XF8

DAWs arent fun like using a real hardware synth. Nothing beats having your Moog and Nords on stage.

I don’t really frequent that forum. I check out Muffwiggler.com. But there is a LOT of talking about MAX on lines. It’s reallly not the easiest forum to navigate either, but I think you’ll find very informed members who are also very friendly.

> I check out Muffwiggler.com
Yeah, I've been reading it since it was mentioned in an earlier post ITT.
Learned a few things.

I'll still check out lines later, thank you.

Thanks

youtube.com/watch?v=PkQ5rEJaTmk

give it up. Everyone who isn't deadmau5 uses DAWS on either their PC or phone and they can emulate every sound possible with little effort.

deadmau5 uses 99% software though.
He says himself that the hardware is just for fun, not for production.

Po-33 is the best investment you can make for some beginner sampler tech. It's super portable and great to take anywhere. Also it interfaces with a bunch of other instruments. Highly recommend

Well there you go, how are you going to sell this to such a niche audience? No one is going to buy a hardware synth for fun unless they have money to blow.

That's perfectly fine, but I rather not be glued to my laptop when making music.

My goal is to make it affordable. Ideally want it to be under $500

That costs over a grand...

Not OP, what are some good affordable beginner synths?
After buying my first synth what else do I need?

There are multiple workflows that allow you to use the full potential of a DAW without being glued to the laptop.
For example:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjs0IOvknaQ

for $1000 you can get a lot more quality sounds and effects lmfao. Go to a synth store and try them out idiot

Microkorg

For $1000, assuming you have literally nothing to make music with, you can buy:
$100 headphones
$100 midi controller
$750 laptop
$50 for eventual peripherals aand extras
Then you can pirate a real DAW and all the VSTs your hard drive can fit.
Granted it won't be as comfy and portable, but it will still be very easy to carry around and use wherever you want, while also having a million times more capabilities.

But if you're at the point where you're considering an OP1, you likely already own all the above and aren't just starting out, so if you have a lot of money and don't mind throwing a grand on a fun toy, I don't see why not.
I'd still get something else, but people spend much more than than on much more useless toys, so I can understand getting an OP1.

You're the idiot who is missing the point

>multiple workflows
Let's see them

Look up the "against the click" videos by Fact.
Many use daw-based hardware workflows that have minimal interaction with a computer.

sorry, meant "against the clock"

look up the beat thang and gaze into your future (not actually your future because you won't make it that far)

bump

Not even remotely true anymore. Digital will successfully fool you into thinking you have an analog setup, it's that good. Look at amp sims for guitars now. When you have a Kemper dialed in people won't be able to tell the difference between a Peavey 6505 and the amp sim.

>peavey
>doing anything analogue
Lel

OP-1 just isn't worth it. Get a normal MIDI controller and a laptop you fucking hipster.

He wasn’t asking for suggestions on what to buy, you fucking spastic

So petty lol

Thank you. For every two people who actually chime in with good info, 10 negative cunts come out the wood work

Bump

That’s part of the problem. Why is digital trying to sound like analogue when it can sound like anything? Of course because analogue sounds better than anything digital has come up with.

Depends on what is affordable to you. What else you need depends on what you are trying to do.

Good beginner is a Doepfer Dark Energy, and Dark Time. That’s a semi modular single voice w/ step sequencer. Could be all you need?

>$1200

fug

The biggest thing the OP-1 has going for it is it's software. Best thing you could do is get into coding. Hardware engineers are a dime a dozen for this type of thing. Software developers are $$$.

TE lost the guys who put out the OP-1. New guys putting out Pocket Operators, along with the long anticipated OP-Z

>That’s part of the problem. Why is digital trying to sound like analogue when it can sound like anything?
Because it can. And it already does sound like anything.

Smaller, 16 tracks, etc. should be a doozy

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OP-Z looks dumb. If I wanted to use my phone I would just use an app instead.

So much wasted potential. No wonder analogue made such a triumphant return these past years.

Did it?

watched the video. looks like a piece of shit. you can get the same sound out of pirated software

I tried one out and really like it for the most part
There's nothing else that currently does what it does at the same size and portability like it
Not gonna pay full price for it though

Search engines will help a lot depending on what you need (obviously).
Some basic things you will need to understand are the nyquist sampling theorem, FFT, and how filters work. Videos help if you're having trouble understanding.
musicdsp.org has a pretty good collection of source code examples for anyone starting out. Most are junk, but they're worth sifting through for the gold.
Finally if you want to cut a few corners there are libraries that can help, but you will still need to know a little DSP to make the best use of them. For instance the JUCE C++ library has a few essential DSP classes (upsampling, filters, FFT, etc.) but unless you know how to build bigger things out of them you won't get far, and that's where a broader knowledge really pays off.

>TE lost the guys who put out the OP-1. New guys putting out Pocket Operators, along with the long anticipated OP-Z
Source?
Couldn't find anything by googling.

That's too expensive, then what else would I need since it doesn't come with a built in speaker?

>No keyboard nor OLED screen
Looks shitty too

Anymore input you have or would like expand more what you shared, would be deeply appreciated