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Go at your own pace
4 Sessions / 10 hours of work per session
Price
Free
Included w/ premium membership ($20/month)
Skill Level
Intermediate
Video Transcripts
English
Topics
synthesizers, composition, filters, oscillators, audio effects

Not available for purchase in India

Open for Enrollment

Designing Synthesizer Sounds

Designing Synthesizer Sounds
Open for Enrollment
You can also start immediately after joining!

Would you like to enroll?

Enrollment for this course has closed. But you can enroll in a future offering (please select)

Enrollment has closed

Go at your own pace
4 Sessions / 10 hours of work per session
Price
Free
Included w/ premium membership ($20/month)
Skill Level
Intermediate
Video Transcripts
English
Topics
synthesizers, composition, filters, oscillators, audio effects

Not available for purchase in India

Course Description

This course is designed to explore practical contemporary synthesis techniques in the context of creating a musical composition. It focuses on the musical and emotional implications of synthesizer components and techniques: envelopes, LFO’s, filters, oscillators, modulation, and audio effects. Frequent peer feedback on both the synthesizer patches and musical composition help to develop the student’s technical and musical capabilities.

At the conclusion of the course the student will have a solid foundation in practical contemporary synthesis techniques within an industry standard synthesizer, will have created a piece of music to demonstrate his or her skills, and will have developed the ability to critique synthesizer patches based on their appropriateness, emotional impact, category, and expressiveness.

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schedule

This course is in adaptive mode and is open for enrollment. Learn more about adaptive courses here.

Session 1: Getting Started with Synthesis in Strobe 2 (March 29, 2024)
This session will introduce you to synthesis and electronic music and getting started using Strobe 2. You will be asked to submit a mock up of initial ideas for your final project, to help you set their goals and begin to think about the overall vision for your song.
7 lessons
1. Welcome to Designing Synthesizer Sounds!
2. What is Unique about Electronic Music?
3. Initializing Strobe 2
4. DR Kick Drum
5. BA Bass
6. Creating Your Mock Up
7. Giving and Receiving Feedback
Session 2: Creating Custom Synthesizer Patches (April 5, 2024)
This session will dive into different types of synthesizer sounds from lead synths to organs & keyboards, and more. You will learn how to start crafting your own patches to use in your compositions.
6 lessons
1. Categories of Synthesizer Sounds
2. OR Organs
3. LD Leads
4. KB Keyboards
5. AR Arpeggiator
6. Draft 1
Session 3: From Preset to Perfect Patch (April 12, 2024)
This session will take a deeper look at building and tweaking patches to get the perfect sounds for your song. We will also start to discuss your audience, and how to direct their focus, attention, and energy throughout the various sections of your piece.
6 lessons
1. From Preset to Perfect
2. PD Pad
3. SY Synchronized Synths
4. UN Unison
5. CH Chord
6. Draft 2
Session 4: Putting it All Together: Timbre, Sequencing, FX (April 19, 2024)
This session will look at incorporating timbre, sequencing, special FX, and texture into your music. You will be asked to submit the final version of your song.
6 lessons
1. Timbre As Motive Force
2. SQ Sequence
3. FX Special FX
4. TX Texture
5. Draft 3
6. Now what
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Learning Outcomes

Below you will find an overview of the Learning Outcomes you will achieve as you complete this course.

Instructors And Guests
What You Need to Take This Course

Pre-Requisite Knowledge: students should have experience with a digital audio workstation and be comfortable using one that supports VST, AAX, or AU plugins.

Equipment: FXpansion Strobe and a MIDI keyboard (such as an oxygen 8)

Download Your FREE 90-Day Demo of Strobe 2

Berklee and FXpansion have partnered to bring you a free, 90-day trial of Strobe 2. This demo includes all of the features available in the full version and is only available to students in this course.

To download your free 90-day demo of Strobe 2, click here.

You will be directed to a webpage where you will need to create an account with FXpansion. If you already have an account with FXpansion, you may log in using your username and password. When you are ready to download the demo, you will need to enter the following Activation Code (please note this code is case sensitive):

BERKLEE123S

Once you have entered the code and verified you are a student in this MOOC, the demo will appear within the "My Registered Products" page in your user account and you can download it for free.

Please view the document below for instructions on downloading and authorizing your Strobe 2 demo.

The suggested Digital Audio Workstations are:

  • Ableton Live
  • Pro Tools
  • Digital Performer
  • Cubase
  • Reaper
  • Logic
  • GarageBand

Strobe 2 is provided in the following plugin formats:

On Mac:

  • AU (32-bit and 64-bit)
  • VST( 32/64-bit)
  • RTAS (32-bit)
  • AAX (64-bit)

On Windows:

  • VST( 32/64-bit)
  • RTAS (32-bit)
  • AAX (64-bit)

A simple USB keyboard controller that can interface with your DAW is also required, an M-Audio Oxygen 25 is an example of a small keyboard controller that could work well for this course.

System Requirements

For the Strobe 2 synthesizer, the hardware requirements are:

  • Windows 7 or later or Mac OSX 10.8.6 or later
  • Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz
  • 1GB RAM
Additional Information

Please note: Taking part in a Kadenze course as a Premium Member does not affirm that the learner has been enrolled or accepted for enrollment by Berklee.

Peer Assessment Code of Conduct: Part of what makes Kadenze a great place to learn is our community of learners. While you are completing your Peer Assessments, we ask that you help us maintain the quality of our community. Please:

  • Be Polite. Show your fellow learners courtesy. No one wants to feel attacked - ever. For this reason, insults, condescension, or abuse will not be tolerated.
  • Show Respect. Kadenze is a global community. Our learners are from many different cultures and backgrounds. Please be patient, kind, and open-minded when discussing topics such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other potentially controversial subjects.
  • Post Appropriate Content. We believe that expression is a human right and we would never censor our learners. With that in mind, please be sensitive of what you post in a Peer Assessment. Only post content where and when it is appropriate to do so.

Please understand that posts which violate this Code of Conduct harm our community and may be deleted or made invisible to other learners by course moderators. Learners who repeatedly break these rules may be removed from the course and/or may lose access to Kadenze.

Learners with Disabilities: Learners who have documented disabilities and who want to request accommodations should refer to the help article via the Kadenze support center. Kadenze is committed to making sure that our site is accessible to everyone. Configure your accessibility settings in your Kadenze Account Settings.