Get Serious about Sound Synthesis

Using less presets, creating your own sounds, being ahead of your (musical) game. There are more than enough reasons to learn more about Synthesis! And synthesis expert MarcoAntonio Spaventi couldn’t agree more.

Sometimes when you get a great idea for a song or track, you can just feel it, this is going to be massive. You can hear it in your mind, it’s ready and waiting to be executed. But during the production process, it seems like you just can’t get it right. It’s like something is ‘missing’ in your sound, and that’s where a good dose of Synthesis can do the trick!

Being a music producer, you want to create the music you like and to really be in control. Sound Synthesis is ‘the technique of generating sound, using electronic hardware or software, from scratch.’, but during our Synthesis workshop on the 11th of June in Amsterdam, we are going to make it a bit more exciting!

Abbey Road Institute’s lecturer MarcoAntonio Spaventi is a true sound doctor. He knows synthesis inside out, owning an amazing collection of legendary synthesizers and modular synths in his production and mastering studio. He produced and released many tracks under the name MA Spaventi (soon a new EP coming out) and collaborations like RAG and Crystal Maze. As a mastering engineer he works for several labels like Delsin and Dekmantel and artists like techno veteran Robert Hood.

So, sound sculpturing is sort of his thing. Besides that, he has a serious track record in teaching and inspiring others to make music and explore their musical boundaries.
During this 2 hour workshop, MarcoAntonio will give an overview of the three fundamental synthesis techniques:
– Subtractive synthesis,
– Wavetable synthesis and
– FM synthesis.

He will explain the fundamental forms of synthesis, show the differences and provide tips on how to integrate it in your own music, by using a combination of synthesizers (like the Moog), modular synths (Eurorack) and soft synth plugins (like Operator, Massive, etc..). And last but not least, combining the three synthesis forms into interesting (complex) sound sculptures.

Abbey Road Institute’s Get Serious about Sound Synthesis workshop by MarcoAntonio Spaventi gives you a clear overview of the fundamental synthesis principles, providing you a framework and a good starting point to explore further. Join this workshop and go home with fresh new insights and pockets full of inspiration, ready to apply on your own tracks.

Written by Dennis Beentjes