Intro
In the 1980s, Yamaha’s DX7 keyboard popularised a glossier, cleaner approach to sound generation than that of analogue synthesisers: frequency modulation (FM) synthesis.
Almost the antithesis to beginner-level subtractive, FM (frequency modulation) synthesis involves the modulation of an audible ‘carrier’ oscillator by an inaudible ‘modulator’ waveform’. This introduces ‘sideband’ harmonics into the original signal, creating an entirely new, more complex wave shape.
FM is a powerful, timeless synthesis technique, and there are plenty of awesome plugins out there that take it far further than Yamaha’s once-gamechanging instrument. Here are six of them…
You can read more about FM synthesis in the July edition of Future Music.
