Sound Design and Synth Fundamentals
In this video, I show you the fundamental basics of sound design and synthesis so that you can start creating sounds with confidence. I cover a wide variety of topics ranging from the basic starting blocks of sound to more complex sound design techniques and share some tips and tricks in the video too.
Updated 2021 Sound Design and Synth Video: kzhead.info/sun/lrSxdZ1le6RpeIE/bejne.html
►Follow along with this FREE synth: kzhead.info/sun/iNGMgb6KpIuFlHA/bejne.html
▶Advanced Sound Design Tutorial - kzhead.info/sun/p9Cyl72PnIGwh58/bejne.html
▶Time Stamps
0:00 - Overview
0:30 - Basic Waveforms
3:10 - Additive and Subtractive Synthesis
4:35 - Unison
6:50 - Filters
8:15 - Envelopes (ADSR)
11:00 - LFOs
13:20 - FX Processors
There will be more advanced sound design videos in the following weeks so stay tuned for more.
Thanks for watching,
Michael
🌍 My Website / Contact / Hire me - michaelwynneaudio.com
📱 Join My Discord - discord.com/invite/inthemix
🎧 My Sound Banks / Preset Packs - inthemix.store
💸 Save money on DistroKid if you signup through my custom link - distrokid.com/vip/inthemix
I have updated this video in 2021. Watch the new, improved video here : kzhead.info/sun/lrSxdZ1le6RpeIE/bejne.html ►Get My Serum Sound Bank: bit.ly/inthemixstore ▶Time Stamps 0:30 - Basic Waveforms 3:10 - Additive and Subtractive Synthesis 4:35 - Unison 6:50 - Filters 8:15 - Envelopes (ADSR) 11:00 - LFOs 13:20 - FX Processors There will be more advanced sound design videos in the following weeks so stay tuned for more. Thanks for watching, Michael
THANKS A LOT, I REALLY NEEDED THIS VIDEO AND I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IF YOU COULD MAKE AN IN-DEPTH SERUM TUTORIAL
Do you have a video on how to add sounds together after you create them because that's where I get stuck. Like I can create some sounds but I don't know how to add them together to make a full track without it sounding like crap. Awesome video btw.
Luv your tuts !!! I am not friendly at beats making and music theory and making chords please make tutorials on that too!! Btw I am greatly inspired by your work sir!!!!😊😊🤗
please make more videos on sound designing.
hey, mike thanks a lot. you're the best
Legitimately blows me away that you can find this much useful information for free on the internet.
Indeed. Internet is underrated
sad times we live in
Yeah but we use it for memes and comparing ourselves to other ppl
MsquaredJ sad but true
@@msquaredj9780 was thinking the same thing. Internet is so powerful but we use it for distractions
Such a good person, spreading knowledge for no cost.
@@TearFoX monetization* btw u don't pay anything
@@TearFoX but we are not paying anything! He deserves that monetization!!
@@TearFoX theres a difference between monetization and charging money lmao
#adpocalyse #imbroke
It's hilarious that I can put out videos for free and some people still think they cost! Try buying other peoples $199 music production course ;) that'll cost you and you'll be lucky to learn much from it!
Hi, I’m a 66 year old lady and have played music all of my life. I bought myself a really nice keyboard and decided I should learn about sound design, so that I can understand what I am looking at. I’m not really wanting to be a sound designer, I just want to do some simple things and know what I’m doing. Your video is fantastic, very good yet simple to understand and I am going to make some notes and draw some diagrams to help me to use what you are showing us. Thank you so much. Yes you are a good person. I appreciate your time and what you are giving us. Fiona x
I graduated from Full Sail University with a Recording Arts degree. I don’t work in the entertainment industry anymore. When I hear someone who wants to pursue a career in music production or audio engineering, I always tell then that there is no need to spend that amount of money in education; anyone can learn it in KZhead and from books. This is an example of accurate information for FREE! Great video!!!
I’ve heard this advice from many sound engineers and producers, this changed my idea of going to college for a music degree from going for knowledge to now going to make connections with other artists and eventually obtaining a career. Do you have any recommendations to make these connections and/or finding a job through either college or online?
@@erikwithak6555 there are many ways you can start networking without actually knowing the job, here are some examples: Look for a job in a backline company Look for a job in an live audio company Look for a job in a rehearsal studio Look for a job in a recording studio Look for a job in a local bar that has live music Hang out at instrument stores and make friends w musicians (specially if the play in bands) Just be aware that those jobs are very physically demanding. Good luck!
It took this guy less than 15 minutes to explain what I've been trying to figure out on my own for weeks. Stellar video man!
Damn, you must be dumb.
@@OfficialAnarchyz Any need?
@@OfficialAnarchyz uncalled for mate, the internet buzzes with clickbaity "tutorials" that often do nothing but confuse people. With tutorials like this one it really does take 15 minutes to learn all the basics, but the ones who make profit on your lack of knowledge obviously won't do that and will stall the learning process for as long as possible.
Same here
Its ok @amond Hawes.. Some people are arrogant.. Yes. Ive been trying to undetstand this for more than a year until now.
this guy is so nice it feels like he's trying to sell me something but he isn't lmao
What did capitalism do to our perception...
@@salmaca191262 Not capitalism, just human's flawed and broken interpretation of the system
I feel the same
Mare carrier ok boomer
Tell me right now, that you honestly don't want to buy Serum after this! I hope he gets a cut...
It took you 15 mins to explain to me what I’ve been trying to figure out for months
I looked at a lot of tutorials trying to figure out what LFO meant. And they were all unclear to me. This guy on this video said the magic phrase which made LFO's so much more understandable to me: that the low frequency was not about pitch or low frequencies but that it simply oscillating at rate/speeds which are relatively "slow" meaning that we can hear the changes quite well. Thanks so much. You are the only video which made this clear.
This guy relaxing asf I could watch his tutorials all day
I'm gonna watch him all day everyday
It's his gentle Scottish accent that does it
hey i am with tears in my eyes the information you are giving is priceless especially for people like mefrom 3rd world countries who cant afford education in music may godrichly bless you brother thanks thanks for your knowledge
i love you brother keep up the work
This was absolutely perfect. No time wasted, comprehensively covering the most important components with clear examples. Thank you!
Explained it so simply.. This is my first sound design tutorial and I didn't feel out of place. Kudos to you!
Damn, I wish there were so short and simple tutorials on synthesis when I began makin music back in the days... Thank you!
I CAN RELATE
Lol right. Went to school for this and this is basically the first week or two
phileas - it’s definitely in a book
Without this channel, I wouldn't have learned shit about music production. He has such an amazing way of explaining and simplifying seemingly complicated things.
@Tha_Blk_Bih_Destroyah_2020 What? Thanks for all your excellent tutorials "In The Mix"!
facts !!!!
All the others dont know how to explain shit
Thank you so very much. I'm a classically trained pianist who just got into electronic music production and needless to say the sound design is making my head hurt. A lot. Thank you so much for your clear explanation, you've honestly helped me more than any other tutorial.
The only video that is not a showoff and actually teaching. That LFO section was what i needed. Thanks for this extremely valuable video.
No one really uploads videos like this one. Thanks to you Michael. You are really helping us become better, everyday. Keep it up 👏👏
This is probably one of the best tutorials i've watched on KZhead! Nice one!
6:15, i found the way I want to make music. Those three chords you played when you added unison, hearing them grow and develop instantly literally almost brought tears to my eyes
This video felt like it went by in the length of a youtube short, but it was 15 minutes. Genuinely loved learning all that, thank you.
Please go deeper into sound design, I love when you explain everything so clearly Michael :)
Thank you, I just osted a more advanced video and there will be many more coming soon :) kzhead.info/sun/p9Cyl72PnIGwh58/bejne.html
@@inthemix glad sir
Posted*
Watched a few sound design videos. They *sort of* made sense. But once you do a video on it, it all seems to settle in the mind. You're a great communicator. Keep at it. And thanks,
So right.
This was one of the most helpful videos I've ever found in my life! Been recording for a long time, but I've always been intimidated by sound design, always meaning to learn but just putting it off, relying on presets or just fiddling with the controls, sort of half-understanding what they were doing. This tutorial was amazing, for me it's the perfect amount of detail, making everything super easy to understand, but not belaboring any points or making it tedious. I'm so glad I found your channel!
I've been a bassist and guitarist for years, now dipping my toes into the world of synth and DAWs etc. This video has cleared a lot of the initial fog! Very well explained and great visual content to complement it. Thanks fella, that was a lot of help! :-)
You are threatening jobs man! It's so cool that you explained these things in a small video which generally takes years for people to figure out! Great man!
Literally just explained in 15 minutes everything I’ve been trying to learn on my own for months... this was so helpful, truly appreciated. Earned yourself a sub!
4 years later and you can still learn so much that other people forget to mention in this video 10/10
I don't care if this video is over 4 years old, I'm still going to leave a nice comment. Even though I've pretty much taught myself most of this just from experimenting over the years, this video was still really helpful in cementing in my head what specifically I should do to achieve my target sound. I never understood what in the world an LFO was until I watched this video, which is honestly alarming considering I've been making music for a little over three years now😅😅. I'm glad I discovered this channel.
Where was this when I was starting out several years ago?! So clear and well-communicated. Keep going!
This was a combination of his presentation style, the GUI creation from the programmers, and decades of detailed sound design
Finally I understand the logic behind creating a sound! The visualization really helps.
For someone who doesn't quite understand any synth fundamentals. The graphs really helped me to understand the way overlapping waves together changes the synth instrument.
You are an amazing teacher. Your choice of serum for graphic views of what you’re discussing was a brilliant choice. So many instructors talk without visual aid. Your tutorial is THEE BEST for beginners
Even after 33 years since learning all this on my CZ101, this was clear, enlightening and educational. Top quality.
I wish he would teach other subjects like math, physics. One of the best teachers I have ever come across. Incredible
I’m a film maker who knows very little about music and I’ve been trying to learn more about how to make my own sound design and this was amazing! You explained so many audio concepts that I’ve learnt about in film making but had no idea what they really did, like the filters and ADSR. Thank you so much 🙏
I don’t think it’s possible to be more effective in explaining this stuff in a short amount of time. Thanks a lot!
Best channel ever, I'm genuinely starting to feel like I have a little home here and it feels so nice tuning into your videos; they all have a very welcoming and warm feel around them.
This man talks in asmr Wonderful vid btw!
asmr adsr
Dude I'm new to music production and had no idea how sound design worked but this video really helped!!! It's amazing that you do this for free I really appreciate you taking the time to make this video!
For some reason, this video helped me grasp the basic concepts of synths (especially LFOs) much more easily than the ~20 other videos I watched. I think the visual aids from Serum really helped with that. Thank you, Michael!
Here I am again bing watching In The Mix Channel. Dude, you're doing a great work and yes, this video was impeccable.
Me when the bing watching this impeccable video 😮
Bruh. All those dislikes were from people who accidentally flipped their screen.
Or maybe they are Australian:-)
Or maybe they though this was a video on a Spiderman movie instead
This video is great, I've been dabbling in production for around 10 years and this is by far the clearest explanation I've ever come across. You're videos are a life saver. Honestly you're a legend man. Thanks
simple, effective, you are one of the best channels of music production on the ENTIRE internet. Thank you man!
Thig dude makes the most decent videos so that you could learn calmly 🙌🏻 this is what you call a tutorial
Once again, thank you so much for taking care into creating these contents of music production techniques. Keep it up... will always be greatful for this channel
This is a really helpful tutorial because most synth tutorials that I've watched only give you instructions relative to a specific synth plugin, but they don't actually tell you what each parameter actually does. So if they're using a more expensive plugin like Serum and you're using a stock plugin, the information they give isn't super useful. So this is nice, cause it gives some of that information you'll see in those tutorials a little more meaning. You'll actually be able to understand what you're changing about the synth as opposed to just "turn this knob to here and that knob to there"
This helped me so much. I've been watching a number of videos on synthesis 101, and all of them seem to go into a painstaking amount of detail. This really accelerated my jump-start into synthesis.
For those who don't have Serum you can easily add LFO's via the Fruity Love Philter on the mixer. Great video Mike! Best tutorials on youtube :)
Well thank you, sir.
Just pirate it ffs
@@abbas1ne YoU WOuLDn'T dOwNLoAd a CAr WOuLd yOu?
My biggest set-back has been my lack of knowledge about these functions in my DAW and not knowing where to start to educate myself. This video helped A LOT. Thank you!
You're more than welcome!
This is definitely awesome. I really like how you smoothly demonstrated the concepts of different waves and basic modification of waves to create unique sounds.
Probably the best synth fundamentals video around. Concise, clear and easy to watch. Thanks!
"Harmonically rich" me: "MY EARS!?!?"
This is one of the most useful and informative videos I have ever seen. Thank you.
Thank you for this tutorial! I've been wanting to learn how to create sounds in synths for a long time and this video was so very well laid out and comprehensive. You're a fantastic teacher!
Always the best production tutorials on KZhead. You just have a way with simplifying that is remarkable.
bro, I am really grateful for you being available to the community.I just started but you got my favourite youtuber in that field. Just so well educated, so calm, so detailed and just having the feeling that you really want to teach something. Keep up the amazing work
Just getting started with sound design myself...and I can't thank you enough for your clear, articulate, introduction to the subject. You did a fantastic job of showing what is important in a way that made it super easy to follow. I really look forward to more videos like this from you. Thank you again.
I randomly decided to click on this vid (many of your guides got me into FL Studio in fact!) just to see if I'd understand synths more, and WOW You somehow explained all these complicated sounding acronyms clearly and concisely in sub- 15 mins! I especially love how you use visuals to communicate audio concepts. I hope to donate to you soon as I can, Mix! Thanks for making your lessons free
Thank you for making something complete simple. That is the sign of a gifted teacher.
Thanks for all the tutorials You always makes me pro Even tho I'm an ultra noob in production 💙 ❤️
Procyon I'm already dead. #hypernoob
This^
This is by far the easiest explanation of something that I've been trying to learn for the absolute longest. Thank you so much bro!
Complete synth noob - I came here after watching your more recent tutorial on Vital. Two videos from you and I've learned more in 30 minutes than watching many hours of incomprehensible drivel on many other channels. Thank you mate, you're a godsend.
Being a singer who's making the first steps in the producing I want to thank you for your highly informative yet simply explained theory tutorials! Technical aspects have never been so good delivered!
This is a phenomenal tutorial! I like how succinct you are in your descriptions; I find that a lot of other mixing tutorials tend to drone or get bogged down by tangents. By sticking to the script and focusing on the essentials, you've created a great learning experience for students :)
Hey, even if you said two years ago that there is an improved version of this video, I thank you for this one! I am playing an instrument for more than one decade now but kust started with music production lately. There is so much stuff you have to learn and to understand and your video gives one of the best insights I've experienced yet. It is very structured and visualized. I'll happy to see your other videos. Cheers
Your description of ADSR is superb! This visual demo using Serum really helped me get my head around it. Thanks
meanwhile other channels try to milk this info with 45min long videos for 10 parts lol. thank you man. this finally answered everything after 1yr of trying to figure it out!!
This is easily the most informative video on music production that I've seen on KZhead. Thank you. 💯💯💯
Thank you so much! I am just starting out with all of this and your literally worth your weight in gold! Your videos are clear, structured and easy to understand! Simply the best!
Hey ol boy great video by the way.I am so happy to have you here.Your presence and knowledge speaks volumes brother.You've really learned a lot in life many useful things that helps us all.Yeah that sound design stuff I have been exposed to for over 30 years.Taught by many but not like this.You are a God-send. The others always left many things out.And that's why you got my vote.Instead of buying plugins.Now I can design my own sounds exactly the way I want. And I can also find what I don't want in the sound and take it out now.That's a game changer.It's saves me days if not months. Thanks for all you do for us.You're a veteran.And I really appreciate you. (Andre D.)
This is one of the most valuable and informative videos I have watched in 8 years of producing music, thank you 🙏🏼
Dude, that pluck sound soundes so good that I almost cried. Thanks for your lessons! Greetings from Argentina!
I’m really grateful that you took the time to do this. It changes the way I and many more will look at sound in the future of our own production!
Man, you just explained the sound design in the most simple and complete way, thank you so much !!!
Finally I've found a nice sound design tutorial. Learned a lot from this, appreciate it man!
The way you explain things is so engaging and simple, you’re a great teacher. thank you 🙏🏼
What an absolute gem of a video. Can't really tell you how helpful this video was. After finding out that all of awesome sounds I love in a certain genre are made in Serum, I picked it up thinking it would be simple, then was very daunted by all of the options. Awesome video, looking forward to seeing more. Subscribed!
Mind = blown. So glad I stumbled upon your channel. Everything is so crisp and clean. Enjoyed learning with the visuals. I gained so much more clarity than when I started. Thank you so much!
This was honestly, so good. I really feel like i have learned in this 14 minutes. Thank you!
Exactly the kind of sound design introduction tutorial I was looking for. And the quality of the presentation is so high...nearly perfection! Thank you so much
so well explained! Loved how you broke it into individual sections it made it easier to digest
mate thats the best Synth tutorial i've seen yet, subbed!
Just now getting into music, I've watched a plethora of tutorials. None of them were nearly as good as this one. That's a sub if I've ever seen one.
Fantastic. I love how you get into the physical makeup of traditional sounds and techniques. Very well done
Thank you ! Probably one of the best video about synth basics, well explained and informative, and nicely teached !
Can I say I love you? I've been struggling trying to understand synthesis and you broke it down in 14 mins!!!!
wicked tutorial man i went way too long without this knowledge and everything makes sense now! thank you v much
Same here!
THIS IS THE BEST EXPLANATION ON TOPIC OF SOUND SYNTHESIS ON YT. BLESS YOU.
Just now coming across your videos and this one is the second I've watched so far. I've been a DJ and messed around with music production on and off for over 20 years...this was such a great way to break down these terms into basic form for beginners. Thanks for sharing your knowledge in these brilliant videos. I'm picking up your sound bank when I get home today.
Best channel on KZhead : language, method, exposition... Keep it up !
Best teacher I've seen ever on youtube
This channel is of so much value. I'm just staring to learn and things make much more sense now. Thankyou! Also, thats a very nice chord progression lol. It's been stuck in my head for a good while now
This is the best, simplest and clear explanation of a synth I have ever saw! Thank you very much! :)
Dude you are a legend! As I keep watching your videos, literally most of my questions are getting answered through your vids and now I'm feeling more confident about making my sounds! Thanks bro!
J_El_Rey are you trying to fight dude don’t talk to my friend like that
I just learned so so much in just 14:41 minutes, OMG. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!
This was a fantastic tutorial. I have watched so many where I guess they assume you know what they are saying so they rush through it. You broke it down perfectly. Well done and thank you brother. Now I am gonna watch your updated video.
In 14minutes you added so much to my Sound-Design Toolbox it’s unbelievable, thank you many times over!
This is what I was looking for! A practical explanation of synth terminology, thank you!