I Dream Of Wires is a feature-length documentary about the history, demise, and resurgence of a machine that shaped electronic music: the modular synthesizer. Over 100 inventors, enthusiasts, and musicians (including Trent Reznor, Gary Numan, and Vince Clarke) are interviewed about their relationship with the modular synthesizer — for many, it’s an all-consuming passion.
synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis, and frequency modulation synthesis. These sounds may be altered by components such as filters, which cut or boost frequencies; envelopes, which control articulation, or how notes begin and end; and low-frequency oscillators, which modulate parameters such as pitch, volume, or filter characteristics affecting timbre. Synthesizers are typically played with keyboards or controlled by sequencers, software or other instruments, and can be synchronized to other equipment via MIDI.
1983, Yamaha released the first commercially successful digital synthesizer, the Yamaha DX7.[20] Based on frequency modulation (FM) synthesis developed by the Stanford University engineer John Chowning,[21] the DX7 was characterized by its harsh, glassy and chilly sounds, compared to the warm and fuzzy sounds of analog synthesis.[1] The DX7 was the first synthesizer to sell more than 100,000 units[7]: 57 and remains one of the bestselling in history.[20][22] It was widely used in 1980s pop music.[23]
Digital synthesizers typically contained preset sounds emulating acoustic instruments, with algorithms controlled with menus and buttons.[4] The Synclavier, made with FM technology licensed from Yamaha, offered features such as 16-bit sampling and digital recording. With a starting price of $13,000, its use was limited to universities, studios and wealthy artists.[24][25] The Roland D-50 (1987) blended Roland’s linear arithmetic algorithm with samples, and was the first mass-produced synthesizer with built-in digital effects such as delay, reverb and chorus.[7]: 63 In 1988, the Japanese manufacturer Korg released the M1, a digital synthesizer workstation featuring sampled transients and loops.[26] With more than 250,000 units sold, it remains the bestselling synthesizer in history.[26] The advent of digital synthesizers led to a downturn in interest in analog synthesizers in the following decade.[7]: 59
1990s–present: Software synthesizers and analog revival
Main article: Analog revival
ReBirth by Propellerhead Software and Reality by Seer Systems, the first software synthesizers that could be played in real time via MIDI, were released in 1997.[7] In 1999, an update to the music software Cubase allowed users to run software instruments (including synthesizers) as plug-ins, triggering a wave of new software instruments.[27] Propellerhead’s Reason, released in 2000, introduced an array of recognizable virtual studio equipment.[27]
The market for patchable and modular synthesizers rebounded in the late 1990s.[7]: 32 In the 2000s, older analog synthesizers regained popularity, sometimes selling for much more than their original prices.[28] In the 2010s, new, affordable analog synthesizers were introduced by companies including Moog, Korg, Arturia and Dave Smith Instruments. The renewed interest is credited to the appeal of imperfect organic sounds and simpler interfaces, and modern surface-mount technology making analog synthesizers cheaper and faster to manufacture.[28]
