What would you specifically call what I refer to as 'additive synthesis', just so we're using the same language? If, for example, you didn't want to lump it in with FM and RM? FM, RM and I guess PM are all carried out using the multiplication of audio frequency waveforms, often complex ones. What I call 'additive synthesis' uses the addition of many partials - all sine waves and all individually malleable - to create the final waveform. They work in a completely different way and they produce very different sounds.īased on all I've read regarding different synthesis techniques to date, I think of 'FM' and 'additive synthesis' as different classes of synthesis. FM and RM simply aren't what I'm talking about. We're getting hung up on semantics though. > Additive synthesis takes base oscillators and creates new harmonics with its processing. But like I said, it's a lot of work - and would probably take a hell of a lot of DSP power.

I'd love to hear how all that works as a stage before the rich analogue emulation of the Virus. The 'filters' and effects you find on Razor and Harmor can make some remarkable sounds. Also, it's possible to think up additive tools which work in ways no analogue-style filter or effect could. The fact that the algorithm is playing with sine waves rather than complex waveforms makes for a particular kind of precision. I think the uniqueness of the operations within the additive engine come from the way that the resultant sound is utterly, unashamedly digital. FM and RM take existing waveforms, sometimes already complex, and multiply them.) (I see an additive engine as being one where the final output waveform is constructed from a number of sine waves of different pitches, phases and amplitudes. I didn't think of FM and RM as additive, more as waveform modulation techniques.

Additive vs subtractive synth