I really, really should learn how to program synths.

[MrFigg]

Sometimes I'm sitting here and recording tunes and I've done the bass and guitar and the drums and a bit of chords on a Rhodes or whatever comes to hand, and I hear the sound in my head that I want to have for a lead melody. What happens next is just soul destroying. Out with a synth and run through a load of presets, out with a random refill and run through a load of patches. Finally find something that sort of approximates what I'm looking for but doesn't really give me joy. So... I guess I really should learn how to twiddle the knobs and slide the sliders. It's all just so much easier with a guitar and pedals. Plug and play. But I'm going to have to...sometime.

[motuscott]

I bought my first synth before I had a computer, much less music recording software. Roland XV 3080, a menu driven never ending nightmare. One of the reasons I bought Reason was to learn synth programming. Several types of synthesis, save your tweaks, great manual, was making good money at the time...
What I'm trying to say is, I still can't program fer shit but I sorta understand what people are getting at when they programspeak.
Anyway Reason IS the place to be, synth programming wise.

[motuscott]

FS: Roland XV3080
A really wonderful piece of vintage digital kit.
Make me an offer

[huggermugger]

Not sure what level you're at, but Subtractor is a great starting point. It's got all the basics.

[Chi-Individual]

Syntorial is a really good app for demystifying synths. It’s usually on sale for BF. I haven’t finished it but the parts that I did finish cleared up quite a bit. And you can use the built in synth as an instrument, I think

https://www.syntorial.com/

[RobC]

Not sure what level you're at, but Subtractor is a great starting point. It's got all the basics.

Seconded!

It's a timeless little synth.

[PhillipOrdonez]

Yes

[TritoneAddiction]

As someone who has recently started my own patch making and has gone through a couple of synths at this point, I would start with Europa. It's pretty easy to use and easy to understand. GUI is very straight forward. It's very rewarding to work with. Just because it's deeper than some of the more basic synth, doesn't mean it's harder to use. You'll be able to get way more sounds out of that thing with less effort. And having the effect and unison section at hand will also be more encouraging when making patches compared to having a completely "dry" synth to work with.

It really is a great all rounder synth. It's Reason Studios when they're at their best. Simple yet has depth.

Just my opinion.

[stratatonic]

Sometimes I'm sitting here and recording tunes and I've done the bass and guitar and the drums and a bit of chords on a Rhodes or whatever comes to hand, and I hear the sound in my head that I want to have for a lead melody.... ...

... ...It's all just so much easier with a guitar and pedals. Plug and play.

Soooooo.....use the guitar and pedals for your lead melody...

[stratatonic]

Or do what Matt says here...(Timestamped for you): (though you may like the whole vid)

[selig]

My 2 cents:
Besides which synth you SHOULD start with, chances are you’ll get just as far or further if you start with the synth you are most drawn to. Seems odd, but it’s worth considering since you’ll need to spend lots of time with it - and the more you like it the easier it will be to put in the hours. And by “like it” I guess I just think you need to use your gut and see which one you’re drawn to (doesn’t have to be a logical reason, could be the color, the knobs, anything!).

[challism]

You should start with Complex-1.

[motuscott]

You should start with Complex-1.

Don't forget to tip the waitstaff!

[freshkidblaze]

I learned how to sound design using antidote, then europa, then electra x, then more europa, then voltage modular then complex1

[jam-s]

Bytebeat[ (try it) could be another good starting point... just kidding, stay away from it at all cost.

[raymondh]

+1 on Selig's comment, choose the synth you are drawn to and learn it well.

But also, learning some of the essential elements may also help you become a faster preset surfer, at least in knowing which synth to go to first.

There are two good approaches to learning I think: (1) building a sound from ground-up and (2) deconstructing a sound you have already heard.

Building the sound from ground-up:

This is where playing around with a synth after learning a bit of basic theory is best: synthesis method, oscillator waveforms, envelopes, filters, modulation, effects etc. It's also about the character of the synth you're using and how that comes into play in making the sound in your head.

Deconstructing a sound you have heard:

I think has 4 aspects: learning about character, active-listening, research and making covers.

The benefit of training your ear for a synth sound is it really helps you know which synth to start with when you have an idea.

Character - the character is wide ranging - from "the sound" / tonal colour, to the envelope shapes, filter character, distortions, polyphonic behaviour etc. Synth sound design for me is a little bit like trainspotting. When my friends are busy recalling the lyrics in an 80's song, I'm more interested in recalling what synthesizers were used Yes that wonderful intro to Betty Davis Eyes is a Sequential Prophet V, the Bass on Herbie's Chameleon is an Arp Odyssey, the MJ thriller intro is Jupiter-8,...

Research: There are plenty of discussions on what synths were used for a song/hook etc, interviews with the artists, speculations etc. (I thought about starting a thread here "what synth is this?" , dumping what I know and enjoying what other people know (and the ensuing debates when people think the synths they see on Top of the Pops is what was actually used in the recording ) . - I'll start a thread here is there is interest and other folks will weigh in to build it out(?)

Active Listening and Making Covers: Sometimes that amazing synth sound might be layers of synths, or a basic synth treated in post production, It may not be obvious until you've played the original riff on repeat (annoying your family), while you play along with it on your synth, tweaking as you go. Artists like Tangerine Dream have tracks where the synths sound basic, until you try to reproduce them, listen carefully and hear the amazing modulations in the sound that you don't really notice, but make the sound so alive and organic.

[Billy+]

Buy spire vst, I just purchased over 1000 presets for less that 30 bucks I would prefer to have had thor or Europa presets but nobody is creating decent refills for reasonable money any more

Syntorial is ok but seriously a waste of time and money "I have had it for years and it made no difference to my ability to recreate sounds"

The only advice I've got is that the matrix features of a synth are worth spending time understanding as things working together via the matrix programming is what helps create sounds much more interesting than the oscillators that are "unique" and obviously looking for sounds your interested in should always be the starting point when choosing a synth.

[rorystorm]

Annd

[rorystorm]

Oscar from underdog music has your back.

[rorystorm]

I was in the same boat when I first started learning synth programming after playing guitar (although very badly). The chapter in the Reason manual for Subtractor was my entry point and I think it still holds up. In lots of ways the underlying principles for synths aren't completely different - a sound source (strings/oscillators), filters are basically the same idea as eqs just more extreme... the only thing I really had trouble with was figuring out how envelopes worked, I had a real mental block visualising what was happening. Once that was sorted I was fine. It's actually really not that hard. Though I have to admit FM synthesis is still something I struggle with.

[Popey]

I personally would start on something simple like subtractor and learn to understand basic waveforms, amp envelopes, filter envelopes, filter types, modulation like lfo etc first.

I am still learning myself but once you understand the common sound shaping tools other things like serial/parallel filters, different waveshaping/fm, multiple modulators become creative playgrounds and you soon get an idea of roughly what affect your actions will have.
I personally bought some soundpacks with the type of sounds I liked and just reverse engineered them. Might be an option to note some presets you like for researching how they are made.

[Bloma]

Personally it was hardware that got me into it, a Korg Minilogue specifically. Something about all of the controls being laid out physically in front of me made it more understandable. From there I got right into Thor and am still right into Thor.

[MrFigg]

I understand ADSR, filter and LFO already.
I think additive synthesis might be easiest for me to start with.

[Tweak]

Great topic.

I find a few things about most synths easy and intuitive, the filter/envelope, amp envelope and effects. The part I most struggle with is the initial sound generation typically with one or more oscillators. I can work with the basics: square, triangle, sawtooth etc. I think it's the myriad of ways in which these can cross modulate to create things that I get stuck with. Things like phase distortion, or frequency modulation are never predictable for me. Makes getting past a vanilla sound pretty hard if I'm not just going full experimental.

[RandomSkratch]

+1 on Selig's comment, choose the synth you are drawn to and learn it well.

Unless that synth is the DX7 or the Cheetah MS800....