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PureData: SimpleSynthIntroduction
Building a Simple Synthesizer
This tutorial uses the concept of simple electronic musical instruments to introduce some of the core concepts of synthesizing and processing audio in Pure Data. Those who are already familiar with audio synthesis should quickly grasp how it works in Pd, while those with no previous knowledge will be introduced to its theory alongside its practical application in Pd.
The MiniMoog is one of the most famous analog synthesizers in the world. We'll take a shot at reproducing some of its basic features in this tutorial. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Minimoog.JPG
A synthesizer is one of the most fundamental instruments in electronic music. Its essential function is to generate a musical tone when it receives a note from either a keyboard or a sequencer. In analog electronic music, a synthesizer is built from several modules, or parts:
- The Oscillators, which generate the tones.
- The LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator), which usually modulates either the frequency or gain of the Oscillator(s), or the frequency of the Filter.
- The Filter, which emphasizes and/or removes certain frequencies.
- The Envelope Generator, which controls changes in frequency or gain over the duration of the note.
- The Amplifier, which controls the gain of the synthesizer.
Synthesizers can be capable of playing one note at a time (monophonic), or several notes at a time, allowing for chords (polyphonic). The number of simultaneous notes that a synthesizer can play are called its voices. Originally, the word "Voltage" was used (i.e. Voltage Controlled Oscillator, Voltage Controlled Filter or Voltage Controlled Amplifier) because in an analog synthesizer each of these modules was controlled by electrical voltage from the keyboard, sequencer or another module. Because we're working in the digital domain, this voltage is replaced by data in the form of numbers, messages and streams of digital audio.
For this tutorial, we will construct a monophonic synthesizer in Pd based roughly on the design of the famous MiniMoog analog synthesizer (but much simpler!), and with a sound which is useful for generating basslines. It will take input from the computer keyboard, a MIDI keyboard or the sequencer we will build in the the next tutorial. This synthesizer will be based on two Oscillators to produce the note, another oscillator (the Low Frequency Oscillator) which will change the gain of the sound, a Filter which will only allow only certain frequencies of the sound to pass, an Envelope Generator which will control the "shape" of the gain of the note, and a final Amplifier which will be controlled by the Envelope Generator and a volume setting on the screen.
Examples
The following chapters contain many examples of PD patches that you can create for yourself using the techniques described in the interface chapter. Doing so will give you practice at using the editor and prepare you to start making your own creations.