Others say...

"Good Pedantic Book But..."
I would really give this a 3 1/2 stars, but that's not an option.

This book is great for getting an overview of how general synth functions work. If you're interested in getting a general overview without actually applying it, then get this book. Better yet, get this book as a compliment to your manual or some other book. Sure it has projects in the back of each chapter, but they're more like 'suggested experimentations' IMO. Given that there seems to be little written on the subject, it might still be worthwhile. I also got Welch's Cookbook and enjoyed the hands on approach with that book, though I must admit that Power Tools covers a wider set of synth possiblities...that is, it covers an area like LFO's and then discusses every different type of LFO one might encounter given the fact that the synths on the market vary so much for one synth to the next.

After reading this book I wondered how much of the information really 'stuck' with me, as I didn't actually apply it as I went through the material. Given the abstract nature of this topic I think that this would have been helpful. Like I stated before, Welch's Cookbook did give me that in the first several chapters (the later chapters are basically synth recipes); for example, you learn how to look at a sound through an FFT analyzer and see the partials in the sound (you don't get this type of hands on with Power Tools).

There was definitely a part of me that questioned whether the $25 outlay was worth it. I decided that it was to have a sort of generalized reference on my bookshelf. But I definitely agree with the other reviewer that fealt that there needed to be more examples. Obviously, the author knows a great deal about synths. But I couldn't help feeling that he had written this by spewing his knowledge and not considering how important applying the concepts would be. If he was so inclined, he could create a freeware (or use someone else's) softsynth, and create projects that concretely apply at least some of the theoretical knowledge in future editions. This just might make it a great book. JMTC.

"This book is NOT a reference for sound design!!"
Actually, this is more of a run-down on the basics of sound and synthesizers and nothing more, proclaiming itself to be "the ultimate reference for sound design". For a more complete reference for ACTUAL sound design techniques to design SPECIFIC sounds, see either "Synthesizer Programming" or "Synthesizer Technique" in the Hal Leonard Keyboard series, or Snoman's "Dance Music Manual". I rated it two stars because the knowledge in this book, while well compiled and presented, is easily accessible for free on the internet (try Sound on Sound's secrets of synthesis articles). Also, you can learn these same things in Hal Leonard's Keyboard series directly from the legends of the field (i.e. Bob Moog) while also learning some tips in sound design. (see my review of Synthesizer Programming for more info).

To see why this is the case you just look at who the author is. Jim Aikin was, among other things, a writer in Keyboard magazine about music technology - not a sound designer or musician. Therefore, you can fully expect that in this book Mr. Aikin will write exactly what he knows about, music technology. Since he does not actually use this technology to create music, it would be erroneous to assume that this book what be about how to use synthesis to create cool sounds and music (sound design). To learn these topics, you must consult and author who is actually a musician, such as Snoman, or a real sound designer, as are those who wrote the articles in the Hal Leonard Keyboard compilations. Understandably though, most sound designers will not divulge their trade secrets to us so such information will be sparse!

To conclude, you shouldn't buy this book if you have a clear understanding of synthesizers but want to learn some techniques in applying that knowledge. You should, however, buy this book if you know absolutely nothing about synthesizers (how they produce sound), sound waves, or sound effects (chorus, reverb etc).



"Excellent book!"
Excellent book! I'm glad i bought it. Jim Aikin is very good for explaining the differents types of synthesis. This book is a reference for everyone who works with synthesizer it help the reader to understand all the parameters, how the sound is made, etc... I will recommend it to all the musicians who want to expand the sonic posibilities of his synth, this book is for you.

Eric Melanson

"Mistakes - but still a good book. "
Other than the fact that it stated on page 86 that 1 pole was 3dB in filtering (which is wrong, the correct number is 6db per pole), and a poor explanation of the cutoff frequency and resonance for bandpass & notch filters, along with poor explanations on Poly Aftertouch/Channel Aftertouch - which other than the 'pole mistake' can be overlooked because this is the only fact that might cause you to make mistakes, with also the poor style of explanation from time to time (which too, believe it or not, can be overlooked)This is a good book.

I did find it interesting and helpful. I'd like to thank the author for putting the time in to write it.


"Good book, but lacks depth."
This book would be really great for a beginner at synth programming, but I found it to be fairly basic. That said, I did learn a few tricks that had never occured to me, which were more than worth the price of the book.