|
Synth DIY '''Books'''
'''Books''' related to synths, analog design, and anything else of interest.
== Electronics for electronic music, theory and practical ==
=== ''49 Easy Electronic Projects for Transconductance and Norton Op Amps'' by Delton T. Horn ===
TAB, 1990, ISBN 0830674551, 216 pages
This is probably one of the better books explaining synthesizer circuits in some detail, covering not only oscillators, filters, envelope generators, voltage-controlled amplifiers etc., but also things like the PSU and keyboard controllers. Though some of the circuits are based around now-obsolete CEM and SSM synthesizer chips, there is much to be learned from this book. It also contains quite a lot of circuits taken from ''Electronotes'', q.v. (And if you intend to get serious about all this stuff and are contemplating buying a copy of this book, getting a copy of the ''Electronic Music IC Databook'' at the same time is thoroughly recommended!)<ref name="ts"/>
=== ''Electronic Music IC Databook'' by Barry Klein ===
Published by the author, Barry Klein, along with [http://members.cox.net/barryklein/em.htm Electronic Music Circuits] (if you are serious about this stuff and are buying that book, buy this one too!).
This is a large (more than 300 pages) compendium of datasheets of old (generally) synthesizer-dedicated ICs. Some of the information is available online, most notably Synthesis Technology's [http://www.synthtech.com/cems.html CEM chip page], but for many of the chips, this is likely to be the only place you will find the data.
Chips covered are:
CEM: 3310, 3312, 3320, 3328, 3330/3335, 3340/3345, 3350, 3360, 3371, 3372, 3374, 3378/3379, 3387, 3389, 3391, 3394, 3396, PA381/382 (CEM3381/2), PD508, SAM8905.
SSM: 2000, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2030, 2033, 2038, 2040, 2044, 2045, 2047, 2050, 2055, 2056, 2100, 2110, 2120/22, 2125, 2134, 2200, 2210, 2220, 2300, 2402/12<ref name="ts"/>
=== ''Electronic Music Circuits: The Reprints Vol 1'' by Thomas Henry ===
A larger-than-usual offering from Thomas Henry. It includes detail on how to use three VCO chips: the 566, 8038 and XR-2206. Some of the information is taken from ''Making Music with the 566'' (q.v.), but there is much more here besides, including exponential conversion, triangle-to-sine waveshaping etc.<ref name="ts"/>
== Electronics more in general ==
=== ''IC Op-Amp Cookbook'' by Walter G. Jung ===
3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 1997, ISBN 0138896011, xviii+581 pages. 1st edition, Sams, 1977, ISBN 0672209691, 591 pages.
This book is frequently recommended as a good reference for op amps. Part 1 starts with the basic principles of ''ideal'' op amps, and then goes on to catalogue many of the non-idealities of real op amps, how they affect a circuit's operation, and how to deal with them. Part 2 is a large selection of application circuits, covering many of the standard op amp circuits seen in practice, both linear and non-linear. (Notably there is nothing about active filters in the book though.)
The first edition of the book is also worth checking out, as there is some material which is not present in later editions which may be of interest for synth DIY readers: chapter 6 (approx. 90 pages) covers op amp use in audio circuits (mainly amplifiers and pre-amplifiers etc., but also a small section on active filters); chapter 8 (approx. 100 pages) covers ''progammable'' op amps, including ''operational transconductance amplifiers'' (OTAs) such as the CA3080, and also ''current differencing amplifiers'', such as the LM3900, both of which find wide application within synthesizer circuits.
(The Prentice Hall third edition appears to be little more than a photocopy of the Sams book, and some readers have noted that the print quality is not so good in some places in the book.)<ref name="ts"/>
=== ''The Art of Electronics'' by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill ===
ISBN 0521370957
Praised all across the internet for being the absolute bible. Easy enough to be understood and enticing to a beginner but precise enough to be a reference for actually engineers.
Start with The Art of Electronics, at least the first few chapters, and then dig into Musical Applications of Microprocessors<ref name="sdiy-may-13"/>
=== ''The Art of Electronics Student Manual'' by Thomas C. Hayes and Paul Horowitz ===
ISBN 0521377099
The projects described in the first few chapters help to experience how transistors, FETs and op-amps actually in circuits.<ref name="sdiy-may-13"/>
=== ''Troubleshooting Analog Circuits'' by Robert A. Pease ===
Elsevier, 1991, ISBN 0750694998
Entertaining pearls of wisdom and experience, right down to the passive component level.<ref name="sdiy-apr-13">The Synth-diy Archive, [http://dropmix.xs4all.nl/pipermail/synth-diy/2013-April/thread.html SDIY Wiki - books], April 2013</ref>
=== ''CMOS Cookbook'' by Don Lancaster and Howard M. Berlin ===
Butterworth Heinemann, 2nd edition, 1997, ISBN 0750699434<ref name="sdiy-apr-13"/>
=== ''Design with Operational Amplifiers & Analog Integrated Circuits'' by Sergio Franco ===
ISBN 0070530440
It's got some stuff directly relevant to synth DIY but should be considered as geared more towards the mathematically inclined person in sharp contrast the The Art of Electronics<ref name="sdiy-may-13"/>
=== ''Op Amps for Everyone'' by Bruce Carter and Ron Mancini ===
ISBN 1856175057
is something more along the lines of practical applications.<ref name="sdiy-may-13"/>
== Data books ==
=== ''Electronic Music IC Databook'' by Barry Klein ===
Published by the author, Barry Klein, along with [http://members.cox.net/barryklein/em.htm Electronic Music Circuits] (if you are serious about this stuff and are buying that book, buy this one too!).
This is a large (more than 300 pages) compendium of datasheets of old (generally) synthesizer-dedicated ICs. Some of the information is available online, most notably Synthesis Technology's [http://www.synthtech.com/cems.html CEM chip page], but for many of the chips, this is likely to be the only place you will find the data.
Chips covered are:
CEM: 3310, 3312, 3320, 3328, 3330/3335, 3340/3345, 3350, 3360, 3371, 3372, 3374, 3378/3379, 3387, 3389, 3391, 3394, 3396, PA381/382 (CEM3381/2), PD508, SAM8905.
SSM: 2000, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2030, 2033, 2038, 2040, 2044, 2045, 2047, 2050, 2055, 2056, 2100, 2110, 2120/22, 2125, 2134, 2200, 2210, 2220, 2300, 2402/12<ref name="ts"/>
== Usage ==
=== ''Synthesizer Basics'' by, edited by Brent Hurtig ===
GPI Publications (Hal Leonard Pubs), 1984, ISBN 0881887145
Brilliant collection of articles that first appeared in Keyboard Magazine, most of them are by [[Robert Moog]] from the late 70s giving lucid explanations on topics such as Loudness and Attack Shaping, Principles Of Voltage Control, Phasers etc.<ref name="sdiy-apr-13"/>
=== ''Midi For Musicians'' by Craig Anderton ===
AMSCO Pubs, 1986, ISBN 0825610508
May be considered a bit dated now. The full [[MIDI]] spec is in the back of the book.<ref name="sdiy-apr-13"/>
=== ''Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, Controls'' by Allen Strange ===
288 pages, McGraw-Hill Inc., 2nd revised edition, 1982, ISBN 0697036022
If you're really hard core, this book is by far the best text dealing with modular synthesis.<ref>The Womb Forums:[http://thewombforums.com/showthread.php?12273-What-do-all-the-controls-on-synths-and-keyboards-mean What do all the controls on synths and keyboards mean?]</ref>
== Non-technical ==
=== ''Keyfax Omnibus'' by Julian Colbeck ===
MixBooks, 1996, ISBN 0918371082
Fairly comprehensive compendium of reviews of synths, samplers, organs and key controllers, from the Farfisa Compact circa mid-sixties, to the mid-nineties. Easy and fun to read, and a great reference. Nearly every entry has a B&W photo. Also look out for earlier editions from the eighties, where more obscure stuff is included.<ref name="sdiy-apr-13"/>
=== ''Vintage Synthesizers'' by Mark Vail ===
Miller Freeman, 1993, ISBN 0879306033<ref name="sdiy-apr-13"/>
== See also ==
*[[Electronics#Further_reading|Electronics]], lists books about electronics.
*[[Synthesizer#Further_reading|Synthesizer]], lists books about synthesizers.
*[[Data sheets]]
*[[Magazines]]
*[[Schematics and manuals]]
*[[Synthesizer Do It Yourself#External links|Synthesizer Do It Yourself]], also lists a lot of online resources.
== References ==
{{reflist}}
*Response to ''[http://thewombforums.com/showthread.php?12273-What-do-all-the-controls-on-synths-and-keyboards-mean&p=215670#post215670 What do all the controls on synths and keyboards mean?]'' by Babaluma, The Womb Forums, 26 August 2009
== External links ==
=== Electronics ===
*[http://electronotes.netfirms.com/free.htm Electronotes], application notes of interest in the areas of analog and digital music synthesis, audio, and general signal processing.
*''[https://web.archive.org/web/20140606211655/http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slod006b/slod006b.pdf Op Amps for Everyone]'' by Bruce Carter and Ron Mancini, Texas Instruments, 2002
=== Sound and synthesizer theory ===
''Anything in-depth, longer than a page or two.''
*[http://www.cyborgstudio.com/synthmp3s/arp/2600/manual/arp2600ownersmanual.pdf ARP 2600 Owners Manual], also relates to synths in general
*[http://www.samecoff.com/works.html Fundamentals of Music Technology: Subtractive Synthesis] with audio samples
*Nord Modular G2 [http://rhordijk.home.xs4all.nl/G2Pages/ Workshops and tutorials], also relates to synths in general
*Digisound [http://www.digisound80.co.uk/digisound/other_documents/documents.htm Step by Step Guide to Synthesis]
*Sound On Sound magazine's [http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm Synth Secrets]
*Sound On Sound magazine's [http://www.soundonsound.com/search?url=%2Fsearch&Keyword=%22synth+secrets%22&Words=All&Summary=Yes&Keyword=%22synth+school%22&Year=+&Month=+&Words=All&Summary=Yes&Section=0&Subject=&ShowResults=yes Synth School]
*[http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~clark/nordmodularbook/nm_book_toc.html Advanced Programming Techniques for Modular Synthesizers], [[Clavia Nord Modular]] manual however it applies to all synths.
*[http://www.wavemakers-synth.com/buchla/PaMtEO.zip Buchla music easel manual], also relates to synths in general
*[http://www.carbon111.com/serge_index.html The Original Serge Guidebook], also relates to synths in general
=== Music technology ===
*[http://www.samecoff.com/works.html Basic Music Technology I & II]
=== Lists of books on other sites ===
* Music From Outer Space:[http://www.musicfromouterspace.com/index.php?CATPARTNO=&PROJARG=ELECTRONICS%2Fbookstore.html&MAINTAB=SYNTHDIY&VPW=1321&VPH=810 Suggested Reading]
* [http://www.synthesizers.com/books.html Books worth reading] at Synthesizers.com
* Muff Wiggler forum:[http://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=102064&start=all&postdays=0&postorder=asc BOOKS? audio electronics basics? please help.]
* Muff Wiggler forum:[http://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12812&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 Newb looking for 'Patching for dummies' kind of thing]
* [http://www.snap-dragon.com/synth_books.htm Synth Books] at www.snap-dragon.com
* [http://m.matrixsynth.com/2006/12/synth-books.html Synth Books] at MATRIXSYNTH
* [http://patchpierre.blogspot.nl/search/label/Booktip PatchPierre BookTips]
* The Synthesizer Network [http://www.analogue.org/tsn/books.htm Literature, CD´s and Videos] page, from 2011
* [http://www.solorb.com/anhevn/synthbooks.txt Synth/MIDI/Analog/Acoustic Bibligraphy] by Mark Frazer Bower
* [http://home.swipnet.se/cfmd/synths/books.html Magnus Synth Book Page]
* Doepfer Musikelektronik [http://www.doepfer.de/a100_man/a100b_e.htm A-100 Further Reading]
* Detachment 3 Laboratories, [http://labs.det3.net/diy/synthbook.html The Master Synthesizer Book List r1.1]
* Fred Wilder's [http://www.stcroixstudios.com/wilder/music/synthreading.html Reading List]
[[Category:References]]
|