Synthesizer

Synthesizer (music), machine which electronically generates and manipulates sounds. The musical synthesizer generates sounds which reproduce or extend those of existing musical instruments, or invents new ones. The wave forms generated by the machine are altered in duration, pitch, and quality by the use of devices such as amplifiers, mixers, filters, reverberators, sequencers, and frequency modulators. The first synthesizer appeared in 1955, and was developed by Olsen and Belar at the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in Princeton. It was intended for research into the properties of sound, rather than as a musical instrument. A number of composers became interested in widening the range of available sounds and in having complete control over their music through the use of the machine, including Milton Babbitt, Marion Davido, Morton Subotnik, and Charles Wuorinen. The best known musical synthesizer is the Moog synthesizer, which was the first “user-friendly” machine, being small enough for home use. It first appeared in the 1960s and is operated by one or more keyboards. An almost infinite range of sounds and combinations of sounds is possible, and most musical instruments can be effectively imitated. Sounds can also be produced which are far beyond the capability of any conventional musical instrument and which can be combined with signals from microphones. As well as their use in composition, synthesizers are used to arrange instrumental music, as in the highly successful recordings of Bach made by Walter Carlos in 1969. The Moog synthesizer was followed by others of similar design by such companies as Buchla and Putney. In the 1960s and 1970s more compact machines were produced using microcomputers and making possible the digital recording of sounds. In addition to their use by serious musicians, synthesizers are very popular with rock groups, who use them to achieve some startling effects.


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