BasicSynth

I don't normally write reviews for products I buy but I thought that I would put in my two cents about the book Basicsynth. I started studying the beginnings of digital signal processing (DSP) because I was fascinated with the idea of constructing a software instrument, yet every book on DSP was either a lot of technical jargon or made you say "Okay, so how do I use this practically?" Similarly, those of us who aren't the best at translating real life equations into code will find most books on programming to be equally unhelpful. This book is that intermediary that bridges the gap between digital signal processing and computer programming, and it does a fine job of it.I have not used the book to its full potential, since I'm still a novice with both the equations and concepts of actual DSP as well as programming. However it has helped tremendously to understand some of the basic concepts of DSP without unnecessary jargon as well as given me a clearer look into how a computer program actually represents some of the seemingly complex equations.The later chapters can get extremely complex in subject, but keep in mind this book is not meant as a replacement for DSP books, but rather a supplement. For a good place to start I recommend Richard G. Lyons "Understanding Digital Signal Processing".One of the really great aspects of the book is that the code is presented in a very clear fashion such that it is easy to identify what the functions in the excerpts are doing. Not only that but frequently Mitchell provides example code that is a literal representation of the equation, followed often by multiple versions of that same code in some simplified fashion. This can either be code that is more computationally efficient or other times it's just presented in a way that's easier to read and understand for the would-be programmer. Since programs are not always written with diligent attention to useful comments and formatting, browsing existing code may not be that helpful.As the other review by Dan Mitchell explains, the book covers many topics including the most common forms of computer generated sound, including FM, subtractive and additive synthesis, as well as filters and common processors like reverb and chorus. There are numerous other topics in the book that are definitely worth your while if the subject matter interests you.My solitary complaint about the book is that it is currently only fully available in print format. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, for a field that is as fast moving as programming software instruments and effects, it is helpful to be able to update code and concepts if necessary. In defense of the book however, most changes in C++ are minor at this point and unlikely to affect the content of the book and second the subjects the book covers are well-trodden and "old" enough that new innovations in the field will also have little or no effect on what are tried and true methods of sound synthesis.All in all a fantastic book and make sure to get the example code at [...] when working with the book.

I purchased this book on a lark and I have to say I am pretty happy with it. I am primarily interested in putting soft synths on micro controller, and this book does not really cater to that particular goal, but it does provide a good starting point. The book is not heavy in theory, but it was not intended to be. It provides a very practical approach to the subject and if you download the code and study that along with the book, you will receive an introductory education to writing software synthesizers. Be warned. There is no real code in the book. The only way to see the code is to actually download from the internet.

This is a wonderful little book that provides good coverage of digital synthesis techniques including oscillators, filters, envelopes, etc. The author does a great job of introducing concepts and relating the topics to computer code. Some readers might want more theoretical depth but that would be missing the point of the book which is to provide a comprehensive but gentle introduction to coding a "BasicSynth." I also appreciate the way the author relates mathematical concepts to computer code.I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in exploring the code and concepts that are used to create digital synthesizers.

Unless you love reading about equations pertaining to synth I wouldn't recommend this book. The author zeros in on the math that makes up parts of a synth and includes some code, but its the dryest presentation ever. Also there is no big picture discussion on how to try in the parts. Don't buy this book

This is a fun book to go through. You'll want to reference the code while you read this.

Great book for reference if you're interested in building synths!

it's okay in some ways, and will surely teach you some degree of software synthesis implementation, but many places the code examples are directly misleading, incomplete and with obvious mistakes and errors. would not rely solely on this book for learning, unfortunately.

I've been writing a software synthesizer myself and had been hunting around for books to cover some of the theory and ideas for implementation. This book is fantastic in that regard. It explains pretty much everything needed in order to design and develop your own software synthesizer and has proved to be invaluable to me so far. The concepts are explained clearly and anyone with even a basic grasp of the principles of sound generation should find it very useful.If you're looking to create your own software synthesizer or are just interested in how a software synth works, give this a shot, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Daniel Mitchell's book is first rate.But you will need to be up to speed on C++ (or something similar) to get the best from it.That's not compulsory, and you could (as I did decades back with another book) use his examples to get a feel for the language.If you can code for an Arduino, you are half-way there, so it's far from impossible, and the examples are very well described.If you already do some coding, this is a Rosetta Stone for getting started in the Digital Signal Processing of musical instrument synthesis. Respect!I'm an analogue hardware synthesist from the 1970s who usually struggles with 'object oriented' coding and prefers assembler, but I found this very readable and extremely useful, as well as reasonably priced.Highly recommended for those with a keen interest in this topic, and the ability to get their heads around it.

Very complicated, but thoroughly detailed. You really do have to concentrate and be dedicated to the text, which is not always the easiest to follow. Reading the book will give you and in-depth knowledge of oscillators, envelopes, filters, FM synthesis etc; you can download the C++ source code. I think the book is good value for money.

Really well written and a great insight in to the dark art of programming soft synths! Definitely a buy I did not regret.

Good, but a bit more infor on realtime implementation, and on how to get long reverb timeswould be useful

For people looking to code synths from the ground up, this is the very first tool I would recommend! Very nice book, useful and practical.