Syllabus & Calendar (Surge XT, Dexed, Ardour/LMMS, Stochas)
| Phase | Goal | Success criterion | Open‑source toolchain |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Foundations | 1 Master FM theory | Explain carrier:mod ratio, index, feedback and envelopes for basic ratios. | Surge XT manual & spectrum view; original Chowning FM paper. |
| 2 Dissect Dexed | Rebuild the DX7 factory patch “Tub Bells” from scratch and document every operator. | Dexed six‑operator interface for line‑by‑line analysis. | |
| II Sound‑Design Gym | 3 30‑Patch Sprint (Surge XT) | 30 original presets tagged in Surge XT browser. | Surge XT hybrid engine. |
| 4 Operator Matrix Catalogue (Dexed) | For 10 algorithms, design percussive & sustained patches, logged in spreadsheet. | Dexed algorithm selector + operator meters. | |
| III Workflow Engineering | 5 Swiss‑Army Mod Rack (Surge XT) | Rack with eight macros, exported as CLAP/LV2 preset. | Surge XT macro system. |
| 6 FM Drum Kit | 16‑slot kit rendered to SFZ bank. | Dexed → audio render → sfizz sampler. | |
| IV Composition & Arrangement | 7 Sketch Trilogy | Three 32‑bar loops using only your patches. | Ardour 8 or LMMS. |
| 8 Finish Two Tracks | Two ≥4‑min mixes released privately. | Ardour + GPL plugins (Calf, LSP, Airwindows). | |
| V Performance & Sharing | 9 Probabilistic Performance Set | 15‑min live jam with stochastic variations. | Stochas sequencer driving Surge XT/Dexed. |
| 10 Externalize Knowledge | Publish tutorial video or blog post. | OBS; Fediverse or GitHub Pages. |
Assumptions: ≈1 h weekdays, 2–3 h weekends.
| Week | Focus & Milestones | Mon–Fri (≈1 h) | Sat–Sun (≈2–3 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goal 1 – FM Fundamentals | Read Surge XT manual section; sketch spectra | Memory quiz; patch three 1‑op/2‑op tones |
| 2 | Goal 2 – Dissect Dexed | Rebuild Tub Bells; one operator per day | Document patch sheet; replicate “Solid Bass” |
| 3 | 30‑Patch Sprint Days 1–7 | One Surge preset per day | Two extra patches; Git commit |
| 4 | Sprint Days 8–14 + Matrix Catalogue | Daily patch; add 3 ratios to spreadsheet | Compare spectra; render demos |
| 5 | Sprint Days 15–21 | Daily patch; continue catalogue | Review & tweak favourites |
| 6 | Sprint Days 22–30 (finish) | Final six patches | Export library; “best‑of” demo |
| 7 | Goal 5 – Swiss‑Army Rack | Macro planning & mapping | Build rack; CPU test; revision |
| 8 | Goal 6 – FM Drum Kit | Design kick/snare/hat | Complete kit; build SFZ; audition |
| 9 | Goal 7 – Sketch Trilogy | 8‑bar motif each day | Expand to 32 bars; bounce stems |
| 10 | Track 1 Production | Arrange, automate, rough mix | Sound‑design polish; pre‑mix bounce |
| 11 | Track 2 Production | Same flow | By Sunday: two mixes at –6 dBFS |
| 12 | Goal 9 – Live Set | Configure Stochas & controller | Rehearse 15‑min jam; record |
| 13 | Goal 10 – Externalize | Script tutorial; prep OBS | Record, edit, publish; upload tracks |
| +1 | Buffer / Reflection | Catch‑up tasks | Critical listening Day‑1 vs Day‑90 |
- Surge XT – hybrid subtractive/FM synthesizer (GPL‑3) oai_citation_attribution:0‡GitHub
- Dexed – six‑operator DX7‑style FM plugin (GPL‑3) oai_citation_attribution:1‡GitHub
- Stochas – probabilistic & Euclidean MIDI sequencer oai_citation_attribution:2‡Surge Synth Team
- sfizz – high‑performance SFZ sampler oai_citation_attribution:3‡GitHub
- Ardour – full‑featured GPL DAW for audio/MIDI oai_citation_attribution:4‡ardour.org
- LMMS – pattern‑oriented GPL DAW for beat‑making oai_citation_attribution:5‡LMMS
- OBS Studio – video capture & streaming (GPL) oai_citation_attribution:6‡OBS
- Git + GitHub Gist – version control & publishing (MIT/GPL)
- Surge XT Manual (HTML) oai_citation_attribution:7‡Surge
- Dexed Wiki & Algorithm Charts oai_citation_attribution:8‡GitHub
- Ardour User Manual (HTML)
- “The Synthesis of Complex Audio Spectra by Means of Frequency Modulation” — John Chowning, 1973 (PDF)
https://web.eecs.umich.edu/~fessler/course/100/misc/chowning-73-tso.pdf oai_citation_attribution:9‡EECS Department - FM Theory and Applications: By Musicians for Musicians — David Bristow & John Chowning, 1986 (PDF)
https://www.burnkit2600.com/manuals/fm_theory_and_applications.pdf oai_citation_attribution:10‡burnkit2600 - Sound On Sound “Synth Secrets” — multi‑part series (see FM instalments)
https://www.soundonsound.com/series/synth-secrets-sound-sound oai_citation_attribution:11‡Sound On Sound
- Surge Synth Team Documentation Hub – downloads, tuning guide, extras oai_citation_attribution:12‡Surge
- LMMS Sharing Platform – patches & project exchange (community‑run)
- Surge XT Discord server – live user/developer chat (invite link rotates; find the current invite on the Surge site above)
(Generated 2025-04-21)