Learn Synthesis on a Real Synth — See Every Sound You Make
Synth Academy is a real synthesizer with a teacher built in. Turn a knob and a live oscilloscope shows the wave change while a tutor box explains what that knob actually does — oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, even FM synthesis. Then take the challenges: hear a sound, rebuild it by ear, and get told exactly which knobs are off. Free, in your browser, nothing installs.
No account needed · Runs in your browser · Nothing is uploaded
Start learning synthesis
🪙Oscillator A
Oscillator B
More sources
Motion & dirt
👋 Welcome to Synth Academy
This is a real synthesizer — everything you hear is built from raw waveforms, filtered, shaped and modulated live in your browser. Hover ANY knob and this box explains what it actually does. Play notes with your mouse or computer keyboard (A-row = white keys, W E T Y U = black keys) and WATCH the scope: every knob changes the wave you're looking at.
💡 Ready to be tested? Flip to 🎓 Challenges up top and start recreating sounds by ear.
Filter
Filter envelope
Amp envelope
LFO
🔊 Master volume
Signal path
Osc A + B + Sub + Noise → Drive → Filter (+ its envelope) → Amp envelope→ out. FM: B wiggles A's frequency. The LFO reaches in from the side.
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What the Synth Academy can do
A real synth, not a slideshow
Two oscillators, a sub, noise, true 2-operator FM, glide, drive, a multimode filter with its own envelope, an amp ADSR and a routable LFO — every sound is synthesized live in your browser with Web Audio.
See the sound you're making
A big, rock-steady oscilloscope sits front and center with a live spectrum analyzer under it. Swap waveforms, close the filter, add drive — you watch the wave and its harmonics change in real time.
Hover anything, learn everything
The tutor box explains every control the moment you hover it — what cutoff really is, why resonance squelches, what FM ratios do — in plain English, with a 'try this' experiment for each.
13 ear-training challenges
Hear a target sound and rebuild it: pure tones, sub bass, supersaws, squelchy plucks, pads, vibrato, dubstep wobble and FM bells — each one teaches a core synthesis skill, easiest first.
Hints that actually teach
Stuck? Overlay the target's waveform on your scope and match the shapes. Every Check scores your patch and tells you which knobs are off and in which direction — the closest thing to a teacher leaning over your shoulder.
Play it like an instrument
Click the on-screen keys or play your computer keyboard DAW-style (A-row whites, W E T Y U blacks, Shift+arrows for octaves). Ten presets show you finished patches worth reverse-engineering.
How it works
Play and explore
Hold a note and turn knobs — the scope, the spectrum and your ears get the lesson at the same time. Hover any control and the tutor box explains it.
Take the challenges
Flip to Challenges: play the target sound, rebuild it with the knobs, and Check. Pass at 85% — use the wave hint and knob feedback when you're stuck.
Graduate to the studio
Everything you learn here is the same synth architecture as SoundCraft's SynthCraft instrument — open the free studio and use your new skills in real tracks.
Frequently asked questions
Is Synth Academy really free?
Yes — the whole synth and all 13 challenges run in your browser for free. Everyone gets a handful of free sessions; a free ClipCraft account tops you up to 100 tokens a month (a session is 2 tokens) and unlocks the full SoundCraft studio with the same synthesis engine.
I know nothing about synthesizers. Where do I start?
Right here — that's the point. Hold a note, hover the waveform buttons, and read the tutor box. Then start challenge 1, which begins with the purest possible sound (a sine wave) and adds one concept at a time: filters, envelopes, LFOs, and eventually FM synthesis.
What is subtractive synthesis?
The classic recipe most synths use: start with a harmonically rich waveform (like a sawtooth), then SUBTRACT frequencies with a filter and shape the volume with envelopes. Synth Academy is built exactly this way, so every knob you learn transfers to Serum, Vital, Massive, analog synths — all of them.
Does it cover FM synthesis?
Yes — oscillator B can frequency-modulate oscillator A like a proper 2-operator FM pair, with the tutor explaining ratios and sidebands, and an FM bell challenge to test you. It's the same principle behind the legendary DX7.
How do the challenges score me?
Each challenge grades the handful of knobs that matter for that sound against the target patch. You pass at 85%. Below that, it lists which controls are off and in which direction, and the guiltiest knobs glow so you know where to look.
Do I need to read music or play piano?
No. Challenges audition both the target and your patch on the same note automatically — you never need to play a melody. The keyboard is there so you can hear your patch across the range, with your mouse or computer keys.
Do more with a free ClipCraft account
Save your projects and unlock the full image, video and audio editors plus a whole suite of tools — free to start, no card required.
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