Category: Synthesizers
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This technique can be used on almost any synthesizer and involves manipulating a low-pass filter to reveal the synth’s tone.
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Boards of Canada is a personal favorite of mine, and I have studied their music to learn how they achieved their distinctive sound. Here is what I think I have learned so far (I will continue to add to this page as I learn more). Last updated: 25-March-2026
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For a track that was only on the original vinyl release, this one is a beauty, and lots of people like it a lot. I’d like to know how it was made and I think I can come close to understanding it. Here’s what I have so far. Last updated: 19-December-2025
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I’ve long been a fan of William Basinski’s works with tape loops and have admired his techniques so I set out to understand the nature of his work with analog gear and to try and replicate it in my DAW with plugins.
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Synthesizer plugins can be overwhelming with all their features, knobs, dials, etc. But, if you take a few steps, you can calm the overwhelm and make great sounds. Here’s my method.
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In my latest work, “The Archaeology of Obscured Presences,” I needed a piano that I could always hear in my head but not find “out there’ anywhere. So, I created it, and here’s how I did it.
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Softube Modular is a fantastic synth but I’ve had trouble getting some sizing that I could actually see while using it in FL Studio. Here’s what you need to do to resize it to a workable level.
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I like ambient music and would like to expand my expertise in making such music, so I’ve begun a study of some of what I consider the best ambient drone-type of music. This will be an ongoing collection of information, and you are welcome to check back when it has been updated. Last updated: 28-June-2024
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Here below is a selection of synth plugins that I have found have that nostalgic, lo-fi, vintage sound epitomized by Boards of Canada and others. Last updated: 27-August-2024.
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Xfer Records Cthulhu program creates arpeggios and chords like none other. Lots of patterns when used with the correct synths, can sound a lot like deadmou5 and this makes sense as Joel Zimmerman has been known to use Cthulhu made by his associate, Steve Duda. I find that often it is desirable for me to…
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Psychic Modulation has made a synthesizer that combines that “lo-fi” sound with vintage tape and synth type of processing, for a synth that sounds remarkably similar to artists such as Boards of Canada and others of that type. It comes as a low-cost vst file type of plugin that works in your DAW (digital audio…
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Using the synth “Fundamental” from SonicLab, I made several interesting sounds that producers of music might find interesting to use in their own compositions.
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You can easily recreate the sound of the bass and lead in Boards of Canada’s song “Roygbiv” by using the TAL Bassline 101 synthesizer vst plugin. Here’s how…
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I have been building presets for TAL Sampler for awhile and thought I would share some of them that I particularly like. These have a sound that reminds me of Boards of Canada. I even named a few with telling names based on Boards of Canada tracks and titles. They are free for you to…
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To make my synths and drums more interesting, I sometimes use a simple trick – adding a LFO. I learned this whilst studying Boards of Canada’s music. It often has a wobbly frequency or envelope to it, and I can often replicate this without hardware, but within a DAW using LFOs. Here’s a simple method…
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Programming can be difficult – no doubt about that. It is a whole new language to learn and I am just starting. But where to start? First, I think you need to know where you are going. I am considering programming audio plugins and here are some things I’ve found.
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Diva by U-he is a fantastic analog-emulating synthesizer. It is a vst or soft-synth plugin for DAWs. While incredibly versatile, it is also intimidatingly complex. Here are what I have learned about this synthesizer. I will be updating it as I learn more, so check back. Last updated: 18-April-2020 Diva emulates several popular analog synthesizers.…
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Brian Eno is, to me, the undisputed king of ambient music. He coined the term, “ambient music” in his groundbreaking album “Music for Airports.” Here I will revel in his sound-creating process and offer some captured bits of what I know of it – not as an attempt to deconstruct, per se, but more as…
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Composing Electronic Music is a book that has proven invaluable in my equalization settings in my electronic music creations. I would highly recommend it! [click here for a link to it]