Electronic Music and Sound Design

Topics Sound Synthesis and Processing - Frequency, Amplitude and Waveform - Envelopes and Glissandi - Additive Synthesis and Vector Synthesis - Noise Generators - Filters - Subtractive Synthesis - Virtual Synthesizer Programming - Equalizers, Impulses and Resonant Bodies - Control Signals and LFOs - Max and MSP Programming Techniques


This is the first of a series of three volumes dedicated to digital synthesis and sound design. It is ideal for those who are newcomers to the field, but it will also prove to be an indispensable resource for those who wish to deepen existing skills in sound design, in electronic music, or in Max.


“This book is one of the first courses on electronic sound that explicitly integrates perception, theory, and practice using examples of real-time sound synthesis you can manipulate and experience for yourself. In my opinion, Cipriani and Giri have done a masterful job of allowing experiential and theoretical knowledge to reinforce each other. This book will work either as a textbook or as a vehicle for the independent learner. As a bonus, the book includes a thorough introduction to digital signal processing with Max and serves as a wonderful introduction to the programming concepts in that software. I hope you will take advantage of the excellent Max examples the authors have created. They are simultaneously fun and enlightening, and they sound good enough to use on stage. They are also worth examining as models for your own Max patches, or for extending in new ways. As you will see, the theoretical chapters are the “T” chapters, while practical and experiential knowledge is imparted by the “P” chapters. These chapters alternate, in the form of a ladder, refining the concepts at ever higher levels of sophistication. I want to wish you good luck on this new adventure, and also thank my two Italian friends for creating such a comprehensive resource for learning about digital music – the one I wish existed when I was a student!” (from the Foreword by David Zicarelli, publisher of Max).