Every lesson has a real, playable synthesizer built in. No theory without practice.
See the frequencies inside every sound
Every waveform is a recipe of harmonics. Learn why a sawtooth sounds bright, a square sounds hollow, and a sine sounds pure — by watching the harmonic spectrum in real time as you play.
The source of all sound
Every synthesizer starts with an oscillator. Learn how waveforms are generated, how frequency maps to pitch, and how combining oscillators creates rich, complex tones.
Shape the frequency spectrum
Filters are the sculptor's chisel. Understand low-pass, high-pass, and band-pass filters, resonance peaks, and how to use them to carve out space in a mix.
Build a kit from scratch
Kick drums, snares, hi-hats — all synthesized from pure oscillators and noise. Learn the anatomy of each drum sound and how to recreate them with any synthesizer.
The wobble, the growl, the drop
Deconstruct the iconic dubstep bass. LFO-modulated filters, distortion, formant filtering, and layering techniques that create the signature growl and wobble.
Lush orchestral textures from scratch
Real string sections are built from dozens of players slightly out of tune with each other. Learn to recreate that warmth using unison detuning, slow attacks, ensemble chorus, and layered oscillators.
Complex tones from simple math
Frequency Modulation synthesis uses one oscillator to modulate the frequency of another, creating rich harmonic spectra impossible with subtractive synthesis alone. The basis of the DX7, electric pianos, bells, and metallic textures.
Carve sound from raw waveforms
The foundation of classic synthesis. Start with a harmonically rich oscillator, carve it with a filter, shape it with envelopes, and animate it with an LFO. This is how the Moog, Prophet, Juno, and Minimoog work — and how to build any sound from scratch.
Control how sound evolves over time
ADSR envelopes give your sounds life. From sharp percussive plucks to slow atmospheric swells — learn how attack, decay, sustain, and release define a sound's character.
Bring your sounds to life
Low Frequency Oscillators are the secret behind vibrato, tremolo, wobble basses, and auto-wah. Learn to route modulation sources to any destination for expressive, evolving sounds.
Lush, evolving soundscapes
Slow attacks, long releases, chorus and reverb — learn to build the wide, evolving pad sounds that fill out a mix and create emotional depth.
Cut through the mix
Bright, aggressive, or smooth — lead sounds need to cut through a full mix. Learn to design leads with the right harmonic content, portamento, and expression.
Percussive tones with instant impact
Plucks are all about the transient — a fast attack, rapid decay, and a resonant body. From Karplus-Strong string models to classic house piano stabs, learn to design sounds with instant character.
The squelch, the slide, the acid
The Roland TB-303 accidentally invented an entire genre. Learn the anatomy of the acid bass — a sawtooth through a resonant low-pass filter with envelope modulation, portamento, and accent — and how to push it to extremes.
Controlled chaos as a musical tool
White noise, pink noise, filtered noise — learn how randomness becomes music. From breath and wind textures to snare bodies, cymbal shimmer, and industrial drones, noise is one of synthesis's most versatile raw materials.
Jump into your first lesson — no account needed to get started.