Inside Frequency Modulation Synthesis

This is a wonderfully helpful video for anyone who wants to have a better understanding of how FM Synthesis works, and it’s priceless for all FM8 users in general.

All of this information is shared in such a way that it is incredibly easy to understand no matter what level of experience you happen to have with sound design or audio production in general. Once subtractive synthesis became ‘the norm’ in the soft synth world, FM synthesis became a mystery very quick to many of the people just getting started with digital and electronic music. Add to that, the fact that soft synth almost invariably add features that could never be found in their real-world counterparts, you have a recipe for confusion and frustration. In the end this lead to a lot of people picking up a program like FM8, playing with the presets and not progressing much further.

Within just a few minutes time, this video does an excellent job of explaining the difference between the different oscillators used in frequency modulation synthesis and how the interact with affect each other. William also explains how and why you end up with harmonic versus dissonant sounds when working with ratios. Also discussed is envelope modulation over time and how this differs from modulation applied through other oscillators.

This series, although really great, was never carried out much further. So we will be doing our best in the coming weeks to dig deep and find you the best that there is to offer in the way of demystifying FM Synthesis so you can get the most out of FM8 and continue to grow with us for many more years to come.

As always, if you have specific requests please let us know by leaving a comment or contacting us directly. You are also welcome to join us on Facebook, where we have a very open community which is growing everyday and has a lot to offer you!

Cheers,
ΩhmLab