When we received Patch & Tweak in the mail, all work in the office stopped for about an hour – the true sign of any engrossing work. And P&W, at least for the synth nerds out there, is as engrossing as it gets.
The overall arc of the book is pretty Moog-focused, but that’s fine since it’s pretty well telegraphed in the title. What we really enjoyed were the intro bits on the history of Bob Moog and his contributions to synthesis, and all of the in-depth explanations and super-helpful illustrations that go over each bit of how synthesizers work, from the oscillators to the filter, modulation sources and everything in-between.
Peppered in are some interesting interviews with modern synthesists, which are refreshing because they’re not the same old stories told by the same old people (you know the ones). It’s good to see contemporary artists involved in projects like these – too often our industry is stuck looking in the rear-view mirror.
All in all, while it does certainly slant towards some of Moog’s more current offerings (DFAM, Grandmother, Mother-32), the book is still a good resource and well-laid out for any synth enthusiast to flip through and learn a thing or two. There’s even a handy section towards the back that can point you to other resources if your thirst for knowledge isn’t fully quenched by P&W alone. Highly recommended.
