Music recordings are partly or mostly made by using electronic
instruments today. Since the film and music industries in Taiwan avoid
paying high costs to hire a symphony orchestra and instrumentalists to
rehearse and record, digital synthesizers, which are one kind of
electronic instruments, are frequently used to imitate thousands of
traditional musical instruments, such as the grand piano and strings.
For composers, arrangers, and keyboardists, synthesizers provide a great
opportunity to play all the instruments and finish the composition
efficiently to make final demos. As a result, understanding what a
digital synthesizer is made up of and how it works is very significant
to those musicians.
A digital synthesizer is basically a
combination of computer and software. The hardware contains the control
interface, musical keyboard, and computer system, which mainly includes
frequency generators, signal output, MIDI input and output devices, and
limited memory. Furthermore, the way the sounds attack, decay,
sustain, and release (ADSR) can be changed by operating control surface
with additional knobs and button controls. In the computer system, the
generators can combine different frequencies to create electrical
signals, and the input and output devices are connected to a personal
computer or Macintosh. In addition, the software supplies MIDI data,
soundbanks and synthesizer patches, such as pianos, guitars, and
strings.
How does a digital synthesizer generate sound? The
first way to generate sound is by using synthesizer patches. First of
all, a patch is selected. When the keys are pressed, the generators
immediately produce the frequency of sounds, and the patch, two of which
can be produced at the same time, is played through a loudspeaker or
headphones. Then the volume is changed by pressing different strength.
As the ADSR envelopes shapes are adjusted by operating many knobs and
buttons, the sound can be modified slightly or greatly to imitate real
instruments. The second way to generate sound is by using MIDI devices.
Since the MIDI input and output devices are connected to a computer,
the MIDI data from the synthesizer are transmitted via the USB-MIDI
interface. When the keys are pressed, the sound is amplified and
recorded by the computer.
In conclusion, a digital synthesizer,
which is like a basic computer with software, generates sound by using
synthesizer patches or MIDI devices. An important function of
synthesizers is to create electrical signals that sound like traditional
musical instruments, yet the differences between the synthesizers and
real instruments are still obvious because the ways that musicians play
real instruments is so complicated that the keyboardist cannot precisely
mimic the sounds. However, numerous new sounds are created by using
synthesizers, and those novel and strange sounds really inspire many
musicians. Young composers and arrangers should use a digital
synthesizer to compose music.
