Susan G
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Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
Hi everyone- Wow. I've just started reading this (I'm on Chapter 2) and working with the download examples, and already I have to say -- what an eye-opener! It's making things I just vaguely understood after all this time so much clearer. The author (Simon Cann) explains what every type of sound modulator actually does, so it can be applied to FX as well as synths. I know lots of this stuff is well known by many members here, but I think I've found my go-to reference for shaping sounds. I'm really excited about trying out all the examples and going through it synth-by-synth with those I have, but as I said I'm sure a lot of it can be generalized as well. I know some of you have recommended it -- do you think it's as good as I do after having gone further with it than I have  ? Thanks- -Susan
2.30 gigahertz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 16 GB RAMWindows 10 x64; NI Komplete Audio 6.SONAR Platinum (Lexington) x64
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DonaldDuck
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 00:18:41
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Susan 4 Prez! Thanks!
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Infinite5ths
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 00:22:31
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Yup...it's a terrific buy. I've got mine sitting about 2 feet away right now.
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Susan G
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 02:05:31
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Hi Mike- Yup...it's a terrific buy. I've got mine sitting about 2 feet away right now. So it is as good as I think it is once you get into it more? That's good to hear!  Thanks- -Susan
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cryophonik
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 02:12:55
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Yes, that's a great book. Simon Cann also has a downloadable tutorial called "How to Make a Noise" that is also a very good synth programming resource: http://noisesculpture.com/
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inmazevo
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 02:23:44
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Hi Susan, Indeed, it's good all the way through from where I sit. I'm actually shocked at how good that book is, particularly for novice-intermediate synth users like myself. And the price is exceptional. I've always been a gear collector kind of musician (a habit I'm desperately trying to shake), and this book has actually shown me how to get the most from what I have (Cakewalk synth and non-Cakewalk synth as well), and I've only read the first 3 chapters all the way through. I've only skimmed the rest of it as the need arises, but I can't wait to go through the Dim Pro, Rapture and z3ta+ sections more carefully. For me right now, though, I'm just reading the first chapters and practicing based on that. I'm on my 3rd read through those sections, and synthesis is really starting to click. It's books like these that actually save you money, and breath new life into your old gear. Rather than buy the next best synth, you can learn how to master the ones you have I was thinking about selling an "old" Korg Z1 that I've not been using, but after reading and skimming the book, I've started using it more and more... and it's not even technically covered in the book! I know I sound like an ad, and to be honest, in this case I actually mean to. If you are a novice-intermediate synth user, with a few of the Cakewalk synths that are covered in depth past the basic synthesis chapters, it's a must-have book. Take care, - zevo
post edited by inmazevo - 2007/07/25 02:31:57
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Infinite5ths
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 02:36:55
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Frankly, I'm very impressed overall with how the entire Cakewalk instrument line has fallen into place. From Pentagon I to Dimension Pro and all of the new little goodies that are appearing in each release, the synths are well designed, (nearly) trouble-free in SONAR, well documented, expandable, have consistent & intuitive interfaces, and sound TERRIFIC. As my signature shows, I've got the big three non-bundled synths; and Pentagon I, PSYN II, RXP, Session Drummer 2, Groove Synth, and TTS-1 are all terrific tools to have on hand. The instruments feel like a PRODUCT LINE -- not just a random collection of synths/samplers/etc. Good work CAKEWALK!! Keep it up. The vision & long-range planning/development are working wonderfully.
post edited by Infinite5ths - 2007/07/25 02:44:08
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Susan G
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 02:50:58
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Hi zevo- I know I sound like an ad, and to be honest, in this case I actually mean to. I understand that impulse completely! I was concerned that the book would be a big, expensive ad promoting CW synths. It's nothing like that. As I said before, Wow. This is a book I'm very glad to have! Thanks- -Susan
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Susan G
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 03:06:57
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Hi zevo- I've always been a gear collector kind of musician (a habit I'm desperately trying to shake), and this book has actually shown me how to get the most from what I have (Cakewalk synth and non-Cakewalk synth as well), and I've only read the first 3 chapters all the way through.
I've only skimmed the rest of it as the need arises, but I can't wait to go through the Dim Pro, Rapture and z3ta+ sections more carefully.
For me right now, though, I'm just reading the first chapters and practicing based on that. I'm on my 3rd read through those sections, and synthesis is really starting to click.
It's books like these that actually save you money, and breath new life into your old gear. Rather than buy the next best synth, you can learn how to master the ones you have
I was thinking about selling an "old" Korg Z1 that I've not been using, but after reading and skimming the book, I've started using it more and more... and it's not even technically covered in the book! Exactly how I feel. I admit I've been a sucker for synth ads, and I finally bought this book because I needed to understand the differences. How many do I really need if they all claim to let you create any sound you can imagine? -Susan
2.30 gigahertz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 16 GB RAMWindows 10 x64; NI Komplete Audio 6.SONAR Platinum (Lexington) x64
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Susan G
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 03:47:30
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Hi Mike- Frankly, I'm very impressed overall with how the entire Cakewalk instrument line has fallen into place. From Pentagon I to Dimension Pro and all of the new little goodies that are appearing in each release, the synths are well designed, (nearly) trouble-free in SONAR, well documented, expandable, have consistent & intuitive interfaces, and sound TERRIFIC. As my signature shows, I've got the big three non-bundled synths; and Pentagon I, PSYN II, RXP, Session Drummer 2, Groove Synth, and TTS-1 are all terrific tools to have on hand. The instruments feel like a PRODUCT LINE -- not just a random collection of synths/samplers/etc.
Good work CAKEWALK!! Keep it up. The vision & long-range planning/development are working wonderfully. Agreed, but what does this have to do with the book  ? -Susan
2.30 gigahertz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 16 GB RAMWindows 10 x64; NI Komplete Audio 6.SONAR Platinum (Lexington) x64
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AndyW
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 03:50:35
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Hi Susan,
Just got this book...haven't had a chance to crack it open...looking forward to it more than ever now! ThanX!
Best,
Andy
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Infinite5ths
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 06:59:16
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ORIGINAL: Susan G
Hi Mike-
Frankly, I'm very impressed overall with how the entire Cakewalk instrument line has fallen into place. From Pentagon I to Dimension Pro and all of the new little goodies that are appearing in each release, the synths are well designed, (nearly) trouble-free in SONAR, well documented, expandable, have consistent & intuitive interfaces, and sound TERRIFIC. As my signature shows, I've got the big three non-bundled synths; and Pentagon I, PSYN II, RXP, Session Drummer 2, Groove Synth, and TTS-1 are all terrific tools to have on hand. The instruments feel like a PRODUCT LINE -- not just a random collection of synths/samplers/etc.
Good work CAKEWALK!! Keep it up. The vision & long-range planning/development are working wonderfully.
Agreed, but what does this have to do with the book?
-Susan
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mudgel
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 09:03:07
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Thanks for the recommendation: I've just ordered it at Amazon US$30 inc shipping. Cheaper with shipping to Australia than if I purchased it from Cakewalk direct US$35 without shipping. Go figure.
Mike V. (MUDGEL) STUDIO: Win 10 Pro x64, SPlat & CbB x64, PC: ASUS Z370-A, INTEL i7 8700k, 32GIG DDR4 2400, OC 4.7Ghz. Storage: 7 TB SATA III, 750GiG SSD & Samsung 500 Gig 960 EVO NVMe M.2. Monitors: Adam A7X, JBL 10” Sub. Audio I/O & DSP Server: DIGIGRID IOS & IOX. Screen: Raven MTi + 43" HD 4K TV Monitor. Keyboard Controller: Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S88.
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bermuda
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 09:13:39
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It's on order with Rapture and th Sonar 6 Keyboard.
I have powertools for synths, but never got into it....I'm looking forward to something that folks are getting value from.
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tarsier
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 09:24:39
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It really is a terrific book. My favorite is how it documents the sfz format. And then how it explains that each "element" in Rapture or Dimension (LE or PRO) is a fully capable sfz player. So you could have a complete multisample, multilayer, keyswitchable instrument loaded into just one element of either of those synths. The book really opened my eyes to the deep capability of those plugins.
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Infinite5ths
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 09:53:31
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Yup, it definitely does a lot of eye-opening. The way it's organized by synth makes it a terrific reference manual; but Simon also did a good job of documenting similarities & consistencies between the various instruments. So you don't spend a ton of time re-reading the same info with every synth. Rather, you appreciate the similarities AND differences between synths (for example: Rapture vs. Dimension Pro), both of which are spelled out pretty clearly.
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harmony gardens
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 10:17:07
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you've convinced me ,,,, I have to check this book out.
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cryophonik
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 11:00:28
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ORIGINAL: bermuda
I have powertools for synths, but never got into it...
I have that book as well. It's a nice in-depth reference book for synthesis at a conceptual level, but has limited utility for putting concepts into practice. The Cakewalk Synths book, on the other hand, shows you how to apply that knowledge to make sounds using synths that you have in front of you and it introduces some new technology (e.g., sfz). I think you'll be happy that you have both - the Power Tools book is nice if you want a more detailed or different explanation of the concepts discussed in the first few chapters of the Cakewalk Synths book.
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Gamergirl
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 11:49:20
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ORIGINAL: Susan G
Hi everyone-
Wow. I've just started reading this (I'm on Chapter 2) and working with the download examples, and already I have to say -- what an eye-opener! It's making things I just vaguely understood after all this time so much clearer. The author (Simon Cann) explains what every type of sound modulator actually does, so it can be applied to FX as well as synths.
I know lots of this stuff is well known by many members here, but I think I've found my go-to reference for shaping sounds.
I'm really excited about trying out all the examples and going through it synth-by-synth with those I have, but as I said I'm sure a lot of it can be generalized as well. I know some of you have recommended it -- do you think it's as good as I do after having gone further with it than I have?
Thanks-
-Susan
Hi, everyone; my name is Courtney Patricia Parsons, I'm a noob to this forum but I've been making music with computers since 1990. My first sequencer was Cakewalk and I had a copy of Ballade, and I used ballade to plug in notes with the mouse and I final-edited them with Cakewalk. Back then, we didn't have Digital Audio recording so I ran my D-110 (a hardware synth sort of like an MT-32, a bit like an external soundcard) through a 4-track tape recorder and recorded myself playing along with Cakewalk. Boy, those were the days, weren't they? It took me months just to do one song, since I'm such a perfectionist!! Now, I just did a cover of the Pink Floyd song, Mother, an instrumental which I'm going to post for download shortly. I did a song I was already familiar with just to get used to my recent upgrade to SONAR 6.2 and my new TASCAM FW-1082 audio interface/control surface, cuz I thought it'd be easier than an original. Actually, it wasn't, it was harder, cuz when you redo someone else's song, you have to live up to a lot, particularly when one is as radically different as this one is. What book is it you're discussing, Susan? I'd love to get a copy. I must admit, I find LFO's and cords and all a little bit confusing. I use a LOT of synthwork, since my only instrument is guitar, and guitar controllers are notoriously bad about mistracking. I tend to start off with a template and then edit it to my liking, or I plug the beat in with the mouse in the Piano Roll veiw. I was wondering, is there a faster, better way to do this that you guys know of? Thanks, Courtney Patricia "GamerGirl" Parsons
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torhan
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 12:09:18
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What book is it you're discussing, Susan? I'd love to get a copy. I must admit, I find LFO's and cords and all a little bit confusing. I use a LOT of synthwork, since my only instrument is guitar, and guitar controllers are notoriously bad about mistracking. I tend to start off with a template and then edit it to my liking, or I plug the beat in with the mouse in the Piano Roll veiw. I was wondering, is there a faster, better way to do this that you guys know of? Cakewalk Synths: Presets to Power User You should check out midi keyboard controllers to make midi input quite faster. Plenty threads on the forum regarding recommendations. I personally like the Novation SL series.
post edited by torhan - 2007/07/25 12:17:45
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...wicked
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 12:12:22
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Is there a link for this magical tome? You've piqued my curiosity. EDIT: Link to the book Sorry, should do my own homework.
post edited by ...wicked - 2007/07/25 12:20:30
=========== The Fog People =========== Intel i7-4790 16GB RAM ASUS Z97 Roland OctaCapture Win10/64 SONAR Platinum 64-bit billions VSTs, some of which work
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torhan
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 12:13:26
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ORIGINAL: ...wicked
Is there a link for this magical tome? You've piqued my curiosity.
See my post above.
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karhide
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 13:32:06
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After reading the thread I've just ordered the book from Amazon
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Lost Souls
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 14:30:29
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Susan,
This is exactly what I need! Thanks!
Lost Souls It's all about the Music.
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Susan G
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 14:40:43
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Susan,
This is exactly what I need! Thanks!
You're welcome! It's only $18.71 at Amazon.com now! -Susan
2.30 gigahertz Intel Core i7-3610QM; 16 GB RAMWindows 10 x64; NI Komplete Audio 6.SONAR Platinum (Lexington) x64
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Lost Souls
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 14:57:39
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ORIGINAL: Susan G
Susan,
This is exactly what I need! Thanks!
You're welcome!
It's only $18.71 at Amazon.com now!
-Susan
Can it be found at a Barnes and Noble (or local big book store)? I want to go out and buy it today!
Lost Souls It's all about the Music.
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Infinite5ths
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 15:25:39
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...not likely. I've looked. You MIGHT find it at a GC or SamAsh; but it's a bit too specific for a B&N or Borders. Now, it it suddenly becomes a best-seller (like the "Introduction to Character Animation in Blender" book that was recently released...), then B&N and Borders will suddenly take interest & stock it. So C'MON all you Cakewalk synth fanatics! TIME TO MAKE THIS A BEST-SELLER
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aaronk
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 16:00:16
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So, how does it come out? Does Harry live? Or does Voldemort triumph?
But seriously, thanks for the tip.
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tarsier
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 16:57:15
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ORIGINAL: Gamergirl
I must admit, I find LFO's and cords and all a little bit confusing.
The best way to learn about this stuff is to get your hands on a pure modular analog synth (like the one in my avatar ) One that doesn't have a keyboard--let's stay purist. Unfortunately, these days it's getting pretty hard to play with one of those. So at least the "Cakewalk Synthesizers" book walks you through the basic concepts and gives some tutorials. There are 3 components in a synth: Generators, Processors, and Modulators. Generators make the sound, Processors change the sound, and Modulators change how the Generator or Processor behaves. You run a cable out of a Generator into a Processor, and you run a cable from a Modulator into a Generator or Processor. That's it in a very small nutshell. It's much easier to understand with a real analog synth that you can patch up manually. And it can be hours of fun.
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aaronk
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RE: Cakewalk Synthesizers: From presets to power user
2007/07/25 17:23:09
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Gamergirl
I must admit, I find LFO's and cords and all a little bit confusing.
The best way to learn about this stuff is to get your hands on a pure modular analog synth (like the one in my avatar ) One that doesn't have a keyboard--let's stay purist. Unfortunately, these days it's getting pretty hard to play with one of those. So at least the "Cakewalk Synthesizers" book walks you through the basic concepts and gives some tutorials.
There are 3 components in a synth: Generators, Processors, and Modulators. Generators make the sound, Processors change the sound, and Modulators change how the Generator or Processor behaves. You run a cable out of a Generator into a Processor, and you run a cable from a Modulator into a Generator or Processor. That's it in a very small nutshell.
It's much easier to understand with a real analog synth that you can patch up manually. And it can be hours of fun. Agree 100%. In lieu of tarsier's gear, modular synths like Tassman and Reaktor let you do the same thing, building synths from scratch. Plus they can't (usually) short out, catch fire, or explode. Both include tutorial sections that do a good job setting you on your way. Are there any good general references on ADVANCED synth programming? It only takes a few minutes comparing my own efforts with some of the better ones in the Reaktor user library to see that the gap between understanding the basics and knowing how to build a really GREAT synth is large. One way I've found works pretty consistently in learning any synth is to spend a chunk of time, usually starting out from a preset, manipulating each and every knob, alone and in various combinations, until I've understood the synth well enough to be able to PREDICT its sound in advance of actually turning the knobs. (This was a necessary skill with my old analog synth, which I played live regularly and which did not have any presets or even any way to store them.)
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