I recently got an e-mail from boyinaband.com reader Brandon saying:
i love music and dibble in it i make hip hop music and i love reason, the problem i have is i love to sample but i really want to create my own sounds, my question to you is where did you learn about synths? i watch you and i try to take notes on what does what and why your doing it but i still get a little lost so im just wondering where did you learn about these things there are alot of good synths in hip hop now (i.e The Dream she rocking that thing , jamie foxx blame it on the) but what are you listening for when you remake them?
And my response was…
I taught myself everything I know about making electronic music. Trial and Error. I’ve learned a hell of a lot from making tutorial videos, that and reverse-engineering existing preset synths.
I’ve become reasonably good at recognising the different tones that you get from different synth-making techniques, so I usually have a pretty good idea of where to start, then it’s a case of playing for a bit to get the sound just right!
So if anyone else is looking for similar advice – the best thing to do I found is to firstly look at existing synths, then change everything back to its initialized state one by one, noting what changes about the sound as you do so. Doing this with your favourite presets will help you understand what makes them work.
Couple this with following as many tutorials as you can find and, once you’re reasonably comfortable in your knowledge, helping out people who are struggling with their synths (I’ve learned more about synths since opening boyinaband.com than in the 4 years beforehand!)
The best way to learn is always to teach!
Oh, and if you make any tutorials yourself or decide to start your own synth-y blog, leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to link to them/you 
How did you learn what you know about synths? Know any good methods/books/websites?
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