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Synthesist Masterclass

10 sessions · Tuesdays, Thursdays · 2hr each

Beyond subtractive — the full map of synthesis

The Mix Primer covers subtractive synthesis because it explains how filters and EQ work. This course picks up where that left off and covers every other way to generate and shape sound — from FM and additive through wavetable, granular, physical modeling, and sampling-as-synthesis.

16 chapters of ground covered

Oscillators, filters, envelopes, and modulation — quick review of subtractive fundamentals before moving on
FM synthesis — frequency modulation, operators, algorithms, and why FM sounds the way it does
Additive synthesis — building sound from individual harmonics. The harmonic series as a sound design tool
Wavetable synthesis — scanning through waveforms, morphing, and the modern wavetable engines in Serum, Vital, and others
Granular synthesis — slicing audio into grains, texture generation, and time-stretching as a creative tool
Physical modeling — simulating acoustic instruments and resonant bodies without samples
Sampling as synthesis — the line between sampling and synthesis, and how samplers became instruments
Patching, signal flow, and modular thinking — modular vs. integrated architectures, and how routing decisions shape the sound
Sound design exercises — practical sessions building patches from scratch across different synthesis types

Prerequisites: Familiarity with subtractive synthesis — oscillators, filters, envelopes. Covered in the Mix Primer or equivalent experience.

Building This Class

Jan 19, 2027 – Feb 18, 2027

Tuesdays, Thursdays, 4 PM Pacific | 7 PM Eastern | 12 AM UK

10 × 2hr classes

$620.00 includes 2 mo. residency

I'm a current resident $450.00

What's a residency?

Residency is your Beat Kitchen membership —$85/mo or $700/yr. It includes office hours, gyms, beat challenges, and a community of producers on Discord.

Non-residents can take any class — residency months are bundled into the price. If you're already a resident, check the box above and you'll see the lower class-only price.

Learn more about residency →

Other start dates and times (1 more)

More Dates

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May 30, 2027 – Oct 17, 2027 Sundays, 10 AM Pacific | 1 PM Eastern | 6 PM UK

Building This Class

Synthesist

Beyond subtractive synthesis; advanced sound design and sound sculpting

Sundays, 10 AM Pacific | 1 PM Eastern | 6 PM UK

May 30, 2027 - Oct 17, 2027

20 x 1hr Classes

Are you a current BKS resident?

No Yes

$960.00

* This price includes 6 months required BKS Residency

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Building This Class

Want this class at a different time? Seats aren't on sale yet — raise your hand and we'll build it around your availability.

The more times you select, the more likely we are to build a class that works for you.

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What students say

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I recently took a music theory workshop with Nathan. He is super knowledgeable and also a great teacher. Music theory is often confusing and intimidating for me but he used a lot of great analogies to make the concepts more digestible.

—Devynn, Seattle, WA

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Shared a lot of great information about the fundamentals of music. It was very helpful to understand the basics from different perspectives and how they can be applied.

—Matthew, Philadelphia, PA

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Recently took a couple of classes - Effects, Synthesis and Mixing primer and the Beat Building Jam. Both classes were really good. Ended up learning a lot of basics of how sound design and shaping works in the first one and a bunch of

—Hardik, Seattle, WA

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One of a kind. Precious and deeply conscious teaching and learning exchange. Recommended to all who wonder about the mysteries of the universe <3

—Alix, Berlin, Germany

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I took the “FX, Synthesis, and Mix Primer” class, and it was amazing! This class covers all types of effects, such as EQ, reverb, delay, compression, tremolos, phasers, etc. Not only does the class teach what the effects are and how to use

—Eric, Wisconsin

Explore Classes

Office Hours Weekly. Ask questions, get help, and connect. Included with residency. Production Gym Weekly. Production breakdown of your favorite songs. Included with residency. Theory Gym Weekly. Morning music theory workout. Included with residency. Ear Training Weekly. Test your ears and discuss — music, mixing, and more. Included with residency. Instrument Gym Weekly. Practice and workout on instruments. Included with residency. Weekly Beat Review Weekly. Listen to Beat Challenge song ideas together. Included with residency.

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Electronic Music Kitchen Master electronic music production fundamentals. Learn trance, bass music, EDM composition techniques, MIDI programming, … Hip Hop Kitchen Learn to create unique hip hop beats with professional structure, sound design, and mixing techniques. Master looping, … Orchestral Kitchen Master orchestral production techniques including articulation, arrangement, and realistic programming for brass, … Session Player Kitchen Learn professional session player techniques and realistic instrument programming. Master drums, guitars, bass … Vocal Kitchen Learn professional vocal recording, production, and processing techniques. Master microphone placement, vocal chains, …

Beat Building Jam Workshop ideas into songs. Peer feedback. Instructor support. Prep for production Mix Incubator Your lab for carrying a track across the finish line — the forcing function that turns a produced or recorded song into … Production Incubator Your lab for turning a song into a finished production — the forcing function that leaves you with a track ready for the … Recording Incubator Your lab for capturing real performances of your song — the forcing function that leaves you with recordings ready for … Songwriting Incubator Your lab for getting a song started and out the door — the forcing function that leaves you with a draft ready for the …

Mixing & Mixcraft Advanced live mixing course: parallel compression, sidechain, vocal chains, drum mixing, stereo imaging, automation, and … Recording Studio Masterclass Hands-on recording studio masterclass with professional equipment. Learn large format consoles, studio etiquette, and … Songwriter Masterclass Master songwriting techniques with professional composers. Learn melody writing, chord progressions, song structure, …

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Beat Kitchen At-A-Glance

Beat Ktichen Calendar

See the full calendar
Recent Resident Gyms
- PRODUCTION-GYM: Worked through a reference-track deconstruction and production rebuild exercise, identifying the key sonic elements of a moody, low-register chord-based track and then reconstructing an approximation in Logic Pro. Covered chord voicing for low-register "growl," bass sound design using electric piano and synthesis, drum processing with compression and reverb, and vintage EQ (Pultec-style) for tonal shaping. Also touched on session organization, gain staging, and routing strategy during the build.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: Reviewed a submitted ambient/drone track by Jon, focusing on the composition and production techniques behind it — specifically the use of a modulated Vital synth patch, a Mellotron plugin for choir-style chords, a flute element, and a Digitalis plugin for bit-crush and formant-shift effects. Discussed how the Vital patch is structured around a single slowly-increasing parameter modulating all other parameters over the course of the track. The track is full-length and release-ready.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered mix feedback and hands-on low-end mixing technique in this office hours session. Worked through frequency balance, kick/bass separation using the boost-and-scoop method, saturation for transient punch, vocal stacking EQ issues, and ear fatigue from monitoring too loud. Also addressed song structure and intro length as it relates to listener retention.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: Reviewed submitted beats and in-progress recordings from several students, including a kazoo-based field recording piece and a folk song arrangement using power sanders as a drone instrument. Covered DAW workflow techniques in Logic, including bounce-in-place methods, mono/stereo conversion, and the distinction between Logic's Join commands. Discussed using Match EQ with white noise as a frequency-balancing tool in the mix process.
- OFFICE HOURS: Worked through the internal architecture of the Harmonic Synth, specifically routing a sidechain input to enable live re-synthesis and vocoder-style effects. Demonstrated the freeze-point scrubbing concept using a poly LFO, explored pitch bend as a high-resolution alternative to mod wheel for scrubbing, and discussed the broader application of nonlinear audio playback — scripting playback position changes that are typically only possible in a sampler. Also discussed a forthcoming songwriting incubator session planned for Wednesdays starting around the 12th, two hours earlier than the previous iteration.
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: Worked through the BK Harmonic synthesizer as an expressive instrument, exploring its core architecture — partials, overtone scan, tuning modes, and the partials matrix — with live hands-on walkthroughs for attending students. Covered just intonation versus equal temperament as implemented in the plugin, and demonstrated how to route MIDI modulation (pitch bend) to control the number of active partials as an expressive performance parameter.
- EAR-TRAINING-GYM: We worked through a high-difficulty chord identification exercise using an ear training app, analyzing a complex chord that turned out to be an E-flat major 7 (with a 9) in first inversion. The exercise surfaced the distinction between hearing a chord functionally versus hearing its explicit voicing and intervals, and illustrated how spread voicings can mask the intervals your brain already recognizes. Multiple guesses were worked through collectively before arriving at the answer.
- THEORY-GYM: Covered the minor 6 chord — what it is, how it functions, and where it naturally appears in a key — using Matthew Wilder's "Ain't Nothin' Gonna Break My Stride" as the primary study subject. Demonstrated how the song's verse is built around an Eb minor 6 chord functioning as a minor iv resolving to I (in Bb), showed the equivalence between a minor 6 chord and a minor 7 flat 5 (half-diminished) in root position, and traced the song's series of key changes through the verse, chorus, and bridge. Also introduced the reggae rhythmic feel by contrasting a standard downbeat-driven bass/chord pattern with the upbeat-focused "one drop" skank pattern.
- PRODUCTION-GYM: We spent this morning's Production Gym on an active listening session dedicated to Björk, prompted by a recent encounter with a music professional who had never heard of her. We worked through three songs — "Pagan Poetry," and "Unravel," and a recent Björk/Rosalía collaboration — analyzing mixing decisions, vocal production, drum programming, reverb use, no pitch correction, automation, and stereo field placement as they appeared in each track. The session also opened into a group discussion about music history literacy as a foundational skill for producers.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: Weekly Beat Challenge — 1276 words across 2 speakers (21 wpm). Insufficient instructional content for a summary.
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Resident Events
- Theory Gym: Nathan
  Aug. 12,
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  Aug. 12,
- Office Hours: Scott Hampton
  Aug. 13,
- Office Hours: Jon Mattox
  Aug. 13,
- Theory Gym: Nathan
  Aug. 16,
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  Aug. 17,
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Courses
- Aug 19, 2026 Songwriting Incubator
- Sep 01, 2026 Comprehensive Program
- Sep 1, 2026 DAW Core Skills
- Sep 21, 2026 Beat Building Jam
- Oct 6, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Oct 21, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
- Nov 10, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
- Nov 29, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
See All Courses
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