Definitive Analog Synth Circuits Book?

[ioplex]

Hello,

Can anyone recommend a good book that contains analog synth circuits with descriptions?

I'd like to experiment with LFOs, VCAs, phase shifting, etc. Just from browsing the book retailer websites it sounds like there's a lot of "newbie" / how to solder / history stuff which I am simply not interested in. I want a serious book with *good* circuits and straight forward descriptions of what they do and how they work.

Does such a book exist?

Mike

[decaying.sine]

How about:
http://www.magsmoke.com/thomas_henry_books.asp
or
http://electronotes.netfirms.com/

[fluxmonkey]

[Thomas_Henry]

Hi,

In my humble opinion, there is only one answer, given your use of the adjective "definitive." That, of course, would be the entire collection of Bernie Hutchins.

I've always marveled at the people who purport an interest in our field and fail to get Bernie's material as the very first step. I mean, consider, a single freshman introductory college class in any subject runs anywhere from $500 to $1000 in my neighborhood. And yet for less than this price a person can get a lifetime's education in analog synth design from the Electronotes materials.

To wit, get it all (including the app-notes, lab manuals, special reports, etc.). Life is too short to start recreating this stuff fifty steps behind what's already been accomplished by an expert.

Apart from the superior electronics in his work, Bernie is also one hell of a great writer and a wonderful practitioner of applied mathematics. You'll love his logical and detailed approach to solving problems. I've been studying Electronotes since 1980 and might be done in twenty years or so.

Thomas Henry

[magman]

ioplex,

I'd agree with what everyone says about Electronotes (I treated myself to a full copy last year), but it can be a lot for a beginner to digest in one bite. Definitely something to aspire to though, and if you can afford it, get it. The two extracted volumes from the set that fluxmonkey suggested are a good start on a collection though.

From the Thomas Henry books at Magic Smoke, they are all excellent, but the "Build an Analogue Synth for the 21st Century" is most definitely not for beginners, as this is just a collection of circuits with very little explanation.

I'd like to add another suggestion to this collection though - Electronic Music Circuits, by Barry Klein. Unfortunately this is out of normal print and second hand copies can go for silly money, but you can get a spiral bound copy from Barry himself (Like I did) from his web site, here:

http://members.cox.net/barryklein/em.htm

I also picked up Barry's Electronic Music IC Databook, but his is more for information on old (and rare) CEM and SSM synth chips.

The only other book worth mentioning in this illustrious collection is "The Musical Application of Microprocessors", by Hal Chamberlin. This is obviously focused on computer control of a synth, but it was a mostly analogue synth. Like Barry Klein's book, this actually uses a few circuits from Electronotes, but is probably a bit more accessible.

Hope these help

Regards

Magman

[ioplex]

Thanks all. I emailed Bernie last night. Hopefully I can get these before winter break though.

[valis]

Truth be told, my favorite is Delton Horn's Electronic Music Circuits. There's lots of easy projects and it's not heavy on using obsolete components, such as CEM and SSM chips, like a lot of the projects in Hutchins book. Electronotes seems awesome but I haven't been able to explore many of the articles. Chamberlin's tome is great but I find it goes a much further into the analytical and less into the "here's a nice easy circuit that sounds cool."

[ioplex]