Definition of Additive synthesis
Additive synthesis is a sound synthesis technique that creates timbre by adding sine waves together.
The timbre of musical instruments can be considered in the light of Fourier theory to consist of multiple harmonic or inharmonic partials or overtones. Each partial is a sine wave of different frequency and amplitude that swells and decays over time due to modulation from a four parameter attack, decay, sustain and release envelope (ADSR envelope) or low-frequency oscillator.
Additive synthesis most directly generates sound by adding the output of multiple sine wave generators. Alternative implementations may use pre-computed wavetables or the inverse fast Fourier transform.
Terms mentioned above
Related terms
Sample-based synthesis
Sample-based synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that can be contrasted to either…
Essynth
Essynth is a mathematical model for interactive sound synthesis based on the…
Wavetable synthesis
Wavetable synthesis is a sound synthesis technique used to create quasi-periodic…
Concatenative synthesis
Concatenative synthesis is a technique for synthesising sounds by concatenating short…
Digital waveguide synthesis
Digital waveguide synthesis is the synthesis of audio using a digital waveguide. …
Scanned synthesis
Scanned synthesis is a technique for animating wave tables and controlling them in…
Frequency modulation synthesis
Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby…
Karplus–Strong string synthesis
Karplus–Strong string synthesis is a method of physical modelling synthesis that loops a…
Linear arithmetic synthesis
Linear arithmetic synthesis, or LA synthesis, is a means of sound synthesis invented by…
Frequently asked questions
What is Additive synthesis?
Additive synthesis is a sound synthesis technique that creates timbre by adding sine waves together.