Enthusiastically written and well explained. Perfect if you have some knowledge of op amp circuits. Circuit diagrams seemed to have been drawn to save space rather than for easy readability but are also well explained. I really enjoyed it, which is not something I often say about electronics text books, and I'm going to try some of the ideas out.
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The book is excellent and the author explains the concepts well. The first few chapters go into detail about what tools are required as well as the theory behind analogue synthesisers before heading into a project. The book can be quite America-centric at times when referring to places to buy parts or how to save money on certain items but I didn't find this to be a problem as the tips are still useful and many of the websites mentioned have UK sites as well. The author has an enjoyable style of writing which I enjoyed and which helped me get through the book. Informative, well written and great value for money.
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Outstanding package, excellent item, faster delivery.. I was expecting more important stuff in it. Not so deep about synthesiser.
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First of all this book is very generously priced - you get a lot of good information for £11.50, I think I would happily pay double that. If you are a fan of Nicolas Collins book "Handmade Electronic Music" and are looking for something new and more advanced to get into, then this is the perfect book for you. If you want to get into circuits and building electronic music from the ground up then I would read Collins book first: Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking I gave 4 stars because at times I thought the layout of the book was poor, it could have done with a little more editing in my opinion to make some concepts easier to grasp. My only other criticism is that I found Ray's language impenetrable at points, but you shouldn't let that put you off, build the circuits in the book, modify them and adapt them, you will find that they are very flexible! One more note, I noticed another review here that criticised the book for having a large section on the Noise Toaster instrument, but really, this section is great as Ray explains the instrument part by part, and I will let you in on a secret - you can pull each module out of the Noise Toaster and build it as a stand alone - I have made a standalone active low-pass filter from the notes that runs from a single 9v battery! (Edit: I decided to bump to 5 stars, there really is nothing else like this book on the market to my knowledge, my negative points don't detract from the useful content in this book)
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Great book at a competitive price. Timely delivery.
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Great read, even if you’re not going to make one
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I have mixed feelings about this book after reading it for a week. On the positive side there is some good general advise and interesting areas covered. However, overall I think this book is a missed opportunity. Once past the first couple of chapters the author starts to cover building the one of the Synths from the website, but much of the detail you would want to know about how 'exactly' the modular parts of the synth work you are left wanting. In fact there is much more information on the website than what you get in the book, so in some ways buying the book is rather a waste. For example you don't even get a copy of the full schematic, for that you need to go an download it. Also the whole of the synth is built in one fell swoop, surely it would be better to have built this one module at a time to firstly simplify the process and also for the reader to really understand what is going on and to build on their knowledge. So not a terrible book but certainly not the "bible" on DIY synth building I had hoped for and I will have to continue looking. To any authors with a good knowledge of Synth building, there is a real gap in the market here that is crying out to be filled.
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Great book, well written and witty, I was sad to hear the author is no longer with us but this is a great legacy. I intend to build at least one of his kits one day. One day...
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I can't control my astonishment that a dusty old technology like analog synth is getting a fresh new makeover courtesy the practical genius of the Music from Outer Space (MFOS) master himself: Ray Wilson. Feed your synth addiction (and it really is that as you probably know): get this quick! If you still smile with admiration at Vangelis in Blade Runner, you're going to love this book! Wilson one ups the old art of producing wonderful synth on a budget (taking apart and putting old toys back together with SFX or musically bent circuits, for example!) by "legitimizing" DIY synth with everything you need to understand the real circuitry behind both digital and analog synth, all the way up to CMOS chips. As part of the acclaimed MAKE series, this book of course is project oriented, giving ALL the steps for a middle function, and quite complex, MFOS synth. But way beyond that, Ray shows all the components for much simpler sound, PLUS the modules you can use to build a truly professional $10,000 synth SYSTEM-- or even a whole synth studio-- on a tight / DIY budget. The building blocks are here; he challenges us to take them as far as we want! For point of view, I'm a music and circuit lady at payroy dot com and evaluate new scores of synth for patentability. That's right, when Wilson says you can not only create pro synth DIY but also profit, he's not kidding. The combination of circuits and music is literally being reborn, with some of the "old" music circuit books selling for hundreds as folks jump into the new wave of patent opportunities. Beds alone are making significant royalties for DIY synth basement composers today, from movies to commercials, due to web propagation of your reputation and talent, regardless of where you are or where you got your synth. The three biggest plusses of this wonderful text are: 1. Wilson goes far beyond the usual sound effects and sci fi capacitor changes to show the circuits that exactly mimic orchestral level compositions 2. The whole text is hands on with decades of practical advice packed into each comprehensive page, including time and money saving tips on how to avoid ruining a project with too high voltage on a low voltage chip, as just one example 3. There is an ideal blend of theory, circuits and components, beginning as if you're new to the field, but going all the way to complete, modular, professional level synths and composition-- an amazing feat for $20 in a 160 page book. Perhaps most importantly, Ray was careful to generalize all the information-- from components to circuits to technique-- so you get the skill to advance quickly to much bigger and more robust units if you wish. On the other hand, the book's main project (the MFOS Noise Toaster) is FAR from simple. Wilson even says that although it's rudimentary to advanced engineers, they still love building it due to the memories it brings back AND the principles it reinforces about how variations change sounds, as well as the subtle contributions of individual components, designs and circuits. In fact, I just read a new patent by an "amateur" who invented a cricket chirp synth that acually brings crickets out from hiding-- he's negotiating selling it to a pest company for over $12 million US right now!! Yes, the toaster works with white noise loops too, so we're talking SFX here as well, not only music, and Wilson shows how to adjust the circuits (and WHY) to change that white noise to a bomb blast effect, for example. Take your new blast SFX, combine it with a blastcode animation (a Maya plugin), and earn extra income from your hobby! Finally, us benders will now also understand WHY changing that capacitance completely morphed our virtual woodpecker into a virtual intruder alarm or canary! Personal tip: I often buy electronics for a buck at the dollar store and bust them up for their components. I priced one calculator/timer reverse engineering project at $9 in current part costs vs. a buck at the dollar store (probably silver prices alone). With Wilson's help here and on his MFOS website, I can use Mouser online to get what I need at about the same savings, with no wasted parts! And yes, I DID build the toaster and yes, it DOES work-- Make's proofing worked and of course Ray, via his many magazine and blog articles, knows better than to recommend or teach untested designs!!! Highly recommended for teens forward, but recommend a basic electronics book first if you're new to electronics, including Make's own version: Make: Electronics (Learning by Discovery). I don't support or recommend publishers, but O'Reilly IS consistenly high quality in editing/ proofing first editions, and this shows in both of these titles. EMAILERS: In answer to all the frequent questions (thanks for asking!) about digital and "professional" texts in this field, the best by far in your humble reviewer's opinion is Cipriani: Electronic Music and Sound Design - Theory and Practice with Max/MSP - volume 1. It covers many aspects of Digital Signal Processing AND programming as well. Library Picks reviews only for the benefit of Amazon shoppers and has nothing to do with Amazon, the authors, manufacturers or publishers of the items we review. We always buy the items we review for the sake of objectivity, and although we search for gems, are not shy about trashing an item if it's a waste of time or money for Amazon shoppers. If the reviewer identifies herself, her job or her field, it is only as a point of reference to help you gauge the background and any biases.
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Will buy again. I only got half way through but it was interesting and informative.
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Tipptopp!
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I like so much this book, Ray Wilson is an extraordinary person, who shows lots of passion and love for the stuff he creates. In this book you can find a very helpful guide to your first approach to the building process of an analog synthesizer, not only an ''how to'' but also a ''why is that''. Ray Is a very inspiring synth maker, he doesn't wait to describe to you the technique of materially make and build, but also lots of circuit's simple explanation and tips and tricks. A great journey into good sounds and sincere and passionate attitude towads the subject. Great book.
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Mon seul regret : qu'il ne soit pas traduit en français.
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