REVOLUTION IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC : SYNTHETIC SOUND FOR TUNELESS FOLKS

While developments in electronic technology have turned a lot of us into worse couch potatoes than ever, there’s another side. People who thought the most involved they’d ever get with music was punching their CD player’s remote control are finding that they can make music. And not just “Chopsticks” plunked on the piano.

The sound of almost any instrument, even a whole orchestra, can be manipulated and recorded by one person with very little musical knowledge into something that a listener would swear had to be created by several professional musicians.

The gadgets that make this possible aren’t just becoming cleverer. They’re also rapidly becoming affordable. Thanks to an array of new synthesizers, drum machines, multi-track recorders, and other wonders--available at ever-plunging prices--the revolution in electronic music is no longer only of concern to professionals.

At the center of this phenomenon is the modern synthesizer.

The family that used to save for years to buy a piano is becoming the family that buys a synthesizer instead--encouraged by the kids, who see 10 synths used on MTV for every piano, and by these nice surprises:

--Many synths fall well below the price of a piano.

--Most synths do a nice job of imitating a piano.

--In addition, synthesizers are capable of a large variety of sounds, with organ sounds that can hardly be distinguished from the real thing to approximations of other instruments, plus tones that only a synthesizer can produce.

Here are some of the features that make synthesizers so useful for serious musicians and often immediate fun for the beginning player:

Programmable and variable sounds. Except for lower-priced models with only “pre-sets,” synthesizers allow the user to create and alter sounds. Several controls change the electronic “wave forms.” Fooling around with one of these programmable synths can be a joy, which can turn to torment if you’re indecisive: You can spend hours playing around with the large and small variations in just one clarinet-like sound.

While playing, the musician can also use such features as a pitch-shifting “wheel” and a portamento control, which makes one note slide into the next. (These are two of the many “unnatural” synthesizer sounds that can easily be misused or overdone, encouraging the instrument’s many detractors).

Most programmable synthesizers also store sounds--on a typical model, the musician can call upon any of 64 user-created sounds instantly at the push of a button. Cartridges store additional sounds.

Polyphony. All but the cheapest synthesizers are polyphonic, which means that they play chords (several notes sounding together). Polyphony is usually expressed in a number of “voices,” generally ranging from four to eight. When looking at a model, check to see just how polyphonic it is. A “six-voice” synth will play chords of up to six notes.

Size. Synthesizers are so much more compact and portable than a piano that there’s really no comparison. Even the larger synths seldom weigh more than 35 pounds; some small ones are just three or four pounds. Of course, the relatively few keys on a synthesizer make it look as if its range of notes wouldn’t compare to piano’s. On a low-price synth this may be true, but better synths play up to five octaves, switching from one to another at the touch of a button.

Special functions and features. Many synths will play arpeggios and chords automatically and variably, based on whatever key(s) you hold down. Some also have a “split” function, where you can play one sound with the left hand and another with the right.

Several newer synthesizers have “pressure-sensitive” and “velocity-sensitive” keys that play softly if you touch them softly and loudly if you hit them hard--especially important for imitating a piano.

A few synths come with built-in “sequencers” for storing notes and chords. This is a remarkable innovation for non-musicians, who can program the sequencer note by note and then have the synth “play” the created piece. Separate sequencers can also be attached to synthesizers.

MIDI and sampling. For people who want to get really involved with electronic music, there’s MIDI, which was introduced in 1983. Standing for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, this means that MIDI-capable synths can communicate with each other and with other gadgets, including computers that will print out music and hold programs that the synthesizer will play.

Another revolution to hit synthesized sound is “sampling.” With this function, the player can record a brief sound and reproduce it with the keyboard, which will translate that sound through the octaves. Just a few years ago, there were only a couple of models capable of sampling, and they cost tens of thousands of dollars. Then came the Emulator, priced under $10,000, and just last year the Ensoniq Mirage, which can be purchased for as little as $1,700, and the Prophet 2000 at about $2,000. That was only the beginning of the sharp price reduction. Korg is introducing a sampling synthesizer for around $200, and local stores just began carrying a Casio sampling mini-synth (the SK-1) that is selling for $120!

The Korg and Casio sampling synths are only minimally programmable and they can’t compare in quality or practicality to more expensive samplers. But they’re two of the most recent examples of how fast innovations in electronic music come within the reach of the average consumer.

There’s a lot more: four-track cassette recorders that sell for under $500 yet enable the amateur musician to make his own multi-instrument recordings, percussion machines at a similar price that can be easily programmed to play back the realistic sound of a full drum kit, computer interfacing, guitar synthesizers, sound-processing devices.

All of these developments haven’t put an end to the need for music lessons, alas, but the ability to make music--at least music of some sort--need no longer be a dream.