mobile logo
 

Synthesis and Sound Design

Synthesis and Sound Design

Synthesis and Sound Design
Los Angeles & Live Online
Elevate your skills as an Electronic Artist or Music Producer with our 36-hour Express Synthesis and Sound Design Course. In focused classes (max 8 students), this hands-on program empowers you to craft unique sounds from your imagination or favorite songs directly in your DAW.

 

 

Who is this course for?

  • Aspiring Artists looking to develop their sonic signature learning from Multi-Platinum Producers
  • DJs looking to learn the language of Sound Design and Reverse Engineer sounds from their favorite records
  • Musicians who want a complete course in Synthesizers and get well versed in all forms of Synthesis
  • Producers looking for creative inspiration in Sampling and advanced audio manipulation, thereby making memorable beats
  • Sound Designers who wants to dive into the world of Video Games, Film, TV & VR or fill their gaps in workflow

 

 

Apply Now

Course Highlights
• 36 hours of world-class training in Synthesis (Subtractive, Wavetable, Granular & FM)
• Sampling, Looping, Slicing, Warping, Creating Instruments and Effects as unique inspirations
• Billboard chart-topping instructors teach in limited focused class sizes
• Reverse Engineering sounds from your favorite records & Using our vintage & boutique hardware synth collection in your projects.
• Exclusive Garnish Sample Libraries & Discounted software from our partners like Arturia and Sound Particles.

Prerequisites
• Laptop with DAW software installed (Ableton, Logic, FL Studio or Pro Tools)
• This is not a beginner course and requires a solid understanding of your DAW or completion of one of our DAW courses.
Contact us if you have any questions. This class is also included in our comprehensive Ableton or Logic Music Production Programs and also in our LA Music Production Academy.

Meet Instructor Matt Engst

Why choose Synthesis and Sound Design course at Garnish?

  • Synth collection: Roland Juno 106, Juno 60, JX3P, Sequential Prophet Rev 2, Mellotron M4000D, Moog Subphatty, Poly D, RD8, Korg MS20, Arturia MatrixBrute, Triton Studio, Yamaha DX7.
  • Formanta Polivoks, EMS-01, Sequential Prophet 10, Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 and other semi modular pieces and effects pedals available upon request.

36 Hours

$1799 Tuition + $200 Registration Fee

(15 % off Early Bird Special $300 discount if booked 14 days before start!)

Get in touch and our placement experts will follow up with information.

For one-to-one lessons, connect with us on Private Instruction

Schedule and Book 

Meet Our World-Class Instructors

Our instructor roster ranges from Multi-Platinum Songwriters and Producers to rising LA Hitmakers and Artists.

You can also learn 1-on-1 in Focus Hours

 

Book 1-on-1 Focus Hours

Cameron Colley Music

Cameron Colley

Ableton
,
Engineering
,
Media Sound Design
,
Projects
,
Sound Design

Zhou

Ableton
,
Songwriting
,
Sound Design

Synthesis and Sound Design Syllabus

Intro to Sound Design

Synthesis and Sound Design Overview:

  • Definitions and applications in Music, Film Scoring, Video Games and UI/UX
  • Overview of tools: Synthesizers in DAWs -Ableton Live / Logic Pro, 3rd Party- Serum
  • Core concepts: Subtractive Synthesis, Oscillators, Filters, Envelopes, and LFOs
  • Signal flow in a Subtractive Synthesizer architecture

Synthesis Fundamentals

  • VCO & DCO
  • Oscillator Tuning, Mixing and Unison
  • Waveforms: Sin, Triangle, Square/Pulse, Sawtooth, Noise
  • Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
  • VCF, Filter types: Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass, Band Reject/Notch
  • Filter Cutoff, Resonance/Peak, Slope
  • VCA
  • Portamento / Glide
  • Envelope Destinations, ADSR, Multi Stage Envelopes and Looping
  • LFO Destinations, Rate (Free/Sync), LFO Delay
  • More Waveforms- Reverse Saw, Sample & Hold, Supersaw
  • MIDI Controller Data, Velocity, Aftertouch, Pitch, Mod, Macros, Mod Matrix
  • Creating synth patches from scratch demonstrating fundamental concepts

Advanced Synthesis Techniques

  • Frequency Modulation (FM), Famous DX7
  • Operators, Algorithms, FM Matrix
  • Creating Metallic sounds (Bells, Percs), Organic Instruments (Organ, Woodwinds, Strings, EPs)
  • FM Distortion
  • Wavetable Synthesis
  • WT Position, Modulation, Importing your own Wave Tables
  • Ring Modulation, Amplitude Modulation
  • Creating Patches using Advanced techniques

Drums and Perc Sound Design

  • Anatomy and Design of Kicks, Toms, Snares, Percs and Hi hats
  • Pitch Envelope, Shaping Transients, Body, and Texture
  • Using Filter Drive (Distortion) and other audio effects for enhancement
  • Creating unique drum loops using custom designed sounds

Bass Sound Design

  • 808s
  • Sub Bass, Mid Bass & Lead Bass creation
  • Bass Envelopes & LFOs, Automation
  • SideChain
  • Layering techniques for depth & clarity, Stereo Field for Bass
  • Applications in various genres

Leads, Plucks, Stabs, Arpeggios, Pads, Textures

  • Plucks- Using Filter Envelopes
  • Stabs- Using Layers
  • Layering Leads, Modulation and Glide
  • Arpeggios & Step Sequences- Gates & Note Length, Octaves, Hold, Random
  • Pads- Designing atmospheric pads and evolving soundscapes.
  • Creating textures using Reverb and Delay (Shimmer etc)
  • Applications for above sounds in Music & Background Scoring / Ambient Music

Creative Sampling and Granular Synthesis

  • Techniques for sampling and resampling
  • Granular synthesis
  • Creating Instruments from audio clips
  • Manipulating sounds for unique effects

Modulation and Automation

  • Advanced uses of LFO& Envelopes
  • MPE compatible synths & controllers
  • Parameter Automation for Evolving Sounds
  • Combining Multiple Modulation layers for complexity

Transitions and Special FX

  • Risers, Impacts & Ambient FX
  • Advanced use of Noise & Distortion
  • Applications in Electronic Music & Cinematic Effects

Mixing and Finalizing Sounds, Portfolios

  • Mixing techniques for Clarity, Enhancement & Cohesion
  • Using EQ, Compression & Spacial Effects to elevate your work
  • Export formats & Project integration
  • Sound Design Portfolios

Reverse Engineering Sounds and Hardware Synths

  • Reverse Engineering popular sounds in records using Software Synths.
  • Reverse Engineering and comparing Hardware Synths.
  • Using Hardware Synths in projects.
  • Layering and using Audio Processing to enhance sounds.
  • Peer & Instructor Feedback
  • Tips & next steps

GARNISH LA STUDIO A GEARLIST

  • Studio set up- Pro Tools HDX with Apogee Dual Set up
  • Convertor- Lynx Aurora 8
  • Speakers- Adam S3V with Adam Sub 12, Yamaha NS10s with Bryston 4B Amp
  • Monitor Control- Dangerous D Box
  • Microphone- Manley Reference Cardioid, Shure SM57s
  • Pre Amps- Chandler Limited TG2, Heritage Audio 1073
  • Reverb- Bricasti Design M7
  • Compressors- Teletronix LA2A, Urei (Universal Audio) 1176, SSL XLogic G-series Compressor, Empirical Labs EL-8 Distressor
  • Piano- Yamaha U3
  • Universal Audio Satellite

Synthesizers & Drum Machines- Roland Juno 60 (with MIDI), Juno 106, JX3P, Sequential Prophet Rev 2, Mellotron M4000D, Korg MS20, Triton Studio, Moog Subphatty, Yamaha DX7, YS200, Behringer Poly D, RD-8, Neutron, Arturia Matrix Brute. More exotic pieces like the Formanta Polivoks, EMS 01, Sequential Prophet 10, Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 and other semi modular pieces available upon request in selected classes!

All synths are MIDI connected for DAW use via iconnectivity MIO and Clever Audio MXM 12 Synth switcher. We also have a guitar pedal collection for sonic experiments in studio.

Music Technology & Business are constantly evolving. Our curriculums are routinely updated to give you the best experience.

Our Students Say. . .

 

“Everything went really well in Ibiza this
time and I had so much fun! I am so
glad you taught me, you’re the best
xoxo”

Paris Hilton
Garnish DJ Program

I wouldn't change a thing about this course. It was ten times better than I expected it to be. The instructor was incredibly informative and kept things fun. I've played with software for a couple of years and thought I got most of the basics down but I definitely was wrong. Great course! I would definitely recommend this course to anybody wanting to learn the production side of music. It was incredibly helpful and left me inspired to make tracks 24/7.

Kristina Bialkowski

I went from knowing pretty much nothing about Logic to knowing how to built loops, work with midi, mix, and actually be able to record the music I write and and arrange on the computer. I'm really excited because Logic Pro X has opened up a new world for me as a singer songwriter!

Dawn Red Sun

I am a lot better off than I was months ago blindly watching Youtube tutorials and not knowing what I was doing. The teacher was a great, very patient and understanding, with all skill levels in the room.

Abraham Perrotta

The small class size allowed the instructor time to give us individual attention/feedback. The teaching style was easily adjusted according to the levels in the class. As a very new producer, I never felt left behind. I never would have thought I could make this much progress in just 6 weeks!

Andie Arbogast

This class was great. I've been wanting to learn digital music production and was warned that Logic was one of the most complex and difficult to learn DAW. In only 6 days I think I've learned the program well enough to start producing my own tracks. Not only that but I've left the class with enough excitement to get busy and make some music with my new found knowledge.

Paul Vachier

It was very hands on. the teacher knew a vast amount about this topic and is very informative and clear. He has methods of utilizing teachings that enable us to relate to better understand in what circumstances these methods would be used for productions.

Raymond Casarez

This class was tough for me, as I'm a beginner (and am 48 with not a ton of technical or DAW experience). I wanted to immerse myself, so I could learn as much as possible, but much of the class was still a bit too advanced for me. Darren was fantastic, and I REALLY appreciated the offer to come back and stand in future classes. That makes me feel like I'll definitely get my moneys worth!

William 'John' Bragg

I came into the program with no idea how to work Logic, and after the intensive week, I worked out programming beats, using loops and samples…I feel like I can take my music to the next level now. Thanks 🙂

Christy Thompson

Great teacher who leaves no stone unturned! After Garnish, I feel that I have the tools to build a strong foundation and begin a career in the music industry.

Daniel Cobos

Contact Admissions

Let’s Stay in Touch!

Sign up for our newsletter to get updates. You can easily unsubscribe and we never share our data with anyone.


    Thanks for submitting!

    The Garnish Los Angeles Experience
    More Testimonials

    Both instructors were extremely knowledgeable, and quickly adapted to the areas which I needed the most work. There's also no substitute for being face to face with an instructor, to immediately address any logjams in the workflow.

    CJ DeLeo

    The course throughly covers the fundamentals of synthesis and has helped me understand concepts that go beyond the everyday Youtube tutorial. The course has made Youtube tutorials and other concepts of sound design easily understood.

    Daniel Tran

    The EMP course is a good time and super informative. I've been writing and producing music for the past year in Logic. There was so much I wanted to transcribe from my mind to my DAW, I just didn't fully know how. Fortunately, the EMP course changed that in just a few short weeks. Very exciting. Not to mention the Garnish LA folks are super cool.

    Patricia Seely

    If you're looking for in-depth knowledge about electronic music and how to create sounds using 3rd party software through Ableton or Logic then this course will definitely help you! Beginners can follow along but if you're a more advanced producer, then this will definitely show you more advanced techniques to apply to your productions! Extremely happy I found and attended this course!

    DJ WIED

    If you are trying to establish connections with local artists that have made a name for themselves in LA (the instructors) than this is a great program to join. You get to talk with them about their personal experiences and get a lot of really good inside tips about production from a professional point of view. Highly recommended not just to learn but to make industry connections.

    Zach Klein

    Garnish instructors do a great job at being in depth and detailed with everything so that no question or misunderstanding is left unsolved.

    Austen Greene

    Contact Admissions

    Synthesis and Sound Design Blog