Analogue Synthesisers
Hardware and virtual analogue instruments for sculpting sounds from electronic waveforms.
What it is
About Analogue Synthesisers
Analogue synthesisers — from classic hardware such as the Moog Minimoog, Roland Juno, and Korg MS-20 to semi-modular instruments and modern reissues — generate sound by manipulating continuous electrical signals through oscillators, filters, amplifiers, and modulators. Unlike digital synthesis, analogue circuits introduce subtle imperfections in tuning, tone, and noise floor that many practitioners regard as musically valuable. Hardware synthesisers are played and recorded in the studio; virtual analogue synthesisers (soft synths such as Arturia's V Collection or Native Instruments' Massive) replicate these circuits in software, eliminating the need for outboard hardware while preserving most of the tonal character. In a professional context, analogue synthesisers are central to electronic music production, film scoring, sound effects design, and broadcast underscores. A music producer uses them to build textural pads, bass lines, and leads; a sound designer uses them to create non-natural sounds — vehicles, aliens, mechanical effects — that cannot be sampled from the real world. Understanding signal path (oscillator → filter → VCA → effects), patch programming, and the interaction between envelope, LFO, and modulation matrix is the practical skill set. The instrument rewards experimentation: small parameter changes produce dramatically different results.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Build a bass patch from scratch by setting oscillator waveform, tuning the filter cutoff and resonance, and shaping the amplitude envelope.
Create a slowly evolving pad by routing an LFO to filter cutoff and using a long attack and release on the amplitude envelope.
Patch a semi-modular synthesiser by connecting oscillator output to an external filter using patch cables, then modulating pitch with a second LFO.
Record a synthesiser performance into a DAW via audio interface, then layer multiple takes to build a full arrangement.
Export a synthesised sound effect — engine rumble, sci-fi drone, mechanical click — for use in a film or TV sound design session.
How to learn it
Learning Resources
Syntorial (syntorial.com) — interactive synthesiser training app; free trial available, paid version ~£35
Surge XT synthesiser (free, open-source) includes presets and a built-in manual — ideal for learning synthesis without hardware
YouTube: Mylarmelodies, Hainbach, Andrew Huang — in-depth synthesis tutorials across skill levels
The Synthesizer — a Comprehensive Guide to Understanding, Programming, Playing, and Recording by Mark Vail (book)
Pro Tip
Learn one synthesiser deeply rather than collecting many presets. Build every patch from the default sine wave — understanding how the sound changes at each stage (oscillator → filter → envelope) is the skill that transfers across every instrument.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool