Elements of the West Coast Approach to Sound Synthesis
Nielsen, Henri (2019)
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019120324433
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2019120324433
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this work was to study the West Coast approach to synthesis, originally developed by Don Buchla. The objective was to find out what the approach is, how it was developed, and how the individual elements of a West Coast synthesizer contribute to the creation of the sound.
The secondary objective of this work was to examine the possibilities of creating the West Coast sound on other systems than those created by Buchla.
The history of the development of the West Coast approach was studied to find out how Buchla's background affected his approach as a synthesizer developer. The development process of the first West Coast synthesizer was also researched, as well as Buchla's influence on the music industry.
The Music Easel, a West Coast synthesizer developed by Buchla, was studied in detail to find out how it works. The documentation of each individual module of the synthesizer was studied to find out what it does and how it affects the overall sound. The use of circuits in synthesizers in general was studied to better understand the functionality of the modules.
The user interface of the synthesizer was also studied to find out how it influences the interaction between the user and the synthesizer. In addition, various software and hardware options for creating West Coast sounds were examined, and their advantages and disadvantages discussed.
It was found that each module on a West Coast synthesizer is important in the creation of the sound. The functionality of the Complex Oscillator and the Lo Pass Gate were considered to be particularly significant. The sequencing options as well as the user interface were considered to have an important role in the creation of the sound alongside the sound sources and effects.
It was also found that there exist viable options for emulating the sound both in the software and the hardware domains.
The secondary objective of this work was to examine the possibilities of creating the West Coast sound on other systems than those created by Buchla.
The history of the development of the West Coast approach was studied to find out how Buchla's background affected his approach as a synthesizer developer. The development process of the first West Coast synthesizer was also researched, as well as Buchla's influence on the music industry.
The Music Easel, a West Coast synthesizer developed by Buchla, was studied in detail to find out how it works. The documentation of each individual module of the synthesizer was studied to find out what it does and how it affects the overall sound. The use of circuits in synthesizers in general was studied to better understand the functionality of the modules.
The user interface of the synthesizer was also studied to find out how it influences the interaction between the user and the synthesizer. In addition, various software and hardware options for creating West Coast sounds were examined, and their advantages and disadvantages discussed.
It was found that each module on a West Coast synthesizer is important in the creation of the sound. The functionality of the Complex Oscillator and the Lo Pass Gate were considered to be particularly significant. The sequencing options as well as the user interface were considered to have an important role in the creation of the sound alongside the sound sources and effects.
It was also found that there exist viable options for emulating the sound both in the software and the hardware domains.