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Noise Sculpture: Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the questions that people often ask me (along with a few observations). Please take a moment or two to look through them before hitting the Contact button.

I've got a question about the synthesizer book.

I'm happy to answer any questions, but could you let me know which synthesizer book are we talking about? There's more than one...

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I've got a question about the downloads.

I'm happy to answer any questions about the downloads. Which downloads are we talking about?

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Where can I get the downloads?

You can get the downloads here:

  • The downloads for Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User, second edition are available from the Cakewalk Synthesizers download page. You can get hold of the SFZ Tools (which are mentioned in the book) from the SFZ Tools page.
  • The link pages for How to Make a Noise (including a link to the free downloadable version of the book) are accessible by going to the appropriate pages linked from the How to Make a Noise page.
  • The Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard downloads are available from the SynthWiz download page.
  • The Project5 downloads are available from the Project5 Power! page.

The downloads for Sample This! third edition, are accessible by mailing a copy of the form at the back of the book to the publisher. A download link will then be emailed to you.

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Wasn't there an update for the first edition of Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User?

Since the first edition of the book was published in 2006 there have been a number of changes to the featured synthesizers and there is an (PDF) update to the book that is available for download. Click here to get Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power - Update#2, September 2007. However, this update doesn't cover all of the changes that are featured in the second edition of the book, so you should check out the new edition.

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I've got the Cakewalk Synthesizers download. When I try to load the patches I get an error message.

Unzip the whole package and look closely at the file names. Compare the file names/folder names with the synthesizer in which you are trying to open the files.

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How do I play the How to Make a Noise patches? Do I need each synthesizer?

The short answer is yes, but you probably don't have to buy the synths.

How to Make a Noise relies heavily on sonic examples created with the six synthesizers featured in the book. You need to access the corresponding synthesizers to take full advantage of the patches. However, most of the patches can be loaded into the demo versions of the appropriate synths (but you need the full version of Rhino to load the patches).

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Why don't the How to Make a Noise patches work?

... and the follow-up question: Why are the How to Make a Noise patches giving me an error message?

The How to Make a Noise patches have been available for many years and have been used by many readers. I am therefore quite confident that they have been thoroughly tested. Of course, if there are any problems, then I will fix them immediately, however, the problems I have encountered have been as a result of user error.

If you do have a problem with the patches, then please do get in touch with me. However, when you do, would you please:

  • Confirm that you are using the most up-to-date version of the synthesizer software that is featured in the book (please check with the developer's site to be sure). Please also confirm that you can (successfully) load other patches and that these do not generate any errors.
  • Confirm that you have followed the instructions in the Read This First PDF which comes in the patches zip file.
  • Tell me the procedure that you a following to create the error. You need to tell me EACH and EVERY step. Get specific about every detail—give me the full file name of every file you try to load, give me the full text of every error message, and so on. Unless you can give me full details, I won't be able to replicate what you are doing.

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I want to buy the How to Make a Noise patches but can't use Paypal. Is there some other way to buy the patches?

First off, it's important to understand that PayPal is only there to process credit cards for me. You don't have to have a PayPal account to buy the patches (although you may find it more convenient to use PayPal if you do have an account).

There are several ways you can buy the patches: essentially all you have to do is find a way to get me $10. The simplest course is to get someone else to buy the patches on your behalf. If you're going down this route, then drop me a note (using the Contact button) BEFORE the purchase to tell me the purchaser's name and email address, and then get them to follow the purchase procedure.

After sending me the details of your purchaser, you can make the purchase without waiting to hear back from me. The download link will be sent to the purchaser, so ask them to forward it to you--I will also forward a copy of that link to you as soon as I can.

If this approach doesn't work, then send me a note suggesting how you will get the money to me, and we'll get something sorted.

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Why don't the How to Make a Noise Z3TA+ patches load?

They do.

The Z3TA+ files are in .128 format. To load the files, select Bank > Load MIDI Bank File (.128).

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How to Make a Noise and Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard... what's the difference between the two?

While the two books do cover a similar area—synthesis—there are significant differences between How to Make a Noise and Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard: From Presets to Power User.

Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard looks at synthesis from first principles. Its focus is on the elements of synthesis and the building blocks, and it highlights its examples using four leading modular synthesizers (Zebra 2, KarmaFX Synth Modular, VAZ Modular, and SynthEdit). From these building blocks, the book looks at a range of sound building techniques that can be used with the featured synthesizers, or can be readily applied to any other synthesizer.

By contrast, How to Make a Noise is more focused on building sounds, and looks at building sounds with six synthesizers. Over 300 sounds are built (and a download package is separately available if you don't want to create this sounds by hand).

How to Make a Noise is different in two other respects. First, it assumes a certain level of competence and understanding on the part of the reader (where Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard assumes nothing). Second, there is a free version of the book available for download, so you can check it out before you buy the hard copy version of the book.

So which should you get? In short, both. If you don't want to get both, then you will have to figure out which best meets your needs for the knowledge you are looking to acquire.

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I'm a Mac/ProTools/non-Windows VSTi user. Should I still get the book?

Well... that really depends on your expectations.

Some of the synths used in Becoming a Synthesiser Wizard are Windows-only/not available in Mac/ProTools/non-Windows VSTi format, etc. I wrote the book with the expectation that readers would have maybe one of the featured synths--perhaps only SynthEdit (as it's free) or a demo version of one of the others. I certainly did not (and still do not) expect a reader to have all of the synths. Indeed, I think it is detrimental to learning and understanding to have too many choices--I think someone should pick one synth and learn how to use that really well rather than have a range of synthesizers which they only partly understand.

This approach means that the potential reader needs to understand that there will be parts of the books that will not be relevant to them. Let me elaborate: most of the content of the book is directly applicable to all of the synthesizers, however, some is applicable to specific synthesizers. For instance, some of the synths have modules that do not have a comparable module in the other synthesizers. Equally, some of the sounds are created with a specific synthesizer. These sounds can (generally) be created with any of the other synths--I did not create EACH sound with EACH synthesizer because that would have made a really dull (not to say really long) book.

That being said, the synthesizer that gets most exposure is Zebra 2 (since it's a great synthesizer and it is available in the widest range of formats, including Mac formats).

So, back to the question... should you still get the book if you don't have all the synthesizers or if some of the synths aren't available in your format? In my opinion, yes. However, that is just my opinion. If you want/expect EVERY SINGLE WORD to be applicable to you, then you will be unhappy. In reality, if you only have one synthesizer, then probably 90% to 95% of the book will be applicable.

If you're still not sure, then why not browse through the book on Amazon and make sure that it is what you want.

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I've seen a book called "Modular Synthesizer Mania" advertised. What's that all about?

Modular Synthesizer Mania: Choosing, Using, and Abusing was the original working title for Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard: From Presets to Power User. The title was changed during production but it still managed to creep onto some databases. However, there never was, and never will be a book called Modular Synthesizer Mania.

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I have synthesizer X.  Can I use your books to learn how to use this?

None of my books is a substitute for the user manual for any synthesizer, in other words, my books will not explain what all of the knobs do on your synthesizer. However, what my books do cover—and what is usually not covered in any manual—is how to use your synthesizer to create sounds. If that is what interests you, then I probably have some books that will be of interest to you. In particular, How to Make a Noise and Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard: From Presets to Power User.

You should also check out Cakewalk Synthesizers: From Presets to Power User if you own any of the Cakewalk Synthesizers and Project5 Power! if you own Project5.

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Is there an electronic version of the book?

Yes.

Becoming a Synthesizer Wizard: From Presets to Power User is available in Kindle format from Amazon.com.

There is also a free downloadable version of the old edition of How to Make a Noise and the four refills. These downloads are available in PDF format which may be suitable for reading on a screen. The documents are printable but the resolution may not be sufficiently high so I recommend you get hold of the printed copy of the book (which also includes much more content than the free download).

There is no electronic version of my other books.

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If I buy How to Make a Noise from Amazon (or any other online retailer), are the patches automatically included?

No. The patches are a separate product (available here).

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I bought the patches to accompany How to Make a Noise, but have lost them/didn't download the update, etc... Can you send them to me again?

The fastest way to get the patches is to follow the download link that came when you first purchased the patches. Request a new download link and as soon as I receive your request, I will authorize the new download. Usually this approval will be cleared within an hour or two—if it takes longer, then either I'm asleep or traveling. In either case I'll get the link approved at the earliest opportunity.

The link will be to the most recent version of the patches. If you bought the patches before the 2007 update was issued, then you are still entitled to the updated patches which will automatically be included with the download.

If you have lost the original download notification, then please email me with a copy of your receipt or failing that, let me know the email address you used to purchase the patches. As long as I can identify you as the original purchaser, I'll get something sorted out for you.

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Will you write about... [insert the name of your current favorite synthesizer]?

I'm always looking for new projects and am happy to consider any synthesizer you want to suggest. However, there are several considerations that I make when evaluating whether I will write about a specific synthesizer.

The biggest question is whether a book would be commercially viable. In order to be suitable for consideration, the synthesizer will need to have a sufficiently wide user base to ensure that there are enough potential customers for the book. In addition, the synthesizer will need to be stable (new features are great, but when new features are added every week, any book will be immediately out of date) and actively supported by the developer (so that problems can be fixed and the book will have a reasonably long life expectancy).

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