Adventure Awaits!

Learn the basics of synthesis in a fun adventure zine.

You must leave on a journey to fight the monsters the evil wizard has released upon the land. Each lesson will unlock new powers as you learn how a synthesizer works.

This zine is hand illustrated and written, printed out on a home printer, and fits perfectly into your gear bag.

What you will learn

Each lesson builds off of the prior lessons. Boss Battles allow you to experiment with what you have learned.

What is an oscillator?

What does a filter do?

What is an LFO?

How does an Envelope shape sound?

What are basic synth patches?

What types of waveforms are there?

Illustration of a Voltage Controlled Oscillator and Source Mixer of Wave Forms

Features

Boss Battles test your skillls
Learn the Initialized “Init” patch as a safe starting point
World Map with future quests
Blank patches for you to create your own patches
Ableton Preset with all lesson examples
A list of real synths that are great for beginners
Access to a free online synth if you don’t have a analog synth or DAW

About the book

In my plans to teach lessons around synths, drum machines, and music production; I wanted to come up with a basic lesson plan for total beginners that was fun.

I grew up on stodgy old books that felt more like reading manuals than being adventurous. I wanted to try and make something that anyone could pick up and enjoy immediately without feeling intimidated. The great thing about synthesizers is that you don’t need to know how to play piano to use them. And, once you get the basics down, you can quickly create new worlds of sound and expand into more complex synths.

The next Quest will be focused on the basics of rhythm and drum machines with more adventures to follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a real synth to work through lessons?

No, if you have Ableton, there is a Preset I have made that even has all of the lessons included to hear each sound. You can also use the TAL Noise Maker synth for free. There’s also a link to a free synth on our site if you do not have a DAW.

How much does Synth Quest cost?

$20 plus shipping. This book is hand made, written and illustrated by me.

When is the next Quest coming out?

Illustrations are not my strong suit so Quests take a long time to produce. I am halfway through the next one and I have outlines for 2 more on FX and FM synthesis.

Do I need to know how to play music to use this book?

No. It doesn’t hurt to learn some basic piano chords and scales but, you do not need to know any of that to work through this book and make sounds. My hope is that if you enjoy this book, it will inspire you to go further. I’ve played music since I was a kid and it’s rewarded me in ways I never expected.

Do you offer lessons online?

Sure! I prefer to teach lessons in our shop in Falls Church, VA, but I am also available for online lessons. We can start with Synth Quest and work out from there.

Great things are on the horizon