A brief introduction to
Sound Synthesis
(by Leon Dawson)
Sound Synthesis
(by Leon Dawson)
Sound Synthesis is a term used to describe the process or processes involved in creating sounds or recreating sounds using electronic means.
There are various types of synthesis and I will briefly explain what they are here before expanding upon the ideas in future sections/posts.
With the correct tecniques each and every sound that occurs naturally or un-naturaly can be re-synthesized. It may sound like rocket science but its actually pretty straight forward once we examine any given sound closely.
ALL sounds are basically made up from the same base sound-elements, these elements are either tones or noise (such as static).
Sound Synthesis techniques are being implimented all around you read this very sentence.
If your reading via mobile web, then the noises your phone makes will probably have their origins in additive synthesis.
If your using a pc, and you press the wrong button that annoying sound is synthesis.
Your clock/alarm. Your car alarm. Basically everything most things that produce tones/sound.
Keyboards often use Sound Synthesis you emulate bell sounds or to create exciting pad/bass sounds.
The 2 most common types of synthesis are 'Additive Syntheis' and 'Subtractive Synthesis', there is a 3rd less common technique called 'Granular Synthesis' which relies on sampling a sound then selecting parts of the sample (caputured sound) and effectivly loopng and fading those parts to create a sustained sound, a new sound out of the original sample.
Pure Synthesis Techniques
Additive:
As the name suggests the process/technique involves creating tones by electronic means and then adding new tones/sounds until the desired sound is achieved, this final sound can then be manipulated or shaped until the desired final sound is achieved.
Additive synthesis is the most common type of synthesis.
Subtractive:
Yep you guessed it, the complete opposite of additive,
instead of taking a number of tones/sounds and adding them together we start with one tone/sound and then introduce a second only mathematically subtract the second tone from the first and so on..
Granular (the black sheep of the family):
Often overlooked or forgotten all together Granular Synthesis, it relies of a predetermined sound being loaded and manipulated. It is fundamentally different form addative and subtractive synthesis because both addative and subtractive synthesizers will generate tones from using oscilators, where as oscilators are only used in the shaping of the sound (ADSR stage).
Granular synthesis is essentially sampling technology.
FM Synthesis:
Frequency Modulation Synthesis basically works by taking an initial tone (the carrier signal) and modulating that using a second (or 3rd... etc) signal. It can result in some very dramatic sounds especially where metalic 'ringing' sounds are required.
In contrast to sub/add sythesis rather than thinking of it as adding or taking away its more like multiplying and dividing.
Physical Modeling Synthesis
PM synthesis is an attempt to recreate a real sound by the use of pre-written algorythms. It is more commonly found in hardware synthesizer keyboards and some drum machines. The algorythms recreate the conditions that shaped the sounds that is to be recreated.
This sound can then be shaped/manipulated further to create the sound desired.
((unfinished))
There are various types of synthesis and I will briefly explain what they are here before expanding upon the ideas in future sections/posts.
With the correct tecniques each and every sound that occurs naturally or un-naturaly can be re-synthesized. It may sound like rocket science but its actually pretty straight forward once we examine any given sound closely.
ALL sounds are basically made up from the same base sound-elements, these elements are either tones or noise (such as static).
Sound Synthesis techniques are being implimented all around you read this very sentence.
If your reading via mobile web, then the noises your phone makes will probably have their origins in additive synthesis.
If your using a pc, and you press the wrong button that annoying sound is synthesis.
Your clock/alarm. Your car alarm. Basically everything most things that produce tones/sound.
Keyboards often use Sound Synthesis you emulate bell sounds or to create exciting pad/bass sounds.
The 2 most common types of synthesis are 'Additive Syntheis' and 'Subtractive Synthesis', there is a 3rd less common technique called 'Granular Synthesis' which relies on sampling a sound then selecting parts of the sample (caputured sound) and effectivly loopng and fading those parts to create a sustained sound, a new sound out of the original sample.
Pure Synthesis Techniques
The term pure synthesis reffers to additive and subtractive synthesis techniques which can (in theory) if used correctly can be used to re-create any sound. From the human voice to thunder and lightning. Thunder for example is very easy to do, the human voice is a little more complicated but achievable non
Additive:
As the name suggests the process/technique involves creating tones by electronic means and then adding new tones/sounds until the desired sound is achieved, this final sound can then be manipulated or shaped until the desired final sound is achieved.
Additive synthesis is the most common type of synthesis.
Subtractive:
Yep you guessed it, the complete opposite of additive,
instead of taking a number of tones/sounds and adding them together we start with one tone/sound and then introduce a second only mathematically subtract the second tone from the first and so on..
Granular (the black sheep of the family):
Often overlooked or forgotten all together Granular Synthesis, it relies of a predetermined sound being loaded and manipulated. It is fundamentally different form addative and subtractive synthesis because both addative and subtractive synthesizers will generate tones from using oscilators, where as oscilators are only used in the shaping of the sound (ADSR stage).
Granular synthesis is essentially sampling technology.
FM Synthesis:
Frequency Modulation Synthesis basically works by taking an initial tone (the carrier signal) and modulating that using a second (or 3rd... etc) signal. It can result in some very dramatic sounds especially where metalic 'ringing' sounds are required.
In contrast to sub/add sythesis rather than thinking of it as adding or taking away its more like multiplying and dividing.
Physical Modeling Synthesis
PM synthesis is an attempt to recreate a real sound by the use of pre-written algorythms. It is more commonly found in hardware synthesizer keyboards and some drum machines. The algorythms recreate the conditions that shaped the sounds that is to be recreated.
This sound can then be shaped/manipulated further to create the sound desired.
((unfinished))
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