There are all kinds of instruments and all kinds of music, but there’s something about the synthesizer that is really unmatched and magical.

Now for a sense of clarity, I’m talking mostly synth pop from the eighties. (See examples below). Classic analog synths that made up a large part of all the songs being produced at the time, in almost every song.

“Synths? Really?” People who aren’t big fans say they aren’t real, just machines. They complain and proclaim that they are empty, sound fake, mechanical, cold and soulless. They are, but those people are missing the point. Synths are minimalistic. They are supposed to also be raw and inorganic. That’s what makes them unique.

Inorganic isn’t bad, machines help us, they provide us with the tools we need to survive everyday life. Synthesized sound isn’t empty, or soulless either. A guitar doesn’t have a soul, but the person who is playing it does. They are just using that instrument to express themselves, the same as any other musical instrument.

See, for me, when I listen to those sounds and hear less, I fill in what’s missing. One tone becomes a feeling, one waveform becomes a story, a person, a beep becomes a soul. No other instrument can do that.

Synths are unmatched and magical in a complete and total minimalistic way.

Sweet Dreams-Eurythmics

Cars-Gary Numan

Facination-Human League

One thought on “Analog Essay: Synths

  1. Chris Sobieniak says:

    You put me in that mood Gabe, thanks!

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