Synthesizers can create all sorts of bizarre noises, from realistic sounding violins and cellos to distorted out of the world sounds almost all programmed by hand. They come in many different sizes, from portable keyboards to humongous mainframes. They are in music, movies, TV shows and just about anything nowadays. Synthesizers are an amazing tool for musicians, with the steep learning curve they come with, can really benefit any one that could understand them.
What is a Synthesizer? A Synthesizer is a “musical instrument that is capable of producing a wide range of different sounds” (Russ 4) from “simple resources” (430). There are two main types of synthesizers: analogue and digital. Analogue synths use “voltages and currents
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Release is the final part of an envelope; it controls how long the sound stays after letting off the key. Finally, the last part of a basic synthesizer is the amplifier. It controls the “loudness of the waveform” (404). There are many more features synthesizers could have, but these are the basic essentials needed for a great synth.
There are two main types of synthesizers: analogue and digital. Analogue synths use voltages and currents directly represent both audio signals and any control signals (71).
The History
Synthesizers have been around for long time, it is not just a recent technology. In the late 19th century, “American inventor Thaddeus Cahill acquired a patent for his instrument known as the Telharmonium, or Dynamophone” (“A Brief History”). The Telharmonium weighed “200 tons” and is “driven by 12 steam-powered electromagnetic generators” (“A Brief History”). Played in “real time using velocity-sensitive keys, it could generate several different sounds” (“A Brief History”). In 1919, “Russian inventor Leon Theremin created the Theremin, played without even touching the instrument” (“A Brief History”). To play it, the player must wave their hands in an “electrostatic field between two antennae” and the instrument would “gauge proximity of their hands” then used this “information to generate sound” (“A Brief History”). During the “1930s in Berlin, Friedrich Trautwein
The perfect solution came around the late 1970s in a format known as MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). In a simple explanation, a MIDI file is a blueprint, which is sent to a reading machine. This machine has various spectrum data programmed corresponding to different instruments. The rather small MIDI file is then read, and interpreted to match the desired synthesized sound. The quality of the sound produced depends on the
For example, in the nut sorting room, when Veruca’s shoes are clicking on the floor, which is a diegetic sound. This creates the effect that everything has suddenly gone very quiet and anticipation is growing. But, in Big Fish, Tim Burton uses sound to make people feel many different things. For example, in the town of Spectre, when the townspeople were dancing, the diegetic sounds were all of the happy dancing music. This creates the effect of happiness.
It is usually pre-recorded and placed over the top of a film or video and commonly used in documentaries or news reports to explain information. Focusing on selected sounds can create tension, atmosphere, and emotion. It can also impart personality to film characters. Walter Murch (the doyen of sound designers) once described the character sounds (in a film he directed) as "coronas" which can magnify each character' s screen space. A figure who is associated with a particular sound (often suggested by his or her clothing), has "a real presence that is pervasive even when the scene is about something else or the character is off-screen."
power to evoke the sound it conveys. This is true of one of the many
Once all the sounds were known it would be the time to “determine what objects are appropriate for each specific sound effect” Hibbard (2015) to match the ones in the video. This meant experimenting with the sounds items could produce. As this was for the sake of research and did not require professional equipment, it would be recorded with a phone to see if the recording matches the sound in reality. If the sound was approved it would be noted for later use, and if it was not another one would be found instead. After learning how to use the recording studio, items could be brought in and recorded with professional equipment to ensure that the sound has the best quality possible for this project. Other recording equipment was available for booking and could be used as well. Knowledge on how to use those was provided during the earlier lessons and further guides could be found online if needed. Finally, after all the sound effects, ambiences and vocals were created, they would be imported in Soundtrack Pro, “application that gives audio and video professionals the easiest and most flexible way to create, control and fix audio” Apple Inc. (2005), where they are then fixed if needed and synced to the
For example, in the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Tim Burton uses non-diegetic music to point out emotions of the children when they are loose in the eatable room. By using music, Burton shows the children’s thoughts and emotion. Burton lets the viewer absorb a deeper understanding of each character. This also lets the viewer experience the candy room through each of the children perspective which creates a connection between the character and the viewers. Tim Burton also uses music and sound in the film Edward Scissorhands. When Peg makes her way into the garden of the mansion, Peg sees green and well design bushes of objects in the garden. This scene is companied by sounds of bells and strong presence of strings incorporated. These elements gives the viewer a childlike and romantic feeling. The music and sound playing the background can make the viewer feel warm in the inside and see Peg isn’t in danger. It can also make the reader why the garden is so nice and bright and the mansion looks dark and
Foley is the reproduction or creation of a sound or sound object, typically added during post production. Foley art involves recording, modifying, and sometimes combining the sounds everyday objects produce, but does not include synthesis from scratch.
Music has been a part of human society for thousands of years, and in each time period, music has been an integral part of culture. During the Middle Ages, numerous instruments were created for the art of music making. One of these instruments is called the hurdy-gurdy. Despite its strange name, this instrument has stood the test of time and still attracts the attention of music-lovers today (Baines, Bowles, & Green, 2001).
A vital part in the making of any professionally made album is the production and post-production process. These processes are the responsibility of audio engineers employed by record labels. The engineers are responsible for the recording, mixing, and mastering of audio tracks. To do this, engineers are trained with various technologies in the fields of multi track recording, outboard gear and digital/analog workstations. With their knowledge and tools, engineers help the artists convey their art as best as possible not only to themselves but also to the demographic they wish to express their art to.
In Edward scissorhands, every time Edward moves his fingers, a loud scissor sound plays. The sound is edited in there to remind the audience of how sharp and dangerous Edward would be. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a little girl eats the special new bubble gum and turns into a giant blueberry. When the girl is rolled, the people edit in a little ground sharing and the sound of breaking stone. Those sounds are edited to show how large the girl was compared to what she was. As the girl is stretching, it make kind of an inflating sound like someone is inflating a balloon. In Alice in Wonderland there isn’t a lot of
Examples of this are sounds from objects used in a story, musical representation or any sound presented within the world of the movie. In Ridley Scotts Black Hawk Down, a film about the United States Army Rangers, composer Hans Zimmer uses more solid radio communication and a blend of western and African music to set the soundtrack apart from other military styled films. According to Looking at movies, Zimmer uses his score to go beyond music and includes many sound effects that functioned as rhythmic elements (p. 383). Diegetic sound can be any sounds from vocal exchanges between character or silence itself. A film without diegetic sound would not allow the audience to connect to what is viewed in a scene and the correlation in what is usually
Inventors have been playing with the idea of electrically powered musical instruments since the 1800s, but "the first attempts at an amplified instrument did not come until the development of electrical amplification by the radio industry in the 1920s."
A system that emulates human senses uses human sensory simulation. These can include methods of sight, sound, and touch. A very common implementation of this intelligence is in voice recognition software. It listens to what the user says, interprets the sounds, and displays the information on the screen. These are
way that creates the “perfect” tone. These manufactured sounds are what created one of today’s
were made, but the idea of what a good sound is and how it should be achieved are radically different.