Best of all, it can be downloaded for free and comes with 60 free lessons to give you a taste of things before paying for anything.
It is an desktop app that can teach you how to play these instruments. If you are interested in synths, but would like to make use of MIDI keyboards, pad controllers, and drums instead of more traditional synth hardware, then Melodics could be a good option.
While it is not free, you can download a free demo to try out the first 22 lessons without any time limit, which is more than enough to get you started.
If you don't want to get too hung up on theory and enjoy video games like Guitar Hero, then Syntorial could be a good avenue to explore. So what you get is almost 200 lessons that offer a combination of video demonstrations along with interactive challenges. Instead of ordinary synth tutorials, it approaches the subject like a video game. Syntorial () is another method of learning that has seen a lot of success with users. All of the old courses, such as this one about Learning Synth Programming () is also still available on LinkedIn Learning. Although it costs $29.99 per month to use the courses on the site, they do offer a free monthly trial, which can already help you to get far. For example, here is a two hour course on Learning Modular Synthesis: Moog MOther-32 Semimodular Synth (). It is now an open online course website that features a number of video courses, including ones related to synthesizers. Those old enough to remember will probably know that it was acquired in 2015 by LinkedIn. Even for something as niche as synthesizers, there are a number of online courses available. You can also schedule our learning around your other priorities, instead of the other way round. The abundance of online courses means that you can now learn in the comfort of your own home or wherever you have an internet connection available. The days of having to travel to a location and make time in your busy schedule just to learn something new is thankfully in the past. Whether you need advice, tips or even just motivation and inspiration, being part of a community can make the process of learning how to use synthesizers a lot more fun. Once you are up to speed with the basics, you'll find that forums for synth enthusiasts, like our very own one here at Vintage Synth Explorer, are a great way to discover new information, chat to fellow synth fans and learn from them. It is recommended that you start at the beginning and work your way through the lessons, but you are also free to jump to whatever lesson you want. The Synthesizer Academy () is another great resource for tutorials on how to make electronic music. They not only cover the aforementioned topics, but also explain the different definitions along with the pros and cons of different synthesizer types. A good starting point is "Synth 101: Learning the Basics" which is available from the Yamaha music website (). Even if you need to start with the very basics, such as what exactly a synthesizer is and what the difference is between analog and digital, you'll find online resources that can assist.
You could obviously just sit down in front of a synth and try to teach yourself through trial and error, but learning the basics first will help you a lot in the long run. The saying "ignorance is bliss" is not really applicable to synthesizers as there are a lot of synthesizer related terms that you will frequently hear and understanding what they mean is important. If you have ever listened with envy to the sounds that other synth players are able to coax out of their instruments and unsure where to even begin, here are a couple of resources to help you get started. Thankfully, we live in a day and age where just about any information you need can be accessed almost immediately, which makes it a lot easier to master certain skills, such as playing synths. However, it can be extremely frustrating for people who would like to compose or play music, but struggle with the hardware or software. Just like any other musical instrument, it is much easier to learn how to play a synthesizer if you are having fun.