Synth DIY books: Difference between revisions

 

== ''49 Easy Electronic Projects for Transconductance and Norton Op Amps'' by Delton T. Horn ==

 

This book is spoilt by one thing – mistakes, and there are lots of them, some of which are glaringly obvious, others are likely to be less so. This is a shame, as decent quantities of material on transconductance and Norton amps is hard to come by. Slightly more than the first half of the book covers OTAs, with practical circuits couched around the CA3080 and the LM13600. There are many standard circuits of potential interest to the DIY synthesist: VCAs, sample-and-holds, ring mods, VCOs and VCFs. The latter part of the book covers Norton amps, and is based around the LM3900 – there are probably slightly fewer circuits of interest here though. Those less-well equipped to spot the errors (i.e. beginners) probably ought to steer clear of this one.<ref name="ts">[[Tim Stinchcombe]]</ref>

 

== ''Advanced Projects for the Electric Guitar'' by J. Chatwin ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book. Whilst primarily aimed at the guitarist (wah wah, distortion, tremelo etc.), there are comprehensive treatments of two delay cicuits in here: an analogue BBD one (MN3102/MN3207); and a digital one (HT8955).<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Audio IC Projects'' by Keith Brindley (ed.) ==

 

This little book, published by Maplin, contains details (circuits, graphs, PCB layouts and parts lists etc.) of about 20 audio projects: as well as several power amplifier circuits, there are a few relevant to synth DIY, namely several LM13700 circuits (VCA, VCF, VCO and more), an SSM2044-based VCF, a couple of bucket-brigade delay lines, and even an MF10-based voltage-controlled switched-capacitor multimode filter!

 

== ''An Individual Note of Music, Sound and Electronics'' by Daphne Oram ==

 

== ''Electronic Drum Cookbook'' by Thomas Henry ==

 

== ''Electronic Musical Instruments'' by Norman Crowhurst ==

 

This book explains in fairly general terms what electronic musical instruments are and do, but does cover some technical aspects of how traditional instruments make their sound, and how synthesizers replicate these. Most of the circuits given are more 'representative' rather than practical, and only a few have sufficient component values given so that they might actually work if constructed.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Music and Creative Tape Recording'' by M.K. Berry ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book. About half this book is about recording on tape, and splicing etc. to manipulate the sound, but there are also lots of very simple circuits of a VCO, VCA (MC3340), and other effects like fuzz etc. One of the more complicated circuits seems quite out of place, a diode ladder filter – this book is the source of the circuit found in several places on the net: [http://www.syntiac.com/ext/modulus5.pdf Modulus newsletter] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20110813085058/http://www.freeinfosociety.com/electronics/schemview.php?id=329 The Free Information Society]<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Music Circuit Guidebook'' by Brice Ward ==

 

In the preface the author states he wrote the book because at the time he couldn't find other books with details of synth circuits in them. There are quite a lot of circuits in here, covering a variety of oscillators, filters, a 'function generator', VCAs, etc., and there are also circuits less often covered, like a spring reverb, ring modulator, envelope follower etc.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Music Circuits'' by Barry Klein ==

 

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" />

 

== ''The Electronic Musical Instrument Manual'' by A. Douglas ==

 

The preface warns that 'this is not a constructional book', and indeed it is not; it is also subtitled 'A comprehensive guidebook on the theory and design of electronic musical instruments, with special emphasis on the organ'. Thus it is not about synthesizers ''per se'', but there are many circuits of oscillators, tone controls, noise generators and vibrato circuits etc., and seemingly a large number from actual commercial organs, and many of these employ all manner of electro-mechanical devices (motors driving toothed wheels), photo-electric devices (slotted discs etc.), and other such curiosities (with many older circuits using valves as well as more 'modern' ones using transistors!). Potentially useful if you are trying to find out how some old organ achieved some particular effect or other.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Music Learning Projects'' by R. Bebbington ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book. The circuits in here are at a very introductory (e.g. schoolboy) level. They include several oscillator circuits (including a very Stylophone-like one), and others like a metronome etc. It is clearly not intended as a book of serious synthesizer circuits, though doubtless one or two ''could'' be adapted for such.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Music Projects'' by R.A. Penfold ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book. The circuits in this book are mostly fairly simple, and many are aimed at the guitarist: wah wah, fuzz, sustain etc.; there is actually a circuit for a spring reverb unit (though there doesn't appear to be anything like a specification for the spring tank itself); a Stylophone-like 'Stylus Organ'; the most synth-like circuit is a 555-based oscillator, but it isn't voltage-controlled.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Projects for Musicians'' by Craig Anderton ==

 

== ''Electronic Projects in Music'' by A.J. Flind ==

 

(Similar in size and type to the Babani books, but better print quality.) Contains details for building quite a few simple circuits, such as waa-waa, fuzz, a couple of pre-amps etc. Probably the most complex circuit is for a Stylophone-type mini-organ.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Synthesiser Construction'' by R.A. Penfold ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book (note the non-conventional spelling in the title). It contains details for making a basic synthesizer with the usual VCO-VCA-VCF voice, including an ADSR envelope generator, and several simple sequencer circuits. There is also a pseudo-stereo circuit using a simple phase-shift circuit.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Electronic Synthesiser Projects'' by M.K. Berry ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book (note the non-conventional spelling in the title). It contains details for a basic synth, but again uses some now hard-to-get chips, namely the SN76477 'single chip synth' and a TDA1022 BBD delay. Other circuits include a 4017-based sequencer, 8038 and 555 VCOs, and a logic-based ADSR.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking'' by Nicolas Collins ==

 

An influential book which grew out of handouts for a course to re-connect students with tangible, physical electronics. It’s a guide to the lowest tech electronic music possible; circuit-bending existing toys, moving on to building simple oscillators, filters, amplifiers using CMOS circuits. Simple, inspiring projects that work and will get you started in music DIY.<ref>[http://musicthing.co.uk/modular/?p=835 Handmade Electronic Music by Nicholas Collins], Music Thing Modular</ref>

 

== ''IC LM3900 Projects'' by H. Kybett ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book. Many older synthesizer circuits made use of the LM3900 chip, which is slightly harder to figure than an op amp. Finding books that even mention this chip is hard, never mind one dedicated to it. This is a nice, tractable introduction to the chip, what it is and what it does, and contains dozens of simple utilitarian circuits.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Make: Analog Synthesizers'' by Ray Wilson ==

 

Many of the books on this list are decades old, so this recent offering (published in 2013) is a welcome addition. It is nicely laid out and easily readable, contains a lot of practical advice about soldering and construction, yet does contain some technical explanations of how some of the circuits actually work. One criticism is that the author seems to have decided to cram each schematic into as small as space as possible, which makes many of them overly cramped and hard to read, which doesn't make things as easy as they could be for beginners. On the whole though the [http://www.amazon.com/Make-Analog-Synthesizers-Ray-Wilson/product-reviews/1449345220/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_1?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=recent&reviewerType=all_reviews&formatType=all_formats&filterByStar=all_stars&pageNumber=1 reviews at amazon.com] are positive!

 

== ''More Advanced Electronic Music Projects'' by R.A. Penfold ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book. This contains slightly more advanced/complex circuits than its predecessor, ''Electronic Music Projects'', BP74 (q.v). Amongst the circuits here: a simple phase shifter; BBD-based flanger/chorus/vibrato unit; a ring modulator; and the latter part of the book details a 'percussion synthesizer', though this doesn't appear to use the more traditional method of [[Pinging a filter|'pinging' a resonant filter]], so heaven knows what it would actually sound like... Many of the circuits make use of the now obsolete LM13600 OTA, and so presumably would need some small adjustments to use the LM13700 instead.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Musical Applications of Microprocessors'' by Hal Chamberlin ==

 

Although primarily concerned with microprocessors and their use within sound and music synthesis, early chapters have introductory material on synthesis in general, including methods using tape, voltage control etc. There is also a nice chapter giving typical examples of basic analogue circuits such as VCOs, VCFs, VCAs etc., with good explanations of how they work.<ref name="ts" /> If you get just one book, this is the book to get. Although it has "microprocessors" in the title, it has a superb section on analog circuits.<ref>Electronics for Music Synthesis, [http://users.ece.gatech.edu/lanterma/ems10/ References], 2010 by Aaron Lanterman</ref><ref name="sd">[https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30715&start=all&postdays=0&postorder=asc synthesizer design]</ref>

 

== ''Music, Physics and Engineering'' by Harry F. Olson ==

 

== ''Music Synthesizers: A Manual of Design & Construction'' by Delton T. Horn ==

 

There are lots of schematics in this book, but it is assumed the reader can take the schematics and turn them into practical circuits. Many of the designs utilize some of the older synth chips: CEMs, SSMs, the MM5837 (digital noise) and the SN76477 effects chip. There is also a large section on patching ideas.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Practical Electronic Music Projects'' by R. A. Penfold ==

 

Typical Babani pocket-book. There are many circuits to interest the guitarist: distortion units; a guitar tuner; pseudo echo etc. More general circuits include: a metronome; a pseudo stereo unit; mixers etc. There are also some interesting MIDI circuits, including: a MIDI comparator, which looks for a specific bit pattern; a simple MIDI tester; a MIDI controller pedal; a MIDI lead tester etc.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Practical Electronic Musical Effects Units'' by R. A. Penfold ==

 

== ''Small Signal Audio Design'' by Douglas Self ==

 

For building complete audio systems it'a very valuable resource.<ref name="sdiy-may-13" /><ref>Review in [http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun11/articles/small-signal-audio-design.htm SOS, June 2011]</ref>

 

== ''Sound Synthesis: Analog and Digital Techniques'' by Terence Thomas ==

 

Contains circuits and details for building a complete synthesizer, from the PSU, through VCO, VCA, VCF etc., and including a simple sequencer, though some of the circuits are perhaps a little unorthodox. There's also a strange circuit that produces trigger pulses from MIDI data, with scant regard for what the data actually is.<ref name="ts" />

 

== ''Troubleshooting and Repairing Electronic Music Synthesizers'' by Delton T. Horn ==

 

This is a very odd kind of book, which probably has a very narrow readership. There are very few schematics in here, yet it is trying to help people to troubleshoot synthesizer-based circuits. After a basic introductory chapter on what a synthesizer is, there is a chapter of general troubleshooting techniques, which mostly looks like good, sound advice. Then there are five chapters entitled 'Problems with XXX', where 'XXX' = VCOs, VCAs, VCFs, etc. There are also chapters on digital synths, software and hardware problems, and MIDI. At the back are three schematics: an SCR-based VCO; a FET-controlled multi-feedback single op amp VCF; and a VCA circuit using three transistors and an op amp, and running off 9V and 18V supplies (which looks like it might owe something to a Korg circuit) – none of these look anything like 'standard' synth circuits!<ref name="ts" />