I know there are a lot of synth cats on here so I figured I'd ask ya'll...

I have a microkorgXL...came across it real cheap and I use for playing the sounds in my mpc but I need to start using it to generate my own sounds...

any advice or specifically good web resources for learning

thx in advance

haha yeah i just sold one of those not too long ago. i tried the computer usb but found that that was harder for me. then i just couldnt do that shit because there aint enough nobs. but i would start with just a preset i liked and tweak it, or initialize the patch and create from there

congrats on your buy!

one of the best things to the workflow of a synth...programming typically goes as follows:

1) find an osc type that most closely matches the sound you want to mimic

2) if need be, add a second osc to match other overtones.

3) set up the asdr volume envelope

4) set up the filter type and the filter envelope

5) add modulation

6) add effects

if you follow these steps, you'll be on your way to a great sound in no time!

bridge try to see the korg ms20 or the juno 106 manuals, i got the 2 beasts (the machines and the manuals) and they're very nice to start to the world of synthesis, not so complcated and not so easy but cool. vca vco filters etc are there in a friendly way...all the manuals propose "homemade" patches too so you can "create" your own sound...for example: yesterday i was looking for a patch on the ms20 wich was to recreate a bell sound and i ended up to create a sort of laser gun sound...cool and funny (and i use it in a track ahah)...

thanks a lot for the responses fellas! much appreciated

this microkorg xl seems like it's really not a great synth to start out with...the controls (only 3 fucking knobs ???!!!!) and interface/screen are really awkward

if I had that red lobster money I'd cop a Juno 106 but my gear budget is used up for a while...

sorry man, i call you bridge, i made confusion with the nicknames...
anyway the juno is a very nice (and relatively easy) starting point to make synthesis; plus it has that "instant Boards Of Canada sound" also without tweaking a lot, just with 2 or 3 presets...
some friends told me about the fact that the mk xl was a little harder to program than the mk "normal" because of the lack of some knobs more, but i remember that i tried both in a shop and the xl have a monster sound...

no prob bout the names lol

yea I can tell that the sound is really good in this machine which is why I'm going to be patient and figure out how to use it correctly

dont sleep on the korg poly 800! shit is cheap and awesome. also the roland sh32 looks dope. wanted one for a while. i have the korg poly 61, without midi , and i couldnt be happier with it.

invest some time in your mk... tweaking presets is just half as fun as to start from a simple waveform.

had the same issues as a synth beginner, even sold the mk... got back at it, learned that mf and it's a dope piece.
lodgers breakdown is pretty much the way to go...

trade it for a micron

for what its worth, i'd also suggest having a look at this book

http://www.amazon.com/Welshs-Synthesize ... 357&sr=8-1

Thx a lot Lodger. Your procedure helped me out a lot...I basically used that to get going the other night. Thanks for the book link too...I know some cats hate books bout making music but I'm the type that finds books useful so I'll def check it out.

The MicroKorgs aren't really meant to be the deepest VA synths out there. But if you can upgrade, spend a little more on a Korg MS2000 or a Korg Radias. (Others worth checking out are Novation X-station, Xio, UltraNova, M-audio Venom, Roland Gaia, etc). You might learn alot more about synthesis by using soft synths you can run in your DAW, and they'll be cheaper most the time as well.

Most analogue synths used square, triangle, sine, sawtooth, sample/hold, etc to come up with their sounds. Then there would be a filter(lo-pass, hi-pass, etc) to shape the sound. Then usually a ADSR to make the sound nice and quick, or long and delayed. The key to understanding it all is to have a well rounded analogue synth that has these capabilities, and you try and build the sound from the ground up. You at least get 1 oscilator with most analogue synths, but 2 or more gives you more to shape a sound.

Effects are also helpful for adding reverb, distortion, chorus, etc, but try to make your sounds dry before you add them. (Unless you're after a gritty distorted bass synth from hell)