The Rock Synthesizer Manual: A Revised Guide for the Electronic Musician

Review Within the past 20 years, popular music has experienced an enormous technological revolution. Robert Moog, with the invention of the first voltage-controlled and keyboard-accessible synthesizer, afforded the average musician a whole new world of previously unknown sounds, as well as ideas about sound production and control-soon afterwards to be called "synthesis." With the advent of the 1970s, synthesizers ceased to be curiosities explored and exploited only by the likes of electronics enthusiasts and keyboard virtuosos, and began to enter the mainstream of pop music. As more and more performers took advantage of the synthesizer's vast potential, there were concurrent advances in computer technology allowing engineers and manufacturers to reduce both the size and cost of the instrument, and to further develop its musical possibilities. In fact, earlier versions were quickly outdistanced and an unplanned obsolescence reflected the rapid high-tech evolution. Thus, it now seems timely for a state-of-the-art review, and Geary Yelton provides us this in layman's terms. Designed to acquaint the average musician with the various aspects and intricacies of sound synthesis, his book familiarizes the reader with the bask concepts of sound generation and voltage control. In addition, he presents a historical view of a variety of synthesizer types-analog, hybrid, digital -and their development, along with a succinct and easy-to-read description of most of the available popular models, their features and capabilities. By presenting an overall picture of the development of synthesizer technology up to the present, this bookwith its "user-friendly" approach-should prove to be an important reference tool. The book includes photographs, flowcharts, and other illustrations as well as a buyer's guide, glossary of terms (ranging from "AC Coupling" to "White Noise"), directory of fifty manufacturers, a selective bibliography, and an index. -- From Independent Publisher