Year 13 Music Technology Unit 4

The basics of synthesis

Key term
Oscillator

Definition

LFO
Envelope
Filter
Amplifier
Pitch
Tone
Volume
Subtractive synthesis
There are many different types of synthesis processes you can come across:
Subtractive synthesis
Frequency modulation (FM) synthesis
Phase Modulation synthesis
Sample based synthesis
Adative synthesis
The most common approach to synthesis you will come across is subtractive
synthesis (also known as analogue synthesis). This synthesis is where you
attenuate or remove harmonics from harmonically rich waveforms to create
new sounds.
In order to understand subtractive synthesis further, we need to understand
sound. Read the following excerpt from Resident Advisor:
All musical instruments are capable of altering three separate elements
of the sounds they produce: pitch, tone and volume. At the same time,
every instrument you can imagine is governed by its physical
properties. In other words, while the range of sounds each instrument
can produce is varied (think of violins when bowed or plucked, for
instance), a violin could never sound like a trumpet, as the instrument
is
constructed
and
played
entirely
differently.
The concept behind subtractive synthesis is that synths can be almost
endlessly flexible, as the way they build sounds isn't tied to physical
construction. To understand this we need to think for a moment about
acousticsthe way we hear sound and the way it's produced by

musical instruments in particular. When you sit at a piano and play a

single note, the loudest thing you hear is the note you strike, which
explains how you're able to identify it as a C or a G#, for instance.
However, in addition to this main note, or "fundamental frequency," a
whole range of other notes sound too, called harmonics. Pitch and
frequency (measured in Hertz, or 'Hz' for short) mean the same thing
but whereas musicians tend to refer to pitches via their note names, in
this instance it's better to do some math to understand how harmonics
are produced. The note A just above C3 has a full technical name of
A440, which contains both its note name and its frequency. Harmonics
are produced whenever that frequency is multiplied, so the loudest
harmonics you'll hear are those at 880Hz, 1760Hz, 3520Hz and so on.
The 440 times table isn't the most friendly, so let's imagine a note
which has a frequency at 100Hz. Its harmonics will occur at 200Hz,
300Hz, 400Hz and so on, with each new harmonic quieter than the
previous one in the case of most instruments. 1
In addition, sound has always had three main elements:
1. Pitch consists of frequency, which is measured in Hertz (Hz),
2. Tone the loudest part of a sound you will hear is called the
fundamental pitch. In addition to the fundamental, there are other
related pitches called harmonics. Combined, the harmonics and
fundamental pitch give the flute its characteristic sound and make it
different from, for example, a trumpet.
3. Volume also referred to as amplitude and is a means of indicating
how large the sound waves are.

Typical path of a synthesiser

1 Subtractive synths explained from

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1351 [Accessed on 1 November
2015, 10:50am]/

Video: Get a Grip on Synthesis

1. What are the three elements of most subtractive synthesizers?

2. What is special about the waves offered by subtractive synthesizers?

3. Describe a sine wave. Draw a diagram to support your answer.

4. Describe a sawtooth wave. Draw a diagram to support your answer.

5. Describe a square wave. Draw a diagram to support your answer.

6. Describe a triangle wave. Draw a diagram to support your answer.

7. Draw a white noise wave.

8. How can we change the sound sources?

9. How might a sawtooth wave change as an LPF is turned down and up

again?

10. What two main tools can be used to change levels over time?

Extension: Label the parts of the envelope diagram to represent Attack,

Decay, Sustain and Release.

11. What happens when we apply an envelope to the amplifier?

12. What happens when I control the filter with an envelope?

13. What happens when I apply an LFO to the sound source?

Synthesis: Practical Tasks

Logic Synthesis Task 1: Herbie Hancock Chameleon
1. Open Logic
2. Sequence in the riff.

3. On the Inspector panel, click on the arrows besides the instrument

track and launch ES M (Monophonic Synth).
4. Using your knowledge of subtractive synthesis, adjust the parameters
to recreate the sound on the original track.

Logic Synthesis Task 2: Europe Final Countdown

1. Open Logic
2. Sequence the riff:

3. On the Inspector panel, click on the arrows besides the instrument

track and launch ES P (Polyphonic Synth).
4. Using your knowledge of subtractive synthesis, get as close to the
sound of Final Countdown as you can!