It is no secret that synths are hard to understand and can seem intimidating if you’ve never worked with them before. Breaking the instrument down into its elemental parts is key to navigating its many possibilities.

Now Ableton is making the art of synthesis more approachable with their new interactive website Learning Synths.

School’s in: Ableton’s new website Learning Synths is an interactive,  easy to follow exploration of the fundamentals of synthesis.

The free program works on any browser and demonstrates the how-to’s of synth with “a powerful but easy-to-learn “ synthesizer right on your screen. It comes with simple and uncomplicated step-by-step lessons giving you room to learn the fundamentals of synthesis at your own speed.

The lessons are accessible and easy to follow, suitable even if you had never played a synth before. The interactive examples are showcased on bright geometric shapes that you manipulate to produce different sounds. Although the demonstrations are basic in design, the website contains plenty of important theoretical substance.

If you just want to brush up your knowledge and already know about amplitude and pitch, you can skip to different sections such as: envelopes, LFOs, oscillators, filters. After learning those synth principles, there’s the recipes section which puts into practise merging your new sounds to form specific tones, like a plucked bass or a kick drum. Once you’ve reached the end of your lessons, there’s the playground, a place to demonstrate all the new skills you’ve learnt to create your ultimate sound.

Learning Synths is a great website to check out whether you want to refresh your knowledge or you’re tackling synthesis for the first time.