About this Event
Join us for a fully online, hands-on seminar focused on building a deep, intuitive understanding of subtractive synthesis. This class is a space for musicians, producers, sound designers, and electronic artists who want to stop feeling mystified by synths and start understanding how sound actually works.
In this seminar series we’ll focus on how to develop your own musical synthesis language. Many people learn synths by memorising presets or copying tutorials, but never quite grasp why things sound the way they do, this course is designed to fill that gap. Whether you’re using software instruments or hardware synths, switching between different interfaces, or constantly feeling like every new synth is a fresh puzzle, this is a space to build the transferable knowledge that works across almost any tool.
Perfect for anyone working with electronic music, hybrid setups, live performance, film/game audio, or experimental sound who wants to develop real sonic fluency rather than surface-level control.
Dates: Feb 12, Feb 19th, Feb 26th
Time: 6.30 – 8 PM GMT / 1.30 – 3 PM EST/ 10.30 – 12 PM PST
Location: Online
Class Structure
Each session will begin with a short, focused talk introducing a core concept in subtractive synthesis, such as oscillators and waveforms, filtering, envelopes, or modulation, followed by guided practical exercises using a range of synths.
Across the weeks, you’ll move beyond tweaking presets and learn how to design sounds from first principles: combining and shaping waves, using filters to sculpt timbre, understanding envelopes in relation to how we perceive sound in the physical world, and exploring modulation through LFOs and mod matrices to create evolving, expressive textures. Classes are highly interactive and practice-led, with plenty of time to experiment, ask questions, and apply ideas to your own instruments. You’ll also have opportunities to share patches and sounds with peers, receive feedback, and develop a more confident, intuitive relationship with synthesis.
Meet Your Instructor
Daniel Gouly is a composer, sound designer, music technologist, and creative producer working across electronic music, ethnomusicology, and sound art. He holds a PhD in Music from The Open University, where his research focused on underground electronic music cultures and sound technologies, alongside an MMus in Ethnomusicology from SOAS. Daniel has over two decades of experience working with music technology in creative and educational contexts, including electronic composition, sound design for theatre and sample packs, and live performance. Alongside his academic work, he is co-leader of the award-winning ensemble Don Kipper and has delivered workshops across the UK with young people, artists, and community groups.
His work can be heard across a wide range of recorded and multimedia projects, including Greyscale’s Fargazing, Natural Expressions And Breathe, as well as a series of collaborative releases. He has soundtracked installations for international exhibitions such as the Asian Art Biennale in Taiwan, sound designed podcast series, and regularly provides mixing, mastering, and additional production for critically acclaimed collaborators on albums including Sunshine Diaries and Yiddish Electronic.
https://www.danielgouly.com/
Email [email protected] if you want to discuss whether this class is suited to your current practice.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Kupfer, 58 Dace Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 60.00 to GBP 80.00
